Playing Hookey and Give-Away

Hi everyone, I hope you're having a sunny Sunday...it's raining here but the sun is still shining in my little world if you catch my drift...

I'm writing this post to let you know that I am going to play

hookey from this blog for a week...maybe two...

I've been spending far too much time on the computer lately and I think it's time I took a little break...I may have to be locked up in a padded cell for a few days because it is not going to be easy and I will definetely miss blogging, but I think it will be good for me to muster up a bit of self discipline and to spend some more time doing other things I love.

To thank you for reading lucy violet and most especially for your friendship and support, and kind (and sometimes very funny) comments I am going to give away this vintage tea towel (what else!)

this lovely tea towel is a very recent find and I love it to bits  (but don't feel bad...its got a twin!)

Anyone, anywhere, can enter...just leave a comment. If you're a lovely, lovely follower you get two chances: but please leave an extra comment if you follow because I'm going to be all fancy-schmancy and use one of those random generator thingos. Give away closes midnight June 30...I do hope you enter x

O.K. that's it from me for a while, take care, ciao for now (sorry) and in my best Arnie voice "I'll be b-a-c-k!"

Linking to Sophie's flea market finds  

                            xox

           

Yesterday I splashed out and bought myself (and our couch) this wonderful cushion

iconic plastic cushion

front

Nylex building, Nylex clock atop and MCG in the background

pic and cushion from make me iconic

back

the Nylex sign is errected atop the No.2 Cremorne Silos

love that orange!

Although I was born and bred in Perth, my husband is a Melbourne boy and grew up driving past this wonderful building and its fabulous neon clock. I suppose you could say it's part of his childhood...we lived in Melbourne for a while when we were first married and I grew to love the Nylex building/clock too. It may not be considered a beautiful building by many but it certainly demands to be noticed and we both think it's lovely (although my husband would not use that word to describe it!)

Here it is in the flesh

pic theage.com.au August 2009

The sign was built in 1961 and is listed as a being of "state significance" on the Victorian Heritage Register and by the National Trust. 

There are lots of fantastic things for sale at make me iconic including some rather special tea towels!

You know I bought one(!) and here "she" is

it's Little Audrey...another iconic neon sign in Melbourne

Everyone who lives in Melbourne would know and love Little Audrey...she has been lighting up the Melbourne skyline for more than 70 years as the "mascot" for Skipping Girl brand vinegar. You can read more about Little Audrey here

Here are some pics of Little Audrey, in situ at Victoria street Abbotsford...

pic from (and more info too) here

this is the original Little Audrey

pic theage.com.au

and I love this pic by Paul Harris

through the fence

 As you can see, although I don't always buy vintage it nearly always has a kitschy edge! I can't wait to get my hot little hands on these...I'll show you them in their new home down the track, in the meantime check out make me iconic...Natasha who I spoke to on the phone was just lovely and postage is free (if you spend more than one hundred buckeroos)

p.s this is NOT an ad...I'm just sharing the love x

Better end with a tea towel

what could be more iconic than this?

x

p.p.s. Little Audrey will not be used to dry dishes, she's getting framed and I'm going to hang her in my new kitchen!

Fancy a kitschy trip around the world?

(well not really around the world, that would take too long! and I'm not that organised! If you like the idea I might make it a regular thing, I've got lots of kitschy stuff from all over the place and I thought this could be a fun way of showing it to you...let me know what you think...you might like to join in and show-off some of your tacky souvenirs too. I hope so because I'd love to see them)

O.K. now it's time to get your clog-thing on, because the first country we're going to visit is

well it has to be Holland doesn't it!

home of windmills, tulips, clogs and other stuff

and although you couldn't tip-toe through the tulips in these clogs...they are sweet

china clog

wooden clogs by Babel

one is a money box that's impossible to open

the other has a brush for polishing shoes tucked inside

pin cushion clog

this little clog is made in Holland but is actually a souvenir from Cooma in NSW! Which makes me wonder, was Cooma settled/established by Dutch immigrants or did a local entrepreneur get a good deal on clogs and decide to flog them to tourists who thought they were cute? I've seen alot of touristy bits that don't really make sense like this...

 Now we're off to...

Espana!

when I think of Spain I think of Gaudi, Barcelona, chorizo, flamenco and...

bullfighting!

Ole!

(and Hooray for our new ten dollar cow hide too!)

My husband found this wonderful vintage tambourine at the bottom of a pile of junk at an op-shop earlier this year...a brutal scene and a cruel sport no doubt, but there's something special about this and I do love the artist's cartoony style of painting.
I'd show you my kitschy flamenco dolls next...if I knew where I'd packed them!

As it is this has turned into another long post, so I'll end our little trip here with a quick nod to Australia: another Aussie t. towel and great pic from Life in Australia

Confusion of progress, David Potts

imagine how confused they'd be today...

As always, thanks for reading. Tot ziens, Adios, See ya x

When I was younger I used to buy these cheap plaster vases whenever I saw them. Then I grew up, got all sophisticated (not!) and decided I didn't like them anymore...

I sold some of them and donated the rest to op-shops ( you see, I am a giver as well as a receiver!) all except the green ones...I just love that eau de nil green and I found I couldn't part with them.

isn't this one lovely?

The large vase to the left (well it's more of a jug than a vase really) is the first present ever given to me by my husband. We weren't married at the time, I know he paid one dollar for it and I think one of the reasons he married me was because he thought I'd be a cheap date!

How wrong he was! Ha-ha! Having said that I love that jug and it would be one of the first things I'd grab if there was a fire (apart from the kids and dog of course!)

the remains of my collection

There is one more, but although I could see it, I couldn't reach it and believe me I tried! For some reason it wasn't packed with the others. It's a shame because it's a really special one...it belonged to my Nanna and was made in Australia, unlike the others which are all made in England. Oh well...one day...

btw I still see these in op-shops all the time, I never buy them though and they are not cheap anymore either. I like my little collection and I'm glad I've decided to bring it inside...its been stored away for too long.

In lieu of my usual tea towel post, look at what I received from lovely Scarlett today

two wonderful tea towels and an Aussie hanky to add to my collection. Yay!

The Big Shell and the Big Cow are right up there on the list of things I want to see before I head up to that big tea towel in the sky, that's for sure!

pic Wotif.com

pic norton6.blogspot.com

You know that quote: "from the sublime to the ridiculous"?
well that sums up my thrifty finds for the week quite nicely...let's start with the sublime


(because I'm a little bit nervous about showing you the ridiculous...)

precious metal

and a closer look

beautiful old biscuit tin

on the back it reads:

W. Dunmore & Sons Ltd Biscuit Manufacturers South Wigston

but the real surprise is inside

it has its own very pretty lift out tray!

probably so that it can be re-used as a trinket box (that word Jem) when all the biscuits have been gobbled up.

and while the Oxo tin is not quite as pretty, it is no less lovely...in fact I just might like it more...

I'm not sure how old this is and I haven't had time to check...please tell me if you do

anyone care for a nourishing beef drink?

this is all that remains of the paper label stuck to the sides of the tin...I'm glad some of it is still there because it's really special don't you think?

And I won't have any problems seeing the action from the cheap seats with my "new" opera glasses

at least I think they're opera glasses?

 

Now for the ridiculous, but be warned it's slightly

 

Rated!

 

So if you'd rather not see kitschy naked women stop looking now! 

trash from the tip shop

we found these among all the other flotsam and jetsam (rubbish and junk) and strangely couldn't leave them behind...they will probably never see the light of day after their exposure on this blog so have a good perve while you can...

I call this one Dolly (she's coming to Perth soon btw)

Let "them" Swing

and "they" really do jiggle around!

fine china!

I hope I haven't offended anyone because I would really hate to do that...but I do love a bit of tacky kitsch...I hope you don't mind and that you don't take it too seriously x

Having said that I'm sticking with a theme because the last thrifty find I have to show is this twenty cent treasure

 

by Philip Gotlop 1952

Mr Gotlop says his photography shows:

the human form as a beautiful thing to behold

it is full of beautiful photos and technical instructions on how to achieve them, and nearly every photo has its own anatomical drawing too. Have a look at a few and see what you think...

There are 48 photographs all up and I think they would look stunning in simple black frames hanging in a bathroom or bedroom. What do you think?

Before I show you today's tea towel I'd like to thank Scarlett , Lakota and Ava for the lovely awards they have given my blog recently. I have been a bit slack in acknowledging them and I promise to do this properly soon girls...and if you haven't already, please check out their lovely, lovely blogs x

 

nothing controversial about this tt...

Linking to Sophies flea market finds

and Thrift share Monday 

GOSH! Thanks for reading all of this x