Songbird

 

I have had a thing for vintage knick knackery for as long as I can remember.

The number of things I collect is vast, but I try, try, to keep the actual collections in check.

And by in check, I mean finding a dual purpose for a pretty tchotchke wherever possible: flower festooned tea and biscuit tins hold batteries and spare buttons; a couple of the well-coiffed ladies from my head vase collection pull double duty as bookends.

I blame my grandmother for this particular obsession. She got the whole ball rolling on my first birthday when she gave me my very first Josef Originals Birthday Fairy, a tradition she continued for more than a decade. My little fairies are still proudly displayed to this day.

So it's no wonder that I fell head over heels for these kooky little lovelies from Amanda Smith.

 

 

 

 

Part girl, part bird, and completely awesome, Smith's Singing Bird Sculptures are made using out of production mid-century molds.

Her spot-on eye for color adds the perfect retro touch to these sweetly left of center figurines.

I want one. Or three.

Really, you can never collect too many things if they're completely wonderful...right?

 

{all images via Amanda Smith; available here}

xo

Collections and Curiosities

There are days when I walk down into my little work space, sit down at my table, and...nada. I am just plum out of inspiration. It is on these days that I am most likely to pull out all of my supplies, gather them into curious and sparkly little piles, and set about reorganizing them. There are neat little piles of flowers in white and blue and pink. Rows of headpins and eyepins and clasps of all sorts.

Sometimes, just this simple act of rifling and sorting sparks ideas, and the piles quickly get moved aside into little groupings of "things to make". Other times, well, at least everything gets organized and neatly put away. Either way, I get to walk away from my space with a feeling of accomplishment, even if it's a small one.

French artist Jean Sonnet is also a maker of curious and lovely piles. From his studio in France, he gathers like-minded items, putting them on permanent and neat-as-a-pin displays inside shallow wooden drawers.

{All images by Jean Sonnet, found here}

Hope your week has been passing in an orderly fashion.

xo