Op Shopping on Tour

always try to stop off in a town with an Op Shop if I can when we travel, but Vic's never too keen to 'do' so many stops so I was slightly curtailed.
However, i did manage quite a nice haul (funny I kept a bag in the back of the car and just added a thing or 2 here and there, surprised how they piled up).

First, a great orange circular table cloth, love the pattern. but as I don't have a round table, it will be on eBay soon.
Then in Goulburn Salvos, I saw a staff member emerge from the back room with not One but TWO genie bottles, OK, they are only in amber glass, not as desirable as green or blue, but I did like them and the price was right, so she didn't even have to find a place on the shelves for them!

talk about right place, right time.

Lots of sewing, knitting and doll books, of course, always good sellers on eBay, and a Pyrex cookery book, very water damaged but some nice illustrations of Pyrex dishes.

These two strips of embroidered linen were once shelf edging (probably on a Welsh Dresser or open pantry). one's a bit damaged and I really don't need them for anything, but I think I know an embroidery collector who will gladly add them to her stash !

.. and the little roses cotton crochet pot holder was just too cute to leave behind too.

So, hopefully now we are home, and Vic's into a routine, he's not in the best of health and doesn't look like improving either in the short term, I'll be back to Op Shopping in and around Melbourne again, with lots to show.

I need to get into a new eBay routine too, otherwise grand daughter won't be able to fit into her bedroom in the forthcoming school holidays.

I love showing my finds, and I know lots of you like looking.  If you want to see more fantastic finds for the week, pop over to Sophie's, where all the Op Shop-aholics hang out!

Home again ~~ been a great week away

Our week away to NSW to attend the State Antique Bottles and Collectables Show was great. We started off with a couple of days in Sydney visiting our darling grand daughter, our son and his partner. Always a good start to a holiday.  They are all well, and have lots of exciting things going on in their lives.

Then we were off to Penrith for the State Show, where the whole venue was packed with exhibitors and swap and sellers, with a wide variety of goods for sale. I only took a few photos, but I did rather like this tin

and I loved this 1930s Filing cabinet, with a little pull out shelf on the side to rest your files on while working at the cabinet

but I resisted all temptations, and did not add anything to my collections.

Vic and I entered 15 items from our collection in the Inkwell Category and took out first prize.  I was very pleased for him, especially as we had quite strong competition from a few other collectors.  There are rules as to what you can show, and how many items, judging is on rarity, variety, information, etc.  All competition entries are placed on tables around the hall and must stay in place for the two days the Show is open to the public.

The large bottle in the center is the Show Prize, not an ink bottle!

Then the weekend was over and it was time to drive home again.
On the way we stopped off for a coffee at Gundagai and I discovered The Niagara Cafe !  Established in 1902, and visited by Prime Minister Curtin in 1942, this large cafe has the original booth style tables and a wonderful long counter with black and gold decoration. I took a few photos to show you all

Amazing !

So, now I' ll try to catch up with some blog reading, and emails and get all the laundry finished and get back into the swing of things at home.
I do love a trip away, but also love to be home again.  2044 km driven in my new VW Golf, and I'm pretty happy with it too.

on my Mantel / getting to the end now . . .

we have now progressed the entire length of my mantelpiece, and this is the last vase.
Made in the 1980s, Australian Pottery by Robert Matheson of Melbourne.
We have several pieces by him, his work with cut out shapes was very popular, this was from one of his first exhibitions on the Mornington Peninsula.

I call it a vase but it's really just an ornament, as it is cut away the entire length to showcase the gum leaves and gumnuts.

So that is it for now from my mantelpiece.  I'll like up as always with fortune favours the thrifty

And this will be my last post for a week or so, off to catch up with family and friends, and away from the computer  ~~  be back soon with more exciting things (who knows, may even buy something new for the mantelpiece)

bright Orange on a dull Day

Wednesday was a cold, wet, grey day in Melbourne, and I had to go out on an errand, so, what better way to cheer up than with a quick stop-off at an Op Shop?
To my amazement, I found not only this wonderful green and orange table cloth, in great condition, for a bargain price, but also...

this lovely trio of vintage Tupperware.  Funny thing is I saw these on another blog last week and thought, how cute I remember buying some like that in the 1970s when I was a Tupperware Lady.  Now I have another set (my original ones are long gone!), too many house moves since then.

I also found a nice hand knitted (in nylon ribbon), handbag with bamboo handles, how very, very 1970s.  So, 10 minutes to spare landed me a great haul.

Now, I'm off to the hairdressers.. only 1 Oppy I usually stop off at on that trip.

moving along my Mantelpiece .. on a Monday

I didn't get around to moving along the Mantelpiece last week, so I'll cover 2 sections today.
First up we have a group of Doulton Stoneware the Pixie and the Queen of Spades are what Doulton called Bibelots, made around 1925, just little trinket dishes.
The white baby on a blue plinth is a bit earlier, probably 1910
the ashtray on the far right is a Doulton advertising piece, for their Pipe Works, and features a small drain pipe in the center.

moving right along...
a large Doulton Ale Jug with a motto on the front
a miniature cast iron fireplace  [we have a collection of these... well we have THREE different, so I guess that's a collection],
and a recent purchase a KOSTA BODA glass owl.. so cute. I bought him to re-sell but once i had him in the house I could not bear to part with him (well not just yet anyhow).

so there you have a few more centimeters of our very long mantelpiece, and we have not reached the end yet.

If you have interesting things on your mantelpiece why not pop over to Fortune Favours... and add them to the list of Monday Mantelpieces.

Knit one, Purl one, over and over again ..

Some of my readers will know I am a keen Yarn Bomber, happy to add a splash of colour to otherwise mundane poles and seats and bus stops. If you are not familiar with this form of street art, check out my other blog, Blue poles.....

Well my fellow knit and crochet friends, from The Yarn Corner (a facebook group) are at present working on two new installations for Melbourne, so imagine how happy I was to come across this whole basket full of wool.  It was gifted to me by a lovely lady who can no longer knit, aren't I a lucky girl!
The basket is just perfect for keeping my current 'project' in, and the spare wool is in one of my vintage suitcases.

Here's just a sneak peek at my September project...

I only started yesterday, and the aim is to do the whole lot in black / grey / silver tones.

so although not strictly a Flea Market Find, but rather a Lucky Find, I'm linking up with Sophie's blog and all the other wonderful stories of weekly treasures.