DEER HEAD - AT LAST!!

I have been coveting deer heads since I was a child. I finally have one that suits the modest proportions of my house. It's wooden, beautifully made. I'll save the real stag until I get the dream house. Anyway, here it is:

I bought it at my beloved Lynn Antiques in Athlone for €100. I went in to buy a book case (got one!) and came out with this too. Irresistible. Made in Europe, apparently. There was still wood dust from the carving on it when I bought it and I imagined some lovely man in Bavaria whittling away in his Lederhosen...

And while I'm at it, here is the bookcase. At last a replacement for a hideously ancient Atlantic Homecare number:

NAIRN PURCHASES

Oh Scotland, Scotland, how I love you. And your fabulous charity shops. I was in Nairn recently (I litblogged it here) and, naturally, I hit the charity shops. These were my finds:

Charles and Di cup - £1

Filigree brooch - £1.49

Caithness paperweight- £20

Handmade tea cosy by Jill Laurillard - £3

VIENNA FINDS

I am just back from a short story conference in Vienna. It's a posh, upmarket city but I managed a trip to the Saturday flea market and to Humana, a secondhand shop on Alserstrasse, near our lovely airbnb apartment. My purchases were modest, but lovely:

My €4 plastic-nobbled, vintage evening bag,
which I used at our reading night at the Irish Embassy

The Saturday flea at Naschmarkt, Vienna

BEFORE: Last year in Spain I bought a silver ID bracelet for €5
at a market. I got this one 'Albert' at Vienna's flea, also €5

AFTER: 'Albert' after I had given him a rub with a silver cloth.
I dipped him since home and he's even nicer now :)

And though she is not vintage, I bought this little Swarovski lady in a department store. You can't go to Austria and leave without Swarovski. Her name is Vinnie and she is bringing me luck already :)

GLASGOW FIND

A trip to the UK is not complete for me without a dander into the charity shops. Their shops are so well-stocked and the prices are always great. I was in Glasgow last week and, though it was a flying visit, I managed a peek into a few shops.

For this princely sum:

I bought this beautiful watercolour of a cottage:

High Mills near Tain by Janet C. Kennedy

VINTAGE TEA TOWELS - ETSY SHOP

My poor neglected blog. Life is just too full on at the mo for much vintage-purchases blogging. Of course I continue to buy!

Today I bought a pile of vintage Irish tea towels and have put most of them up for sale in my Etsy shop, JunoRetro. I may live in one of the sleepiest places in Ireland but, boy, it has good charity shops!

Duck. Doll. Swan.

I just can't believe the last time I posted here was June - arrggh! Between three trips to the USA and two novels to get to bed, I have been flat out. But I have been photographing and buying and I keep meaning to post my finds here. Anyway, one quick pic to rectify the neglect:

Duck. Doll. Swan.

Three finds from three separate places. Duck egg-cup: 50 cent in an Athlone charity shop. Porcelain doll (stamped Japan on the rear) $9 from an antiques shop in Amherst, Massachusetts. Blue swan, 50 cent from one of the Ballinasloe charity shops.

A TRIP TO TIPP

I was doing final research on the Ireland-set part of my novel-in-progress (NIP) this weekend in lovely Tipperary. Seriously, that county is beyond gorgeous: lush and green.

And the walled town of Fethard may well be the friendliest place in Ireland. We were bowled over by the welcome we got in Jolly's Café (great brownies) and in the shops. Even in the church, where I was given the potted history of Saint Rita. The same woman gave my daughter a miraculous medal (on the traditional blue string) and she gave me a scapular (brown string!) for the car.

Juno & me, perched outside the fab Kyle Lane

Kyle Lane purchase - Go on the Tea plate - €10

We stayed in Clonmel so I had to go to Kyle Lane, a great shop I follow on Facebook that sells upcycled furniture and plates. On the way there I came across this cutesie shop:

Forget Me Not, Clonmel

Of course I managed to get to the famous Fethard Car Boot sale and to Clonmel's charity shops. I am trying to be more discerning when I buy, so while I saw lots of sweet things, I want to only buy what I love or what has meaning for me. And, I also operate a one-in, one-out policy, so some items have to go after this weekend's purchases.

The novel (my NIP) is mostly set in Massachusetts so I was pleased to find this tin tray at the boot sale for €2:

I am also a fan of American Fiesta Ware - I have a turquoise pitcher that I bought in Macy's in New York that I love, so it was good to find this matching Fiesta mug for €1 at the boot sale.

All in all it was a productive research trip and a nice bric-a-brac trip too. I am still thinking about two oil paintings I passed on at the Fethard boot sale but, until I get that Georgian mansion I dream about, there just aren't enough walls :)