Mantelpiece Monday in MONOCHROME

Things have gone all black and white on the Fortune Favours mantelpiece this morning. I don't often do 'monochrome' but if I'm going to keep this meme going for more than one week I should probably get used to shaking it up a little. 

The ebony bust of the African man in one of my favourite possessions. It weighs an absolute tone and is smoother than a babies backside. The shells have been chrome plated, a rather successful experiment (pity I'm no longer friends with an electro-platers daughter). The little glass jars come from an old hotel sight on the west coast of Tasmania. the hotel burnt down in the 1920's and was the last port of civilisation and a place to re-stock supplies on the way out to the gold fields. I've dug all manner of treasure out of those foundations. The white pottery urns are just a fraction of my collection, you never pay more than a couple of dollars for them and grouped together they look really lovely (but get horrendously dusty, yurk!). the glass sugar bowl with the spoons in it and the small crystal decanter are all family heirlooms from Holland. The spoons are engraved with the family initials and dated 1856, apparently the sugar bowl is from the same time, hard to believe it's made it so far and so long without even a chip, fingers crossed.

What's on your mantelpiece (or bookshelf or dressing table) today? Why don't you take a picture and tell us about it?

on a side note, I'm guest blogging over at My Poppet today while Ms Cinti and Pilgrim are footloose and fancy free in Japan (apparently they're going to DISNEYLAND today omg!) Skip on over for my take on fostering the collecting bug in our kids.

flea market finds

Not a big haul, but some sweet finds non the less. Vintage Hankies, unused or so I'm told  *crosses fingers*, turquoise gingham and resin letter holder. Vintage glasses, cats-eyes and some other ones that a hipster kid might like and the best for last........Killer mauve, pink, red and orange Italian suede heels from the 60's in size 7. My friends Mum used to own a closed toe version of these. I remember raiding her mum's closets for dress ups, it was all kaftans, wrap around skirts, maxi dresses...and these killer heels!

Playing along with Her Library Adventures and Apron thrift Girl

Don't forget to enter the Super Sized Patchwork Giveaway, only a couple of weeks to go!

sweat shop, both ways

I feel a bit like I'm writing this from the trenches, under fire and in miserable conditions. My evenings have been spent madly sewing these super fat, woolly blanket cushions ready for my stall at Camberwell market on Sunday while my days have been taken up with the care of the ill and the amusement of the young. The husbandido has been working from home because he is 'sick'. He is actually rather ill and that in it's self is not a problem, the 'problem' is the 'working from home' bit. I've just spent the better part of a week running interference between a couple of little kids and a sick Dad constantly on a 'conference call'. On a high note, the C 'freaking' O of the hubby's company is now keenly aware that our three year old 'is his bestest friend' and he is personally invited to her four birthday parties, but he has to bring her a present. Balancing home and work life has always been hard, balancing them in the same room is confirmably impossible.

Come and visit me at the market tomorrow if your in the area, I'm in stall 250, you can get a site map from the market homepage here.  It would be lovely to see some peeps, let me know your a blog buddy and I'll be sure to give you a discount!

mantle as anything

I heart mantlepieces, home of the good stuff, out of reach of little fingers and more often than not the only clean place in my home. I am lucky enough to sport 2 goodly sized mantles in my house and I love them, they are often the only thing that makes me happy about the life of compromise that is renting in inner Melbourne. I shoot most of my flea market finds on my living room mantle because the wall is white and the light is good (two things that are in short supply here). I also relieve an immeasurable amount of 'decorators itch' just by changing things around and creating new little vignettes, a change is as good as a holiday and all that.

With 'all that' in mind I am proposing a game of sorts, a kind of 'show us your bit's', an ode to the mantle if you will. And so, with out further adieu, a meme is born 'Mantle Piece Monday's'. Tart it up, take a breath, snap your pick,  load it up and add your link. Let's see what everyone's mantles look like. 

Just for interests sake, I take all my photos on an iphone, I just keep the field of focus close, keep my hand steady and shoot. I take a bunch of pictures, then choose the clearest one and play with the lighting and filters in Picnik until I think it look right, nothing to it!

flea market finds

This week is full of the good stuff my fellow flea market fiends. After the the previous weeks car theft debacle and the scariest power bill I've ever received I was feeling a bit like my luck had run out. So when my Dad dropped down a thirty year old Datsun 300c with a royal blue velvet interior and an engine that purrs like a big old kitty and I sold some stuff on ebay for way more than I was expecting, all of a sudden things were looking much brighter. 

Clockwise from top left we have, one hand blown lime green glass vase, a spiky little Japanese 'starburst-ish' clock, one fantastically atomic yellow and black tea pot and a gelatilicious set of Nallyware spice canisters. Not a bad bit of plunder and I didn't have to burn down a single village to get it.

Playing along with Sophie over at Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

Don't forget to enter into the Patchwork Giveaway here!

my creative space

Cutting, sewing and stuffing lot's of woolly cloud cushions. For more Creative Spaces pop on over to here. Are you playing along today? What's everyone else making at the moment?

While I'm on the subject of making stuff, does anyone have any ideas for surplus grapefruit? We've had a bumper crop this year and while I don't mind the odd grapefruit sprinkled with sugar and grilled, I'm not inclined to eat it everyday. I hate to see good fruit going to waste so your suggestions will be much appreciated.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

You heard it Peeps! I promised an amazeballs giveaway and here it is! 100 of the most beautiful vintage hexagonal patchwork pieces Iv'e ever seen. I have been holding on to these pieces for over 4 years after I found them pre-pieced and tucked away in an Oppy somewhere. I always thought I might one day get around to sewing them up but 'oneday's' can last a life time so instead of letting this treasure go to waste I'm offering it to one lucky follower who can help these little gems realise their wondrous, quilty potential. 

The pieces measure roughly 25cm long, at the widest point and about 15cm high. by my 'guesstermation' there should be enough material to make a single size quilt. All the hexagons are pieced together from vintage 40's, 50's and 60's cottons, with each print only repeated a few times.

So.........

If you think you would like to give this baby a go, Then leave a comment, hit the 'FOLLOW' button on le blog,  and cross your fingers! Entries are open to everybody, so If it ends up in Belgium or the Mid West of the USA then so be it. I'm going to keep this giveaway running for a month, so entries will close on Wednesday 13th of July.

GOODLUCK! 

marketeering

It was was a cold and misty start to Camberwell market on Sunday but despite the chill and fog it was buzzing  with life. By late morning the heavy fog had lifted and the sun peeped it's head out from the clouds for a brief moment, long enough to snap some pictures and warm my cheeks. Lot's of vintage clothes and shoes were on offer this week thanks to a large and generous donation from my dear Friend Taia, (who's collection of vintage dresses and shoes is to be revered). A snappy young fossicker was kind enough to model her nail polish which matched perfectly to the pompom on one of the babies beanies I had for sale. A super funny 2lt Hooters drink bottle (that's for ONE person) got loads of attention, but unfortunately no one took it home.

Lot's of treasure found it's way into other peoples hands and I've made a bit of room to go hunting for more AND filled up my pockets while I was at it! Quite a good day in all.

flea market finds

Woot! my first Flea Market Finds on the new blog, nothin' like a good thrift share to get the blogger ball rolling. 

I wasn't confident I was going to get any thrifting done this week. Our car was stolen on Wednesday night which has meant being stuck at home with the kids for the most part (blurgh!). However, on my way to pick up a hire car on Saturday (from the aptly named 'Rent a Bomb') I stopped in at the local St Vinnies and came out with a nice little swag of booty. The tapestry is cute and the rug is pretty sweet too, but it's the coat hangers that got my heart beating. The woven plastic hangers are so difficult to find these days and they just look so damn good, almost like they're made out of boiled lollies.

The tapestry and rug are both heading the market in a couple of weeks, but the coat hangers are destined to make my wardrobe look pretty.

For more thrifty luck, pop over and see Apron Thrift girl and Sophie from Her Library Adventures.

Toodlepip!

  

Aloha, Benvenuto, Shalom, and all that jazz

Welcome to Fortune Favours the Thrifty, the new kid on the blog block for thrift, craft, markets and other miscellaneous crap. If you've joined me from my other blog Curbside Style, then thanks a whole bunch for following me over, if your just visiting for the first time then a big hi there and hello. I'm a bit excited to be doing something a little different, although it's still all about the thrifting I'll also be hosting a regular Monday meme all about mantle pieces (more about that later) and opening a little shop to share some of the extra special things I find that don't make it to my market stall.

I would love you to join me on my thrift adventures, because you never know when your going to get lucky and it's so much sweeter when you have someone to share it with.

x

Estelle