Handbags and Purses (1) - A Must-Have Collection for Women and Girls

These are some of my smaller bags and purses.

I do like little tapestry numbers, as you can see.

In my cupboards, I have Oroton and Glomesh bags of all colours, shapes and sizes. Some of them still boxed.

Beaded and sequinned bags a a little harder to come by now, if you don't want to pay a lot.

It always amazes me that people ever want to part with these family treasures.

Watch out for the next post in this series.

Coloured Glass - Like a Rainbow.

I wonder is the order right?

I have put this collection together over about 30 years. I packed away all the heavy ashtrays and just kept the vases and plates for display.

I prefer blue and green but, it seems easier to come across red and orange.

The glass is displayed on my mother's old sideboard.

I especially like the tall bottles and vases. They are hard to find now at a reasonable price.

Nifty Kitchen Canisters - Collecting since my Teens

This was the very first set of canisters I ever bought.

They cost me 10 cents at a fete at Wiley Park, in the 60s.

I saw the same set at an antique store last year for over $200. 

In this picture, you can also see one of my retro salt and pepper shakers.  These sorts of things can occasionally still be picked up at garage sales.

I also included a 50/60s can for coffee. I love the little drawings that used to be on this type of thing.

This tin, is sitting on a couple of old books I bought recently.  I have a lot of hardcover books from the 50s onwards. Cookbooks and children's books are my favourites.

Maybe, I'll make handbags out of some of them one day!

Tea Towels - A Relic of the Dying Art of Wiping Up after Meals

Well, let's say I have pots and lots of tea towels. 
I use some of them.  I give them as gifts. Most of our children are not interested, they have dishwashers.

Most of them are far too nice to be used for their real purpose. I have several different collections:

• Australiana
• year calendars, like those pictured
• traditional, stripped
• scenery
• flowers

Just today, I added 1976, to my collection purchased at my favourite op shop.

Leadlight Glass Cabinet - Crockery in all Shapes, Patterns and Colours

This cabinet is one of my best items of furniture. I bought this in the early 80s for about $80.00. 

I have mostly Japanese crockery sets with some individual English cups and saucers.

I love the spotted set on the bottom shelf.

On the top, is my husband's beautiful deco lamp.

On the left, are a few items from my "Aboriginal kitsch" collection. I try to find Made in Australia items with this theme.

A Unique [Fashion] Item - Hosiery

I may be unique in thinking that such an item could be a collectable.

Hosiery sounds so much better than panty-hose.

Here is the picture before the text.

Made in Japan is another LABEL I seek out.

Plates, crockery sets, vases, scarves, fabric. I love Noritake, RC, jyoto and saji pieces.

I am not that fussed about the patterns. Although, so many have a cultural basis and are very beautiful

It is interesting also to find Made in Japan items with an Australian theme.  Not unusual, since once Japanese products were all we bought if we were just an average family.

This picture shows some of my display plates. I have some still packed and some on the walls.

The bottom row is Carlton Ware, made in Australia.  I have other Carlton Ware. It is amazing the variety produced.  I will revisit this collection later.

These items are displayed on one of my tray-mobiles.  Nifty pieces of furniture, if you have the space.

Revisiting my Clothing for Cooler Weather

I have been rummaging through my boxes of retro clothing. I have rediscovered:

• a couple of tailored 50's jackets, I thought I have bundled off to Vinnies and so pleased I didn't
• some very nifty 50/60's lightweight coats with larger collars and three-quarter sleeves
• a silver top I fit into now .. that's bad and good at the same time ...
• some long-sleeved dresses I bought a while ago for $1.00 each
• 50's flared skirt dresses, I can wear with a coat

I am looking forward to wearing a couple of knife-pleated skirts I bought for $2.00 also.

Just today, I bought another stack of unopened stockings, some from decades ago.

Pity, the pictures on the packets are enough to stop me from opening them.

[pics to follow]

Pottery with a 70's Flavour in Earthy Colours

This type of vase is quite hard to come by. I have found all of these at garage sales.

I love the rough and smooth surfaces and bold colours.

The big one looks great on the bench with very
long-stemmed flowers.

Glasses Unpacked now Housed in Cabinets (2)

This modern cabinet has three cupboards top and bottom.

Glasses at the top and crockery at the bottom.

This is the home of my patterned, regular drinking glasses.

I use these at parties and with my many beautiful water jugs.

As you can see at the front, some of the glasses are not packed in ... I am fast running out of space.

Glasses Unpacked now Housed in Cabinets (1)

Here are some of my glasses sets, happily housed in a beautiful, old newsagent's cabinet that I bought in the 70s.

Glasses are grouped by colour and style. I do love the green glass and the tall etched glasses
I have glasses in about four different spots and some still packed away

You  can see the glasses unpacked in an earluer post.

My next post will show another cabinet of glasses.

Best Intentions - Shoot after I Shop (2)

Even with best intentions, I have only taken two photos so far of purchases made.

The problem is I get home and start washing and placing them and then well ... I forget in all the excitement of another success.

This set of goodies has one or two rings-ins.

The two little patterned plates in the centre are Japanese and I now have a lot of these in similar patterns.

The nifty, orange ice-bucket was a real find in very good condition as was the old mixer jar. 

The clear plate at the front matches a set I have in various pastel shades. The varied brown glass plate has slotted nicely into my glass collection. It is quite heavy.

Powder Compacts - It's all Cosmetic

I have been collecting old cosmetics since my teens. 

I still have some of my own products from the 60s. Nothing too flash, some Rimmel eyeshadow.

I like looking for old Avon bottles too, some are very cute!

I have a nice group of fancy perfume spray bottles [pic to follow] and this picture show my compact collection.

I have found most of these at markets and one of my friends, an avid collector herself, looks out for them for me too.

As you can see, some of these items are truly beautiful.

Best Intentions: Shoot after I Shop

A while ago, while I was formulating this plan to set a blog, wiki, webpage or ... to talk about my collection-passion, I started to take a photo each time I bought something retro.

Needless to say, this plan did not last.

Now, I have some incentive and hope to be more disciplined.

Here is a shot of shoes and clothes.

I remember on this day of shopping at one of our favourite op-shops, they had all their clothing for $1.00.  I found some very nifty items.

Unpacking my FlashTrash after Moving House

Over the last week, I have been sorting all my "junk" into an area of our new shed that will enable me to better display my treasures.

Today, I rediscovered all my lustreware vases that I had not seen for years. [pic. to follow].

I also found a number of old kitchen canister sets from the 50s to 70s.

I have another 5 boxes of "stuff" to unpack, I think it is crockery - cup and saucer sets.

So far, I have found my:

• collection of old children's books
• leather cases
• collection of old cookbooks
• old fashion mags of the 50s/60s in good condition
• old bottle collection
• packed collection of glassware in orange and red

I am also pleased that my husband has finally displayed his old radio collection. [pic. to follow]

I want to bring some into the house.

Retrovintage in the Australian Blogosphere - Hunting for a Presence

Did a quick google search for suitable on-topic Australian blogs to include in a blogroll.

At this stage, key words are: retro, vintage, collectable, fashion

Here are my finds so far. The search goes on ...

Bowerbird Vintage

Circa Vintage Clothing

Vintagewear

On the international scene, this one has very readable, well-organised vintage clothing feature posts.

Vintage Fashion Guild

Queens of Vintage

If you visit here, add any Aussie blog on-topic you know of, please.

Glassware Galore - Colour the Key

I have always been interested in heavy glass pieces. 

Be they bulky ashtrays or interesting bowls, it hasn't mattered. 

This type of flash trash used to be available for just a couple of dollars or less. Now, prices are creeping up.

I have a lot of these pieces together now in a show from blue to orange.

I love the multi-coloured ones especially.

This picture has a combination of glass and crockery of various kinds.

I'll look more closely at individual pieces and groups over time.

Glassware Galore

Collecting glasses has been one of my favourite pastimes.

I have glasses in all colours, shapes and sizes.

My collections are mostly 50s and 60s coloured and patterned glass sets.  I love the multi-coloured, swirly and etched patterns.

I invest time into gathering sets of small liqueur glasses to use with my collection of 30 plus liqueurs.  I have some of these smaller sets in narrow display cabinets in my kitchen.

I have quite a lot of blue glassware.

I have cut back buying glasses now, space is a problem!

However, I have found very cheap Stuart and Waterford crystal glasses at markets and in op-shops, so I never stop looking ...

Glassware will be a regular feature on my new retrovintage blog.

All Old is New-My Retro 'n Vintage Collections

I have been collecting "old things" since I was a teenager.

I started with clothing and progressed to almost anything.

I call my collections "flash trash". I don't have any wonderful antiques, but I do have collectable items of clothing, crockery, utensils and furniture from the 50s to 80s.

It has taken me much thinking to set up this blog and I hope I can post weekly a short piece with a photo.

This picture shows me in the middle of about half of my clothing. 

These are just the clothes that I wear sometimes. The rest of my collection is in boxes.

The challenge for me is how to keep decades old items in good condition. This picture does not show my shoes either ...

Over the coming weeks, posts will include tales and pictures about my glass and other crockery collections.