I haven't had time to snap any more pics of the jumbley goodness I bought at Sunday's sale. Sorry. I'll try my best to have them ready to show you tomorrow.

As for my little story, let's just say it involves the local "paparazzi" and a pic of me.

(note: I hate having my photo taken at the best of times...I avoid it whenever I can, and this definetely wasn't one of my good days!)

It's going to be published in the local paper, with the caption: "A Happy Shopper" I was a very happy shopper but I could have done without the photo. I'm just hoping I had my sunnies on!

Anyway I just want to show you my newest pillowcases

I should have used darker thread, but I'm learning as I go and I'll get it right next time....in a way I quite like that you have to squint to read them (ha-ha) They say:

 Say "nightie night" and kiss me

from "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas and the Papas. I'm sending them off to Texas tomorrow...I hope their new owner likes them. What do you think? I'm hoping for wonky/nana but in a good way.

Here are a couple of pics from Life In Australia...

Board transport

David Moore

Surfgirl

Helmut Gritscher

Sticking with surfing, how about this for a giggle?

via martin klasch

My husband told me about this blog and it's well worth checking out if you are into nostalgic, retro, vintage etc design images.

Now, here's two tea towels because I copped so much flack for not showing you one yesterday!

I hope I'm forgiven x



O.K. so yesterday would have to rate right up there as one of my most successful vintage shopping sprees ever!

I'd noticed a few days earlier that the local senior cits were holding a jumble sale (how sweet are those two words? Jumble. Sale. The promise of treasures just waiting to be unearthed...(by me of course!)

Anyway, I got up early, brushed my teeth, chucked my hair in a pony, pulled on my tracky-dacks, (my reasons for telling you this will become obvious soon...)and ended up being one of their first customers! Yay! You know the kid in the lolly shop scenario right? Well that was me!

I bought heaps of stuff...they actually had a twenty cent table...and not the kind of cr_ _ you usually get for twenty cents either ie nothing was stained, chipped, broken, smelly, dirty etc

This post needs a pic...when you see it you will understand the reason for all this carry-on and O.T.T-ness. Look away if you love mid-century furniture and design because I think you are going to be (just a little) jealous...

look at these babies...

do you know what they are?

Yep...

T H Brown barstools!

How much did I pay for what one ebayer calls "the holy grail of Australian teak furniture"? (that guy's worse than me!) I paid ten dollars. No bargaining either. I just asked the lady how much they were and she told me.

At this point I didn't know they were T H Brown, I just thought they were really cool (and cheap) When I got home I turned my stools upside down, found a label and T H Brown stamp in the wood, did a bit of a Google search and viola...these stools are selling at around the twelve hundred dollar mark for a pair! Is that what you call a bargain or not! I have been talking to and stroking these beauties since I got them home! And it doesn't matter that we haven't got a bar or a kitchen fit to put them in because we will...eventually.

I would love to know about your best bargain btw.

Thanks for reading my little tirade and putting up with my gushiness too. Here's another really cool thing I bought (I'll save all the smaller bits and pieces for another time)

it's a lamp from Zimbabwe

here it is switched on at night...not a good pic though

can you make out the family of warthogs? it looks so magical in the dark...

I was going to end now, but please indulge me for a little longer...I need your help...

do you know anything about this picture?

(forgive the "jaunty" angle)

this is the artist's signature

its name

artist's proof...New York Harbour

and some of its beautiful

detail

check out that skyline...

if you do please let me know, because I think it's very special

No tea towel...I've taken up enough of your time already. I know there was a lot to read today...do come back...there will be less words and more pics next time. Promise. And I'll tell you about what happened to me at the jumble sale too...

Linking to Thrift Share Monday and Sophies Flea Market Finds

remember Hobbytex?

twenty cents local op-shop

I know I'm meant to be under (self-imposed) house arrest this weekend but I couldn't just drive past an op-shop on my way home from dropping my daughter off at work now could I???

I bought a bundle of these sweet little Hobbytex prints for only twenty cents...and even though the saying is corny it's very true.

I thank you for reading lucy violet this week, for all your thoughtful comments and for following too...it's so nice to know you like to read my blog. And yes it makes me happy...

I might as well throw in another (gorgeous) tea towel for good measure...

Have a lovely weekend, see you Monday x

It's nearly the weekend and after reading this quote:

Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you...Ogden Nash

I've come to the sad conclusion that I must be middle-aged because that's exactly what I'm hoping for...a nice quiet weekend at home... and no phone calls on Friday night either please!

I have big plans to start working on a "top secret" project I've been encouraged to persue (more on that later...)so if the weekend's free from drama and other distractions I'll be a happy girl.

O.K. after all those words this post needs some pretty pictures...look what arrived from the good old USA yesterday

Featherstone plastic flamingos

hot pink lawn kitsch!

I've been wanting to get my hands on these for a l-o-n-g time! Probably since I first saw them in the Matt Dillon movie The Flamingo Kid...and that was in the eighties!

They were designed in 1957 by Don Featherstone who is credited with making bad taste accessible to the American public. I don't think there is anything tasteless about them, do you?

pic from here

Another thing that made me happy this week was finally finding some reasonably well-priced Pyrex glassware (read cheap!) I've been wanting some of this Pyrex glass beakerish-type, laboratory-ish stuff after spotting it on other blogs

taa-daa!

now I've got not one, but four pieces!

The large "jug" on the left was made in France, the others are all from the USA. One of these came from the tip shop the others from different op-shops. I think these will make great vases and also water jugs to use at the table. The mirror is a recent op-shop find too.

Here are a few other things I've happily acquired this week:

Quartzmatic Westclox

little Japanese plastic bedside clock...and no annoying tick-tock either!

The waving cat money box is also made in Japan and whilst it's not old, it still has a kitschy charm of it's own don't you think...

cosy retro blankets

I love that the colours are the same yet the patterns are different...these would look so cool in a shared childrens bedroom!

And here are some other things that aren't mine, but I've enjoyed looking at them and thinking about them and thought you might too...

In the spirit of my Life in Australia pics, have a look at these pics from a series called The Workers. They are amazing...

Mrs Irma Lee Mc Elroy, painting American insignia on airplane wings "with precision and pride", August 1942

pic Howard R Hollem

Woman installing aircraft engine, October 1942

pic Alfred T Palmer

Woman aircraft worker, June 1942

pic David Bransby

These photographs were taken by the US Farm Security Administration and the office of War Information during the depression. For more really wonderful pics like this check out the official flickr.stream here I had to make a huge effort to stop myself from uploading more photos...please try to make time to have a look you will be really glad you did.

I suppose now would be a good time to show you today's Life in Australia pic, it's another good one

Beach, Melbourne

pic Brian Mc Ardle

love her groovy sunnies and the King Brown in the foreground (King Brown is Aussie slang for a large bottle of beer!)

I know I promised you a nice fat post today but I think this one is verging on obesity! There's more but I'd better save it for another day...thanks for making it this far!

But before the big tea towel unveiling (ha!) I just have to show you what I drove past a few days ago

...vintage tea towels hanging on the front veranda of this little shop. I slammed on the breaks and took a quick pic to share. Love it!

Here's tea towel du jour

I really like this one...the koalas, gum blossoms and wattle... as I'm about to hit the publish button the phrase that comes to mind is "less is more" Oops!

It's my wedding anniversary today. And my lovely husband's too of course...

" happy anniversary baby

got you on my mind

happy anniversary baby

got you on my mind "

Little River Band 1976

The ring, Helmet Gritscher

I love this pic from Life in Australia and I love you too Anth x

This is the song that was playing the first time we met

and even if Morrisey asked me to marry him I still would've chosen you Anthony! And that's saying something!

(apologies to everyone for my selfish post today...I promise you a nice big fat one tomorrow)

pretty aprons all in a row...

just some of the lovely linen I bought at yesterday's Trash n Treasure...if these can't cheer you up on a grey day nothing will! Here they are blowing in the wind

I can't pick a favourite, although I l-o-v-e the pockets on the brown one...some of them even have matching tea towels! Imagine how thrilled I am about that!

I also bought hankies

lots

and lots

and l-o-t-s of hankies

I love the box that these ones came in...

almost a rainbow...



In fact I've got more hankies than you could sniff at...

Now that I'm experienced in the fine art of needlepoint (Ha!) I'm going to embroider slightly inappropriate words on these ones...words like blow, booger, cry-baby etc. Just for a bit of fun...what do you think? Too try-hard perhaps???

I also spotted this lovely old biscuit box

Look inside...

 pretty little napkin rings

I'm thinking afternoon tea table...

or I might wear them in my hair or even on my fingers...

I bought this Damask table cloth too

still in its original wrappings

I do like its label...very weddingy



And I'm not sure if I saved the best till last but this wild and crazy place-mat set really tickles my fancy...mostly because the napkins are numbered! No chance of catching germs from your fellow diners! Love it!

only four for dinner though!

O.K. That's enough Show and Tell for one day.

Here's a tea towel and another great pic from my Life in Australia book...

Snap!

Lady bowlers, Sydney

David Moore

Before I sign off I just want to say thank you for all your lovely and encouraging comments about my quilt x

Somebody else likes it too...

Linking to Thrift Share Monday and Flea Market Finds