flea market finds: i don't mind a little soft-soap

it all started with a very grumpy mister who just got out of the shower grumbling that we ran out of his hardy soap and was left with no choice but to reluctantly use my shower gel(!).  he prefers any soap rather than the liquid shower gel as long as it comes in a bar.  the rougher, the better.

i've read somewhere that the soap bars in Portugal were very good.  So good that, in fact, Oprah is a big fan.  Particularly the Claus Porto brand.  It was listed as one of her Favorite Things back in 2007.  

Claus Porto is made by Ach. Brito, the company that has been making most of the soaps in Portugal since 1887!  They make all kinds of soaps, not just the high end ones.

so, i asked a Portuguese friend of mine who regularly goes home to Portugal if she could buy me some regular soap as a tester (Portugal is about 5-6 hours drive from Gibraltar).  She brought me 2 and when we used it, it was the creamiest, most fragrant soap we've ever used!  even the mister is now a big fan!  and they were not even the expensive ones that Oprah uses! from then on, i was hooked and began looking out for soaps (any kind really as long it is in a bar) in my haunts.

love the wrapping in the Ach Brito soaps!  very Pop or Art Deco.  the one on the left is made from goat's milk (soo creamy!)

found a beribboned pack of L'Occitane soaps with milk or honey in a carboot sale for next to nothing!  L'Occitane is a French company that follows and preserves the tradition of Provence, France.

speaking of France, i found two bars of the popular Savon de Marseille in a table top sale...again, for next to nothing.  

here in Gibraltar, there is a new shop in Main Street where you can't help but go in and have a browse.  the smell is just heavenly.  the Gibraltar Soap Shop is not only budget-friendly but they also sell a lot of vegan-friendly products for men and women.

love the tissue paper pom-poms in their window

have tried some of their products and they smell amazing

now, please excuse moi while i take my nth shower for the day ;)

flea market finds: dansk love

i have been coveting (any) dansk product ever since i saw them on other blogs and in pinterest.  their designs are just so different and unusual and interesting.  i've never thought i'd see them in Gib but lo and behold one day in my favorite shops, i see this...

the lady in the store didn't know what it was so she gave it to me for next to nothing! it took me awhile to find the very slim candlesticks though.  they weren't available here in Gib and no one has heard of tall, slim, tapered ones. i was about to ask for it on my birthday from a friend living in the States when I saw a pack of Chanuka candles in our local grocery store with just the perfect diameter but way shorter (about 9.5 cms only).  YES!

i also found this oh so beautiful hand-blown pale turquoise vase with an amber base.  Another one to add to my turquoise glass collection :)

just look at the details!

flea market finds: shoot em up

there was a carboot sale the other day and of course i was there early.  been anticipatin' this carboot for two weeks now and so i came prepared with my sturdy shopping bag and a pocket full of change ;)

here are my lovely finds:

(1) a tiny Delft stein buried under a mound of souvenir mugs from all over the world 

(2) a Canadian pewter whale "piggy" bank - isn't he just sooo cute?

(3) a functional 1960's Fujica 35 ee camera (my favorite find!  perfect for my collection plus i really, really like lomography)

(4) a vintage photo album with a brown leather cover - i bought this because of nostalgia really. when i was little i remember all our photographs were 

neatly arranged by my mom in a similar album

(5) a square monkey pod salad bowl and guess where they were made?  the Philippines!

*linking to The Penny Worthy Project @ hey what's for dinner Mom? :)

flea market finds: on a silver platter

recently, i just sold my Polaroid P.  it was just sitting on a shelf gathering dust and so I was happy i sold it to someone who needed it more than i did.

i must say i am loving selling my stuff!  with a tidy profit to boot!

the thrift shops have now closed for the summer so i am frequently imagining all the different new stuff they would have once they open again in September.  a billion things would fly through my mind at any given moment.  

but i never imagined this:

a French glass serving platter in a silverplate basket with a twisted handle

bought for a song in an online buy and sell page, this would make a lovely present to a hostess with the mostess ;)

*linking to The Penny Worthy Project @ hey what's for dinner Mom? and also to The Nifty Thrifty @ a living space :)

flea market finds: ghosts and green monsters

the days have been getting more beautiful each day here in Gibraltar.  clear blue skies and cool, breezy days.  perfect for a carboot sale!  of course i wouldn't want to let this opportunity pass.  remember, they are so few and far between here in Gib! 

people have caught on! over the years  i've observed that there are more and more people checking out the goods!

so before i and the mister took off for a little getaway, we just had to stop by and shoot a few pics and browse a few stalls :) 

against the backdrop of the imposing Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque in Europa Point, the only mosque here in Gibraltar which also contains a school, a library and a lecture hall and was a gift by the King of Saudi Arabia in 1995

i only bought a few items as i think i enjoy the rush of seeing different and unique things more than my impulse buying (although, i recently sold one of my flea market finds for a good sum!).

here are my finds!

(1) two chinese jade-colored candle with a weird mama creature snuggling with two of her weird babies (i am guessing this is part of a chinese zodiac candle collection)

 (2) i was intrigued more of the title than what it really is.  after doing a little research, i found out that the author had been a commentator and a staunch critic of the Marcoses during the late 70's.  definitely now in my to-read list :)

so yeah those two are just what i bought but i had fun browsing and taking pictures of the things i wanna take home with me :)

from left to right: Gibraltar crystal hand-blown vase, lime green Moroccan sandals, a handmade doorstop (more for a finca i think!), a glittery top (boogie nights!) and the most delicate cups and saucers i ever did see!

from left to right: a cute smiling voodoo doll(?) or maybe a charred gingerbread man?  he's dapper though!, a wooden bowl, a repurposed crane, an old camera and a couple of jazz aficionados

ahhh, one sweet day! 

i end this post with a pic of this elderly lady, with prams and suitcases brimming with goods, as she waits for the bus heading home happy and contented.  she probably can't wait to show off her finds too! 

flea market finds: lights, camera, action!

here in Gib we have facebook groups that sell second-hand stuff (pretty much like Craigslist and eBay) that is very small scale and only to a select online demographics.  sometimes i find good bargains in these groups and this is how i found my new Polaroid P.

grey Polaroid P with built-in flash in really good condition





in my favorite shop, i also found this beautiful tiny tin tray with the Daher mark, made in the England.

 

19x15cms with an intricate design of flowers and butterflies

we've been having brilliant days lately apart from the ocassional freak storm but i went to a carboot sale the other week and i will be posting my finds pretty soon.

 

*linking to ThriftShare Monday @ Apron Thrift Girl and The Pennyworthy Project @ hey what's for dinner mom?

 

would-'ave, could-'ave, should-'ave

oh the things i left behind at the carboot... there were many but these i picked because i liked them...

from top left: an old-fashioned purse with a b&w picture of a retro girl, an 1879 New York and Manhattan Express collage made from parts of timepieces, a series of blue watercolor frames and a vintage iron with a cork handle

from top left: a chicken wire basket pretty much like my own (except mine was painted sunny yellow), a b&w picture of Marilyn Monroe, brand new pink Timberlands and a rug with geometric designs

flea market finds: a spring in my step

two weeks into spring and still the weather was stubborn to let go of the last vestiges of Old Man Winter... but finally last saturday i did it... i hopped and skipped and almost jumped...

because last saturday i was on my way to a carboot sale! and here are my beautiful finds:

cheap and chic! a pair of Ikea Skribent bookends that I have been looking for the longest time! made of strong birch and galvanised steel, they give my second-hand books a modern feel

a sweet ole guy manning a stall full of toys had me at "traditional" with this yoyo

a clear glass Parlane Collection flower frog

a Chinese bamboo steamer that the owner has not found the time to use :)  dumplings galore!

a hunter green silk clutch with a beautiful bird design still in its plastic wrap

one of the trends for Spring 2013 is shimmery, iridescent metallics so this pair of shiny brand-new Cherokee sneakers would just fit right in!

my last find is a total score.  retailing at £40 a pair,  this brand new (still in packaging), woollen, shearling-lined, gunmetal gray classic from Toms are the  most comfortable pair i've ever worn!  the lady i bought this from said it was meant for her granddaughter but that she didn't like them. lucky, lucky me!

my next post will be all about the things i saw and left behind at the carboot  :)

*linking to The Penny Worthy Project in hey what's for dinner mom?

flea market finds: spring to life

spring is here!  

time for spring cleaning and putting away all the heavy, itchy, dark-colored clothing that i have been reluctantly wearing for the past 4 months.  away with the one-digit temperatures and unpredictable rains and harsh winds. 

and HE-LLOOOO to bright, happy rainbows, beautiful flowers and intense greenery, less clothes equal more fun!  i think the seasons that we like and look forward to also gives us a hint of who we are inside.  winter is nice and all, initially, but as its gloomy days go by, my usual light fades away and so too my moods and outlook.  one thing nice that i can really give it credit for is that it will always pass and make me appreciate more my favorite seasons of the year :)

anyway, i have serious plans of re-decorating our house this spring and turning it into a colorful display of happy and pastel-licious shop-window that's very personalized and handmade :)  just the way i like it!

so, say HOLA to my new crop of decorating books i found in the thrift shops! 

the title alone is scrumptious!

who else is re-decorating this spring? lemme see some hands and shout PASTELS!

flea market finds: pop and pablo p.

true story.  

i got this 34.5 x 26.5cm print of Picasso's Head of a Woman (1924) from my favorite shop for only a splish and a splash (it was, after all, raining heavily).  

i have been finding a lot more artwork (both original and prints) lately and i am totally loving it.  i am always on the lookout for them because i get giddy with excitement every time i picture them on my living room wall.   

a girl can dream... someday...

i love this pear print below.  it was given to me as a present from a very dear friend of mine (who knows me inside out).  although it is only 5 x 7 inches,  it commands attention when you enter the room because of its simple design and eye-popping color.

i can totally see this against a backdrop of a wall-papered wall... or maybe a dark one?  or maybe a plain white one? what do you think?  the possibilities are endless!

flea market finds: designer essentials

i’ve now been very picky in my forages into my favorite shops.  i sometimes go back and forth with my purchases.  whether i need them or not.  i am now simplifying things around the house and only buying the essentials.  hence, the following:

a summer essential, a straw fedora with a black band for .50p!  i am thinking of replacing the black band with a  bright-colored ribbon as a nod to spring

a Lulu Guinness sunglasses in classic black and white for £1

a black fleece scarf from Prada for .50p

flea market finds: souvenirs and then some

first up is this cute Danish dish shaped like a leaf with a picture of the famous little mermaid statue


then next is this Thai wooden musical frog (when you stroke the ridged back it makes a percussive noise (deee-e-e-et!) this is a bit nostalgic for me because i remember i had one a long time ago.


i also found this Wisteria stencil which will be helpful one day… one day…


this Casio label-maker was not from the shops but i bought this for a song from a local Facebook page selling second hand items.  i’ve always wanted one :)



*linking to Thrifty Love @ Cap Creations :)

flea market finds: corally yours

due to the fact that its been raining buckets sporadically the last few days, i haven’t been out much.  i finally went to the shops one day when the weather was fine enough for me to go outside (i lost 2 umbrellas the last time i attempted to brave the spearing rain and angry wind).
 
except for the usual stuff, i didn’t see anything i liked particularly.  i picked up this beautiful powdery blue coral a few times wondering if i should buy him or not.  he was alone in a dark corner and as you can see he is missing a few “fingers”.

and then instantly it clicked in my head!  i am perfectly fine with “imperfect”!  i love his soft blue color, i love his little polka dots, i love that he is so delicate and totally reminds me of my island from far way!  so i told him to pack up his things because he is coming home with me :)

flea market finds: three scoops of ephemera

my heart goes out to the people affected by hurricane Sandy in the East Coast.  i know the feeling since my hometown in the Philippines got a really big blow from typhoon Sendong last year. 

as is customary here in Gib, we’ve started to feel all of the four seasons in one day and the clock has moved back an hour so its officially “otoño” or autumn.

despite the steady downpour and feisty wind, i visited my favorite shop and found these:
three copper ladles for a pound is not bad.  i have just the perfect repurposing idea for them ;)

three vintage Italian postcards of 2 famous comedies (La Dolce Vita and Signore Si Nasce) and one opera (Madama Butterfly) from long ago for .25p each.

ohhhh the sun just came out ;)

*linking to Thrifty Love @ Cap Creations :)

boo!

halloween despite being the invention of the Celts, is very much the most celebrated of all holidays especially in America.  here in Gibraltar, it is not so noticeable apart from the occasional zombie or witch that we see on the weekend prior to the eve of the first of November smoking a ciggy or drinking a pint while discussing first world problems.

i try my best to be “evil” every year so this year i put up my usual decors (just varying the function and placement for variety), bought some candy and wait for the fun part (which is to hear that knock on our door by tiny cute blood-sucking creatures).

made with scrap fabric from my ribbon-making days and left-over spiders and spiderwebs, a raven cut-out and googly-eyes, all attached to an African grass trivet that i got from a shop that was closing down.

the scariest plastic bats ever i bought from a little boy for a pound (for a pack of 4) at the carboot sale last year.  i suspended them from the ceiling in the verandah with a fishing line and voila!

we eat locally so let’s see if we can scare a little wee vampire or two like we did last year :)

(monstrify yourself at www.picmonkey.com)