lost and found

i have a small collection of photos i have found in flea markets and second-hand shops. i love that these rich vignettes give glimpses into another person's life and world. i wonder why these photos were thrown out, forgotten, lost...it's maybe a result of death or divorce or people just not caring about their family histories. but it is nice to adopt these people and breathe some life back into them with our attention and imagination. this is one of my favourites from my collection. a wee girl showing off her butterfly costume...



there are several amazing sites out there which showcase collections of found photos including foundmagazine.com. here you can see a variety of stuff people have found, from photos to to-do lists. sometimes "the finds" can be sublime or funny, sometimes they are incredibly tragic or have that cringe factor. but i love that through happenstance they were rediscovered. i found these two images of dress up divas...





another very good site is look at me. it was here i found one of my favourite images. this little person is about to have the bejesus scared out of her...



i have saved the best for last. if you want to see some wonderful imagery check out square america. here photos are grouped into catagories. my favs are the book of sleep and in mid air. these two images are just lovely...

the wondrous

i am camera-less for the next couple of days, so i am going to showcase a few of my favourite sites that inspire me. after seeing the splendid lunar eclipse last night, i thought it fitting to introduce you to a website that embraces all that is wondrous and curious in the world. it's called the proceedings of the athanasius kircher society. there is a cornucopia of fanciful and marvellous things to discover here, including the museum of food anomalies and the fish powered vehicle.


through the kircher society i found these images by photogapher victor shrager. he photographed of over 100 species of birds in the hands of an ornithologist. check out the bird hand book


also found were the enchanting sculptures of arthur ganson. you have to see the sculptures in action to actually appreciate them, so check out the walking artichoke petal or machine with 23 scraps of paper. who knew that moving inanimate objects could ignite child-like wonder and imagination?


another notable find was this blog paleo-future a look into the future that never was. this image by albert robida from 1882 shows folks going to the opera in the year 2000. if only!


finally i rediscovered the bizarre taxidermy work of walter potter. this fellow potter was certainly a little potty, but i am still fascinated by these odd whimsical tableaux

biscuits and badges

i worked on some new badges over the weekend. check out cloud of birds for others. i quite like them, but i'm not sure if other people will.


kingfisher boy


i also made some mandarin melting moments (aka yo-yos). they were good...like a buttery, zesty party in my mouth. i was initially disappointed by how few the recipe made, but after stuffing down two i knew that one per sitting is quite enough. not exactly a slimmers choice.

spring springs II

i wish i could take a smello-photo. they have a fragrant flower section at the gardens with pink and white daphne, paper whites, hyacinths, and other unidentified sweet smelling blooms. this little poppy garden i remember seeing last year, so pretty!

spring spings I

i took a wander through the botanical gardens yesterday. i went a little overboard taking pictures so i will have to do two installments...


this magnolia tree was small but so vivid


there was a small grove of magnolia trees yet to bloom. i'm loving the naked trees at the moment, it gives us a peep at their wonderful structural patterns before they slip on their blossomy spring dresses and summer green jackets

look up

j and i took a train trip yesterday. we did the op shops at tawa and walked around a bit. then we went up the coast to paekakariki. it was nice to get out of the city, see the sun set over the sea, breathe the fresh air and look around (and up).


I took this pic outside the paekakariki train station


don't forget to watch the lunar eclipse on the 28th of august

bird junkie

i took this photo of a silvereye diving for food outside my dad's window.


and when i got home to wellington i found a little present from j on the table. it was this neato badge! check out the urban bird watchers society

mutant magnolia

in stratford we were having a picnic by the river when i spotted this magnolia tree. it is perhaps the biggest mag tree i've seen with the most gargantuan blooms!

the king lives on

my dad, my sis and i took a little road trip. we headed to stratford to check out the gallery there, but ended up heading further south to hawera to visit k.d's elvis presley memorial room . a befitting way to spend the 30th anniversary of when elvis left the building for the very last time. k.d had a wall of photos showing who has visited the museum, including the chills, push push and more recently jeremy ‘newsboy’ wells (who was doing a ditty for the unauthorised history of new zealand on people who obsessively collect). anyhoo, the memorial room rocks! so much eye candy. k.d graciously gave us a very thorough grand tour even though we came 15 minutes before the place was meant to close. bless him!


the chocka full memorabilia room. those are k.d’s suits


check out those bedroom eyes! hubba hubba


in the record room


no elvis collection is ever complete without a black velvet painting


k.d. and the king

best shop ever

every time i visit my dad it is one of my rituals to visit this little shop in fitzroy called faded fancy. here you can find everything from vintage clothes, handbags, jewellery, linen, fabric and knick knacks. her prices are usually fair compared to wellington’s mental, over inflated prices. the coolest thing I found here was a tray that my mum had decorated with a lady surrounded by decoupage flowers. i recognised it the instant I saw it as something that my mum had made. angela (the faded fancy owner) said she had bought the tray at a garage sale around the time my mum passed away and had it tucked away at home for a couple of years before bringing it out to sell in the shop. i was pretty happy take it home!


I love the care that is put into displaying everything, especially in the windows.


tutus and petticoats! behind is a shelf of vintage fabric and embroidered linen


buttons and retro patterns


two chinese fellows, a ceramic king and a plastic cowboy


a shelf of kiddies stuff and above is a bunch of barkcloth

golden needle

i took a stroll downtown and popped into an exhibit at puke ariki called the golden needle—an exhibition of traditional and ceremonial costumes from the yunnan. it was stunning! there was such a varied range of clothing styles, reflecting the diversity of people living in the province. a common appreciation for nature suggested in the patterns and designs was threaded throughout the whole exhibition. i totally recommend having a gander if you are into textiles.


I can’t imagine how many hours of labour went into some of the garments.

trip to the naki

i went to stay with my dad in new plymouth over the weekend. my dad is a bit of a magpie like myself, but he likes mostly pretty things that sparkle and shine in the sun. here are a couple of the many beautiful objects he has packed into his tiny unit.


dad's friend wal made this paper weight. it is so pretty. wal also makes coloured prisms that hang in the window and throw amazing rainbows.


wal also made this head, it can fit in the palm of your hand nicely. it reminds me of the arthur c. clarke crystal skull..but less spooky.

swapsy goodness

when i got home from town there was a package waiting for me...and inside were the best treasures from the lovely, talented melissa of tiny happy


beautiful swallow slippers for a 6-12 month baby to be


various embroidered pieces of fabric


an amazing birdy bag


images from children's books


a beautiful set of handmade poppy cards.
she also included beautiful fabrics with birds printed on them. so cool!
melissa, thank you so very much!

fabric fetish

global fabrics were having a 50% off sale. i couldn't resist this diamond fabric. it instantly took me back to the strangely beautiful beginning of the "sapphire and steel" series. i might make a short sleeve hoody out of the fabric. a sign in the shop listed of guide to recognising your potential fabric-holic tendencies. tell tale signs of being a bonafide fabric-holic include an unconscious desire to “pet” the fabric, buying fabric without caring what you will do with it, asking relatives to leave you their stash in their will and hiding fabric under your groceries to smuggle it onto the house. the list went on, and I am forced to admit that yes, i do have a smidgen of an addiction.

first signs

the first signs of spring are emerging. my daphne bush survived my overzealous picking last year, and the stumpy little bush is blooming. every sweet whiff reminds me spring is finally around the corner.

here goes...

well, this is my first proper blog entry! i imagine my blog entries will be sporadic. this feels rather surreal writing for people out there in the ether! i thought it appropriate to show you my last purchase and perhaps my finest second hand shop find. oh enchantment! if only I could slip into this serene scene.