vintage cheesus

tumblr

2010-06-17T22:28:00.002+08:00

new virtual pinup board

http://jennieraccoon.tumblr.com/

xx

Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past.

2010-05-23T19:51:00.006+08:00

-Jack London

hang on harvey!

2010-01-17T12:32:00.008+08:00

Well. As promised, an update of some of my more interesting opshop finds as of late! Whew, about time.

One of my favourite 2nd hand stores... it's always completely cluttered, always moving around and changing, and always full of amazing surprises!

Ofcourse, as always, lots and lots of books. This is a small selection of the vintage golden books I've found over the last month, and below is a large golden book version of Snow White that matches the Bambi one that I found last year!

Snow white books always have the best illustrations of animals! I love the little raccoon and deer especially.

More cute old books full of great illustrations...

I like his camera...

This book has the most darling illustrations. Isn't this kangaroo fantastic? Shame the actual book isn't in the best condition, but the plates are in pretty good nick.

Can you believe my boyfriend hadn't heard of Clifford the big red dog? Amazing! He's such a gorgeous character.

I'm beginning to have quite the tray collection... This crazy coloured retro flower tray is definitely a winner though.

A cheap as laminex table with sweet green chairs is now doubling as a desk (and op-shopped goodies holder!) in our back room.

This cute little pillow. Everyone else hates it. I love the little doggy and the big floppy hat.

Vintage games in awesome packaging! Hoorah. Hang on Harvey! It's hilariously good fun.

Another horrible deer print that I love to bits. And this much nicer, large wide eyed children print-

Lastly, these vintage pinup swap cards that I actually nabbed off ebay a while ago- they're pretty neat.

It's 42 degrees here. Far too hot to spend this long concentrating... Golly! Sorry I'm not more invested, I'm still pretty busy getting ready to move in to my new house. 3 weeks! Eek. And I keep on buying more things to pack!
xx
j

of collections, owls and teeny tiny houses.

2010-01-10T12:06:00.006+08:00

I've been sitting here trying to design a tattoo for my mumma. She wants a little owl flying across her shoulder- "specifically gliding, not descending,not too stylized or kitschy, with a not too creepy face (I tend to draw pretty creepy realistic owl faces) and pretty simple shading, and it has to be teeny tiny!"
Woo-t (!), it's harder than I thought. But never fear, my friends, because I am the ultimate procrastinator when it comes to actually creating art.
So this morning I have done the washing, dishes, decluttered the bathroom (and my itunes!) and spent a lot of time looking at pictures of owls... and now I'm updating my blog. See how good I am?

Firstly, everyone should check out this blog- if you haven't already- because it is simply beautiful!

I'm a huge fan of collections. I think we all are. My favourite sections of Frankie seem to be homebodies and mantelpiece, because other peoples collections are just so awesome and interesting- and they make me feel slightly less weird about my own.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty inspired to do my own "collection a day" post on here, but I may not have enough collections! I think I would make it a once a week kinda thing, but I probably wont start until I get all my stuff unpacked at my new house next month.

However, I will keep adding to my collections... Here's some stuff I picked up on the weekend from the salvos! It's not a lot, but I also nabbed this great old teak chestofdrawers that matches my desk, but unfortunately it was put straight into storage so I can't show you.

These flash cards are pretty much my favourite thing ever. I especially love the teeny cowboys and houses.

Maybe it's because I've been staring at the picture mum wants her owl to look like, and it has a picture of a teeny tiny house painted by my uncle on it.

I sill have heaps of things to show you that i've photographed but havent blogged about... I never know if my long posts with millions of pictures are going to be a bit boring so I always put them off.
We shall see how I go this week!
xxjen

P.s Oh and also, Cat Power was amazing! This week I'm going to see the Fantastic Mr Fox, and Peter Pan and Wendy performed at Kings Park, which I'm sure will be equally beautiful! Yay!

Sleeping...

2010-01-03T23:16:00.002+08:00

Oh haven't I been good with updating? Normally I loathe shopping for bedpreads- I find them ridiculously expensive and I can never find ones that I really really like. I was over the moon when I found this awesome retro inspired piece by Orla Kiely at Myers- although I was a bit scared by the prospect of the price tag. But it ended up being very reasonable, especially with 40% off, so I nabbed one up! Now I can't wait to get in to the new house and paint the bedroom a nice charcoal-y blue to match!

This is another of Kiely's bedspreads I found at her website- all of her products are so sweet and nostalgic, in a funky modern way. I was pretty exited to see my bedspread design as wall paper as well!

In related news, I just found an old roll of Vintage gold flowery wallpaper that I had quickly snatched up for $2.50 and then packed away and forgotten about, so I'm hoping it will be enough to cover one of the walls in my studio. No longer renting has its perks!

G'nite! xx

Twas the season

2010-01-02T20:08:00.010+08:00

Christmas was very surprising and amazing for me this year... I really was spoiled. One of my best to date! I was very happy that I managed to find presents for everyone that I think they genuinely enjoyed.This Christmas was probably going to be the last year for a while where we have spare cash to spoil other people, so I made the most of it. I think if I have to spend less next time, I'll probably spend far more attention to wrapping, and hopefully get around to making some vintage tags.

Anyway, here are a few of my favourite presents!

My mum is pretty awesome- she loves vintage books as much as I do, so I'm surprised she parted with this one! And it's an 'IE' instead of JennY, how exciting!

A long running joke, I give my Bf Lego and he get's me Ponies. This year his Lego was pirate themed, which is just rad. We're children. We may end up with a whole room filled at our new place.

Arrested development Box set. This is definitely one of the best shows ever made, but I'm sure I don't need to tell you that.

Beci Orpin Rabbit notebook. Very sweet!

Tickets to see Cat Power! I'm going on Wednesday- so awesome. And I know what I'll be taking with me-

Finally! A diana mini to call my own... Like I said... spoiled. I also got an awesome orange badge maker from my mum, so I can't wait to show you some of my results.

Didn't have tooo big a NYE due to work and tiredness, but sufficient fun was had! My NY resolution is to try really hard to find a balance this year between uni, work, social life and being healthy.

Here's hoping 2010 will be a good one!
xx

fuckyeahredhair

2010-01-02T19:57:00.004+08:00

I've been thinking of going a ruby red for a while... but I'm just too scared. I need a haircut first!
These girls are so pretty, although I think that only the first one is a natural. Why is it that red headed girls suit stripes so much better than anyone else? Jealous!

Happy New Year everyone!
xx

Photos: fuckyeahredhair on tumblr.

Ryden and the Indians

2009-12-27T13:23:00.012+08:00

Meet my very, very favourite book. I found him tucked away behind a big pile of not so interesting books on a recent op shop adventure into the slightly scary bogan areas around my house!

Isn't he handsome? I had to show you...

I think I like this headdress so much because it reminds me of Miss Khan. Actually, all of the lovely colours remind me of her outfits.

I was trying to figure out why it seemed so familiar and lovely to me... The bright colours, the shading, of course the subject and the story- but perhaps the best part is the striking resemblance to Mark Rydens artwork (or perhaps the other way around...).

Just look at the squirrel! This page instantly reminded me of the California Brown Bear. Which makes me smile...

Obviously Rydens style (and subject matter) is heavily influenced by children book illustration. It's just interesting to see the style being employed with a dark irony, giving the traditionally cute characters and creatures a cunning, creepy edge! It would be neato to frame some of these pictures side by side the Ryden prints, for the subtle contrast, but I'm not sure I could do that to my new friend.

Aaaah I do love his work so.

http://www.markryden.com/
xx

That's right... I came, I saw, I etsied these bad boys up.

2009-12-22T19:49:00.004+08:00

Mr Owl! Heart.

Don't hold it against me! It's not my fault that the sweet sweet exchange rate makes these things more available to me! Who am I kidding... I was bored and I had the birthday money! xx

Wow...!

2009-12-22T17:41:00.011+08:00

Long time no post! I'm very very lazy and yet quite busy at the moment- not a very good combination when it comes to blogging, I'm afraid.
Here's a quick rundown of what's been a happening so that I can move on to the good stuff:

Been to Thailand
(See! This was an awesome installation outside the art gallery in Siam Square)
Moved house
Had a birthday
Bought a house
Been Christmas shopping, wrapping and shindig-ing.
Work work working!

There, boring and over with!

Moving on, I found a really old bunch of photos from an opshopping trek I did with some friends a few months ago (yes, months... sigh).
I'm not sure if I even got through photographing all my finds before I was swept up in all my laziness, but here are some of my favourites.

Some amazingly terrible cat mugs... Eurgh!

A book on vintage cheeses (hehe).

Okay, so it wasn't opshopped, but my bf bought me this AMAZING Kiki Smith book... It's beautiful and glossy and full of her wonderful prints, many of which I hadn't been able to find on google image search ;)

Ah, kitschtastic. I love the tacky covers and doggy glamour shots...

And I may have just picked this picture because it looks EXACTLY like my doggy.

One of my favourite finds, this Thumbelina book has beautiful 70's illustration. It's so colourful and bold, and full of intricate details that are just gorgeous.

Mooore fairytales... I especially love the animals in this Snow White book. They are totally tattoo-able!

Isn't this cover amazing? For such a basic school book as well...

A treasury of golden books! Good find, I say.

This book was the first of many Australian themed items I found on the day...

Scarves, diaries and teatowels, oh my!

I love bicentennial themed paraphernalia! So tacky and delicious. I think this swan is my favourite though, I was so annoyed, there was also this amazing gaudy serving tray from the same year, but they were asking faaaar more than I could afford.

Creepy horse shirt and vintage stickers.

Finally, this fantastic vintage globe was $20, but it's huuuge, and they cost far more than that new (and don't look nearly as awesome).

That's it for now, but I've got a few more posts up my sleeve, so I'll be around more than I have been.
xxxxxx

tats it...

2009-09-17T22:08:00.003+08:00

Busy few weeks, moving house, planning our holiday in Thailand, and lots of 21sts, gigs and even a surprising number of going away parties to attend!

Lazy post, some of my favourite tattooed ladies from my recent browsing...

Of course Kat made it...
xx

Outskirts 09

2009-09-05T16:06:00.006+08:00

William St in Northbridge is kicking off Perth Fashion week with outskirts- over 50 events, pop-up-stores, exhibitions with lots of fun-stuff in general.
Also there are MAGNETS!!! Yeee!
My hot friend and I went yesterday to check it out, but not a lot was open yet, and i forgot my camera, so my bf and I popped along today to check it out again!

We had the best coffee at the newish bar 399, and the guys running there are so rad it's not cool... I did take photos where he didn't look bored, but the one where I look best clearly wins.

This was one of them :)

Not really, but he is from this awesome book on Namennayo Cats I got on ebay this week!

I like hats.

I like denim.

I like lightbulbs.

Hello Bone Phone!

Lunch at the Moon. I love the Sara Moon horse on the wall.

I sneezed. (at PiCA).

I had an awesome day. I got a vintage silver blouse for $5, and 10 of the magnets. Neat.
xx

Wooo!

2009-08-28T17:10:00.003+08:00

Yet another reason for me to love Beci Orpin... This morning I popped on over to her blog and saw that she was hosting a giveaway of the Kit makeup that she did some design/collaboration with.
I wasn't particularly hopeful, but I emailed away just in case, and amazingly I won the last pack :) I'm so excited, she's sending it out next week, and I also got the chance to tell her how much I love her work!

It was a bit of a coincidence as JUST this morning I used her very pretty wrapping paper from Frankie on one of my lovely friends birthday presents!

Yaaay!
xjen

i wish i were a sailor man.

2009-08-15T13:53:00.002+08:00

Especially one of these guys!

Both of my granddads were in the navy. My gran used to have a great photo of my granddad Alan(who I never met) in his uniform, but when she died I think it must have gone to my uncle, who I never see. Damn.
x

meow

2009-08-02T11:56:00.005+08:00

Sooo I haven't had a hell of a lot of time for opshopping lately, but here are a few of my favourite things from the last month!

Retro Dymo label maker full of spools with lots and lots of different colours! I'm not really sure if it's worth anything, but I do like it!

A brownie I bought for my bf- he really likes old cameras- I think it's adorable. I'm not sure if it works or not, if anyone has any advice on using it that would be great :)

A great retro metal tray (bargain, $4), my new ugly(in a good way, of course) S&P shakers, cheap tuppaware and my new bowls! After I bought the tray, I went into a vintage shop with it tucked under my arm, and the lady behind the counter offered me $40 for it- thanks but no thanks :)

Vintage faux fur- $25 but toally worth it because it's very warm and well fitted!

I'm fairly sure this belonged to a granny, which is great, because I got it for $4 and I think it's fairly fashionable :P Maybe not when I wear it though, because i'm a big dag.

A very cute dress I found for my friends little girl!

I love little red riding hood, so I had to buy this from the salvos- even though it has just been refitted and now they charge $20 for practically every bit of clothing. Grr.

I'm not sure where my lovely friend/bfs sister found this, but i'm glad she thought to give it to me :) I'm not sure if it's purely decorational or if it has some use, but it's teeny tiny and adorable.

To new mirrors, $6 each. A bit pricey, but i've seen them for more in vintage stores and i've wanted one for a while!

I've been re-arranging my study to fit in this great desk I got for $25 :) I'm pretty happy, it was jus what i've been looking for for a few months! It's dwarfed a bit in this photo by my faaaavourite purchase this month....

Ahhh. So bad it's good, I fell in love with this the moment I saw it... She reminded me a lot of Sara Moon. Just not sure where to put her now!

I'm looking forward to hitting the circuit again this monday, hopefully i'll have more to share soon :)
xx

Superdog, and other such titles...

2009-07-24T20:41:00.007+08:00

Wow... It's been a while, since I posted. My bad. There's more coming though!
I've been rearranging the house, and going to the gym lots, so I'm feeling pretty good at the moment!

Anyways, I have a lot of opshopped goodness to share from the last month so i'll just start with the books!

Meet superdog, he is like my dog, only superer.

So Superdog walked on top of the water! And people could not believe what they saw!
(Bet you wished you could do that!)

One of my favourite new books- fun AND educational!

It follows the life of a stag- without the Bambi boohoo. (I love Bambi). And on the baaack-

Just so yah knows...

I mostly got this one for the constellation charts.

The other night I had a weird dream that my friends cat was giving birth and I had to unblock their throats as they came out. Yeah, it was pretty weird, i've never even seen a kitten birth. So when I saw these books the VERY next day, I snapped them up. For educational purposes/I wanted to show my bf how weird I am.

Little Red, Boys Annual, Animal ABC.

Gorgeous nature book, filled with beautiful illustrations, from the 60's.

Kids cookbook and 70's Bird Annual.

xx

mus-eum-ings

2009-06-18T21:13:00.007+08:00

We went to see the amazing Nick Cave exhibition at the Perth museum... of course it wouldn't be a day out without wandering around the creepy taxi-fied (my word) creatures.

I love owls :) yesterday I picked up an Encyclopedia of owls for $2 with amaaazing photos.

Kodaks and Brownies and Polaroids, Oh My!

It's my dog! Almost.

I made some rather lovely friends.

So morbid, yet pretty.

Home made coffee! A nice end to a great day.

Yesterday was fairly intense- car problems- but i did find a sweet glomesh purse and the owl book, as well as a really cool dinosaur book :) I like dinosaurs.
xx

2009-06-09T18:23:00.007+08:00

Well. I finally got some new batteries for my camera, so I'm finally putting up my recent purchases/finds. I've been doing some job searching, i got my car fixed and I've of course been working, so life's a bit boring at the moment! But I'm excited about a few job possibilities and i've been watching enough LA ink to keep me inspired and happy :)
As well as reading though every ones blogs... and thinking, hmm, should probably update mine! So hear we go...

Lot's of books!

This Readers digest atlas from the 60s (or maybe 50s?) was only $4 and has some great imagery.

I thought this bird migration map was pretty sweet :)

A very cute book on making dolls from the 70's.

Including some somewhat inappropriately stereotyped dolls! (Yes, it has a how-to on gollywogs too!)

I picked up some great bird guides and some old animal encyclopedias pretty cheap- one of them still had the original poster and framing guide :P

Awesome taschen book chockablock full of pinups :) Was $35 and will be a wonderful reference book for my art.

I was very excited when i saw this very cute cover on an old book- lo and behold it was fillllled with hilariously cutesy pictures of odd cats.

huggy kitty!

hidy kitty!

naughty kitty!

ponderful kitty!

...knickknacks

I rearranged my mantle to include my Beci Orpin pieces that i got in Melbourne last year...

This is my favourite one, with Mr fox, with some delightful S&P shakers my bfs mum gave me.

Beautiful card, I'm not sure who the designer is, but i bought it from William Top, who stock a lot of Melbourne designers. Also there is my new Bambi from eBay :)

I fell in love with this as soon as i saw it- an old pencil box. Also, it was the only thing i could afford from the antique store that i was at (go the bargain bin).

Yay for complete vintage spirograph kit! From the 70's, in great condition, it was $15 because i bought it from a vintage store, but well worth it, as i've wanted one for a verrrry long time.

I like to write lists. I also like to use this fact as a reason to buy unneccessary note books. I am clever! (DEERS, eek).

eee, squirrel. These earrings are a very cute addition to my bambi collection- although they are quite large and i'm not sure when i'll actually wear them- oh well!

Cheap cheap cups- i would like to have a stack with every colour of the rainbow. The sexy cup on the right was from my bfs gran- she's so sweet. I still have to get the back story on that one, i'm not quite sure how she came to own it!

Bang bang! This gun was pretty cheap, i think because it was attatched to a hair clip and it didn't really seem wearable. I turned it into a brooch. Shown atop of a delicously terrible bunny book.

Ho ho. I hate badges- from william topp. Mr bunny likes badges.

Beautiful tilly bloom necklace :)

cute piratey lego man brooch that my very sweet friend brought me back from melbourne... i like pirates.

Now, this photo looks a little funny. But i love my new vintage jacket, as it fits like a glove.

phew... i'm exhuasted.
xxx

inspiration

2009-05-27T12:56:00.004+08:00

Photography and Set design: Ill Studio
for Jalouse magazine, 2007

Natasha Khan is beautiful and amazing.

I may have a crush on her.

tucked up in bed...

2009-05-26T16:13:00.003+08:00

this weeks theme for words and pictures over at meet me at mikes is tucked up in bed...

I've been looking at a lot of little red riding hoods lately... there'll be more :)
xx

some pretty pictures

2009-05-25T21:34:00.003+08:00

photos from my polaroid (i'm still working it out!).

dearie me

2009-05-12T15:16:00.007+08:00

Hey guys. Long time no post... What can i say, I'm a slacker. Good news: Just got a new macbook, which is making posting a lot more pleasurable :) Thought it might be a good time to update this old thang with my new opshop finds...

I was a bit sad today, as I had been watching this baby on ebay and unfortunately it went for a bit too much for me to bid! Great though, don't you think? It's an ashtray, but i was going to use it for brooches or candy... mmm candy.

But some things i found today make up for the loss (as well as some more things i'm watching on ebay! Oh ebay, why must you be so addictive... and pretty... and oh my, my money has all but gone).

Here is part of my ever growing golden book collection, as well as a neat old book i splurged on a while ago (Creatures of the Night) with the most beautiful plates inside. Also there is my Observers Pocket series book of Wild Animals which has darling photos and some wonderfully... interesting? penguins that my mum bought me.

Inside "wild animals".

As you may have realised, i'm kind of obsessed with bambi. So I picked this book up, even though i already had the Friends of the forest golden book version- perhaps to use for craft. But it turns out it's a different cover to my older one, so that was a bonus.

Then I was absolutely elated when I found this set in a Save the Children i hadn't even realised was just around the corner from my house!

Eeek! So adorable... It's made in Japan, and i've been looking for some Japanese deer style merch for a while, especially since I saw the adorable box in this cute cute photo by one of my artistic heros Beci Orpin.

I know cameos like this are everywhere at the moment, and i know that it's highly unlikely to be very old, but it was still only $2, which beats paying $12 on Ebay. Also, check out the cute detail on the deer :)

I found three of these beautiful cherry-blossom and swallow plates about a month ago and had to buy them... i've since been raiding the local chinese grocery stores for bowls and plates with a similar theme. I thought these little dessert bowls were a cute match.

Hahaha. This was $1. I'm pretty sure i've explained that I like kitsch stuff before, because I think that as long as you recognise how ugly it is, it becomes fun. But the things that I buy still have to have character. This screamed character at me from behind the cheap dainty lady statues at my local salvos. It isn't marked, but i'm pretty sure it's an ashtray... if you know anything about it, please let me know!

I've been collecting penguin books, and this is todays hoard. My mum gave me these lovely (hehe) bookends that she made before i was born. That's skill, ma!

Now, these photos are poor quality, but i found these quite large cat prints today and knew they must be mine... everyone I love hates me for it, but I can't help my addiction for all things mass-produced and hideously kitsch! Plus, i thought these really did have character. I immediately thought of Jeff Koons when I saw them, so I was willing to pay $4 for the pair.

Last but not least, my cute donkey tea-towel from Ebay... You might recognise it from an old Frankie mag, where I think there was a similar one in somebody's kitsch tea-towel collection.

Ah Frankie.

Ah Kitsch.

Ah donkeys.

I love it all.

xxjen

Anthropomorphism... i likes.

2009-04-26T14:11:00.003+08:00

I do enjoy a spot of anthropomorphism in the morning...

Andrew Brandou

Dominique Mitchelson

Victorian scraps.

In other news, i'm booked in for my next tattoo :) hopefully i'll have the design ready by next week... oops. happy long weekend!

xx

catching up...

2009-04-21T20:46:00.002+08:00

meet me at mikes- words and pictures: catching up...

:)

love

nifty thrifty

2009-04-19T17:32:00.005+08:00

Hey guyyys. More thrift to share! Busy weekend for me: I volunteered with some friends to work at Blues and Roots so we got tickets to see the night acts- it was exhausting but funnn! I've been cleaning lots of my junk out of our house as well (what can i say, i'm a horder, clearly!). I've done the spare room and my bedroom- now just the kitchen and dining room (oops, that's where the majority of my thrift goes... unsorted!).

But checking everyones blogs has kept me sane :)

Also finding brownie cameras does tend to make me pretty happy!

My new teas set (okay, this wasn't thrifted!). I've been searching for one just like this for a while, so when i found this sweet set at a Vintage shop i was okay with paying a bit more... but not too much more!

Yay, my new brownie and my nally cannisters (You have no idea how long i've wanted these!).

Muahaha. I found more stoneware to match my S&P shakers. Also, the teapot is huge which is kinda handy!

The sweetest, oldest lil golden book :) I am a donkey by the way (a jenny, that is). It was my nickname at highschool, so i've kind of adopted the image.
And these images are cuuute as!

I've been busy makin some lil brooches out of puzzle pieces... quite interesting i think.

My mum bought me a real pony too... called Rufas.
I love my pony.

love
xxxxxx

graceful

2009-04-15T17:13:00.004+08:00

just thought i'd share my fav picture of my little sister wearing the flowery docks that i bought her for easter :) not bad for a buck.

(oh, her name is actually grace :) )

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Record hord

2009-04-15T16:47:00.005+08:00

collecting...

2009-04-14T21:12:00.003+08:00

Pip over at Meet me at Mikes does the loveliest things...
This is part of her Words and Pictures theme...

This is one of my many collections...

This is my faaaavourite (new!) bambi book. It's a big golden book from 1949. So cute!

More posts to come, just need to find the time to post them!
hope everyone had a lovely easter.
xxxxx

my favourite find...

2009-03-30T08:51:00.008+08:00

Hmm whatever could be hiding in this snazzy bag? i wonder...

Oh, what's this?

Wow, a polaroid, with it's orginal flash!

Wow and it's orignal manual and a flash bar!

Tehe, i was so giddy when i found this. Only $25!!! I've picked up a couple of polaroids for a few dollars each since, but i've never seen one like this, in it's original case with all the special bits and original flash. I'm fairly sure it's worth a bit more than $25 as it's in perfect working order and harrdly scratched. Check out the manual drawings-

Now i can look just like her :P

I'm definately keeping it because you can load the 600 film into it pretty easily. I'll sell the ones i found yesterday though- two land polaroids without flashes- but i also found a really sweet thunderbirds camera which i really wanna keep.

(I was too lazy to take a photo, but this is exactly what it looks like! But you should check out the website i sourced it from: makingthenoise. the link is in my sidebar- it's full of really interesting photographs from lo-fi cameras such as this one. it's sexy)

I'm not sure if it's a sought after collectors item(it's marked 1993) but i'm fairly sure it's genuine, and i love the retro look of it, even if its not worth the $3 :P

So yeah.... it's been pretty exciting thrifting this week. My bf also found an old atari and original nintendo- vintage gaming, whoot. I find it so exciting to think of other items, like my new polaroid, that have obviously just been sitting in someones cupboard for 30 years, waiting to be loved.

Maybe i should start collecting cameras? WOW imagine if i found a bambi camera :) amazing.
xx

Thrifting through the week!

2009-03-27T20:36:00.010+09:00

Alright! So i finally got my slack ass around to posting my opshop finds from the last few weeks :)
They excite me... in a sexual way. No but... in a nonsexual yet awesome way. cough. i shall continue. I may or may not be delerious from too much work... never you mind that.

This is a long post, so hold onto your hat(s?).

Let's start with the hot dresses i picked up: please not that although the walls in my house are quite alluring, these dresses look much better on a living person. :D

This one has a surprisingly cool neckline when on... and i bought it from the dearest old lady in the church opshop :)

This dress was a little more expensive but it looks like sex with my giant brown belt and matching raybans (not real, if i could afford raybans i probably wouldn't thrift my own vintagewear!).

This dress is amaaaazingly awesome in the way that the neck material falls annnd it's super flattering aaaand it just looks funky- but unfortunately my wide, ready to bear children hips, make it a bit too snug on me :(

Pretty lil anchor buttons! Seriously, i think i would marry this dress if it was legal. Maybe i should look into that...

This very retro dress looks a lot better when pulled in at the waist :P

I couldn't resist the thick fabric and cute buttons on this one- but it looks a lot bigger than it is so i'll be selling this one on i think...

Sweet but a bit of rockabilly kickass.

Oooooh i found these amazing dr martins that will fit my 4 yr old sister! they are so adorable, i can't wait to give them to her.

More stuff-

My luffly work friend bought be these s&p shakers for valentines day so i was overjoyed when i found the following item- for a dollar! yay.

More homewares- I thrifted these vintage cannisters from the local flea markets:

The sweet horses were a couple of bucks each from a salvos :)

I've had my eye out for a pyrex jug like this for a while so i was pretty happy when i found this one for 50c. I love the retro cannisters and tuppaware too- but the clear winners are the corn cob picks shaped like corn- it's just pure class.

Tehe, i'm pretty obsessed with anything bambi, so this biscuit barrel was a nice surprise. It's not as cute as the one i bought on ebay (below), but it was a lot cheaper!

Does ebay count? :P I bought this willow tin on ebay- along with some cake baking tins- too match the larger one i found at an opshop last year. Joy.

This aristocats game from the 70's made me pretty happy- but it wasn't complete... this may be a good thing though as it encouraged me to use the pieces it did contain to make adorable brooches...

As game pieces...
And below, berlioz as a brooch.

Mass book attack! I got two more cheapo bambi books for my collection, as well as some vintage golden books and nursery rhymes, and a kitsch book on saints.

Terrible last photo, but you get the idea- terrible kitsch art and a retro looking flying swallow.

All in all it was a good few weeks :)

I forgot to take photos of some of the ridiculous vinyls i bought so i'll do another post for those... as well as my mystery item which deserves it's own post, because i'm too tired now to do it justice!

oh and i just remembered, i also bought a vintage game of operation! very cheap, and i know it's from the 70's because the doctor on the front is smoking! Hehehe. Evil doctors.

LOVE and sorry about this extremely delayed, drawn out post!

xxxxxx

memoi

2009-03-25T21:07:00.005+09:00

hmm well taking the right photos of all my thriftiness is taking a while, so i'm filling the time with a meme from simi and em's pages....

please find interspersed photos of my wonderful household and lifestyle.... which may or may not be taken from this retro brochure... cough.

I was assited about interiors after checking out the amazing emily's handywork...

meme rules...

-answer the questions but alter ONE for yourself.

-tag people... i'm tagging the few readers of my blog who haven't done this yet...

What is your current obsession? Old school sonic the hedgehog no 2 on our new ps3 :)

Do you swear a lot? I don't swear every second word... i'm nt a bogan like ya mum. but they are definately interspersed quite frequently.... cough. cunty cunt cunt.

Why is today special? cos i got to dry on lots of vintage dresses :D would have been better had they all fit...

What would you like to learn to do? Sew on a sewing machine, and crochet. I know a bit of both, but not enough to be productive in any way.

What’s for dinner? HJs :P

What was the last thing you bought? Well, besides lunch, it was probably some opshop goodies such as a dress and a clutch and a leather case containing something snazzy.

What are you listening to right now? Errrgh the fooooty show! I pretend to hate it so i score brownie points for letting my bf watch it... but i don't mind it. ssssh.

What is your favourite weather? Crisp and sunny- about 30 degrees. Dress weather with the choice of a light cardi.

What is on your bedside table? the illustrated man by ray bradbury, a lamp and a bambi purse.

What’s your style? well.... sometimes i go for super retro/girly but mainly i'm a big fucking dag.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Wow I'm just going to copy and paste what Simi wrote: "Staying inspired and energetic enough to complete all my creative projects, and summoning up the confidence to put certain related plans into action!" So true :P

If you could take an all expenses paid trip to one place where would it be? China. I need to be there.

(Name the things you cannot live without)Best Opshop find: My giant willow tin, the dresses i found the other day, and my snazzy new thing I simply must photograph. it's actually not THAT exciting, i'm just a bit mental.

What would you like to have in your hands right now? a magical pony.

What would you like to get rid of? my job... but only if i could replace it with a new and improved version.

What was the last book you read? the illustrated man

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? CANDY MOUNTAIN CHARLIE

What languages can you speak? English, piglatin, a bit of italian. mi piace il formaggio!!! yup, that's where 5yrs of learning italian at school gets you...

What language(s) do you want to be able to speak? Mexican. tequilla burrito burrito. no but really ( i mean, i clearly have a grasp) spanish would be rocking.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A biscuit.

What is the worst job you’ve had? I haven't had a lot of jobs... i'll go with my current job at dome because it's frustrating the hell out of me.

What is your main goal for 2009? Make sure that 2010 will be better.

2009-03-23T18:03:00.002+09:00

I was too depressed looking at my last post, so I deleted it... Eek.

I've got a lot of updates to come- I've been mental on the thrifting the last few days, and hopefully I'll have time to show you in the next few days! I've got records, books, cannisters, tuppaware, kitschy art, figurines and dresses galore, as well as an extremely exciting find which needs pictures to show how freeakin weakid it looks!!!

I'm quite busy at the moment working 5-6 shifts a week plus the planning of a new business opportunity which I am very ASSITED about :) Gosh, not to mention our brand spanking new playstation 3 which can be somewhat distracting... :P

PLUS one of my lovely friends has just had a beautiful baby girl(Violet Elizabeth, cutest name ever or what?) who i got to visit on the weekend, and my bfs cousin just had a baby boy (Bailey, unless she changes her mind) who I shall be visiting tomorrow hopefully :) So cute. SOOO hopefully i'll have time for more updates in the next few days.

XXXXXXXXXX

That'll do Pig...

2009-03-15T12:32:00.004+09:00

Hmmm...

Sylvie

Slobodan

Rex

Louise (har)

http://www.wimdelvoye.be/artfarm.php#

I'm not sure how I feel about the live tattoed pigs... or the dead ones for that matter. Branding to the extreme perhaps?

In other news, we made $140 selling at fleamarkets today (breakfast costs subtracted- Em and ST brought us some maccas breakky!).

Now, to buy more things that I don't really need with the profits.

To cover or not to cover...

2009-03-13T21:56:00.003+09:00

Before and when I got my tattoo- as small and unintrusive i find it now- people asked "but what about..." job interviews, your grandparents and... gawsh, your wedding?
Well... I'm not too fussed. In terms of job interviews- well, firstly, most of the people in the cafe industry in Freo, where i work, have tats. Secondly, my ultimate job would BE a tattoo artist, or something similiar to do with visual arts and tattooing, so i don't think my teeny tiny one would be too unusual.
In terms of grandparents- well my granddad is covered in sailor tattoos (they rock btw) and my nanna is more than happy to believe that i draw my tiny paper plane on each time i visit.

But my wedding day? Hmm I hadn't really thought about it. I could always wear gloves, I suppose! Hehe, noo. I wouldn't want to cover it. I'm not sure it's a big enough deal... but then, what about when i get my next tattoo (which i surely will soon), and it's bound to be a lot bigger- will i want to cover it up on my "special day"(when and if i ever get married)?

I think if i've spent this long deliberating over what to get, I'll hopefully be pretty goshdarn happy with it when i get it- and if that's the case, then why shouldn't I incorporate it into my overall look on the day?

*

Anyway, I've been thinking about this because a) I'm really excited about getting my next tattoo, and my bf getting his new tattoos, and b) something Em mentioned here. How she had always had really grand plans for her tattoos but was patient enough to wait until after she had her special day.

I think that was a really smart decision, because she obviously had a whole image of the way her wedding should look in her mind, and if you see Ems tattoo's, you'd probably understand why they might distract from a dress! They are beautiful, bold and colourful tats. At the same time though, when i think of her in a wedding dress now, with her tats, I think they would look SO friggen hot thats it's not funny! She should dress up in a wedding dress and take lots of photos just to please me, muahaha.

Annnnyway, i've been checking out some hot brides to reassure me that everything is oookay...

*

*

the cat's meow

2009-03-03T22:00:00.008+09:00

Catherine Campbell is an amazing Melbourne based artist that you would probably recognize from the Frankie webby and magazine.

If you haven't had a proper chance to check out more of her work, please do so immmmediately if not sooner.

Not only is her artwork very pretty, but her blog is full of inspirational tidbits too.

Much love.

2009-03-03T13:44:00.009+09:00

I'm so lazy... I've had a busy week, and i've been camping, and and and i've run out of excuses :P

Here are some interesting/lovely things that i've found to fill space until I finish an interesting blog.

cough!

I found this amazing doiley at a sweet old lady's garage sale for $2. I also got a cute little one with embroided pink umbrellas... pretty.

My bfs gran gave me this awesome bowl as well... she's very sweet as well. I love the history that old people attatch to their possessions- the kind that you imagine for yourself when you buy things from opshops :P

Pretty girl i found at the Pinjarra sunday markets when we took a break from camping :P

Awesome records from salvos.

Nice little teacups from Salvos as well. Perfect for brooches and earrings!

That is all...

I'll do better I promise. Tehe.

P.s The new season of flight of the conchords is rocking my socks.

thrifty week

2009-02-17T14:22:00.007+09:00

Can't talk now! Reading the new Frankie...

nicenesses

2009-02-15T10:33:00.005+09:00

I found something nice...

Pretty artwork by Kate Wilson...

Pure happiness :) Look at her nicenessness at her flickr or blog.

I found this image on Weheartit.com but couldn't find a link for it... but I'm still going to post it because it's quite stunning...

Some happy ebay finds this week...

ah, delicously kitsch.

Deer my valentine,

2009-02-14T14:07:00.007+09:00

Happy Valentines day! Resist the urge to buy hallmark cards!

I got a lovely Frankie cookbook, Afternoon Tea.

I can't wait to get baking, but this weekend will be all about house cleaning, carselling, carbuying and hopefully some drawing.

Have a great weekend, and if you get a chance, check out Ems amazing new tattoo that I'm ever so jealous of.

xxx

06.04.09

2009-02-10T10:56:00.005+09:00

Eeek!

New Bat for Lashes album, "Two Suns," out in April.

Get excited.

little red

2009-02-07T09:17:00.014+09:00

My obsession with finding cool wolf images has culminated in a huge search for little red riding hood...

Sweet :)

Pretty paper doll by woolandwater

Eugenio Recueno fashion shoot for vogue.

Beautiful cutout by Elsa Mora.

Turns out she has been the inspiration for some really beautiful imagery.

I'm enjoying the different representations of the wolf...

I wish he didn't end up dying.

Also led me to some really interesting artwork by maya.bird on flickr. Check it out...

i can be tatty, too

2009-02-04T17:16:00.010+09:00

I've been a thinking about what tattoo i'm going to get next...

Initially i was thinking something vintage, like a bird, or a boat, or perhaps even a replica of one of my granddads old tattoos.

But now vintage tattoos are EVERYwhere, i'm not sure it will mean as much.

I'm tending towards an animal theme, ie deer, wolves and foxes. But i want something REALLY different to the usual ideas google throws up :P obviously i'd prefer to draw it myself, and i'm pretty sure i want to stick with simple black lining.

Anyhoo, i've been getting some inspiration from these images:

And some amazing childrens book illustrations:

John Bauer- She kissed the Bear on the Nose

I particularly like this wolf by Warwick Goble.

John Bauer- The Castle of Rosy Clouds

These illustrations brought to mind the work of some of my favourite artists, maybe i could pay homage to them, or perhaps just use them as an influence...

Like Kiki Smith...

Or Amy Sol?

Orrrrrrrr Miss Van?

Whatever I get, i know i'm going to deliberate over it for aaaages.

I might end up going for a super kitsch unicorn jumping over a rainbow ;)

nice!

Feel free to let me know what you think about any of these ideas...

new new news

2009-02-03T18:51:00.015+09:00

I'm a bit lazy, aren't I?
Havent posted in a while... but I have been busy spending money :P

Some opshop and ebay finds from this week:

I think my favourite find was the handmade bag I found for $1... oh and the awesome retro brown dress... It was slightly more expensive but it fits like a glove :)

My new (old) 'Where's Wally?' puzzle that i bought to make some badges.

I particularly like the hungry sharks, pirate flags and half of Wally...

A pleasant surprise, my mum brought me these beautiful vintage books from her recent trip to Tasmania.

I think that the illustrations are perfect for next years christmas cards...

If only... I hadn't forgotten to set an alarm for my ebay bids!
I could have had these babies...

...sigh!

Atleast i don't have to bid on these...

On pay day i'll be purchasing one right from Shonah's site :P

I'm favouring the swan... it helps that it's on sale :D

-jen

Let's go on a ride...

2009-01-25T13:17:00.007+09:00

The first animals to ride in a hot air balloon were a rooster, a duck and a sheep.

I enjoy the symbolism of the hot air balloon. It's a symbol of escape and voyage, but in particular an escape into fantasy and the surreal, of the mind into daydream and the subconscious.

The movement of the balloon across the body is an exploration of the link between the physical body and the psyche. The placement on the foot worked well with that idea, as our feet are representative of our own personal journey.

Images: Rawinsonde weather balloon, Jules Verne, Odilon Redon, my own print and animation.

hug junk

2009-01-23T20:02:00.008+09:00

i found some magical junk that you can hug...

Aaamaaaazingly awesome Fauna Goldifsh necklace by Paraphernalia. Amaaazingly good value, also.

Flying duck brooch by Michelle Vandermeer at Keith & Lottie.

This is a beautiful tattoo I saw while... searching for cool tats. Odd. I found it a while ago, so i'm not sure how active the site is- but she had made an awesomely cute red fox plushie that matched. Big Love.

This beautiful collage by the ever wonderful Beci Orpin over at Outré.
And-yay for Beci Orpin -these great pieces that are now availiable(yay again) as gift cards at Keith & Lottie.

and if i could have them all i would :)

xxxx

...Deer me.

2009-01-20T22:29:00.008+09:00

Hinson & Company

Deer heads make me queesy- I mean, as awesome as a mounted deer head might look in the prefectly decked out vintage room, the fact stands that it would mean the death of one of my favourite animals. And then the stuffing of one of my favourite animals. As much as i love Rowdy from scrubs, it seems a little too morbid.

That's why when i found one of these sweet things, i was more than thrilled.

He now sits above our faux fireplace, occasionally making noises and casting these wicked symetrical shadows.

I love him so much - he's made me look into other forms of deer headressery- and there are some amazing interpretations of the real thing out there, whether that be in interior design, art or fashion.

I found these images particularly inspiring.

TamarMogenforff's beautiful hand sewn deer head, among her other gorgeous creations.

Beautifully papered, resin deer head by Rubyslounge at Etsy.

The use of the mounted deerhead trophy in contemporary art- as seen in Juztapoz.

Similiar to the plywood version that i own, i love the way this plastidermy piece by scienceandsons slots together to become 3d.

This photo of Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes posing with antlers is very beautiful and inspirational.

Similiarly, I find this quirky design from Benjamin Cho very endearing in terms of the contrast between the models and the deer's head. Also, it reminds me of bjork, and she makes me happy.

Finally, this remarkable piece, Travelling Through the Dark(2006), by Sörine Anderson, which rendered me speechless.

All of these images make me want to research the symbology behind deer heads, in particular antlers, so that i can use the imagery in my own work.

I couldn't leave out this print, by probably my favourite artist, Kiki Smith.

Opshop hopping...

2009-01-18T12:36:00.009+09:00

Joy.

My bf and i both had a day off on friday, and seeing as though we wouldnt be able to make it to the retro flea market today, we decided to spend the day opshopping.
We travelled out to Kelmscott and Armadale, with a list of about 6 shops, in the hopes of finding those mysterious magical opshops that hadn't been raided or become way overpriced like the ones in freo.

The first store we went into was a Salvos, my favourite, and straight away i found two pretty cool bags for $3 and $6.

Then i found an awesome Bambi picture book from 1973 in amazing condition (for 20c) that I hadn't seen before on ebay or in any opshops. I have a bit of a bambi obsession, btw. I collect bambi books, jewellery and kitsch bambi/deer s&p shakers and figurines.

Anyway, like i said, this one is i perfect nic, and has the sweetest illustrations...

However, we do seem to have this weird pattern of luck, where the first opshop we go to seems to bestow us with cheap awesome things, and the next 5 we might go to are less rewarding. It happened when we went to rockingham and got our awesome couches aswell.

So yes, it was kind of downhill from the first shop, and it was 42 degrees, but i still enjoyed myself. From now on I might just quit while i'm ahead!
xx

meme

2009-01-15T21:54:00.001+09:00

oops. I was tagged for a meme in Ems blog, so now i have to post the fourth photo in the fourth folder in my pictures.

It's not so much a meme as a lulu.

My friend Louisa has amazing tattoos, this is one I photographed to make animations for art school. When i actually get around to doing that, i might post it. So, come back in a year or so. Pff.

Ohhh and i can't post it without posting one of her partner Ross's tattoo.

i guess i'll tag someone when there is someone to tag :P hmm bloggin feels pathetic when noones listening!

Inspiration: Angelique Houtkamp

2009-01-14T20:32:00.002+09:00

Angelique Houtkamp is an amazing artist whose work I became familiar with on my trip to melbourne last year. She's one of many brilliant artists who show through the gallery Outré -along with other people of general awesomeness such as Beci Orpin, Kozyndan, Audrey Kawasaki, Mark Ryden and sooo many more (check out the Outré artists' page).

She epitomises a trend that seems to be taking over the world: vintage tattoos are oh so hot right now. That's not to say she has jumped on board- tattooing was her life long before garish Ed Hardy designs were spread across teenyboppers and waycool yuppies bodies everywhere. Rather than replocating old tatto designs, she reinvents them and integrates them into her own beautiful work. Her work represents a romantic view of vintage tattoo art, as well as crazy awesome modern tattoo flash that... is just the most brilliant form of art.

Buy her book, Tattoo Darling(available at Outré), and breathe in the beautiful glossy pictures, and you'll probably be wondering when and what you'll get for your first tattoo. Or, if you're already tattooed in some form, you'll be left wondering how to raise the money to fly to amsterdam and pay her €250 to perform her magic on you.

(All images (c) Angelique Houtkamp)

Paper Aeroplanes

2009-01-14T10:13:00.001+09:00

This is an animation I made for my Art studio project at Curtin. I was working with notions of impermenance and permenance, as well as the significance of placing text or images on the body.

This is my tattoo that i had done to contrast with the faded movement of the animation.

A lot of people don't like tattoos for their permenancy or their (dissappearing) social stigma. I can understand that to a degree. I don't really like tattoos that people don't think about in terms of aesthetics and concepts- you know, the kind that you get when you walk in to a parlour and choose a genetic design off the wall and decide to just put it on your back so you can hide it if you want to. Although sometimes these can be genius, all my friends or idols who have tattoos that i enjoy are the ones who seriously thought about the meaning behind them, or atleast the aesthetic.

My favourite tattoos are my grandads old sailor tattoos, which he ironically had done spur of the moment :P however they do make reference to his family back home, and generally encapsulate his time in the navy and his travels around the world, as a lot of old tattoos did.

I love tattoos and the stigma behind them. A lot of my favourite artists use tattoos in their work as symbols of different things- to give a marine feel, add a vintage aesthetic or in a more conceptual way- manipulating the stigma to create presumptions by the viewer.

I'm looking forward to getting my next tattoo!

sssh

Oh, kitsch.

2009-01-13T22:04:00.001+09:00

Have i mentioned that i love ebay? I love ebay. LOVE.

I love it and its many kitsch gifts it offers.

Latest purchase: adorably sickening vintage swap card.

Oh the joy $2 can bring to simple folk.

I originally discovered these babies in Frankie (http://www.frankie.com.au/) and instantly adored them for their kitsch value.
They go super cheap on ebay, but i'm yet to find them in any opshops near me.
I dream of finding the perfect hidden stash.
I'm mental.
xx

the awesomeness begins

2009-01-13T21:39:00.000+09:00

Hi there little lady fellows. I'm jen.
I'm a 19 year old art student with a big shaggy black dog and a penchant for all thing vintage. I'm obsessed with writing lists, art, deers, the word vagina and... junk. Hopefully i'll be sharing a few more of these things :)
Things that i'm bound to write about:
-cool websites i stumble across
-art and artists
-tattoos
-ebay and opshop findings
-vintageness
-kitsch

I get bored of blogs that post a million photos of the blogger, without any kind of filler or... interest! They can be pretty to look at, but also sometimes a taaad self absorbed.
I hope that my blog doesn't come off this way... i just want to share things that interest me with other people who share similiar interests. I want to kill time and give myself an outlet BESIDEs ebay, because i'm spending far too much money on there.
thats alllllll.
x