sorry to have been MIA for so long.
these last few weeks have been crazy! no time for myself, and no time for sleep. but i needed some breaks so visited two shops in that span of time, even if for 15 minutes. :) the fix was heavily needed!
i will make a further post about clothes and a nice bag i managed to find, but for this exciting episode, i'm sticking to creative artsy things (i can't help it, being an artist does that!).
last night i got a lil crazy and decided to carve my own stamps (one thing about me is i have so many ideas floating around in my head and i never really get to any of them because i spend too long thinking them all up and then thinking to myself, 'what's the point, i'll never have enough time to do even half' which is true, but i then gather little starters to commence the projects and then i do nothing still, because im too tired or have other committments. THAT to me, is feeling like i have achieved nothing in life, it's so depressing!). but anyway.
i will also make another post to show my totally gorgeous collection of Babushkas (or Matryoshkas, as you prefer) - i am SO crazy about these dolls, and i always aim to buy vintage ones stamped on the bottom (and i actually like them to be a little shabby from generations of grubby kids' hands because back in romania as a little kid i also had these two things - a babushka set and grubby hands). but more on babushkas later.
first stamp was a babushka stamp, the second was one for my art (i mainly do portraits, and nudes).
i have my heart set on getting either a vintage hot wax seal or one with my initials, as a way to sign my artwork. they are just adorable:-
some were even used on/as antique rings, family crests etc:-
i'm also fascinated with 'artist stamps' but will need to look more into that.
so this is what i came up with, thanks to the old linocut carving set i forgot to *ahem* return to my highschool, and a bunch of old rubbers:-
they turned out quite well and stamp flawlessly. so with a bit more effort and time put in on my behalf i could come up with a good handful of customised stamps :) they'd make great gifts too.
my other favourite thing to do is work with resin and this can give some lovely effects. here's some work i did the other year:-
i really would like to try using pressed flowers, my mum had flattened one of our orchids and it turned out beautiful but before i knew it i had lost it :(
so it was very fitting that in today's 'Op Shop of the Day' i found this, which obviously belonged to Amanda (and don't you forget it):-
for $3 this flower press is lovely, sturdy and big so i can get a lot done at the same time. cannot wait!!
my last fixation i will dare to mention is a love for antique stoves/ovens. the proper stuff! i try to go to weekly auctions and check out what they have on offer and the other week i fell in love with something that looked a little like a mix between these:-
and this:
but a little more rusty and worn down and with bigger plates with the really primitive gas tops with big holes throughout. naturally, it was love at first sight. but with a starting bid of $120 and the fact that my dad advised it would cost around $400 to get it delivered home due to its weight, i decided to pipe down (involuntarily).
eventually though, when i do get my own home, my mind had already been made up. it and things like it, will be mine! and they will be relics, scattered all over my garden, for the sole purpose of..... holding various pots, plants, flowers and veggies/ herbs. :)
i thought i'd illustrate what i mean (these sketches aren't ready, they're just an idea that took me about 10 minutes to do; the plants need colouring in and the mower hasn't got plants in it yet! but just imagine!):-
it would look so fantastic having these throughout the backyard to perform duties for us in their second life :)
i will leave with mentioning two things:-
1. i really hate it when i spend 20 minutes walking up and down the same street and shops looking for an Op Shop that was supposed to be there, at number 10, on paper at least. it's not only a letdown but i feel sad because the $2 shop that replaced it will never even be half the shop the Op Shop was; and
2. lately i've been to a bunch of shops that call themselves something funky like "Vintage Groove" and "Retro Fashions" and walk in and don't know what to make of them. they have op shop stuff in them, the items are just as unique and old, but three things are different - namely, that the overall organisation of the shop is a little better and stuff isn't thrown everywhere randomly, which leads into, and is possibly explained by, the second thing - they're run by younger ladies in their 40s, and three - the prices are almost 10 times 'pricier' (for lack of a better word). so i'm not too sure what to think about these shops as yet. i'm still getting adjusted.
till next time, stay well and Op lots!
x
