Dinosaurs, silk and ostrich feathers

Hands up who DIDN'T make a dinosaur suit for their daughter's dog today?  So many hands....

I had the sewing machine out, for routine wardrobe maintenance and alterations, possibly too much time on my hands, and I came across some scraps I had put aside for the oft-requested outfit.  I considered for a moment something in silk and ostrich feathers, but the dinosaur won.  She looks quite cute, in a bewildered sort of way. But my daughter is happy, and as she often says, that's the important thing. 

I've been having a bit of a de-clutter, but when it comes to the stash, one can only go so far.  I saw a post on Facebook for a garage sale, where someone commented that they had never seen so much junk.  I was stunned, the garage in the post looked positively minimalist.  My latent fear of featuring on one of those shows about hoarders surfaced, briefly.

I don't so much have junk, as a stash.  A BIG stash.  Of lots of things.  All of which can be re-used for something, although not necessarily their original purpose.  I don't mind sharing things, when someone needs something, but I have to draw the line at tossing things away in a willy-nilly manner.  

Over the past few weeks I've had some visitors who appreciated my stash.  It's nice, and reassuring, not to be viewed as the upcycling equivalent of a mad old cat woman, and I enjoyed sharing some gems with them. In return, I saw my stuff through their eyes, which gave me some new ideas.  We agreed that  you can't be creative without a stash.

Although it's technically winter, the weather's been sunny and still.  I spent a morning sitting on the front steps with a cup of tea, watching a whale slothing about in the harbour.  You could tell it was cold this morning, when I awoke to one paw visible against the white sheet.  My little friend emerged later, so that he could have a tummy rub while I worked my way through another Dresden File. It's a busy job, being a security dog. You don't want to peak too early.

My tin sign says 'today' today

Week 1.  Post market recovery.  

Somewhere between breakfast and morning tea on day 1- hey, how about participating in a vintage and handmade market?  Frantic stocktake.  Finds stuff everywhere, even some unmounted drawings. Stuff in drawers, behind other things. In two weeks. Yeah, why not?

Note to self: think these things through.

Of course, being the maker and acquirer that I am, it doesn't take deep excavation to find more stock. 

So today was spent finding and making, framing and mounting prints and drawings.  With breaks for walking the hound and drinking tea on the veranda - although I actually gave up on the last cup because the ever-blasting wind blew leaves into my cup and had a good shot at blowing the biscuit off my plate.

Some steampunk airships are midway done.  More mounted chessmen - including one who shall be named 'chuck' because his base is partially the chuck from a drill which I found, with several other exciting bits, at the local salvage yard.(Along with a tin sign which says, rather concisely 'today'.)

There's considerable progress on a model of a boy in a boat, however it's proving quite complex and unlikely to be finished in time.  After last weekend my lounge room is bereft of adornment (to a point) and that one may stay with me for a while before I let it go.

In between: put more soil on the potatoes; planted more lettuces and Chandler strawberries; noted that the never-fail parsnips are living up to their name; idly pondered how one human being will possibly be able to consume that much rhubarb; basked in the (temporarily) tidy and comparatively minimalist lounge room; gave the Dyson (garage sale, of course) some new filters before a thorough workout; played with the puppy; slept late a couple of times; cruised the op shops, garage sales, tip shop and salvage yard; and continued to wonder why those men from the gas company are all over town digging holes in footpaths and verges, looking thoughtfully at them and then filling them in.

One could be forgiven for thinking that they don't know where anything is, but I was a bit worried when they dug the same hole in the neighbour's verge twice, two weeks apart.  What could have changed?  Or could they not recall what they saw the first time, what with all the excitement and all. Those pipes can be tricky if you don't keep an eye on them.

Now I have 30 Bad Alice bags to fold, label, bag and price so I can pack them into a vintage suitcase to take to market.

Raiders of the lost Perth tip shops

Sunset, West Coast

I've just returned, with a good friend and fellow treasure hunter, from a whirlwind tour of the tip shops in Perth - well, the metro area, anyway.  It was a most enjoyable, if hectic, couple of days, but I do have a critical observation to make.

Dear freeway drivers:  YOU ARE NOT INVISIBLE.  Picking your nose whilst driving at high speed is, to say the least, uncool.  The shiny tinted things in the doors and at the front are made of glass and others can see you.  Stop it, you disgusting little beasts.

Concern, South Coast

There. I feel much better. 

Now, to the business at hand:

It's not actually all that easy to work out where the tip shops are.  The main ones we found, after interweb research, a quick survey of Facebook friends and asking family were at Mindarie, Balcatta, and Cockburn.  Given the short timeframe and the kilometres involved, this was where we concentrated our efforts.

I would love to hear of others in WA, and how they measure up to the comparative shopper.

Coming out on top for us was Balcatta.  It had the disorganised hustle and bustle which suits the intrepid hunter and the eclectic and downright weird stuff which we like to see.  There was, literally, something for everyone and everyone was there, from the pearl and faux leopardskin Nedlands grande Dame to the man who stopped in the rain to tell me a joke. ('A man went to the doctor and said he thought he had water on the brain.  The doctor gave him a tap on the head and sent him home.') Hey, I was in the plumbing section and holding a brass tap. There was context.

It became apparent that there was unlikely to be anything of serious dollar value hidden there, as I saw when someone asked for a price on a pretty little plate only to have it (literaly) snatched from his hands to be sent off to be appraised.  As the person who worked there said, there would be 'no Antiques Roadshow moments' there.  I asked what happened post-appraisal but alas, there was no response. I was just interested to know - but maybe they didn't.

Things I left behind....

Still, there were lots of interesting things and the prices were good.  The parking and drop-off organisation was - well,  not there, really, and if you are going there just to buy you can save a lot of time by NOT following the signs and instead taking the 'commercial truck only' lane to the carpark (which is just inside the gates to the right as you enter). Otherwise, prepare to spend a lot of time tangled up in the people having their drop-offs peered at, while you watch others scuttle off with fabulous finds.

It takes time, patience and a sense of adventure but all in all a lot of fun and good stuff for $10.

Next was the Mindarie Regional Council operation at Tamala Park.  The organisation of parking and drop-off was excellent.  There was heaps of space and some nice stuff but I was surprised that there wasn't as much stock as I expected for a major regional operation.  There were heaps of people coming and going and so perhaps the turnover was really high.  The furniture items were pretty good but there weren't a lot of the smaller miscellaneous items, the crockery, glassware, books, etc.  Really, people, when the jigsaw puzzle spills out of the box it's a fair thing to sweep it up and get rid of it. Chances are that there are only 999 of the 1000 pieces which may ever find their way back into the box, especially after the first week or so. When several jigsaw puzzles have intermingled, it's OK to clean it up.

The furniture was marginally cheaper than Balcatta, but there wasn't as much of a range.  We'll certainly keep it on the list for next time.

We went to Cockburn on the way home, it's a fairly new looking arrangement and really hard to find, due to a complete lack of signage.

We finally gave up and followed a dump truck.

It was way more expensive than the others and the smallest in terms of stock.  Most of the prices were a tad on the high side even for a locality near the trendy opshops of Fremantle, but perhaps the locals are used to that.  The guys working there were friendly and helpful and they were the only ones who helped we dainty girls with bulky and heavy furniture. It's really, really organised and tidy, if you like that sort of thing.  Certainly worth a look if you're passing.

and things I COULDN'T leave behind....

Anthropomorphic personifications and their role in my reality

For those who aren't aware, I like Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.  I really, really like them.  I own them, re-read them. We have finally seen the ABC show some of the films made from the books and tonight is The Hogfather. It's definitely a bonus.
 
Today topped off a week of  ups and downs.  Tiny downs, it's true.  OK, one tiny down - we went to the Denmark Tip Shop but found it opens only Friday to Monday.  We went on a Wednesday.  Luckily, all the opshops were open, AND we got a pie and a chocolate eclair. 

The highest of the high points was a garage sale today at our very favourite address, with all sorts of interesting paraphernalia.  Rusty shite.  Tools.  Old furniture.  Rocking horses, some headless.  A pedal car.  The nozzle from a petrol bowser. Unidentified weird old objects.

The purveyor of these treasures can be relied upon to provide interpretation, social chitchat and amusing anecdotes.  I ended up going back three times, once yesterday morning with my usual saling partner and her Mum, again in the afternoon with another discerning junk collector, and a third time with a trailer to pick up the fabulous old kitchen table the latter bought to restore.  So much junk, is it worth going back tomorrow?  Other garage sales pale in comparison.

Women 800km away whimper when told where we've been.

I love the galvanised tin bath, the plant stand, the ordnance box, the old tools, the many and varied other bits.  I'd spent the last week clearing up the back veranda and in one afternoon managed to fill it up again.  For those who truly appreciate it, here are some more pics:





Last week I started work on a footstool left over from the verge collection.  I recovered the couch cushions (one of the jobs I'd been putting off for about 10 years) and I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. In an outstanding adventure we installed new legs on the couch at the same time.  I knew that meatsafe full of couch and chair legs would come in handy.



After  a week of goofing off, and  a week of working on projects with a spot of above average trawling, it's time for a social week as a good friend from interstate comes for a visit.  A small flurry of housework and all will be well for her arrival.  I love stay at home holidays. Been getting through at least 3 books per week, too.  Luckily, I have lots.

This week's quotable quote:    The absence of evidence isn't evidence of its absence. (unknown)


Right now?  Cheesecake, methinks.

ooh, I do love a good rummage

First of all, Spring here is pretty amazing.  This is a view of Emu Point from Bayonet Head and it's all pretty spectacular.

As you may be aware, we are in the middle of my favourite time of year, when the girls go a-gathering.  And so we have.  Worryingly, the sheer amount of junk which people are putting out appears to have decreased.  It's either that people have stopped consuming and tossing out, reducing waste and living a more green lifestyle, or (much more likely) that the notices about the collection are confusing and the collection's too early in the year and at the wrong time.

 

There have been the usual furphies doing the rounds about who the junk actually belongs to, when it's discarded by the former owner and placed on public property - ie, the verge - for collection.  I would have said that the more critical question is what the contractor does with what's collected.  In the past, separate trucks went around, one for the reusable recyclable stuff, and one for the unsalvageable.  Nowadays, sadly, it all seems to go into a crusher-type garbage truck and straight to landfill.  Do not pass the tip shop, do not reduce waste. 

  

Anyone picking up stuff and giving it another go around is doing their bit for the community by reducing landfill.  There.  I feel much better.

With my usual collection compatriots enjoying the European Autumn, I started slowly and small this year with my neighbour, but a friend with a 4WD and I spent a happy 6 hours today combing the allotted areas in a grid pattern.  Obsessive?  Perhaps, but the haul was impressive.

I've been able to replace my wheelbarrow (from a couple of years ago, sadly no longer able to carry things) with a more sturdy model.  My baby will be going to live on a farm (literally) and be planted out with flowers.  2 wooden sunloungers, one for me, one for aforesaid neighbour. Oh, the suitcases.  I'm liking the 50's/60's streamlined models this year, very groovy.   I got some rusty containers for my tomatoes and some gloriously rusty but robust garden edging.  A meatsafe ( including the hooks still inside), with a very original hinge replacement.   You may be sensing that I like rusty rustic stuff.

 

 Wonderful picture frames, some old, some not.  A horseshoe.  A dome tent.  An old cutlery box.  A kerosene lamp base.  Wooden frames for a project which is beginning to take form somewhere in the back of my mind.

The sheer serendipity of it is stupendous.  Roll on next week!       

Judy is on a break right now. We hope you enjoy this episode from the library - nah, just kidding.

I am on a break, though. I hadn't realised that it had been so long since my last post, guess that December goes more quickly than other months.

Festivities, nice new neighbours, perhaps a nice new handbag - so far, so good for 2011.

The Xmas/ NY break officially concluding at midnight tonight, I must observe that one of the few things better than the Sunday evening of a long weekend must be the Monday evening of a long weekend when you are still on leave. Oh, happy, happy day (or night). There will be that deeply satisfying time tomorrow morning when I take my breakfast and a book back to bed, just coz I can.

For the record, any smug self satisfaction will evaporate Monday next week - as I contemplate returning to work on the Tuesday.

I have spent several days sewing - cheesecloth beach pants for the beach baby, and I modified a couple of linen dresses which have been stashed for upcycling/recycling/reconfiguration/deconstruction. The sorting of the clothing stash is a whole 'nother post, let me tell you.

The reconstructed articles work really well over a plain Tee.

While I was sorting stashes, I also deconstructed a slide projector from the verge delectation, they have such fascinating components (and of course they take up less space this way). The lenses give you the best magnifying lenses.



I've had a Dremel tool for ages but it seems that every time I take it out of the box a man appears and wants to try it out ( malespeak for play with it and make random marks on wood and metal). Yesterday I spent some serious quality time modifying a small and very ugly thing - it was supposed to be a bird - with reasonable success and no major injuries. So far.

Before

After:

Next, the metal cutting....bits. (insert sound of evil laughter here)

Most of the op-shops were closed for the Xmas break but a quick look last week yielded a couple of treasures.

We took a trainee with us, as part of our renowned op-shop with the stars tour program. I have to say that she took to it like the proverbial fish. The three of us carried her bags from the boot of the car for transfer to the spousal conveyance.

Useful tip : fold gleanings in a clothes basket and leave them in plain sight. What, these old things? Had them forever.