Friday 8 February 2013

Friday Find

No 4 - buried treasure

This used to be my garden.



I worked hard in it and loved it for sixteen years.

Over those years it provided me with flowers, fruit, vegetables....and buried treasure!

All manner of weird and wonderful bits and pieces emerged from deep in the soil as I dug it over. These are my favourites...


An old Henderson's Relish bottle, a beautifully worn marble, the head of a china duck, and a fascinating tiny headless figure with something in the crook of its arm.

I love the surreal nature of these random bits and pieces, full of intrigue and hidden stories.

As a Sheffield lass, the Henderson's Relish bottle is real treasure!



And the little figure has a very neat behind!


If anyone can shed any light on the origins of this intriguing little doll, or can suggest what it might be holding so carefully in its arm, I'd love to know.

K x






Friday 1 February 2013

Friday Find

No 3 - tin oil lamps

In 1988 I was very fortunate to be taken on the trip of a lifetime to Kenya. It was an amazing experience - truly unforgettable for many reasons, good and bad. Everything seemed very harsh and very real. 

We returned with a treasure trove of weird and wonderful things bought from street markets in Nairobi and Mombasa. The vast majority of my treasure was beads, but more of those another time.

These quirky little oil lamps are one of my favourite things. I love their mismatched, rusty appearance and how they're so beautifully put together.


One is made from an old tomato paste tin... 

   
...and both have top sections cut from a can of the fantastically named Cooper's Super Doom Insect Killer!




They're truly beautiful in all their rusty, patinated glory.

K x