Google Monster!

Oh My God!!! I just squealed when I logged onto Google today, is this not their BEST logo ever???

Happy 40th Anniversary Sesame Street :-)

Lucky Seven

I popped into a rummage sale at a nearby Church at the weekend. It had been advertised a few weeks ago and is only held twice a year. I needed to get some groceries that morning anyway so I brought D in the front of the double stroller and H and S stayed home with hubbie, who needless to say was less than thrilled when I came back from my "grocery shopping" with the back of the stroller full of the following seven GORGEOUS items!

An aqua hole punch (my obsession with vintage office equipment rears its head again).

A lovely black metal toast rack, I'm going to use this as a letter rack.

A really cool bakelite bankers style desk lamp, I LOVE these and have seen them on eBay occasionally but always above what I'd want to pay when postage is taken into account. (By the way the hole in the wall behind the lamp is courtesy of S and his colouring pencils).

I've spotted these around markets a few times, I think they're for toasting things over an open camp-fire, fun!

I love vintage wire baskets and this one is pretty unusual, it can be used open...

Or closed (I used sticky tape to keep it closed for the photo until I find a little piece of wire).

This spice rack is a little "country kitchen" for my liking but...

I love the little spice jars and the stand could always get a makeover with some duck-egg coloured paint perhaps.


And finally, a blue metal slide box. I already have one almost the exact same style in green so they'll make a lovely pair.

Oh look! I forgot to type the prices I paid for each item... I'll just give you a total, shall I? How does $7 sound? Yes, you read correctly, SEVEN DOLLARS!!!

Most items had a colour coded sticker indicating price, that fab bakerlite lamp had a red sticker meaning $1, the spice rack had a yellow sticker indicating $2!! The other items I picked up had no stickers so when I brought them to the desk to pay the guy just muttered guesstimates for each item (50 cents for the wire basket!!!) and gave me a total of $7! I almost ran out the door after paying in case he changed his mind!

Car Booty

I was back in my old stomping ground at the weekend for an appointment and took the opportunity to visit my favourite car boot market. There are lots of good markets in Sydney but I like this particular one a lot because it has a great family atmosphere, most of the stall holders are so friendly and willing to haggle, there's a jumping castle and sausage sizzle to keep the kiddies happy and lots of the sellers genuinely seem to WANT to give you a bargain. Other markets I visit are full of sellers who are only too aware of how much their goods could fetch on eBay and price them accordingly, so while you may pick up a dream item it won't be at the jaw-droppingly low price you could get at a market like this.

I found a few lovely pieces...

I am in love with this lamp and can't believe I got it for $3!!! I think it's really elegant but with a slight industrial feel.

I have a thing for antique filing trays and this is definitely my new favourite - $3! I love the tarnished old drawer pull.

This lovely rusty blue spice rack is perfect in my eyes. The jars unscrew from the holder - $2!

This cute grey enamel pot was only $1!

I also picked up a fabulous vintage scooter which my kind friends M & M took home in their car (thanks guys) - usually such items are out of my reach as I don't drive so I was delighted they could transport it for me - it's pretty special and will be featured in a post all of its own :-)

Bedtime stories

Being lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place as Australia is not something I take for granted. My hubbie and I became Australian citizens a few years ago after spending time on working visas and permanent resident visas. All our boys are born and bred Aussies though, they even like vegemite!!! I am of the opinion you definitely have to have been born here to stomach that stuff!!

I really love all things Australian (except Vegemite) and some of my favourite finds for my little fair dinkum boys are story books with an Aussie theme. We are building up quite a little collection...

Sydney Opera House - undoubtedly the icon of modern Australia. A very sweet and beautifully illustrated tale.

I love wombat stories, if you've never seen a wombat in real life imagine a gorgeous hairy pillow with stumpy little legs - adorable!

I love this story, again the illustrations are so sweet.

This book is a big favourite! It is full of fantastic, bright illustrations of Australian wildlife. Truly, the animals on this amazing continent must be some of the most unique in the world. Even their names are intriguing - duck-billed platybus, hairy nosed wombat...

Koalas - or as I prefer to call them - living teddy bears!

The last 2 aren't a big hit with the boys yet but I often find when a book gets put away for a while and taken out again when they're that bit older it becomes a new favourite, so these 2 may yet have their day in the sun!

Pottering about...

Whilst out on a solo covert Santa shopping mission at Toys 'R' Us yesteray I took the opportunity to pop into Vinnie's on the way home and have a quick look...

I came across these 3 pieces of earthenware in different parts of the shop and think they look really nice together.

I love the angular handle and subdued green of this jug - $3.

This nice little bowl (should really have given a clean before photographing it) - $2.


And this lovely little grey lidded pot - $2.

On the subject of the Santa shopping mission, I am now armed with numerous catalogues and a dozen ideas - trampoline/inflatable family-sized paddling pool/bikes - decisions, decisions... and lots of fun :-)

Commenting problems

It was brought to my attention recently by a couple of readers that they were having problems commenting on my posts, the comment could be typed in no problem but then when submit was pressed it just didn't register the comment. Anyway, I have had a play with my settings and this problem seems to be resolved, so yay!!!

On a roll

Have you ever picked up something at a flea market for next to nothing and thought it should be worth so much more?

I found a pair of antique pianola rolls for $2 at a market recently...

When I got home I took them out of their boxes and unrolled them and really saw the gorgeous detailing and workmanship that went into making them.




The lovely brass rolls, the parchment paper...





The print and little royalty stamp...

I love that one of them is for the Foxtrot, I can imagine these having been used in a dance hall or a saloon back in the early 1900's. The roll is inserted, the machine is cranked up, the Foxtrot starts and the crowd goes crazy!

I would love to know where these were used, who danced to them and how they ended up at a random flea market. I feel they are a real little piece of history and am very hapy to own them :-)