ARTY DRIFTWOOD

Everyone who lives near the sea has a go at doing driftwood art at some point, and I'm no different!!

As I live near the southern tip of Chesil Beach in Dorset, we often get loads of wood and all sorts washed up.

I've made many a driftwood shelf, book shelf, and box.

But I also like to do something a tiny bit different as well, so here's my latest thing...

A driftwood shelf inspired by the artist Piet Mondrian.

The Dutch Abstract artist was mostly famous for his geometric shape paintings involving the colours red, blue, yellow and black and white.

Now I just need someone who gets the reference and to buy it!!!

PATIENCE!

If at first you don't succeed, and all that!!

You definitely need patience in the selling of antiques game.

Have had this brilliant handmade toy garage for ages, and finally today it sold!!!

Had been on Facebook Marketplace for about two years, and has been lugged around multiple vintage fairs as well.

There was plenty of interest, but no takers!

 

At last it has a new home!

HELLO AGAIN!

Oops, didn't keep that promise to update this Blog more frequently did I?!

 

Oh well, here I am again!!

 

Had a great time in France recently.

Went to Normandy, and went around many of the D-Day sites.

I felt like I learnt more from seeing the places, than any of the books and documentaries I'd seen. 

Especially when going to Omaha Beach, I remember looking behind me and seeing the rising cliffs and thinking, oh right, now I see why it was so awful there.

Similar feeling to seeing the WW1 Somme battlefields years ago, and walking the actual terrain where the soldiers fought. You get an immediate understanding of what happened that's impossible any other way.

I also managed to get in a bit of vintage shopping, despite being there too early in the year for any of the brocantes.

Found a few great vintage shops along the way.

You always find things that you just don't see in Blighty.

Hoping to get back there sometime and carry on our adventures.

Meanwhile, I'm super-busy getting in and sorting out some amazing vintage stock for my markets.

Best to keep in touch with the latest things I'm up to on my Instagram account, but I'll keep on trying to regularly post on here as well!!

Here are three pictures from Normandy.

An abandoned cinema in Bayeaux, the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, and Utah Beach.

AU REVOIR INNIT!

I'll be away in France for the next couple of weeks on a rare ArtPix holiday!!

Going to Normandy, and will be wandering around all the D-Day beaches, which will be amazing to do.

 

Will still be on the lookout for vintage stuff of course!

Last time I went to France, I came back with some brilliant items, including this fantastic vintage metal sign, which i definitely won't be selling!

So au revoir for the moment, but see you all again soon!

GLAD TO RECYCLE!

I'm always looking to save, renovate or recycle things.

So this simple idea to create a really nice item to brighten up a room, was made from two rescued items I've picked up along the way.

 

Using an old backing board from an antique picture frame, a bundle of which I found going for free outside a framing shop.

And a vintage sheet music cover, from a huge pile of old and very tatty sheet music that was being thrown out.

Picking out a sheet which had a strong and interesting cover, I simply stuck it to one of the old boards. Then varnished it to protect it, which actually also really enhances the colours. 

 

Hey presto, here's a nice bit of artwork, that can be put anywhere around any room!

 

Incidentally, the sheet music I used is from the 1929 film, Glad Rag Doll, which has sadly been lost, although apparently the trailer of the film survives!

And Interesting Film Fact of the Day: the star of the film Dolores Costello, was the Grandmother of actress Drew Barrymore!

RENOVATIONS!

The winter is slowly coming to an end, so I've finally managed to venture out into my yard to work on a few bits of vintage furniture.

Not having any handy workshop, it all has to be done in my tiny yard, so I'm completely weather dependent.

I can then renovate the bits of furniture I buy, to sell at my vintage markets.

 

Here are a few things I've worked on this week.

A gorgeous Edwardian side table, Mid-Century coffee table with rack underneath, and a fabulously kitsch 1960s table!

Find them on sale at my vintage markets!

AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1971/72

The 1971/72 season was a momentous season for Bournemouth.

They changed their name, club badge, kit, and very nearly got promoted to the old 2nd Division!!

There's also the fact that striker Ted MacDougall scored a whopping 46 goals!

The most iconic game was their 11-0 victory over Margate, where MacDougall scored an extraordinary 9 goals!! 

I've got a complete set of home programmes from that exciting season, all tucked into a very stylish folder in the shape of a book.

I'm selling them on Facebook Marketplace.

I also have season-by-season folders from 1972/73 to 1983/84, three of which have complete sets, that I'll sell as a job lot.

Let me know if you want them!!!

MID-CENTURY MADNESS!

A few days ago I put a fairly ordinary Mid-Century mirror on sale on Facebook Marketplace for £10.

In that time its had 2,500 views!!!!

Also up there for sale is a 1950s drink cabinet, that I spent a long time upcycling and decorating with images from vintage Paris Match magazines.

Which has had precisely 5 views in the last few days!!!

Hmmm...

Makes you wonder doesn't it.

FAIRS & MARKETS IN 2024

The year is slowly but surely springing into life!!

Have been doing a few boot fairs to get back into the swing of things. 

I'm also booking up some great events including these two.

LULWORTH CASTLE DORSET BLIND ASSOCIATION MOTOR SHOW 2024

Sunday 12th May

A brilliant classic car event in the spectacular setting of Lulworth Castle in Dorset.

TAUNTON VINTAGE & SALVAGE FAIR

Sunday 28th July

Fantastic fair in the grounds of the beautiful Kings Hall School in Taunton, Somerset.

I'll also doing my regular markets at Bridport in Dorset, and Langport in Somerset.

 

So come on down this year and have some vintage fun!!

DAVE THE TANK ENGINE

I rescued this brilliantly quirky handmade train a while ago.

Made for a small child, they can stand in the back, and be pulled along by the handle at the front.

 

I love it, and was clearly made by someone with a great sense of humour.

I've named it Dave the Tank Engine, as it could easily be a very distant relative of Thomas!

 

Sadly, I can't take him to vintage markets as he's too big to fit in my small van, so he's now on sale on Facebook Marketplace!

It could easily be restored, and painted into any colour you fancy. 

 

Let me know, and have a go!

MID-CENTURY

I do like to find a forlorn bit of furniture and give it a new life...

Sometimes that can involve an upcycle job, painting it, decorating it etc, but usually just a nice dignified spruce up will suffice!

This unusual bit of Mid-Century was one of those.

Its a very low table on wheels, with a drawer underneath.

It would be great as a simple coffee table, that could be pushed around to wherever you want it to be.

But I'm thinking it would be great to have a vintage record player on it, and in the compartment underneath, you could store the records!

 

Either way it would look great!

And lucky you, its on sale now!!

WHAT KILLED ALBERT?

As January is always a quiet month for me, I've been working on a few collages.

 

One of them is this...

The title, 'What Killed Albert?' comes from the newspaper cutting used on the collage.

I found it in a vintage book completely by chance, and I loved the randomness of it.

Why was it cut out by that person who then used it as a bookmark?!

As with all my artworks, I've just used any image I fancied, which this time it happened to be Jean Harlow, Yul Brynner and Charles Laughton!

 

Keep in touch, as I'll try and do more regular posts on here this year.