Flotsam jetsam, and a tea towel tote

Whoa mama, I’ve been ill. I don’t remember ever being so utterly wiped out with ‘flu before but, joy – this morning dawned, windy and wild, and I felt almost recovered. Off to the markets, to pick up supplies and get back on schedule for the next book.

Although I never really head to the markets with a specific item in mind (too tricky, and too inevitably disappointing) I always have a loose list of objects to source running through my cluttered brain, just in case they crop up: luxe fabric remnants, ballerina prints, seventies kaftans, needlepoint cushions, beaded bits and bobs, vintage childrens’ toys and fabulous hats… just some of the things on the list. This morning, I found a fair few things that fall into those categories, all washed up on the shores of market stalls for one reason or another.

Since arriving home, I’ve been turning them over and over in my hands, figuring out what to do with them next. Above is a tea towel turned tote bag, chopped in half, sewn around the edges and stitched to wooden handles (chopped from another trashed bag, long gone). Just one idea for a tea towel you find too pretty to use.

And below, some cute things picked up for Olive – a pair of miniature boots (barely worn), a short scarf someone grew too tired of knitting to fully finish, and a beaded purse, the size of a shell. Cheap thrills indeed, but no less sweet for that.