New old things

It’s summer and so hot these days and it seems hard to me to find the motivation to do much. I almost finished some job related things and now I am free to do whatever I want, but somehow the days pass and I don’t do much. Summer is often like this to me, I feel locked out from myself, with a foggy and scattered mind. So, for now, I will only post some new things I have found, in a rare visit to the flea market, online and in a vintage shop I visit quite often.

This is a pretty needlepoint bag, in a really good shape. I’m not sure if it is from the twenties or thirties or it’s something newer (the sixties?) made in that spirit. I am actually inclined to believe it is from the twenties, but never really used or something. I will keep it in my bag, holding embroidery stuff, when I go to work in the park (I do this sometimes, meeting friends in the park and stitching while we talk and it’s one of my favorite things to do).

This is a lucky flea market find, an Egyptian scarab ring, something that I kept hoping to find. It has Egyptian hallmarks, but I didn’t research them yet. I think it’s from the forties of fifties.

Another pretty ring, made of bakelite and some sort of silver alloy.

And a snake, found online.

I added another piece to my Art Nouveau collection. This is a brass necklace with mother of pearl (a very cheap flea market find).

And a cute brass dog ring.

First flea market in a very long time

I didn’t’ t go to the flea market in a very long time, maybe since November? It was a cold and busy winter and I didn’t have the energy or the motivation to go, even if it is one of my favorite things to do. But this Sunday was nice and sunny. It was a very good flea market day, with some good finds for my collection, with some relaxing time walking around and looking at stuff and also with some friends met there.
These are the things I have found:
An antique gold plated locket in a very good condition, with the two photos (of mother and sun, maybe) still inside under the clear celluloid). It’s my new favorite from my collection.

An old pocket watch winder that I’ll wear as a pendant.

A glass brooch ( I think it’ from the forties).

This unidentified thing (maybe some fastening for a jacket?). I don’ t know what I’ll use it for, but I liked the acorn like shape and it was very cheap, of course.

An old wood and brass knitting doll for my collection.

And a pretty silver ring.

 

Rings today

Art nouveau, art deco and a child’s ring from the eighties (or the nineties?) found in a button tin at the flea market.

My birthday gifts

My birthday was 10 days ago, but I was so busy these days and I neglected my blog. I took a sick day today, in order to heal from a flue, that kept nagging me for some time now. So, I have found the time to take pictures of some of my birthday presents, of the hand made, vintage and second hand ones, my favorite kind of presents.

My friend Rodica made me these beautiful bags. The bigger one is from an interesting fabric that looks like paper.

She also made me the white blouse in this photo. The vintage Japanese yellow cardigan is also a gift from her, but form last year.

This beautiful fancy dress is also made by Rodica, initially for her sister who wore it for some special occasions. But her sister decided to give it to me, as I usually wear fancy dresses with cardigans and such in informal situations, too. I was very glad to receive it. 

My friend Maria gave me a ring for my figural jewelry collection. Also, she transformed for me a nineties troll doll without any hair or clothing. She made the hair out of a mineral and she created for the doll a cosmic dress :). She never liked troll dolls but I like them a lot, so she spend a good deal of time on it :). 

Also, she transformed the cover of a notebook that I used to have since a long time ago, but I didn’t want to use it as I was embarrassed by the colonialist map on its cover. This transformation deserves its own post, in details.

My favorite coworker gave me this set of geometric shapes used by teachers in the eighties. I wanted such a set for a very long time, but it is kind of expensive to buy online and I have never found it at the flea market. I was very happy to finally have them! They were produced in a factory from the town I grew up in. Another coworker gave me also a beautiful gift of a book she illustrated,  a tasty syrup and this soap she had made herself and wrapped in a doily. 

Oti found at a second hand shop this cute t-shirt. 

And the kids at school gave me these flowers that we have planted in our urban garden. 

It wasn’t only my birthday last week. Our dog Cici was born sometimes in October, this is the time frame our vet estimated. So, he put down in her id the same birthday as mine. We had celebrated together :).  

After a long break

… I have finally visited the flea market again this weekend. We usually have training with our dog on Saturday lately and Sundays are the only days I can stay at home, so there didn’t seem to be a time for the flea market. I kind of missed it, even if I do have enough stuff and a break from collecting more is very useful. But this Saturday we didn’t have dog training and as winter is approaching, we thought it would be nice to have a look at the market. I have found a few very cheap things for my collections.

I have no idea what this Avios brand used to be (a quick search online shows only some flight points), but this watch keeps correct time, even if it is so scratched and seems to have been used a lot. Maybe it is from the seventies? Anyway, I really like its small size and old fashioned design, so this is the watch I’m using these days.

Two more snake pieces of jewelry. Snakes are my favorite motif, so I was glad to find these. Both are silver and old, I think. 

A new piece for my brass Art nouveau pendants and brooches collection. This is a very tiny pendant/charm.

I don’t think this bracelet is vintage, but it is nice. I gave it to my friend.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Snake

I bought this ring online this summer to reward myself for an exam I successfully took. I looked at it for at least one year before buying it, even if it wasn’t expensive really, but somehow I couldn’t justify another ring that it’s not  a bargain. It has two mystery hallmarks, that I don’t know how to research, so I cannot be sure how old it is. Maybe it is from the seventies? Maybe older? Anyway, it is really nice and very comfortable to wear, it didn’t leave my finger since I bought it.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Disco

My friend gave me this ring recently. It’s kind of big for me but it works if I wear it with a smaller one to hold it on my finger. I like how it looks with this old buckle ring. The new one is some funny interpretation of eternity rings. It’s Italian and from the seventies, I think. A disco ring.

The bracelet is from a silver tone metal and I think is really old. It’s a flea market find from a while ago and I really like the tiny stars engraved on it.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

Forties ring and old brooches

This is what I brought home after a flea market visit in a really hot and stormy day.

I had one of these antique brooches from a while ago. I have found another one for less than 50 cents and in a better shape, with the paint still intact. I think they look nice together.

I also found this plastic mouse with rhinestones eyes (from the sixties, maybe?). Very cute and in a good shape.

But my favorite find is this strange silver ring from the forties. The red and pink rhinestones are really sparkly and I enjoy watching its funny shape on my finger.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

 

Life lately

• These last two weeks were so busy, with long to do lists and almost no time to just relax at home.
• I’ve traveled to Gothemburg last week to work for an exhibition. We were most of the time in the gallery, but still we did get to spend some time looking at the sea, sitting in sunny parks, eating delicious vegan food and taking some long walks in the late, never ending sunsets.
• I’ve took my Portuguese exam. Here are the dogs helping me study. I’m sorry the course ended for the summer, but I’ll definitely be back in fall.
• These are some new old rings that I didn’t got the chance to post yet. The gold plated one with a small sapphire is my favorite.
• Summer vacation will start soon and I really plan to be more productive. Journal more is one of the plans, so I have bought this really nice and fancy one with colored paper.
• The city is full of the smell of linden flowers and the skies are blue-green and lavender and stormy in the evenings. Times for being outside in the streets full of people, time for sweet and light melancholy and for unnamed yearnings.
• Sometimes feels like being happy is just a moment away, that forgetting about uncertainty and worries and just be is so much in my power… only sometimes…

 

 

New old things

I went to the flea market this Saturday and it was a very good day for finding some of my favorite things.

I wanted such a celluloid bangle for a long time now, I kept seeing them online but never at the flea market. This one is a bit too large for me but the other vintage plastic bangle keeps it on my wrist. I really like how the paint faded in soft pinks and greens.

This beautiful antique souvenir silver brooch has a damage to the first “e” from Venice, but it was to interesting to leave behind. And I have very nice memories connected to Venice, so it makes sense for me to wear it. The dangling letters are more sparkly in reality than in these photos.

This silver wolf pin looks a lot like our dog Souris.

This antique brooch is not silver, although it really looks like silver and it is very detailed. I like the snakes and the tiny jade figure (Buddha?).

I don’t know if this woven wallet from Peru is vintage or not, but it’s really nice.

My favorite find is this big amber ring in an Art deco setting. It has some interesting hallmarks, that I didn’t have the time to research yet. I keep staring at the luminous stone these stressful days.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage charm parties.