Wales Street Primary School fete, Northcote, Sat 1st March

What fun! I'd forgotten how much fun! There's a few more coming up. I saw a sign on St Georges Road for the Merri Creek primary fete (must go back to check out dates) and I know the Lee St primary fete is coming up on the 15th or 16th March. Anyway here are the scores...




a beautiful and sturdy handbag, $2, a little jug and two wall hangings, 50c each - I liked one better than the other but I thought they might be cursed if they didn't stay together!




a couple of great books, $4 each (a bit dear I think)




one of my favourite interiors from the 'decorative arts' book. It's a home in Bavaria that has world map wall paper and...




...this is a photo of the floor. It's made of 4,600 pieces of copper embedded in cement! which, according to the book, is "extremely functional, warmer than stone and cleans itself by being danced and walked upon"!




more from this book




and more




and more! I'm sure I saw this same design on a contemporary textile somewhere in the blogosphere. It's funny how contemporary textiles and ceramics are successfully re-interpreting designs from this period yet jewellers aren't going there!


And this...





which would be of no use to anyone except Betty Jo

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Garage Sailing by Proxy

Chester's mum went to a fete at Elwood Primary and lookie what she brought back for me...



I've already got a few of these. But, hey! One can never have too many Australiana themed tins.




This one is fantastic! It's bejewelled and embossed...



and of course, what friend of Garage Sailor would walk past this without bringing it home for her...



pineapple peeler
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Of Commons and Commoners

Well... to be truthful, the Wimbledon community fair wasn't at Wimbledon Common, but there was a womble.




And I found a few treasures...




While in England, I also visited the Chiswick community fair...




and picked up this little number...



sorry, the colour's all wrong, but that's what happens when you get home and it's grey and wintery and the only available light is shining on a dark red rug. It matches one I prepared earlier...




from an Australian garage sale from years ago.

And here's to the upcoming spring cleaning and the resultant garage sales.

The Church of Santo Spirito...

... is one of my favourite places to visit in Florence.




I love that the facade is so bare. I remember seeing postcards of images projected onto the facade at night as part of some art event in the 80's. Maybe they still do it? I wouldn't know because the church never seemed to be open. I went there about 3 times hoping to get inside and each time the doors were locked. On my last day in Florence I tried again (a Sunday when you think it would be open) to no avail but lo and behold there was an antique market in the piazza.




Now, this definitely wasn't going to fit into my luggage...




but a few of these would!



lovely painted metal brooches. I bought 3 of them and I'm still waiting for that parcel to arrive by sea.

There were lots of stalls of plastic American jewellery from the 80's




and all of it was quite expensive. Still, it was nice wandering around the market in the warmth of a summer evening and enjoying a post browse Peroni at a bar overlooking the piazza

Finland Flea

I went to Finland and I found a flea market!







Didn't buy anything but

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