Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A Very Happy Mothers' Day - The Finds

Thanks for your lovely comments on yesterday's post. Sorry for teasing you all! So here it is... This is the side view - I love the Rennie Mackintosh-inspired roses.And the top is totally different! At the risk of offending at least half of you, I have to say I don't actually like this picture. It's a soppy, sloppy rendition of something else much better, from an earlier time. Sorry!But the front is super too - those 1930s stylised roses again instead of the unfinished-looking ones on the top. And SO French, with the royal coats of arms. Thus I am completely prepared to forgive the top for being a bit drippy.It's quite a big tin, at least adult shoe-box sized. You can see it lurking behind the Pringles (my prize from the quiz!) Let's go briefly through my other finds before we discover what's inside... Enough china plates to cater for all my adult garden party guests without getting the good china out! I met a woman I know from the local choir, Annie, and she sold me her very chipped old set, with the cherries and pears, for 1 euro 50! The big foam die is for a large snakes and ladders game we have for the garden - the old inflatable die has a puncture and I wanted to use the game in the children's games area at the garden party.This lovely serving bowl more or less matches the set of china I bought for the garden party at the charity shop the other day.And finally, showing admirable self-control, I opened up my little treasure chest! I'd hardly seen inside it at the Vide Greniers, as the woman just offered it to me, contents and all...It's one of those lovely lifetime collections of sewing stuff, memoriabilia and tat - you can learn so much about a woman's life from her sewing tin! She was probably local, as she had some violet water from Toulouse.She had a great collection of poppers and fastenings of all vintages and sizes.I should think she was married to a policeman! The bottom of the tin was full of skittering 'police national' buttons in various sizes.They seem to have come from a variety of Paris button makers, judging from the backs, and are also of varied quality. Some are quite crummy base metal but most are shiny and silver!Do you think this came from his uniform too?
Now, what are we to make of the presence of four naval buttons? They were also made in Paris...Back to our lady (oh no, an unintended pun!). I meant our sewing tin lady, but, as you see, she had some devotion to Our Lady, too. Do you think this came from Notre Dame in Paris?A jumble (now sorted) of embroidery silks, lace, shoe laces, straps and loads of elastic - great, as I have something that needs mending with loads of elastic!
This beautiful blue and white embroidered ribbon, which matches my blog so well! I think this is my favourite of the tin's contents. And perched on it, one of those lovely French name-tape thingies; just a number 6. You have to see the much wider collection of red name tapes that both Lululiz and Laura have - just click on their names because I've linked you to the right posts. If you can read Laura's without smiling, or Lululiz's without wanting to go round and burgle her house, then you should not be reading this blog. And, oh yes, Lululiz, just a little crochet hook there, no committments...A very tatty little scrap of ribbon?No - a case for two very cheap pendants, but they do contain real gold! I don't suppose they have value, but I do suspect that the dealer who sold me the tin hadn't bothered to open the 'scrap of ribbon' to find them.
Another pendant, instantly adopted by Son 2, who likes dolphins... And the tin taking pride of place in my vintage-tins-with-buttons-in collection! I'm even getting to quite like the soppy, sloppy, drippy couple...

14 comments:

Lululiz said...

I SAW IT, I SAW IT, I SAW IT! Most definitely a very nice looking crochet hook. But.......... it is looking sad, because it is unused, unloved, uncared for. You need to put it together with some nice snuggly wool. First of all, introduce them gently to each other, just lay them side by side, cuddled up, and then, THEN you need to put it to work, crochet hooks are happiest when they are working!

Honestly, I haven't lost the plot altogether, just had a very busy day, and the brain is doing strange things, lol.

That piece of embroidered blue and white ribbon is very very pretty. Are you going to make a permanent feature of it on your blog? Side bar?

The tin is just lovely, I even like the top, but finding all those bits and pieces inside makes it extra special. Well done on your finds.

Jeannette said...

Gosh....I always love to find a tin full of bits and bobs. What a lucky find!
And love the serving bowl...you will have such a pretty garden party! ;)

THISNTHAT said...

Great trove! I especially like the tins.

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Hi Floss,
What a lovely post......how wonderful to find all those treasures....there's nothing quite like the excitement of opening up a tin full of sewing notions, buttons or lace....Thanks for the mention...so glad you enjoyed that post! I am always grateful for your kind comments....
Take care, Laura

Jackie said...

What a fantastic find Floss ~ all those lovely bits and pieces :O)

chandlerguera said...

I would have to call this the "Find of the Month." I enjoyed the comments about the (imagined) life of the woman who owned the box as much as I enjoyed the pictures. Lovely!

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

Happy Mothers Day! So many great treasures. You have a nice collection of boxes.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Wow! You got some great finds and hopefully at a great price also.
Hope you are having a great week.
Glenda

Elizabethd said...

You have such fascinating finds, I've never been that lucky. It's fun to imagine where everything came from, and how it was used.

This Vintage Life... said...

How wonderful to find a tin full of loveliness even if the tin isn't! I've found a few old sewing baskets like that...fascinating. Do you know what you'll do with it all?
Glad you had a fab Mother's Day!
Deb x

Country Cottage Chic said...

I love old boxes & tins or cases with "stuff" in them - they can provide hours of entertainment!
Great finds.
I'm hoping for a good weekend so I can get out to the car boot sales again.

Jayne

Olga said...

I really didn't realize your mother's collection remains back at home! I actually thought you have it with you in France :) I love the violet water! After you great lollipops ( I still have one left!) - I started to like anything violet.. The tin is great - a perfect find for your collection. now it's like the 'general-tin' with the coats of arms. But agree - the roses against the dark background are the best.

Joshy and belle said...

i love all the bits and bobs in the tin, its so nice to buy something and then find tiny treasures hidden inside!
i tagged you on my blog, hope you dont mind, pop over http://joshyandbelle.blogspot.com/ if you fancy taking part

felicity xx

Carol said...

all such lovely find but the Police Uniform buttons are my favourite. Being maried to a policeman myself when changes were made to his uniform for instance new rubber based helmes replaced the lightweight cork ones...I kept his cork one, when wooden truncheons were replaced with rubber I put the wooden one under my side of the bed! I have his number one uniform with medals and white gloves...I will pass all this onto one of my three, but which one will be hard to say.
Cx