Trashy on the Roadside

A slow drive by, a glint in the eye... a hover in hesitance with a glimmer of desire, a roadside loitering of unknown fate. A dash of shame.. I think not, but a whim on treasure that might await! That is if one is so brave as to rummage through another's ah... apparently... rubbish! 

Are you a junk collection snob or junk loving street crawler??? You can safely guess I belong to the crew of the latter! A total trash rat I am when it comes to rescuing vintage delights from facing landfill. So many amazing pieces are discarded, it really is quite criminal.

Some turn their wasteful noses up at this act with disapproval. A sad sort of snobbery that exists, although that leaves all the more lovely roadside surprises for us courageous and resourceful types! It makes me a little sick to the stomach the amount of waste that goes on with this method of disposal. So I say ditch the judgements, support recycling, and if it's a little to good to throw, why not donate it to the local op shop before you dump it on the curb?!

 A favourite piece of mine from the roadside is a sideboard Art Deco circa that was just about on it's last legs. Mr. Beatnik kindly hauled it home in the back of the '64 EH wagon a little unsure of my sanity! Armed with a sense of vision, I applyed a little love along with a lick of paint and now it's been transformed into quite a beautiful conversation piece. Such satisfaction is felt from breathing back a little life into a treasure that was actually intended for the tip!

Fellow recycler, collector and lover of old things, friend Crystal, had me super jealous of her roadside loot when I visited her the other day. She discovered the most beautiful Bread Bin tin I have ever seen and rescued it before the doom and gloom of the rubbish truck! It's pictured below. I would have loved to have shared a few more of her vintage pieces as well, but she is currently in the middle of the disarray of a reno. So alas I will have to return for a super snappy snap when it's completed! Crystal has the most amazing collection and an untamed gorgeous style that she is totally unaware of.

High fives to all you junk loving street crawlers out there, collecting treasures before they make it to landfill. That is until I bump into you along the sidewalk about to pounce on one of them, then it's free for all hehe!

Booom! This flower has bombed!

So super duper trilled that I got the chance to 'Flower Bomb' with fellow bloom lover 'Holly Hipwell' last Friday! It was Carnation Carnage at 'Nyary 604' - an amazing treasure trove of antiques and gorgeous home wares. I joined a crew of floral enthusiasts in an afternoon of quirky Holly chat, flower arranging and lolly chomping. It was sooo very lurvely.

It amazes me that this character oozing and very successful florist has never, ever, been to flower school! I am loving her untamed bravery, passion and unconformist attitude to floral art. It is in line with my evolving motto "Say NO to commercial blaaaaaah!"

 As I explore more and more styles of floral design, I'm constantly drawn to artists that are breaking the rules and moving away from the commercial styles we have all been subjected to over the years and feeling very inspired!!! Don't get me wrong traditional techniques and designs have their place and I totally respect their beauty. It's just that it's so refreshing to see some really talented designers out there changing things up a bit and breaking the mould.

At the beginning of the workshop I viewed a few eager yet nervous faces and heard a couple of self doubting comments from some mouths re capabilities. By the end though, were some seriously chuffed expressions and truly amazing bombs!

Miss Holly is one to watch if you're not already and 'Nyary 604' is a total swoon. The little birdy herself told the class that it's likely she will return to Melbourne later in the year. So look out for updates if you're keen to join the 'F Bomb' club. Bombs aside though her other creations are stunningly beautific and equally deserving of credit.

Carnation Carnage...in a good way

Holly and I with my 'Flower Bomb'

Holly engaging in one of her fave pastimes - 'Flower Bomb' face stroking

Beautiful light fittings from 'Nyary 604'. Jenny globe trots sourcing lots of amazing pieces for her stunning store

'Nyary' is so gorgeously cosy, bulging with beautiful textures and colourful objects 

I want this wall!

A fellow bombers creation about to hit the streets home on her bike

My very first 'Flower Bomb'!

http://theflowerdrum.blogspot.com.au/

http://www.nyary604.com.au/

Creative Lovebird

Sometimes if you're lucky enough, you cross paths with a fellow creative that you just mesh with, sparks fly and you both feel as though you have known each other a lifetime. You go on to discover that you are so much on the same wavelength it's almost creepy! The universe aligns you somehow. Recently that happened to me and I am ever so grateful!

This new creative soul mate of mine and fellow vintage fan dwells a few houses away from me in domestic circumstances and now I am very excited to announce that she has also become my neighbour at the 'Waverley Antiques Bazaar'. Located right next door to the 'Beatnik Flair Vintage' pop up shop YAY! Also a blogger she goes by the name of 'Love & Rummage' so check her out via the link below.

Last week I swung by her pad to get first viewing of, and take a few snaps of some stock she was about to haul to the bazaar. A very crafty lass she is, and has whipped up these gorgeous vintage fabric canvases and doily bunting. (If you go weak for doilies she is your kind of gal!)

I also couldn't resist snapping her cute little succulent display on her back porch, where we often sit and sip wine chatting and dreaming about all the creative projects we plan to collaborate on together!

http://loveandrummage.blogspot.com.au/

www.facebook.com/waverleyantiquebazaar

This Find is a Keeper

Intuition is strangely my best asset when it comes to super special thrifting finds. It's when I'm in tune with this creepily amazing sixth sense that I seem to be lead to the most divinely lovely things. My latest fist pump worthy elating score is of the swapping kind although I am certain this little finder has come across a definite keeper. Well what is it? A super cute little collection of vintage swap cards!

Swap cards originated in the 1800's and came about when the packaging for cigarettes required a cardboard support. This stiffener began as a blank piece of cardboard and was later replaced with a picture printed version. This was the beginning of a collecting trend that has continued on through centuries. Swap cards were inserted into the evolved packaging even though they were not required any longer for practical purposes, but were included due to popularity and as a selling point. Prominent characters were commonly displayed on the cards such as actors, presidents and sports personalities.

This particular collection has a retro feel and is likely to be 1970's circa.

Vintage Fest!

My blog is on the back burner, it has been neglected and pushed aside because of a variety of reasons. The most enjoyment filled excuse is I have been super focused on treasure hunting and gathering, rummaging and collecting, sourcing and picking a hoard of beautific things for the vintage fest of the year! I've been digging deep, getting down and dirty with old wares and doing some super excited air fist pumps of treasure acquiring success.

Yee-hah! Giddy up vintage lurvers and get yourself to the Collingwood Masonic Temple, 141 Gibbs St, Abbotsford tomorrow and Saturday for the 'Odd Echo' odd vintage wares pop up market.

There are few early bird limited entry tickets still available at ten bux a pop for first dibbs at all the amazing stock on offer, which is between 12pm and 1pm tomorrow. Get your skates on and email Kat Tidcombe for one if your keen for first looksy.(kjtiddy@yahoo.com) Otherwise it's free entry and trading from 1pm until 7pm tomorrow and 10am until 6pm Saturday.

The 'Beatnik Flair Vintage' pop up shop will be there along with a whole crew of other amazing treasure hunters and traders. Such as Trish Hunter Finds, Shabby Vintage Junk, Milk Bar Vintage, Interior Hunter, Vintage Influence and loads more vINTAGE vINTAGE vINTAAAGE!

Today was spent styling the space and there was some seriously drool worthy wares arriving! Something for every fan of old things - rustic, reclaimed, shabby chic, retro, industrial the list goes on. 

So now off I must go to continue stock wrangling! Hope to see you there!

Terrarium Take Two

Since my first Terrarium attempt was a little ah... on the small side, I thought a friends engagement celebration was a good opportunity to create a more adventurous one for a gift. This time round I chose a bigger vessel and a variety of plants with different heights, colours and textures and a few accessories to give it a romantic theme. I also made another for the Baby Beatniks room with a whimsical theme just for fun.

For the first design I crafted a mini chalkboard sign from a rectangle craft wood coaster, a piece of dowel and some chalkboard paint which were all purchased from Bunnings. First I cut the dowel to size, then spray painted the pieces with chalkboard paint and attached the parts together with a hot glue gun. Then I wrote a love related message in line with the romantic theme on the board -'All you need is love'(true and timeless wisdom borrowed from 'The Beatles') These mini chalkboard signs are super easy to make and also ideal for herb and vegie garden plant labels.
Then I followed the same steps to make the Terrarium as in my previous post - using larger stones for good drainage, then added the potting mix and plants along with the addition of Moss and accessories.

The engagement party was held at 'The Social' located in Mornington, a fab venue which has an amazing collection of vintage props and decor, wine and tasty Tapas. A photobooth was also there for the occasion, I just love the fun and nostalic charm depicted in photobooth images!






Completed romantic themed Terrarium

Whimsical themed Terrarium accessorised with toy animals and toadstool purchased from a discount variety shop

http://beatnikflair.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/time-for-terrarium.html

http://www.bunnings.com.au/

http://bayhotel.com.au/thesocial/

http://www.thephotoboothpeople.com.au/

Show and Tell

Time to share a few 'Shabby Vintage Junk' aka 'SVJ' related pics to gaa gaa over. Life is busy at the the moment, it's crazy with creativity and surrounded by people, times are good. Creativity + positive peeps around = good times in my world! The blogging is getting a little neglect however as I've been up to my ears in flowers, family and friends, work, study and vintage finds. So a quick 'Show and Tell' of the NEW 'old' kitchen cabinet from 'SVJ' which Mr.Beatnik is attempting to convince me requires restoration. I on the other hand quite like it's weathered charm. The official opening of the 'SVJ' store rocked the 'Waverley Antiques Bazaar' last week. Lovely trader Tamarah out did herself with the shops amazing contents and beautiful merchandising.

 The new addition to the household

Oozing with weathered charm and complete with antique handles

The SVJ store

Super cool trophies and measuring tapes

Lots of quirky knick knacks

Love a globe or two!

Gorgeous vintage wallpaper lined crates and antique clock collection

http://www.facebook.com/waverleyantiquebazaar

http://shabbyvintagejunk.blogspot.com.au/