Saturday, February 21, 2009

Cheap and dirty love

While pottering around on the internet the other night Allan (house mate) managed to discover that there's an antique shop just around the corner from us! So we all piled in the car this afternoon and tootled off to have a look see.

While there I discovered something- things ain't what they were. It was a lovely shop that we'll go back to again and again, but both Jane and I had trouble finding something we wanted to buy, reasonable price tag or not.

It used to be that I'd walk into a place and have some sort of apoplexy because everything is so wonderful. Nowadays it just seems like a bunch of old tat; the other problem is that what I like has become popular and it's all far too expensive! Either way (or both ways) it just seems like the meat has gone out of the hunt, now you really have to carve your way through the jungle to find anything worthwhile. In other words, what I need is a good hard junking. It's been so long since I've come back from a day out hunting with armfuls of brilliant things.



Anyway- I did buy something. A copy of 'Sunday At Home', a compendium of magazines printed in the Victorian period when good Christian souls weren't allowed to do anything on Sunday (apart from church obviously) that remotely resembled work, you just had to sit and behave yourself. And read- preferably something religious.

It's in quite bad condition- very faded and a little grubby, the covers have come off and the decorative spine has long gone. The pages are worn around the edge and some of them have come free. I love it.


And for the princely sum of $3. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet- possibly use the covers on a covered notebook project and use the pages in paper packs. It's still perfectly usable as a book, but I like to elevate it's purpose beyond that and I'll never read it, let's be honest.

I also have far too many things laying about that really ought to be in the shop. Massive update time!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

oh, that is such a bummer! i remember when i lived in new england and i got everything for my house from little thrift and antique shops-and i mean EVERYTHING! furniture, old linens, old silverware, mismatched dishes, old picture frames, books, beads and jewelry, clothes and costumes. every trip made me so giddy. i was so poor, yet i had an apartment full of stuff! i have the same problem you described here now when i go out so i guess i am lucky i found that furniture when i did(i found my bed in a heap in a ditch and everyone thinks it is some kind of fancy antique-i am sure i could sell for a lot now). wishing you more fantastic finds and ooh la la! look at all the fabulous goodness you have made!
take care,
merle

Lorie McCown said...

why why did I have to look at all that wonderfulnes you've made? :-O Oh my!! I tell you, I feel the same about things getting pricy. It's a shame, really. I have resorted to making some things look old, ie tea-dyed etc.. to save the cost. Your old book looks lovely-crumbly!

Jen Crossley said...

I love the look of the goodies you bought .Things are very expensive here for goodies
Jen

Judy said...

Expensive -tell me about it!
But the hunt whilst junkin is great when you make a find like you did - love the book.

jude said...

hey, thanks for coming by my blog, i love yours....

Seth said...

Love the photographs of those old, vintage book pages.