Yesterday's Trinkets

Most antiques you find for sale online are probably not what the seller claims. I knew this when I spotted this "Antique French" trinket box on eBay; I've seen another one in better shape for sale on Etsy (which the seller claims is one of a kind, no less.)

I can tell you that this is indeed an antique, but not as old as you may assume. It was likely mass produced in China or India, not handmade in France. From the slightly sloppy soldering work I'm going to guess China.

Another tipoff is the two gold ribbon roses on the top of the box, which are the mass-produced variety. True antique French ribbon roses are loosely woven to better resemble the real flower, and often have metallic golden centers surrounded by lighter tulle or organza layers.

Trinkets were probably never kept in this box; I unearthed two rusty straight pins from the interior. It was likely where a lady from the 40's or 50's kept her sewing notions. How do I know all this when I'm obviously not an antique expert?

My grandmother actually kept hers in a box just like this one, which vanished after she passed away. My mother gave away a lot of her things that were precious to me. Anyway, that's the real reason I bought this one -- not to invest in a questionable antique, but to remember her.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Best Thrifts of the Year, Part Two

Today I'm looking back at my best thrifts of the year to date in fabric. #4 is this collection of quilt kits, as it's the one that was the biggest surprise and also made me very happy, as I'd missed out on a similar lot that ended up going for a lot more at auction. #3 is this box of scrap fabric which I bought for $3.99 last month. I didn't post about it on the blog, as I just got around to sorting and measuring it. All together it's 54.35 yards, which works out to seven cents a yard. #2 is the lot with which I won my thrifting challenge bet. It was in brand new condition and will be making some local quilters very happy at this year's guild show. #1 is of course the enormous 103+ yards lot I bought for $15.00, which is still the largest and best thrifted fabric haul I've made to date.

Fasten Your Seatbelt

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is an epic, dazzling film that hurls you into the Korean version of the afterlife while showcasing some of the most impressive special effects I've ever seen in any movie. The story begins with the death of firefighter Kim Ja-Hong (Cha Tae-hyun) who jumps out of a burning building with a child in his arms. The kid lives, but he dies at the scene. Two strangers inform him that he has passed away right on schedule, and toss him into a vortex that takes him to the world of the afterlife, where he meets his three guardians: Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi). At the gates of the afterlife Ja-Hong learns that he is considered a paragon (an exemplary person who lived a noble and self-sacrificing life) and is eligible to be reincarnated -- but there's a catch. First he has 49 days to make it through seven hells in which he will be judged on his sins. His three guardians will help and defend...

Rayen

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