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.
Just gorgeous, Estelle!! Noice idea, noice execution. Noice things.
ReplyDeleteI read your guest post. I liked it a lot. I could imagine moving house (in your house) is a bit stressful. All those breakables.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely mantel today.
I left my house today warning everyone that if anyone let their little sister break something AGAIN today ... all hell will break loose when I return.
Cheers.
i like that look a lot, really well put together, but whats the black thingy tho, looks like a cross between a pine cone and a hand grenade??? x
ReplyDeletehahah, it's the weight from a Cuckoo Clock Max :)
ReplyDeleteI love hearing the stories behind people's collections. And the little dog is so cute!
ReplyDeleteLove this - very arty. The shells are gorgeous, and really like the bottles and vases, the whole scheme. That painting in the gilt frame is lovely too.
ReplyDeleteLovely combination of objects - love the glass bottles and the black & white ceramics!
ReplyDeletechrome plated shells - fabulous! I love that you know so much stuff about your stuff too
ReplyDelete(except stuff seems like the wrong word for your gorgeous collection... I have on the other hand stuffed up my picture link thing...)
ReplyDeleteyour tree stump vase is gorgeous! thank you for your lovely nan comment..made me giggle. loving the new blog. x
ReplyDelete