Dressing Table Glass (1)

I love this small collection of amber glass for the dressing-table. 

Perfume bottles with stoppers are so cool!  The little tortoise-shell container is also very cute.

Now it is much harder to find.

Dressing Table Glass (2) & Other Treasures

This picture is not of the best composition. It shows some of the glassware, small tables and crockery, I have on display in one room of our home.

I always collect dressing-table glass when I see it for a reasonable price.

I love black items and I have quite a few perfume atomisers in black.

They are very chic!

Vintage Pottery Magazines - Fabulous in Black White

I discovered these gems in a box of pottery-making books that my husband bought years ago.

They are dated 1952, 1954 and 1956.  It was great looking at all the crockery and glass in its orignal form and era of production.

Some of the black and white photos are worth reproducing, since they are so unique.

Australian-Made (1): A Theme that Unites my Collections

I have many things clothing, household and so on, that are Made in Australia.

This is a phrase that is unfortunately nearly extinct.

Especially over the last ten years, I have taken a particular interest in accumulating clothing that has been Made in Australia.  Many of the items I have from the 50s-60s, have labels that are intricate and attractive.

I plan to photograph these and use them to print fabric. With any copyright, in mind of course ...

Many more pictures to follow.

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 (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.

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.