Deer Kangaroo,

 Deer have always been highly prized in ancient cultures because of the symbolism related to their antlers. A 'universally benevolent symbol' the deer figure in art is linked with spirituality, the east, dawn. light, creativity and purity.


The celts believed that deer were messengers from the otherworld, and they associated the animal with music and poetry. Its natural characteristics were the markers of its symbolism - abundance, watchfulness, grace and love.




For the chinese the deer was also associated with good luck and abundance. For the native 


http://www.etsy.com/listing/82922325/vintage-retro-brass-deer-figurine


American the deer represented  kindness, caring and gentleness and for all cultures there is the idea that the deer and its gentle intuitive powers is a feminine symbol. For all of these traditional and happy associations, it is not surprising that we are attracted to the deer figure in art and craft.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82921842/vintage-1960s-1970s-kitsch-faux-mounted

Australia and Antarctica are the only two places in the world where there are no native deer. Our closest icon is the kangaroo, which, like the deer have always been an important source of food and clothing for our indigenous people. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77092687/vintage-antique-gold-tone-kangaroo-charm

As a cultural symbol, the kangaroo is evident everywhere in our iconography. It is said that it graces the coat of arms with the emu as neither animal can walk backwards - we are therefore a country ever moving forward! But the reality is that both can actually move backward but don't very often. They were used because they are well known and big enough (in our imaginations) to hold up the coat of arms. There wouldn't be nearly as much gravitas to the shield if we had a budgerigar and a wombat holding it up!


Kangaroo as a symbol in other contexts suggest abundance, family and endurance. Some therapists regard that seeing a kangaroo in your dreams foretells unexpected and exciting trips. Lets hope after reading this blog, a kangaroo hops into your (and my) brain as we could all do with a holiday!

My latest treasury for your amusement

Me Hearties

Sculpture and kitsch and vintage metal - all rolled into one. I couldn't walk by these two sitting on the ground in a thrift shop. It is the craftsmanship, the quirkiness and the novelty of these bronze bookends which took my imagination. I have them listed in my ebay shop http://stores.ebay.com.au/Evaelena-Vintage

Bronze is an alloy 90% copper and 10% tin. Because it stays liquid when melted for a long time, it is ideal for pouring into intricate molds.  Bronze sculptures go back to 4,000BC in Iran and Mesopotamia. Earlier attempts saw craftsmen experiment with mixing arsenic with copper - hmm... short lived experiment. Tin was discovered by the survivors as a better mix!

These babies were made using a galvano method of plating popular in the 1920s which was a time consuming and expensive process (which is why it is no longer done commercially.) It involved dipping the plaster mold into molten bronze which was electrically charged so it stuck onto the plaster in a gradually build up of layers (taking hours, sometimes days).

Shall we say then that these two were kind of keelhauled in hot bronze?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110748017374&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Bookends themselves were developed in the 16th century. Up to that time, books were kept on lecterns and stored vertically - book shelves then had to be invented to make getting that book on the bottom accessible without having to move all of them every time. Bookends were developed as a means of stopping books falling of shelves and hitting people on the head! Hence the necessity for their substantial weight. These days they also serve as decorative objects.

I swear that these two are slightly different - perhaps the same face - but the face angle is different or are they different pirate faces? You decide! But pirates continue to be a romantic theme (OK Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom have helped this). They were terrible people who lived terrible lives but they represent a sense of freedom - they offer us an alternative to our daily lives. Their's was a life not bounded by social conventions. We can gloss over the fact that people genuinely feared them (for good reason), they were thieves, murderers and rapists, they enslaved others, and their lives were ruled by risk taking. Not having responsibilities to tie you down sounds like fun - but I am not sure about their short life spans. Better to live in the fast lane and die young? My opinions change about this as I age.

30% OFF everything sale until 27th Sept.

I have finally reached my goal of having 200 items listed in my etsy shop and now I would like to share with you the celebration. 

This is also a thankyou for those of you support evaelena as customers and via the blog and facebook.

30% off everything in the shop for a week only. Sale finishes Tuesday 27th September. This is THE time to get your Xmas presents early.

Use the code YAY200ITEMS

Dragons in New York State

Its so nice to hear of the fate of my vintage goodies in their new homes. This 19th Century silver dragon chopstick holder has found a new home in Richfield Springs, New York. His new owner, fellow etsian Mary Jo has made a beautiful miniature landscape garden box which sits above her sink. The dragon looks quite excited to be in his new home! A perfect rock, balancing a jade budda on his tail - and a fisherman about to catch a fish - this looks like dragon heaven. Mary Jo loves to collect and you can see her vintage finds in her shop MJs Fabulous Finds at http://www.etsy.com/shop/moojoo88

The miniature garden started in China in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) with an emperor who had his empire rebuilt in miniature including rivers, hills, and forests so that he could gaze upon his kingdom from his palace window. It was forbidden and punishable by death for anyone else to have a miniature garden. Later, the Chinese started making bonsai gardens and then monks brought them to Japan in 794 AD and the Japanese took to the art with a vengeance, although for many centuries it was an activity for the noble and the privileged. The west took some time to embrace the art of bonsai and it was not until 1935 that it was classified as a legitimate art form.

I love Asian decorative arts and I will be listing more pieces soon, like this lovely cork miniature landscape above. Here in Australia we are very privileged to be near asia and all the wonderful cultural influences (did I mention food? OMG don't get me started) from these rich and varied countries who have thousands of years of cultural history in the decorative arts.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81346542/vintage-ornate-shabby-chic-chinese

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76997389/vintage-1970s-chinese-art-bamboo

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79596484/vintage-mid-century-south-east-asian

Even in this climate of multiculturalism and extensive travel, vintage decorative objects from Asia in particular carry an exciting exoticism. For me they speak of a past time that I cannot imagine easily, and it is that mystery that appeals.

Lemondrop Vintage Giveaway Ends

Well the Lemondrop VIntage giveaway is over. Thankyou Marie for your lovely article and work and thankyou everyone who participated. 

The winner is JC Lo who hails from the lovely tropical city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. 

JC selected two goodies from my shop which are on their way as we speak. Congratulations JC!

Beyond my control

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81668529/vintage-pair-of-1960s-italian-clear

Its early spring here in Australia, and I spent the weekend at our farm which is 4 hours drive north of Sydney. On the way I stopped in at Gloucester which is a small town, and went in for the first time into their only thrift shop. To my surprise were these 1960s Italian lucite star salt and pepper shakers which were identical to a pair of candle holders I had sold only the day before! What a peculiar coincidence. Does the cosmos want me always to have a pair of stars nearby? Anyway, I have listed the new ones, lets see what happens!

Our farm is beside the Manning River, and at night does a great inky black sky full of non lucite stars and I spend most of my time when we are there in the garden. Its nice to have a bit of time out from the city and get stuck into my garden jobs. I went overboard in the early days with the orchard and now have over 70 fruit and nut trees to maintain including a very long hazelnut bush hedge which has flung a couple of nuts at me last year, but I will have to wait to something more substantial. 


The lovely pink blossoms above is a Yarahapinni Blood Plum tree. This is an Australian variant of blood plums suited to Australian conditions and it has the most beautiful deep red leaves in summer.


The last time it fruited, there was so many plums that the tree split in half down the central trunk from the weight of the fruit. A stake, a severe pruning and heavy duty bandage rescued it and here it goes again two years later. 


Last time the plums ripened the exact week I wasn't there. There was more than enough to feed us and the hordes of lorikeets which came to feed! I made plum brandy, plum pies and the most incredible plum paste to serve with cheese that Xmas (my Spanish Xmas), and then continued to eat it all year as thick plum jam on toast. 


Here is the recipe I used  (I added a stick of cinnamon and few cloves to spice it up)  

2kg blood plums, juice of 2-3 lemons, sugar, whole cinnamon, cloves.Quarter the fruit and put plums and stones in preserving pan lemon juice. Bring slowly to boil, stir occasionally and simmer until fruit is soft. Push fruit through a sieve, measure the mixture and add equivalent amount of sugar, return to pan with spices. to boil. Keep simmering until mixture reaches setting point. Test by putting tsp of mixture on saucer and cool in freezer. If it sets, its ready, if not keep boiling and testing every 10 minutes. When ready, pour into paper lined rectangular cake tin, do not refrigerate! Cut into squares when set - which means it should be firm when cold and hold its shape - a square of plum paste - not a blob of it!

Speaking of out of control plants - the other thing I planted at the farm in the early days was a single white lotus in the pond behind the house. The first year I had one perfect white flower which bloomed on Xmas Day. What a thrill. The second year, ten. The third year - about fifty and the next year too many to count. They are lovely, but short lived and make great homes for small green tree frogs.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81340377/vintage-antique-enamel-wildflower

It is not surprising I love vintage things with flowers on them. Nice to bring the garden indoors in our day to day lives.