Flea market finds

We went to the flea market this Sunday and it was a very relaxing and successful trip. I have found lots of my favorite things, old brooches, vintage art supplies. I was the most excited about these wax crayons made in Germany by a company named Stockmar. I looked it up and these crayons are still produced and they are used especially in connection with Waldorf schools (this is how they were developed also). I tried to find them in this specific packaging but with no luck. I think these are from the fifties or early sixties judging from the graphics and the font. They are not vegan, ad they are made out of pure wax, but I make an exception for something so old. There are also some Staedler crayons that are from the nineties, I think and some astra watercolor crayons that Icouldnțt find anything about, but they also seem quite old. The Stockmar ones are very good quality and they have beautiful colors, I will most definitely use them in my drawings.

I have also found some small objects.

The most intriguing to me are the two metal brooches with the round holes in them. I have found them in a box full of similar objects, things that looked like oversized pendants that used to hold gems of cameos, a ring that I regret not buying, broken brooches, everything in this dark metal with the same round holes. The tube hinge and the C clasp of the brooches made me think they are antique, si I picked up these two, thar were the most interesting to me. I tried researching them but with no luck so far.

My friend showed me this tiny metal brooch that I picked up mostly because it seemed like an useful thing to wear sometimes. At home, I noticed it has a logo on the back. It is actually a Mellerio daisy brooch, that I found listed as being from the twenties, thirties or forties. I was very glad with my find!

I have also found these sweet metal brooches, that I think are quite old, too. The flower one has a missing rhinestone, but I don’t mind it.

I will definitely wear these large earrings from the eighties.

And lastly, I found a new addition to my vintage thread collection.

Button, maybe

I bought this silver object some time ago from an vintage shop. I’m not sure if it is really a button or some sort of clip or fastener for clothing. It has a hinged system on the back, that could maybe hold some fabric in between the two movable parts.  I kept searching for something similar, to see what could have been its purpose, but with no luck. I have only found a listing for quite similar objects and the seller calls them “buttons”. I wear it as a pendant and I like it a lot.

Rainbow

One of my friend’s aunts gave her some things a couple of weeks ago. These beautiful embroidery threads are aaall miiine :). She also gave my friend some antique fabrics (the aunt is ninety and she has hand woven fabrics from her own grandmother), but I’ll post about those some other time. This thread is maybe from the seventies or eighties. I clearly remember the labels from my childhood, but they could be older because the graphics of packaging use to change very little and very rarely in socialist times. There are so many colors and nuances in the box. The light was not so good for taking photos these days, but I got tired of waiting for both good light and time to take the photos. Today I had time, so here there are a lot of not so in focus photos of beautiful thread. I hope to use them for lots of embroideries this summer.

 

Antique buttons

These are the finds from this weekend at the flea market. I’m getting more and more selective with what I bring home. For example, this time I have left behind a vintage tiger plush and a doll from the fifties, which were very nice but I thought about the limited space I have at home. I don’t regret not buying them, I do have my mother’s childhood dolls from the fifties and those are enough for me :).

I’m very glad I have found these antique buttons, though. Even if I do have enough buttons, too, these are so small and they could be part of some jewelry project or some crafty thing in the future. They are tiny brass buttons with beautiful details. 

I have also found this long and heavy silver chain which I think is antique. The niello serpent is bought separately but I like how it looks on this chain.

I wanted worry beads from Greece for some time now. I was hoping to find bakelite ones at some point, but I like these mother of pearl ones, too. They were quite cheap also and the smooth, cool surface of the beads is very pleasant.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Scissors

I really like to collect vintage scissors for their nice shapes and of course for their function. This tiny vintage charm is so detailed that I can almost say that it is part of my scissors collection :).

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

Leaves

Out of season, of course, but I have just finished this embroidery with autumn leaves. I have used some very old silk threads that I have found at the flea market. I would’t normally buy silk but I have made an exception for these ones. They are on some nice big wooden spools and I think they are from the twenties. I got them for extremely cheap and the woman selling them seemed surprised I’m not bargaining. The threads are very thin and very frail, it was quite a challenge to use them, as they would brake quite often. But the colors are beautiful and I liked using something that would have ended up in the garbage otherwise. 

Colorful finds

After a short visit to the flea market this weekend, I came home with these finds:

A big and quite heavy sterling silver necklace with a frog on a leaf and a silver and azurite ring.

I tried lately not to buy silk, not even vintage or second hand (although I still use the silk items I already have, all of them thrifted, as it would be so wasteful to just trow them away). But, I still bought for approximately 1 euro these old  big wooden spools with silk thread. The colors are so beautiful, they seem very old and they would have ended up in the trash anyway (the woman selling them seemed surprised that I am willing to pay 1 euro for all of them). The dogs haven’t seen them till I took them out to photograph, this is why they are so interested in the spools in these photos.

I have also found this jointed wooden mannequin to use for my students. This is not vintage but it was very cheap (2.5 euro) and these are usually very expensive to buy new. It has a small problem with one of the knees, but nothing important.

Linking up with Thriftasaurus, Vintage Charm and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Needle holder

This sweet Soviet needle holder is probably from the seventies or eighties. It’s wooden with a plastic cap. I bought it almost by accident, I liked the nesting doll but I didn’t know it’s also something (more or less) practical :).  

Junk store finds

Visited a junk store yesterday, after a long time. It was more crowded with stuff than usual and really overpriced since our last visit (I guess the business goes well and they can afford to raise the prices). But we are always looking for sewing notions there and the guys running the store don’t think much of these :). I found these three boxes yesterday at an ok price. The black one with orchids is cardboard, it was a chocolate box and it is definitely old (not sure if forties old or seventies, but I like the design a lot, and it is nice and clean). Inside there are old zippers, saved from other clothes, but they work fine. The tea tin holds some nice colors of darning thread that  I use for my weaving. The pink tin with little kittens and yarn balls is definitely new but it has a knitting doll inside and it is very cute.

Also, I found an old embroidery scissor (very good and sharp) and a crazy plastic button (from the eighties, I guess).

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Weaving

Among other serious things that I have to do these days (some of them very boring, some interesting but still taking up lots of brain space) it is very relaxing to weave. I make this very simple stripes for a small zippered pouch. I use some darning yarn I have found at the junk store in different occasions. Its thickness is really good for what I need and I love the vibrant seventies colors. I’ll probably make another one when this is finished, using more of the neutrals.