Fabulous Find #7 ~ Kiddie Koop

Look what D and I came upon this weekend ~ an original Kiddie Koop! When I turned the corner in the basement level of the River Market Antique Mall and saw this, I had no idea what it was until I saw the xeroxed copy describing this crib/bassinet/playpen from the 1940's. The photo of the baby in the advertisement drew my attention as it looked like some sort of circus attraction ~ it really looks like a cage as it has mesh screen. This one seems to be missing its top ~ yes, there is actually a lid on this contraption! Aside from the wire screen, the chipping lead based paint and the multiple pinching hinges, it seems a wonderful place to keep your baby entertained ~ and contained. What mother wouldn't love to keep her little monkey locked up in a cage while she cooked dinner or caught up on the laundry ~ plus, the rolling wheels would make it easy to transport the little tot anywhere ~ as long as you live in a one story home. I was so entranced by the oddity, that I never did even look at the price ~ also, I've already bought my sister and her husband a baby gift ~ I'll have to put this on the back burner for someone else!

While looking for visuals to go along with my photo, I found out that the Kiddie Koop was, by some accounts, designed by none other than Buckminster Fuller, the father of the geodesic dome. You can read more about the Kiddie Koop here and here. The advertisement above and the images below are all from daddytypes.

Save the Date ~ June 12 & 13

Coming up this June 12 & 13 is Friends of a Feather ~ a show I am participating in for the first time! I am excited to be a part of this show ~ there will be a large variety of wares as you can see from the description below ~ all gathered together by a talented group of women! Hope to see you there!

New Old Finds

Since I've been thinking about books lately, I thought I would share a few of the old books I have gotten in the last several months ~ I am always picking up crumbling and decrepit books ~ for some reason I love all the things that probably make them worthless ~ foxing, tattered bindings, yellowed pages, etc... Usually when the books are in this kind of shape I don't end up paying much either ~ an added bonus! I also pick these up for the graphics inside ~ the first two readers included some wonderful alphabets in addition to a nice variety of black and white illustrations. I got these books from oldohiofarmfinds ~ I found their site via sparrowsalvage just because I liked those little tins ~ it is amazing how much trouble I can get myself even if I don't leave the house!

I love the back cover on the one book ~ there are 4 different ways to count listed for each illustration ~ including roman numerals! Below, counting with your fingers and a beautiful ornamental alphabet along with coordinating illustrations.

Here, another set of readers for children ~ in German. The title, loosely translated is The Child's Friend ~ New Stories for the Youth. These are little paperback books printed in Germany ~ no date that I can find. I got these at the Sparks Flea Market this year because I thought the covers were so beautiful.

Speaking of Ants . . .

This is one of my favorite children's books that I discovered as an adult ~ actually, I had Chris Van Allsburg as an illustration teacher while I was in art school, so I became familiar with his work then and count many of his books among my favorites. One of the classes I took from him was Pen & Ink & Scratchboard, which is the technique used to illustrate Two Bad Ants. This book is about two ants' adventure into an unknown world containing an overwhelming treasure. When the two ants decide to stay behind, they get into all sorts of trouble but finally discover a valuable life lesson. The illustrations are quintessential Van Allsburg ~ beautifully drawn and colored along with a unique point of view and perspective. See more from this book here.

Caldecot award winning illustrator, Chris Van Allsburg has written and illustrated many children's books ~ Jumanji and The Polar Express being two of the best known ~ see all of them here.

Hooray! I'm an Aunt again!

My younger sister and her husband just had their first baby this week! I can't wait to visit in a few weeks and meet my new niece.

Gwendolyn May Trainer
May 13, 2009
6 pounds, 8 ounces

Fabulous Find #7 ~ Clark's Spool Display

I have to confess, the real reason Sprocket didn't end up buying much of anything at the Sparks flea market is because I spent all of our money. Here is my favorite find of the show ~ an amazing accordion style spool display ~ I plan to use it to as a display for my brooches when I participate in shows. I have another spool display that I have used in the past ~ while I love that one as well, this one may serve better for my new brooches as the trays are not as deep ~ also, the color of the display is a nice neutral gray. The photos show it all cleaned up ~ there was a free coating of dirt/dust on every surface ~ the spools came with it as well. Happy Day!

{folded up display}

{unfolded display ~ it is glorious!}

Spring Shopping in Sparks with Sprocket the Scottie!

{splendor in the grass ~ along with some fleas I'm sure}

This past weekend Sprocket, now a year old, took his second shopping trip to the Sparks Flea Market ~ in case you missed his first trip, you can read about it here. Ever the discriminating shopper, Sprocket spied many items he liked, but decided to save his pennies for a spring grooming instead. Being a Scottish terrier, Sprocket is partial to plaids and is quite frugal ~ he wasted no time scouring the grounds for stray kettle korn and pork rinds ~ yummy!

{no use for an empty tin ~ even if it is a lovely plaid}

{no need for hosiery with summer on the way}

{already the ideal dog ~ no need for a guide}

{Sprocket is glad he is not a poodle}

{ a good reminder to be thrifty ~ his owner should take heed}

Shots from Sparks

As promised, here are some shots from the Sparks Flea Market this past weekend. We ended up going on Saturday so I had a nagging feeling that I had missed out on some good deals ~ even so, I managed to find a few treasures, saw lots of things I would have loved to buy but didn't and had a fun day away with my boyfriend and my dog Sprocket. Below are some of the things I liked, but passed up ~ there are several I am kicking myself for not picking up!

{I have a penchant for muffin tins, but this one was just too many $}

{great details on this camelback trunk}

{why did I pass up these trays?!}

{aluminum letters by the each}

{my biggest regret ~ certainly I could have figured out a place for it!}

{Plasticraft for boys & girls!}

{vintage paperboard doll vanity}

{weaving loom w/partially finished potholder}

Stop by tomorrow ~ Sprocket's finds at Sparks.

It's that time again!

{image from here}

This is the weekend for the biannual Sparks/White Cloud Flea Market! Actually, it started on Thursday, but as we are soooo busy at work I had to delay my trip until Saturday ~ I usually go on Friday ~ I hope there are still some fabulous finds left! So, up at the crack of dawn so we can make sure to get through the whole show ~ and back in time for our neighbor's annual Kentucky Derby Party. Seems like this weekend will be packed with fun things to do ~ hope yours is too! Happy Weekend!

{image from here}