Monday, July 18, 2011

Mantelpiece Monday







Morning Citizens! Today's Mantelpiece Monday is all about green and brown, with lot's of wood , glass and ceramics. I have quite a collection of antique glass bottles collected from old bottle dumps. I have a bit of a thing for brown glass in particular, it reminds me of burnt toffee. The Ginseng vases are a favourite, the one at the top sitting next to the ink wells was pulled out of a 120 year old mine works on the West Coast of Tasmania. My folks were involved in a local history group and we would spend our weekends working off old maps and lease documents trying to find old mining settlements. I dug that vase out of the dirt around the foundations of an old fireplace. Both of the inkwells Also came from old mining works, the ceramic one is Indian and would have to be the prettiest thing I've ever found.
 In the centre of the mantel is a green uranium glass protea vase, a gift from my Aunty. The ceramic pot with the gum tree relief is one of my mums, I used to go to her pottery classes and remember helping put one of the handles on that pot. At the end of the mantel, sitting underneath the rather old bunch of kangaroo paw is my strangest hard rubbish find ever. This weird, pineapple-esque pot was found chipped and left on the footpath outside a mansion in Toorak. The whole piece is incredible and has been made from hand, normally these types of pots would be made from a slip and poured into a mould, but this is a formed piece with each of the little spikes being put on by hand. I have NO idea how old it is, but I can not believe it was sent to the pavement for a couple of chips. 

What's sitting on your Mantelpiece (or mantelpiece substitute) today? Feel like showing off? take a pic and leave your link.





6 comments:

  1. your mantlepiece is looking lovely today Estelle...I love the stories behind the bits... my collection of "archaeological finds" (broken bits of china, pennies and marbles) is definetely pathetic in comparision!

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  2. Love, love, love these colours and items!

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  3. This set up is brilliant - love that you dug up the inkwells. And the spiky pot is really quite special, I wish there was more of a culture of leaving decent stuff by the side of the road here.

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  4. some people throw out the craziest things, don't they? beautiful set up, as always!

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  5. Sorry It took me so long to post the link I've been out of internet contact (i know!! shock horror) and had scheduled my mantelpiece post for Monday! There now plus a tutorial on the way *s*

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  6. love the colours - and love those sleeping owls!

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