Flea Market Style Magazine available in Australia here at Shabby Vintage Junk....!!

Greetings Keepers of the Past....!

I am OVER THE MOON excited to be quite possibly, the FIRST person here in Australia to clap eyes on the SECOND instalment of Flea Market Style Magazine created by the Queen of Junk herself, Ki Nassauer & the FABULOUS team over at the Flea Market Style Blog.

I sat ABSORBED, mouth open....Drool falling Homer like down my chin as I perused this STUNNING magazine earlier this morning after the Courier arrived....And I can HONESTLY say, WITHOUT A DOUBT....While I did not think it possible....This edition is even BETTER than the first....The pictures, editorial & layout are CREDIT to Ki & her Team & I am THRILLED I ordered EXTRA copies to share with my Aussie blog mates....!

I have 18 x copies sitting on my dining room table waiting to be sent to the first 18 x Aussie readers who send me their email details....The cost per copy is $25.00 which includes postage....!

I'm currently at home, outside cleaning Treasures but will be monitoring my emails throughout the afternoon.  As soon as you've left your details I'll send you an invoice via Paypal & if you get back to me before 5pm TODAY I'll whizz down to the Post Office & get your copy out to you....With any luck you'll be able to read it FIRST THING Monday when the Postie arrives....!

Now....Back to those grubby Treasures....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah  :o)

PS: As of 5.30pm I have 15 x copies of this FAB magazine available....If any Aussie readers comment this evening I will send an invoice through to you & post your magazine off tomorrow morning....!!!!!

I've showed you some Frogs....Now here are some Princes....!!!!!

Morning Wonderful Recycling Friends Everywhere....!

We've been without internet access for several days due to a faulty coaxil & I've been ITCHING to share a few HR finds (Princes) from early last week....I won't linger as I need to unload & head back out....

I popped this pic up first....It's a little on the blurry side sorry but it's a PERFECTLY decayed Victorian oil on canvas of fruit....!!

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL....KEEPER....!

Now here all my 'Princes' together....

The glass front cabinet has been cleaned however it needs a fresh pane of glass as this one's cracked in two places & the shelves need wallpaper or painting due to staining....

This ironstone jug is also a KEEPER....Cracked over the years with BAD repairs & in need of MORE (pieces were inside) it's STILL a BEAUTY & I'll use it to house big floppy flowers....A tall jar inside to fill with water & Bob's your uncle....!

SEVEN frames in total....DIVINE....!

STUNNING turqoise lamp base, 2 x Pyrex pieces, tin....ANOTHER Le Crueset frypan (these things are CALLING to me in the HR i SWEAR), enamel bowl & an AWESOME trouble light....I collect them so it's a KEEPER....Oh & the table everything is sitting on.

HUGE wooden storage case painted GREEN inside....LOVELY....!

An old Hills swing seat....Can you say K-E-E-P-E-R....And a Willow bin....** sigh **

LOVE this sweet kettle, Willow Measure & TWO Willow freezer blocks....I've NEVER found these in the HR before....SCORE....!!

And this was my BEST find of ALL....I pulled up to a pile & there was a rusty TOTALLY DEAD Willow peddle bin....I thought to myself...."I BET it doesn't have the galvanised insert"....And LOW & BEHOLD when I lifted the rusted lid there it was (in PERFECT condition) shining like a BEACON & I SWEAR there were angels & a deep voice saying, "I've been waiting for you."....PINKY SWEAR....hahahahahaha.....

My PREVIOUS Princely find is NOW complete....*** BIG FAT SATISFIED sigh ***

Last but by no means least a heap of tools....KEEPERS all now residing in my tool box....!

Well I must away....TOMORROW is my day off & I hope to be able to spend some QUIET time on my computer in the Land Of Blog....Until then....Take CARE....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

Hard Rubbish....You GOTTA kiss a lot of FROGS before you find your Prince....!

Hello fellow Junkers, Thrifters & Gleaners everywhere....!!

I hope as I type, my words find you all well, safe & HAPPY....!! I've been outside since 6am this morning cleaning, sorting & repairing HR finds & have just popped back in for a quick coffee....I'm getting ready for the Maldon Antique Fair this weekend where I'll be participating as a Vendor so time is of the essence....That being said, as HR is a BIG part of what I'm doing RIGHT NOW, I wanted to share some thoughts with you....

The title of my post is VERY appropro....When cruising the HR I REALLY do spend time looking at a LOT of useless (to me) stuff....Don't get me wrong....I would estimate that the stuff being thrown out is around 90% recyclable in one form or another....There are building materials that could be re-used....Large furniture items that could go to any one of a number of charitable organisations....Clothing & kitchen appliances that could be sold at a garage sale or sent off to Vinnies....There's just SO MUCH waste goin' on it's hard to fathom....!!

Of this 90% though....There's probably ONLY around 30% that's SVJ worthy....And there's a LOT of competition for that 30%.... :o) !!

Some piles like this one are WHOPPERS....

If I was managing a recycling centre & this lot came in there would be VERY little I would send to landfill....VERY little....!

However....These were the only SVJ items I found....It may seem like a waste of time to pick up just a few pieces of crockery but I tend to build collections so these pieces have become part of a much larger group I have here at home....The wooden top was off an OLD stool....GREAT piece of wood which will become part of another stool in the not too distant future....The scoop is a BAKELITE beauty & I ALWAYS pick up coloured bakelite....ALWAYS....  :o) !!

A peripheral glimpse of PRETTY fabric....

Yielded a GLORIOUS boquet which is now soaking in my laundry....!

Alas....A LOT of piles look like this....

This....

And this....!

Then....Just when I think I'll NEVER spy ANOTHER Treasure....E-V-E-R....I SPY this....

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS satin quilt....

**sigh** ....It was NOT meant to be this time....Smelling of SOMETHING evil (let's not go THERE) & torn or chewed at the end....I rolled this one back up & put it back in it's bag of....SHAME....!!

While STILL mourning the loss of the quilt I caught a glimpse of this YUMMY piece out the corner of my eye....

Once....A VERY long time ago....This would have been a mirror....Soon it will become a blackboard or perhaps an inspiration board to pin pics & bits of tat....!

See....I spent a LOT of time yesterday kissing a LOT of FROGS....HR is NOT as easy as it seems....When I DO manage to come home with my van filled with Treasures....I spend DOUBLE the time I did finding it sorting, cleaning, repairing & carting off to storage....Now this is by NO MEANS a complaint....Because I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do....Just the cold hard facts....As WONDERFUL as it is to discover & glean Treasures from piles of refuse a homeowner does not see the POTENTIAL in....There's a LOT of work that actually goes into the sourcing & continues long after the sourcing is 'done'....If anyone around Melbourne would like to come out into the HR with me for a 6 hour stint to witness first hand the FUN HR is, let me know....I'd enjoy the company....Oh but you have to come back to my place....Help me unload & clean everything....hahahahahaha....!!

Cheers for now & HAPPY Treasure Hunting,
Tamarah :o)

Sometimes....Hard Rubbish makes me CRY....!!!!!

Hello fellow Keepers Of The Past....!

Just popping in QUICKLY to say HEY & to THANK YOU for your comments on my previous post....I'll be making my way back to you all shortly....!!

Last night after dinner & a FRUSTRATING day spent indoors endeavouring to bring some order to the CHAOS that is currently Casa de SVJ, I went out into the HR for an hour to wind down & look for wood....Yep that's right....I need me some GOOD woods for a couple of projects I have on the go....

Anyways....Sitting under a tree....UNDER a box filled with YUCKY MODERN Christmas lights was a brown suitcase covered in NEAT vintage customs & travel labels....I almost FELL over backwards when I opened it up to find this D-I-V-I-N-E Vintage Wedding Dress inside....A LUMP the size of Texas inhabited my throat & tears welled in my eyes while a MYRIAD of emotions whirred through my mind....

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL....I can just see it, sans sleeves & taken up to just below the knee....OR....Left as is....!!

It was folded inside out & resting between thick white unsoiled paper....There is the SLIGHTEST 'smell'....Though NOT musty/mouldy which I reckon will come out with a trip to Mr Gouge....

There's even a few pieces of CONFETTI tucked in the bodice....** magical ** ....!

Be STILL my beating heart....

As DROP DEAD GORGEOUS behind as from the front....

The label, non POOFINESS of the sleeves have me dating this to the 50's (as does the zipper below) though if you have any ideas yourself I'd LOVE to hear them....!!

All in all....A FABULOUS Treasure I'm THRILLED to have found....Currently displayed on my smaller dress dummy I'm thinking she's a size 10....Though possibly an 8....Ummmmm....I think that's around a 6 - 8 US....??  Oh yes & the veil was ALSO in the suitcase....!!!!!

Held onto for SO many years & then TURFED out into the HR without so much as a 'Thank your Mother for the rabbits'....While I am SO VERY PLEASED to have found her....From time to time....A GLORIOUS find such as this does make me cry I'm sure for OBVIOUS reasons....So now I'm on a MISSION to preserve her etheral BEAUTY....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

HEAVENS....Being a FULL TIME 'Keeper Of The Past' is a BUSY occupation....!!

Hello Friends near & far....!

For the past week I've muttered to myself EVERY morning as I've stumbled from bed after but a few hours sleep, "I MUST post today to let everyone know how I'm going", only to have my day WHIZZ by in a frenzy of junk finding, cleaning, repairing & carting to storage activity....I thought I was busy before with 'the pesky day job' & junking on the side....Boy was I W-R-O-N-G about that....!  I'm literally FLAT OUT LIKE A LIZARD DRINKIN' from dawn to midnight & BEYOND....

I'm sorry to say I've not been able to keep up with my blog Friends since my return from Fryerstown & for that I MOST HEARTILY apologise....I have designated FRIDAYS as my ME DAY where I 'tune out' from the junk world & all things vintage to concentrate on the THREE F's....Friends, Family & my FREAKIN self....hahahahaha....I'll let you know how I go....  :o) !!!!!

Now before I fly like the wind, I'd LOVE to share a couple of Hard Rubbish finds with you....!

A small ply box sitting on the nature strip all by itself.... 

When I lifted the lid I was THRILLED to find an assortment of SWEET vintage hankies.... 

PERFECT for display or BUNTING perhaps....They are soaking for the day & will be hung on the line to dry afterwards....The box will receive a good old fashioned scrubbing & a coat of poly to preserve the pretty painting on the lid....! 

Now this over the top SEXY piece of junk is a Willow peddle bin & I'm sorry to say Friends it's STAYIN' right here at Casa de SVJ....!! 

I found it one evening by accident when I received a call from my HR Sisters J & K (aka Erkle & Perkle)....We often meet up for coffee & show & tell while out in the HR....Anyways, the girls called me one night & asked me where I was....As is quite common in the HR I was disoriented & drove to the nearest street sign....When I pulled over I gave them my location & gazed upon this beauty right outside my window....S-C-O-R-E....!! 

CHIPPY....RED....P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N....*** purrrrrrr *** 

*** sigh ***

Well Friends....I MUST away....Daylight's a BURNIN'....!!

I hope you are ALL WELL & look forward to catching up with you....SOON....!

Cheers for a mo,
Tamarah :o)