Sunday, July 25, 2010

Vintage Czechoslovakian button earrings

Yesterday I bought a pair of vintage Czechoslovakian button earrings.

For the first time in weeks I had a decent sized gap between boys' soccer games and decided to investigate some shops in Sandy Bay Road that I regularly drive by en route to my son's piano lesson, but never have time to visit.

Fortuitous really because it was the one and only day that jewellery designer Renee Blackwell from Brisbane was visiting with her collection made from vintage buttons.

Harking back to my recent posting on my mother's button tin I was particularly intrigued with the story behind Renee's beautiful pieces.

She told me that these buttons were made in the 1940s, after the end of the war. During World War II only buttons for military uniforms were made so when the war ended, button manufacturers celebrated with a riot of colour and creativity. These buttons would probably have been made for a suit as they are too heavy for a blouse.

Renee makes regular visits to Paris where she buys the buttons from specialist collectors.
You can see more of Renee's beautiful designs on her website http://www.reneeblackwelldesign.com/jewel.htm or visit Sirius 515 (surprisingly at 515 Sandy Bay Road, just before you get to Lipscombe Larder).

How much nicer to have these beautiful buttons made into wearable jewellery rather than languishing in a tin in the sewing drawer. I'm inspired to find out more about vintage buttons.

Hmmm. I wonder if my grandmother had a button tin? If so, it will still be there in the house where my uncle now lives. One day...

Friday, July 2, 2010

Chocolate in my blood...

Last week I wrote about my mother's button tin. At the same time I was snapping her buttons (so to speak), I took a photo of the tin where she keeps other sewing bits and pieces.


This beautiful tin is probably also over 50 years old. If you look at the side, you'll see that it is a Nestle tin, so presumably in some distant past was full of chocolates.

And that brings me to an interesting point. Before my mother left work to have children, she worked for Nestle in Hobart. There were "seconds" of chocolates to bring home on a Friday afternoon and a general all-round chocolateyness in her day-to-day existence.

Is it any wonder that I feel the way I do about chocolate?

I'm just saying...