Blossom

Herald of warmer things to come, welcome!

Gosh I LOVE Japonica.

It's really cheering me up today, a zombie after Claud woke 7 times last night, and miserable about Englands troubles.

Apparently the name is a incorrect though, its actually a flowering quince.

We dress the mantelpiece in winter; and in the North of England, once upon a time, we did in Spring (May).

It does of course make one think of Sakura, the paler, later season cherry blossom.

It puts me in mind of it anyway, and after op-shopping a beautiful Japanese box frame, I finally put scissors to an expensive bit of stashed Japanese washi paper and made this.

And with the left over bits, more peg fridge magnets, and snazzed-up pencils

I still have a 2" by 5" piece, any suggestions?

With the husbands collection of Japanese pottery I have Ikebana-ed the blossom all over the house!

We don't even have a Japonica, but generous, Japonica over-endowed neighbours

Have just impulse purchased this needlecase in a fit of blossom-mania

Ahh, I feel much better x

Op-shop finds of the week

This week I thought I'd show you what an average op-shopping week is like in our house.

Me "urgh, what did you buy that thing for?"

Him Big, happy, eager puppy eyes.

Me "oh, ok, you can keep it, sigh *eyes rolling*"

Him "oh good cause it's a Grant Featherstone Taua dining chair"

(mid-century Aussie designer)

Me "ooooooooo, cool!"

Him "what did you get?"

Me "this"

 Him "what is it"

 Me "um, a cutesy table cloth with a small hole"

                                                                  

Him "oh, hmm, cool..."

Later in the week...

                                                                     

Him "look what I got!"

                                                          
Me "not more brown pottery, urgh!"

                                                           
Him Big, happy, eager puppy eyes

                                                                         
Me "what?"

                  
Him "that's an early Len Castle, a David Leach, a Warren Tippett and a Peter Stitchbury... "
(God of NZ studio pottery, famous UK potter and a couple of other only slightly less god-like NZ potters)

                                                            
Me "oh sheet, really, wow!"

                                                                  
Him "what d'ya get?

                                                                       
Me "This"

                                               
Him "a book about a talking hamster, urm...cool..."


And finally, yesterday...

Him " look what I got"

       Me "oh my freakin gosh, that's a thingy print by Leo Bensemen, from that book, you know..."

       Him "yes it is the Ball Dancer print by Leo Bensemen from the (rare and expensive) Fantasia book"

       Both "whoo hooo"

       Him "...and you?"

Me "Pwetty mum and claud matching mohair scarves"

Him "aww you get all the best stuff"

Share your op-shop booty here

ps The last line is a lie. a lovely one mind.

                                                

World Breastfeeding Week

Those 'Keep Calm and whatever' signs been overused post-earthquake, but this one I like.

The last week gone was World Breastfeeding Week.

 

Claud is an enthusiastic supporter of breastfeeding all year round (and all night long)

Us 'Ladies who La Leche' contributed our boobs and their wriggling appendages to

'The Big Latch-On'

A kiwi attempt on the world record for the number of mothers simultaneously breastfeeding.

1,564, all up around NZ. Achieved.

I loved the relaxing quiet that hit as everyone latched-on at 10.30am; and being surrounded by so many mothers also breastfeeding toddlers, and the (male) mayors lovely speech about breastfeeding.

I'm planning to keep breastfeeding until Claud self-weans. Apparently that's age 4+. I have my suspicions Claud is planning to break another breastfeeding record...

It's now World Senior Citizens day (Aug 8); off to help a granny cross the road.

Op-shop finds of the week

A bright, warm day after snow and southerlies was very welcome, and perfect for the annual Rangiora's Kids Market. The stalls are kid run, with the kids practicing practical maths with real money; marketing etc, whilst getting hard cash for the toys they've outgrown. No doubt the thrifty in the kid fraternity will have been practicing their bargining skills too!

                                                              I loved some of the signage

And it wasn't just toys either...

This future-Nigella made cupcakes decorated with chunks of your fave chocolate, (malteesers, mmm).

 So yum in fact they were sold out by the time I made my way round the heaving market for a second helping...

So I had a Brit-kids bun, decorated with English lollies-nom!

So what did I get?

Well, I'll briefly digress here to ask, have you seen this?

Lookie here for the details (it's sooo worth a detour!)

Anyway, totally inspired I went to the market on a mission. A mission to find a dolls house, to 'do-up', as a mini version of our place.

I wasn't disappointed...

                                        Pretty similar I think, excepting the extra floor of course
                                       (a bungalow dolls house just wouldn't be right would it?!)

I felt so sorry for the little boy selling it, who's granny volunteered him to carry it to my car (Claud had conked out in the backpack). He blushed all the way (think it was the boy-carrying-doll-house thing), and it was such a long way and so heavy he had to keep having a rest, poor boy!

Still on the subject of the wonderful Mousehouse blog from whence the ultimate dolls house inspiration came, here is the prize I won there last week...

                                                              How perfect for me is that!

                                                     Thanks Megan, for the prize and inspiration x



                                   Want to show off your op-shop bargin to fellow thrifters worldwide? Go here :0)

Friday French Favorites

Une, deux, trois, quatre, cenq (?), sixe, cept, huit...alors!

There is a new arrival in the collection!!!!

A new Eiffel Tower to join the gang!

This one is a hand-finished crystal perfume bottle, for a perfume called Blue de France by Bernard Lalande, bottle designed by P.F Dinand.

It was only sold at a single outlet in terminal 2 at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, during the 1980's.

(Found in a Rangiora op-shop by my clever, handsome hubby this week)

 It actually looks beautiful in real-life. My crap quick-snap has made it look a bit like a cruet pot!

If it's French and you love it, join us here x

Snow day, hurray!

I heard it was going to snow, so we rushed out to get the necessary provisions...

A tobbogan and waterproof gear for Claud, and birdseed. Oh, and chocolate.

It was so lovely falling asleep knowing snow was falling thickly, after reading about snowflakes in The Snow Tourist, by Charlie English

And waking to this. Unsurprisingly, "snow" is new word-of-the-day.

Hubby got the day off work, town was quiet apart from a couple of steaming cafes where we defrosted.

(Now there is the answer to the mess of baby-led weaning, baby-waders!)

The only downside is the meltdown when we try to get her to come indoors.

Think she may be a winter-lover like her mama!

Op-shop finds of the week

Hello, hello everyone. Busy week here, but managed to squeeze in a quick oppy visit. Perect timing as it was stuffed to the brim with new stock from which I selected...

A bit of kiwi-kitsch

A bead-eyed Maori dolly. From the fifties I think.

                                                                       Nostalgia trip!

 I  was transported by the list, still inside, of all the other fuzzy felts you could get.

I remember pouring over when I was little, it in the weeks leading up to Christmas, every year, to make a decision about which one I wanted.

The carousel was T.H.E  B.E.S.T.

Such a far cry from wii and all the stuff that makes a modern childhood, although I have bought some felt and intend to add a snowboarder!

  

Rarely a week goes by without a vintage kids book.

Clauds really into her nana's chooks, can say "chook" and impersonates one quite cutely. 

She went bananas over this book.

I can't wait to see her face when we get her a couple of bantams in Spring!

                                                                        and finally

A picture frame for the hubby who despairs of the price of picture framing, especially for more traditional paintings.

No back but otherwise immaculate. 

A dollar well spent.

Happy hunting folks, see you here next week x