Barry and I often laugh at the sort of tourists we are. When we travel, many of our favourite moments come from trawling through flea markets, junk stores and hardware stores. We love a good hardware store!
Yes, we visit galleries and museums and walk for miles across cobbled streets, but we exclaim "oh happy day" when we pick up a flea market or hardware bargain. The only fun thing about unpacking when you get home is unwrapping all these little parcels and re-discovering them.
Here are some of the treasures we collected along the way...
Some beautiful old postcards and nibs found in Prague.
The most amazing gathering of documents pertaining to the will of an English woman, found in Brugge.
A couple more wooden type lower vowels and numbers from a fabulous shop in Paris - the name of which translates to "fell off the back of a truck".
A bundles of bibs and bobs - some slate pencils from Brugge, some bone folders from Prague and a tracing wheel from Prague. The bone folders were unexpectedly discovered in a hardware store.
One of my calligraphic friends once told me - buy old ruling pens whenever you find them. So I did! I love that these five are all different and am looking forward to cleaning them and getting to work with them. The beautiful one in the cylindrical case came from a flea market in Paris; the rest were all Prague finds.
A happy gathering...now all packed up and ready to head to the studio.
Yes, we visit galleries and museums and walk for miles across cobbled streets, but we exclaim "oh happy day" when we pick up a flea market or hardware bargain. The only fun thing about unpacking when you get home is unwrapping all these little parcels and re-discovering them.
Here are some of the treasures we collected along the way...
Some beautiful old postcards and nibs found in Prague.
The most amazing gathering of documents pertaining to the will of an English woman, found in Brugge.
A couple more wooden type lower vowels and numbers from a fabulous shop in Paris - the name of which translates to "fell off the back of a truck".
A bundles of bibs and bobs - some slate pencils from Brugge, some bone folders from Prague and a tracing wheel from Prague. The bone folders were unexpectedly discovered in a hardware store.
One of my calligraphic friends once told me - buy old ruling pens whenever you find them. So I did! I love that these five are all different and am looking forward to cleaning them and getting to work with them. The beautiful one in the cylindrical case came from a flea market in Paris; the rest were all Prague finds.
A happy gathering...now all packed up and ready to head to the studio.
Oh my, what a great tools have you found! I also love a good hardware store. <3 NiinaKoo
ReplyDeleteHi Niina - a good hardware store is an absolute treat and delight! I am so happy to have collected such goodies.
DeleteI just posted on Barry's blog that I was drooling over his wonderful finds. A bib for the keyboard would have been quite nice this morning as it's now totally soaked from drooling over your bits as well. What a lovely way to remember your trip.
ReplyDeleteI love these bibs and bobs J - you can feel the history in them. They feel good to have around as if the good wishes of the folk goes with them. I am looking forward to playing I must say.
Deletethe old ruling pens and nibs are a great score and you can't have too many bone folders, is that a brass burnishing tool in the last photo?
ReplyDeleteI love the ruling pens Mo and ope to put them to good use! The last one is also a modern ruling pen - pretty cool hey? Bought new in Brugge I hope it makes great marks. Or maybe it's me who should be making great marks? Never blame your tools right? Go well.
DeleteA collector after my own heart. Love what you have found.
ReplyDeleteLyndell they are wonderful for the likes of us! Not everybody would get excited, but I certainly did. Go well.
Deletea good haul, fiona.
ReplyDeleteIndeed V! We are so funny popping into these random old dusty stores, on the look out for a good stash...
DeleteOld ruling pens are just the best F! My sort of finds! x g
ReplyDeleteI agree G - it was you who told me always buy them when I saw them! How well I have followed your advice...I also bought that big new one at the bottom; not sure what it will do, or what we will do together...
DeleteSuch treasures! You must have a real knack for finding them!
ReplyDeleteHi Gina - it's a great gathering of gorgeousness I thought. We enjoy pottering and discovering and wandering into these funny old places, and the oohs and ahhs in a good hardware shop are so funny!
DeleteLong time!! Sorry it has been so long with catching up with blog buddies and my own blog pages. Great to hear you had a good trip over to Europe. What a great stash!! I keep imagining what the security guys thought when they x rayed your suitcases!!
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you Annie! Yes, we had a fine time in Europe and loved all of these goodies. We also had some steel arrow heads that could have caused great interest in the x-ray dept I thought. Go well.
DeleteYou are my sort of tourists! I love this wonderful mix and can imagine the future pleasure that using them will bring, making something with them and reliving the memory of their place of origin at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like a multiplicity of wins I must say Lesley - they are great reminders of places; such beautiful objects in themselves; and will get used and/or incorporated into new things, carrying with them the essence of the old. Very fortunate folk we are...I might even get to the studio tomorrow to play with them!
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