This week's finds

I'm trying to cut down on my thrifting addiction. Fingers crossed we'll have a house soon (I hate auctions!) because I'm seriously running out of space. This week I did find a few treasures though that I couldn't resist. The laboratory jar is HUGE ... 53cm in fact. It and the shell lamp were eBay purchases. My second shell lamp. I'm hoping to use these on a veranda with lots of cane furniture and greenery. The sailing cup is from the 1931/1932 sailing season and is going straight to the man cave. Kelvin is a very good sailor so he's particularly happy with this find. Secretly my favourite is the Trobriand Island footed bowl. I LOVE Papua New Guinea pieces and I have several of these island carvings. OK that's it for this week. I just have to promise not to buy anything more next week. Most of these are going in my prop cupboard. It's so bad now that I have to rotate things out of storage because I have no room. Fingers crossed soon I will have news!!!!

  

She's home but she bought a friend with her

  

  

Flicka came home with Fred Flinstone's car. LOL. I had to make room in our over stuffed garage. That's the most space I have seen in there for ages! (I think I have too many projects on the go and also too much furniture!) Now the fun begins as we slowly restore them. We want to keep their cheesy homemade look but hopefully get them working. 5 cents a ride anyone?

  

Flicka the wonder horse

  

Call me mad but I just had to have this vintage children's ride. "You're mad Jo!!" I love these old things with a passion (I used to have a big yellow duck) and when I saw that Katherine from The Old Boathouse had recently procured four (I'm an addict remember) I emailed then gas-bagged on the phone and Flicka will be ours on Saturday. He doesn't work but he is heading for the "man den" (think basement) in our new house. If we ever get a new house. I see lots of red wine while horse riding in my future.

Kerbside crawling

  

It's that time of the year when scavengers are on the hunt in my neighbourhood. I'm always on the hunt ;) but this week is a little different. It's the city council kerb side collection, a treasure trove of rusty fridges, mattresses with unspeakable stains, termite eaten timber and the occasional find. You have to be fast though as the professionals cruise the streets tailed by trailers pouncing on the good stuff. On the way to the train I spotted this. Sad now but with a sand, a paint, new feet and lashings of danish oil rubbed into those arms it will be handsome again. A retro cushion and all will be well. I love recycling. Don't you?

Presents from Kim

Kim and I have a quaint habit. We are, you see, addicted to thrifting and to justify our never ending hunt for junk treasures we collect things for each other. Then to increase the fun we parcel them up and pay more than they are worth to post them to each other. Boxes travel regularly across the Pacific Ocean and Canadian land mass and the first we know about them is a note in our letter boxes because we missed the postman who won't leave them unattended. A trudge to the local post office and the junk treasure is ours. I just got my latest from Kim. LOVE it!

If I ever get my new house (fingers crossed there may be some sort of outcome this week), I plan to go a bit more neutral in my living room. The fabrics are wool and linen and just right for the layers of mattresses (think Princess and the pea) I plan for my sofas. The locker basket has me dancing a freestyle interpretative dance of joy. Australia never had a locker scene going on at school or work hence no locker baskets. My husband has already stolen this for his own use. I wonder where he put it. Extremely large rosary beads are cute, the chalk ware Mary and Jesus head is kitsch and the Quan Yin head is perfect for my shelves. Cute little trine boxes, some bright retro fabric, a great piece of screen-printed tree fabric, 2 Canadian magazines (DTI is featured in both) and the largest Chinese cork carving I have ever seen round out the box's contents. I collect cork carvings and this one is taking pride of place. Thanks Kim! You will have to wait a little longer for my parcel. I sent it surface mail, unlike you, you naughty girl!