Tuesday Treasures Once Again

I haven’t played Tuesday Treasures for a while, but when I was getting things ready for our Swap Meet stall I found this wonderful old treasure in a box at the back of a cupboard.  It is now on display in a bookcase, where it should be.

We found this on our honeymoon in Tasmania nearly twenty five years ago.  As usual, there is a bit of a story behind it.

On our first day in Tasmania we were in Launceston and visited the “Penny Royal Mill” which was very well publicised at THE place to visit.  When we got there, it was expensive and more like a theme park.  Mick was NOT impressed and declared on the spot that he wasn’t going to any more touristy things.

While planning our trip I had used a wonderful booklet put out by “Tasbureau”, which listed every town and village and I had marked all the places that I thought would be worth visiting. I had hoped to visit one the next day.  Mick declared that he would wait in the car.  I finally convinced him to  give it a go as I thought it sounded really interesting. 

The place I wanted to visit was an old gold mine. It was in a small town and very simple. The wonderful old buildings were being maintained by the National Trust, with the workings and museum in the front of the building and a big glass wall looking over the back part, which had crumbled, and had been turned into a sunken garden. It cost the princely sum of 50c each entry.

Well, as you might gather, it was one of the highlights of our trip.  The ladies from the National Trust were delightful and informative and the place itself fascinating.  The garden was just lovely.  In the little gift shop (just a couple of shelves) they were selling these original crucibles used to process the ore.  What a great souvenir, not cheap plastic junk.

When we returned to Tasmania in 2006 this was one of the places we were definitely visiting again, which we did.  It was still lovely, but was now a lot more touristy with a great big gift shop. Since our first visit it had gone much more upmarket and the old mine was also working again.

You can imagine our sadness when only a couple of weeks after our second visit we heard of the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster, as this is where we had visited.

I did a quick Google search here and found that the museum has gone on to win major awards in the last couple of years and has had some funding to expand the centre. It would still be nice to visit, but we are so pleased we visited all those years ago while it was not touristy.

Pop over to Melody’s and see what other treasures are on show this week.

Tuesday Treasures – Christmas Scrapbooks

When Teresa shared her Christmas album a couple of  weeks ago I decided to share the scrapbooks I made when I was little.  Isn’t the cover on the top one so cute and 70s.

When I was seven, an old friend of Mum’s came to stay for a few days and she got me started on a scrapbook (the top one) using old Christmas cards.  Not long after that I came down with chicken pox and had three weeks off school.  These were a great way to keep me amused.

Mum had cards back to the 50s and then I raided Grandma’s which went back much further.

I had fun making up stories with the pictures and creating themes.  Unfortunately, nearly forty years later I can’t remember the details.

Anyway, here are a few of my favourite pages.

There were some lovely cards back then and most were on a heavy paper rather than card.

Most cards also had a second picture on the inside as well.

White Christmas themes seemed to dominate, but as we received several cards from England they may have come from there.

I used to love looking through them and it has been nice to look back now and recognise certain pages.

Pop over to Melody’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.

I think I will make this my last Tuesday Treasure, as I am running out of things to share.  It has been great fun each Tuesday and I will still pop in to see what others are sharing.  Thanks so much to firstly Clare and then Melody for organising it all.

Tuesday Treasure – Christmas Card Book

I just finished sending out our Christmas cards yesterday and one of my treasured possessions was brought into service.

In the mid 80s I attended some craft classes.  We learnt all about fabric covered photo frames and albums. It was just as Mick and I were setting up our home and life together and this was one of my creations.

It has seen constant use over the years and is starting to show its age.

As you can see, the finish wasn’t the greatest, but that doesn’t matter.

I’ve mainly used the Christmas Card Lists at the back.

I filled up the years initially and then removed those pages and started again.  They ran out in 2008 and I didn’t enter anything last year, although I sent out cards.

Looking back over the entries is a trip down memory lane.  There are the relatives, the wonderful friends, some who over the years have become what I call “Christmas Card Friends”.  We very rarely catch up, but there is always that connection at Christmas time.  There are old work colleagues, who as time has passed have drifted in different directions and are no longer in contact.  There are some that we never receive a card from, but always like to send one to.  This year I am also finding that a few on my list have now passed on, so it is also a time of reflection.

Because I am such a hoarder, in a box somewhere, there is a blank book that I bought at the same time as this one.  I will get it out and make a cover for it, in a more contemporary style. Some names will sadly not be carried over, but it will chart the next part of our life.

Pop over to Melody’s to see what other treasures are being shared this week.

Tuesday Treasures - Santa

Every Christmas I bring out this treasured old battered shoebox.

One Christmas a parcel arrived in the post from Aunty Doreen which contained this.

I was guessing that I would have been about 10 at the time, but I checked the newspaper in the bottom of the box and it says 1971, so I may have been a few years younger.

Santa wasn’t new when he arrived at our house and I don’t know what his background was.

I do know that he has a lovely jolly face and it wouldn’t be Christmas without him.

Pop over to Melody’s to see what other wonderful treasures are on show this week.

Tuesday Treasures and I Can Remember How to Sew

Gosh, where did the last week go.  I can’t believe it is Tuesday Treasures time again.

I had a wander around this morning to see what I would share and came up with this little duo.  They live on the bookcase in the living room.

I’ve had these for quite a while.  I don’t know the origin of my little puppy, but I can remember the arrival of my train.  We were down at Grandma’s and Mum and Grandma went into town leaving us kids behind.  They returned with a train for each of us.  As you can see, both these little pull along toys saw much use and love.  The train has a little squeaker, which still works.  The puppy’s head nods, as it is on a spring.  He had lost an ear and his tail, but Dad replaced them.  It doesn’t matter that they don’t match his surviving black ear.

Pop over to Melody’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.

Also, can you believe it I have made something that I can show.  Sewing seems to have been on the back burner lately.

Each year I like to make a Christmas decoration for each of my little nieces.  This year I chose a pattern from Handmade by Lisa Cox.  I thought these handbags were just too cute.

Once I had made them from the pattern in the magazine I felt they were a bit too small, so I added 1/4” seam allowance to the pattern and made a larger version which I like better. Therefore, the girls will get two little handbags each.  Yet another quick and effective idea.

Tuesday Treasures – with Melody

After thinking that last week would be the end of “Tuesday Treasures” I was delighted to hear that Melody from The House on the Side of the Hill has put her hand up to continue this great game.

I had to have a little think as to what to include this week and came up with this quirky little piece.

It is titled “Tea for 3 at the Quilting “B””.  Mick gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago.

I spotted it in a little shop in Richmond and commented on it.  We were with another couple at the time and I was carefully ushered out of the shop to go a look at “girly” shops without the boys and they would catch us up.  Funnily enough, the boys arrived with our mate carrying a bag and no explanation.

I wasn’t at all surprised when I opened the gift on Christmas day, but I love the fact they all went to so much trouble to make it a “Surprise”.

 
It is such a cheery item to have sitting on the bookshelf.  Another of Mick’s very thoughtful gifts.

Pop over to Melody’s to see who else is playing this week.  I think she may even have a little surprise for some lucky person.

Tuesday Treasures – Finale

As this is to be the final episode of Tuesday Treasures I thought I’d better hunt out my very special patchwork treasure. 

After a bit of a search through the blanket box it was located.

As usual, there is a story behind this treasure.

When we were kids we would go down to Grandma’s in the May and August school holidays, just Mum, my brother and I, as Dad would still be at work.  I would share Mum’s big (for a little girl) three quarter size bed and my brother would be in the daybed.  Sometimes the three of us would be in the big bed singing “There were three in the bed and the middle one said ‘Roll Over, Roll Over’, so they all rolled over and one fell out”. It was good fun.

I always loved the bedspread.  Some years ago I asked Mum if she knew what had become of it.  She wasn’t sure, so next time she was down there she asked the question.  “Oh, that old thing, I used it to cover the tractor to keep the frost off it”.  Mum’s heart sank.  “Pink, wasn’t it?” Mum felt a wave of relief.  “No, it was blue.”  After a bit of a rat around, the bedspread was found in the bottom of a wardrobe, so she brought it home and I now have it.

In 1952 Mum and Uncle Chris went to Queensland for a holiday visiting cousins.  While they were away Grandma got busy and made a new bedspread for Mum’s bed.

Unfortunately, it is rather dull here this morning, so the photos are a bit washed out. The colours are actually quite a bit more vibrant.

The top of the bedspread is a pretty cretonne with a floor length skirt of blue lawn.  Unfortunately, the lawn is very faded and fragile and has some holes appearing in it.  It needs a good wash, but I’m worried it will fall apart, so it just gets stored as is.

The best bit is the reverse side.  Now, my memory had played tricks on me, as I could have sworn it was made of crazy patchwork, but when Mum gave it to me this is what it looks like.  As it fits a three quarter bed it is a bit big for this bed.

The fabrics are all dressmaking scraps and Mum can identify many as being her childhood clothes from the 30s.  Zoom in to have a closer look at the pattern details.

It is actually a “Wagga”.  The patchwork is machine quilted onto an old blanket and then the skirt is sandwiched between the patchwork and the cretonne, thereby not showing the quilting lines on the top of the bedspread. I’ve never seen another Wagga that has a skirt.

Notice a blue fabric with leaves on it in the top right had corner of the next photo.

In the early 80s I covered a coat hanger in patchwork and I used that same fabric. It had migrated to Mum’s scrap bag over the years.  It then moved to my stash and I still have a tiny bit of it.

I used to love looking through Grandma’s scrap bag.  There were beautiful 30s fabrics. Yes, I can remember some of the ones in the bedspread being in the scrap bag. There were also lovely rayons that always felt so nice and the designs were gorgeous.  I assume they have all been tossed out.  That’s the way things go.  Not everything can be kept.

By the way, the bedspread was made with Grandma’s old Singer treadle machine.  It is a 1918 model that Granddad bought at an auction sale in 1928, just AFTER Grandma had finished making all Uncle Chris’ baby clothes by hand……and yes, I have it sitting in the lounge room.   It still sews beautifully, but Mum reckons it is nowhere near as good as it was before she sewed a leather handbag on it!  She used if for all her Tech sewing for many years.  Mum very nearly sold the sewing machine some years ago.  Fortunately, she mentioned her intention and I ended up with it.  She didn’t think I’d want it as I already had a treadle machine.  Wrong!

The old chair sitting in front of it was Grandma’s chair that came from that same auction in the 20s. I can still picture Grandma sitting in her chair by the window, with my brother on her lap reading him “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Little Red Hen”.  She was the only one who could get him to sit still long enough to read him a story and she had to read them over and over again. The chair ended up in a very sorry state in a shed, so Mick and I stripped it back to just the timber frame and then had it reupholstered.  I’m not in love with the fabric, but it was the best we could come up with at the time.

I’ve had great fun over the past few weeks sharing some of my treasures.  As you can tell, I’m one heck of a hoarder.

Thanks so much Claire for being a wonderful hostess.  Pop over to Claire’s to see what other treasures are on show this final week.

Tuesday Treasures – Fridge Magnet

When we bought our first home, not long after we met, our selection was based on the cheapest old house that wasn’t falling down.  We had no money but plenty of enthusiasm.

It was a 20s workers cottage that had been “done up” in the 70s - very badly and had also been a rental property for some time. It did, however have a beautiful leadlight front door and bedroom window.  Never mind that there was no sink in the kitchen and the bathroom was disgusting.   As you can see it was a bit rough around the edges when we moved in.  I daren’t show you the inside.

We worked on the things that needed more elbow grease than money while saving all the time for the bigger projects.  We wanted a recycled oregon kitchen, which were all the go back then, but didn’t come cheap.

One day I was looking at the bank balance and discovered that we nearly had enough saved to pay out the mortgage. (Remember this was back in the days when you had to come up with 25% deposit and houses didn’t cost a great deal.) We decided very quickly that the kitchen could just wait a bit longer.  Before long we had the loan paid out.   We ended up with about $20.00 in the bank, but figured we were both going to get paid again next week.

The big day just happened to be right before my birthday and Mick was quite concerned that he had no money to buy me a birthday present.  Hey, we now OWN our house.  That is the best birthday present.

He is a bit of a schemer though, and popped into a little gift shop and found this little fridge magnet.  A house for my birthday.

I was thrilled.  How thoughtful.  But I had to turn it over.  Mick was quite insistent.  Can you see the writing?  “Hope Cottage”.  So?, you ask.  Well, we named our cottage “Hope Cottage”.  It is just perfect and I think my most treasured birthday present.

 

We eventually sold our little house in the mid 90s.  It looked quite different by then, even having won the local “House of the Day” award a couple of times.  Unfortunately I don’t have a good front on photo. You can just see our “Hope Cottage” sign next to the front door. 

 

I drive past our little house each morning on the way to work.  The cottage garden we planted is all gone, although the picket fence is still there.  We planted a claret ash street tree, as there was a gap in the avenue when we moved in.  It is now as big as the rest of the trees and you wouldn’t know it is many years younger than the rest.  I wonder what the back yard looks like now?

Our “Hope Cottage” sign came with us and now hangs above the mantle piece in the lounge room.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show.  Next week will be our last, so I’ll have to look for something special.

Tuesday Treasures – Melbourne Cup

Just a quick treasure today as I have to leave for work early so I can prepare for our Melbourne Cup Lunch – yes the race that stops a nation nearly stops our work.

On Melbourne Cup day I like to wear a lucky charm.  I have two.

Both of these have been given to me by Mick’s mum.  She used to work voluntarily at a charity shop for many years and they came from there.  Most of the jewellery she came across was found in pockets.  I think that is where these were found.  Unfortunately, the catch on the wishbone is damaged, so I will just be wearing the horseshoe tie pin.

Good luck to every one with their sweeps.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show today.

Tuesday Treasures – Grandma’s Radio

Just next to my treasured pantry/loo door is this little collection of treasures.  The shelf is actually attached to the side of the pantry. They might look familiar from my banner.

I was just going to tell you about the radio, but I might as well tell you about it all.

The radio was Grandma’s.  It is a 1942 model Phillips.  The date is quite clear in Mum’s memory, as it was purchased in anticipation of the electricity being connected to the farm.  I found it covered in dust and cobwebs in the back of the shed at Uncle Chris’ and was lucky enough to bring it home and clean it up.  A friend who is into radios gave it a service and it worked.  However, it gave up the ghost again.  I think it needs new valves.  It is a lovely thing to have sitting  in the kitchen.

The other items are also little treasures, especially the apple box label.  This is from Uncle Chris’ orchard.  Granddad died in 1953 and Grandma and Uncle Chris carried on with the farm until Grandma died in the mid 70s. Uncle Chris is still there, although there isn’t much of the orchard left. I can remember when I was little, the apples being packed into wooden cases, the label stapled to the end and then being taken into town to be sent away by rail.  How things have changed. 

Hartley was a very well known apple area in the early 1900s and always put on a big display at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.  There is a great photo of the orchardists, dressed in their best suits, in front of a big pyramid of apples.  I wish I had a copy to share.

There were also competitions for the best apples and in 1928 Granddad won.  His case of apples was shipped back to England and presented to the King.  It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne Age and Canberra Times on the same day that Uncle Chris was born. It must have been a very exciting day for him.

But I digress….

The shelf is an Ashelford’s soft drink case.  They were our local company when I was a kid and there are actually a few Ashelford’s bottles on the top shelf.

The kerosene lamps are not only decorative.  They get pressed into service if we get a blackout, which is more common out here than in town.  The one at the back is quite elegant.  I can’t remember where we found it.  Mick’s Mum found the one at the front at Vinnies some years ago.  The base is actually a Bushels coffee jar.  It works really well.  However, Mick was cleaning and refilling them recently and the jar cracked.  He was devastated.  Not to worry, I just called Mum and did the cadge.  I swapped a Moccona coffee jar for her string jar – yes she has a jar that she keeps saved string in that just happened to be a Bushels coffee jar.  The lamp is now fixed.  Thanks to Mum.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.

Tuesday Treasures – Old Loo Door

Our old door may seem to be a bit of an odd thing to have as a “Treasure”.

We found this door at an auction at Oberon in the late 80s.  It was a ratty looking old dunny door.  The paint was faded green and all crazed but attached to the back was an original cast iron “Victoria Toilet Fixture” loo roll holder.  Reproduction brass versions of this were all the rage at the time with heritage decorating.

I was quite excited to find an original and for $10 the old door was ours.  It also had a nice old brass lock.  When we got home, the hardware was removed, the loo roll holder cleaned up and installed in the house and the door put up in the woodshed to be thought no more of.

At this stage we were renovating an old 1920s workers cottage in town so the door  became a handy painting plank over the bathtub when we were doing up the bathroom  and then returned to the woodshed.

When we got to the kitchen, Mick made all recycled oregon cabinets and built a corner pantry.  We wanted a door with character, but couldn’t find one.  Then I remembered the dunny door up the back. It was the right size.

We gave it a good wash and the faded green brightened up.  The back was a whitewash, and when stripped back revealed lovely old pine. A coat of estapol brought it up beautifully.   Mick then hunted out the old handle we had removed and reinstated it and put the hinges on the outside.  It was just the look we were after. This, according to the back of the photos was in 1992.

I made the calico angel to finish it off. The kitchen wasn’t nearly as pink as it appears in this scanned old photo. The small window is my one and only foray into leadlight and I was sad to leave it behind when we moved.

The back of the door came up really well too and Dad provided an old hook which he had found at the tip and cleaned up.  It suits the door perfectly.  I’ve never seen another like it.  It reminds me of shaker pegs.

The old crock was painted orange when we bought it from the deceased estate auction of one of Mum’s old friends and then Mick made the oregon lid to suit.

The old shopping list board features a Lucy Mabel Attwell picture  and is identical to one that was always at Grandma’s when we were little.  We found this one in an op shop in Maryborough in Queensland in the late 80s. 

We eventually sold our little cottage, once we had made it just right for us, and started again in a bare paddock.

This time Mick built a cream timber kitchen with a corner pantry. Of course we couldn’t find a door we liked, so the old dunny door came with us.  It cost a bomb to buy oregon to make a replica to leave at the old house, but it was worth it.  I love our old door.

Of course, the old loo roll holder came with us too.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.

Tenterfield and Tuesday Treasures

We were away again this weekend.  This time we travelled to Tenterfield to meet some friends of ours from Rockhampton.  Each year we try to meet somewhere approximately half way and go out to dinner.

Once again the countryside was looking magnificent.  However, for most of the trip up we had drizzly rain.

When we arrived the shops were about to close, but I found this lovely old cushion in a second hand shop for the princely sum of $2.00.  She has had a little repair job to the fabric above her head, but is generally in good condition.   I can’t get over the amount of work in her skirt.  It is all long and short satin stitch. Notice the darker stripe where the maker obviously had a slightly different dye lot of thread.

We had intended to ride up, but due to the weather forecast decided to take the car. We are so glad we did, as after lunch we all piled in the car and went for a drive into the National Park.  We had no idea where we were headed and when we saw a sign for Boonoo Boonoo Falls headed that way.  Hopefully they would be worth seeing, following all the rain.

We weren’t disappointed.

While we were down there it started to rain again, so not as many photos as we’d have liked of the wild flowers.  This little fellow was just poking his head out of the ground.

Then we kept driving and found Mt McKenzie lookout.  Isn’t it a stunning view!!  …. Well, apparently it is on a good day.

After a pleasant evening with our friends we headed towards home on Sunday.

We took a detour through Ben Lomond.  I spent many school holidays in the area with family, but they have all left the district now.

We saw a few old relics along the way.

Our next stop was at a country pub for the night.  We arrived in time to watch the Chooks get done by the Dragons in the grand final.  Oh well, maybe next year.  It was a great atmosphere to watch the game.

However, the main reason for our stay in that area was to catch up with Bec of Oh Sew Busy and her family. It was so good to finally meet her.

She gave me this little gift to use when I take some small stitching away with me.  It will be very handy and I love Verna.

I really enjoyed the company of their children and was given these colourful drawings to take home.

Of course, despite saying we must not forget to take a photo of us both, we forgot.  Doh!  Not to worry.

You will probably be wondering by now when I will get to my Tuesday Treasure.  Well, this week it is friends.  New friends, old friends, friends that you see all the time and ones that you very  rarely see.  They are all such special treasures that contribute so much to our lives.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures there are this week.

By the way, we intend to sleep in our own bed next weekend.