Thursday 28 April 2011

Pay day ...

... today. 

So how do you feel when the pay cheque slides silently into your account? 

For me the pull of the shop de charity and junk markets calls.  It's almost like an illness sometimes, that desire to find an item that will get me excited.  To yell 'look what I found' at Ben as soon as I see him and knowing that he will not look at me in wonder and think 'more junk to clutter our flat'. 

I'm sitting in my class in my non-contact period - knowing that I should be marking or tidying up - but really a long  bank-holiday weekend stretches out in front of me and I know that concentrating is near-on impossible right this minute.  I've just done a quick Photoshop job for an Australian PE teacher's card who's leaving today and all that's left for me to do is wait for my Year 10s to come and break my peace. 

Earlier when we were creating a giant Iron Man in my English lesson with Year 7s one of the girls asked me where I buy my clothes and my jewellery.  I'm kind of 'known' for the fact that I tend to only wear red, black, white and grey (always a splash of red in there though) or for the fact that as some of them like to point out; I look like a goth.  I don't - it's just their understanding of sub-cultures in Tottenham is very limited ;)  When I told her that the whole outfit I have on today - except my watch - are from charity shops or junk-markets I expected the usual 'urgh' response.  Instead she said 'I think it's great that you do that'.  I find that young people are often repulsed at the fact that I shop second-hand - and it does come up often when they ask about my clothes.  However the worst response I've ever had was from a fellow teacher.  I worked for a short while in a department of all women bar one.  They were very cliquey and very very very girly.  One day the 2iC commented that she loved my style.  I thanked her and told her that it was all second-hand.  Her response?  "You're proud of that are you?".  To say my flabber was gasted is an understatement. 

It's strange how some people see the realm of the second-hand as a negative thing.  In this age of mass-consumerism, in a world where approximately 25,000 people die every day from hunger and hunger-related illnesses, that someone should see it as a negative thing that I like to reuse the world's resources rather than add to the sea of rubbish that already exists is beyond me.
Some people astound me.

On another note a bus ride into work this morning, through Stoke Newington, revealed a car-boot sale to me that's happening on Saturday.  I might have to pop up here and have a look :)

Right - time to get ready for the year 10s - wheeeeeeeeeee.

Saturday 23 April 2011

A thrifting morning in the sun ...

... while Ben was away at work at the South Bank today I decided that another trip to Deptford Market was in order.  It is an almost essential part of my weekend and I feel kind of lost if I don't pop down there at least a couple of times a month.  Thankfully as it's been the Spring holiday I had Wednesday AND today to go down and I wasn't disappointed.

As I stated earlier one of the things I'm always after is expired 35mm film.  I didn't manage to find any film but I managed to find these sweet expired single-use cameras; two of which were promotional items for Teachers Scotch Whiskey.  I don't know how much luck I'll have getting any film developed from them but I thought that for 50p each they were worth a shunt!

I'll obviously share the results (if there are any) when I get them developed - fingers crossed I get something!

Next I found a great Soda Fountain - I think it cost me about £1. Not sure if it's any age or not but I really liked it - it's solid and works.  I don't think I've ever used one before but it looks pretty :)



I photographed it on our gorgeous green wing-backed chair that we got for free after a show at Ben's theatre.  And yes - that's a Union Jack flag cushion on the chair - we love Union Jacks and the cushion looks great on the chair.  Unfortunately it's not a cool vintage one - just one from Primark :(  But still we like it!

These books I bought on Wednesday:





There's a stall that sells small paper-backs for 50p and I couldn't pass these up.  The Edna O'Brien book just looks pretty - I love the design of the front cover.  As for the Scientology one - well - I have no desire to become a Scientologist but thought I'd have a read of it.  So far I've managed about 3 or 4 chapters, which is already more than the angry annotator seemed to manage (see the pic above).  There are a LOT of things written in capitals by Mr Hubbard as well as some passages which could definitely be construed as racist.  Not a particularly pleasant read but it's a good addition to my collection of weird paperbacks.

Now onto why I go there so often - more goodies to my paper ephemera collection.  This 1950s Salon of Photography catalogue is a lovely addition to my photography related ephemera - some great adverts for Kodak in here which I mean to frame and hang up in the study.

 I love this BOAC in flight magazine. It's dated 1969 and includes a short story by Doris Lessing.  I really bought it for the adverts though - some great tobacco, alcohol and Coca-Cola adverts.  I'll scan these in properly soon and add to my free ephemera blog here.

Then some obligatory knitting patterns.  I don't actually knit much - I find patterns particularly hard to follow - however I love the design of these patterns and the poses of the models.  I might actually start up my Etsy site again to sell these on as they might just clutter up things.


I particularly love the knitted slippers!

Men with pipes - a real love of mine!

I'm also building up quite a collection of Woman's Weekly magazines - these three were from the year I was born (1973) so hold a lot of interest for me.  They have some great advertising in them which again I will share when I scan them in.  I'm sure I don't have enough walls for all the adverts from magazines I want to frame.



The only photographs I found that I wanted on the market today.  I have an old scrapbook from the 1960s that I found on the market a few months ago.  Each of my portrait photographs has a page in there and we are slowly writing stories about each of the people.  These two really captured my attention though as they were both so beautiful.

Now that I'm blogging all of this it looks like I bought up the whole market - believe me when I say I really didn't!
Some other little bits - a great metal Benson and Hedges tin - I love little tins and this one was a gem at 50p.

Inside the box
A cute little Elvis purse - great and kitsch (though not in the slightest vintage - it still had its label on it!) and I wanted a little purse as mine's a bit too large sometimes.




I'm slowly building back my Manics CD single collection.  I used to have them all but had to sell them as I owed my partner at the time some £.  Very sad day.  But I'm getting there.  This one was all of 50p again! Hoorah!



Now for my most fun purchase of the day.  Whenever I have been to my friends' flat I have secretly coveted their crazy Ms Wonderful doll.  And guess what? I managed to find a working one in its box :) It cost me all of £1!  Admittedly the box is pretty ratted but how much fun is this?





Though to fully appreciate her and her inherent wonderfulness you NEED to watch this short video I did of some of her phrases.  The voice is pretty ratted but it's fun!
Well there we go - my morning thrifting on Deptford Market - buying a load of tosh that makes me smile.

Dream thrifting list ....

From Her Library Adventures ...

This is Pol's Dream Thrifting List:
Photo from: bubbo.etsy.com under CC

Previously ...

... this blog was here: http://thisismysecondhandlife.wordpress.com/
it only spoke about Pol's finds and not Ben's but now we want to celebrate our joint magpie existence through this blog - hoorah!