Treasure Hunting in Portugals Capital City - Feira da Ladra the 'Thieves Market'.

So I haven't posted for a while but I'm just back from an amazing treasure hunting trip to Portugal and thought I would share my experience.  Portugal is a beautiful place full of wonderful people and the lifestyle is something I would love to have more of in the U.K.  The local fresh food markets, the celebrated traditional craft fairs and the flea markets are just amazing.

One such flea market, hiding in the sloped streets of Lisboa, or Lisbon as us English speakers call it, is Feira da Ladra, or the 'Thieves Market"located in the Alfama District (Campo de Santa Clara).  If you head for the area between the Panteao Nacional and the Church of Sao Vicente on a Tuesday or Saturday, you will find it.  I was determined to visit this market as it sounded huge, so we set out early at 7 a.m to arrive for some bargains.

When we got there at 8 a.m, many of the stores (most simple blankets thrown onto the ground) were still setting up so we headed to a small cafe near the train station for some breakfast.  On heading back we were greeted by a true marvel, hundreds of traders and thousands of items for sale.

Most of the items seemed to start at around 5 Euros, from a rugby ball to a small painting!  There is an eclectic mix but I was struck by the quantity of quality brass ware and furniture.  If only I could have fit it into my suitcase! The sellers were friendly overall, not everyone spoke English but that is no barrier to getting a few treasures.  The traders that did speak English, which was most engaged in friendly conversation about Europe and asked what we thought about Brexit, it was nice to see how real people in Europe thought.

We easily spent 2 hours walking and rummaging through the boxes for hidden gems, you could spend all day here if you are a determined buyer.  Unfortunately I had a grumpy boyfriend with me who does not have flea markets and treasure hunting in his, "List of top 10 things to do".  He did carry my bags though so I can't complain too much, and I did buy him the rugby ball so he cant complain too much either!  I would thoroughly encourage you to take the tram over to the market if you are in Lisbon as it is full of atmosphere, in a beautiful part of the city and you might even find some treasure of your own.

Here are a few of the items I selected to bring back with me, and believe me when I say if i had a bigger suitcase there would have been much more!

Vintage Wicker Place Mats - http://etsy.me/2uD68Du

Vintage Coin Purse - http://etsy.me/2h4qKRF

Vintage Candle Box - http://etsy.me/2uyaT2u

To purchase any of my hand selected treasures from the Thieves Market head over to my Etsy store where I have hundreds of wonderful vintage items in stock from all over the world. http://etsy.me/2uYRPLO or look me up on Facebook http://bit.ly/2v0GA54

The Snow I Really Want - Big Freeze 1963 - South Wales Echo

So I LOVE snow! I hate being cold, but I love snow. Where is the logic in that eh? Well most of my favorite childhood memories are of going out, 3 pairs of socks on my hands because we didn't have gloves, and trekking miles through the snow with my father and the dog.

The last month or so we have been teased with a few falling snowflakes and none have stuck to the ground, much to my huge disappointment.  However in South Wales, back in 1963, we had this!

Holy Snowballs Batman! 

They are digging through 10 feet of snow ... now THATS what im talkin' about!  This Souvenir newspaper of the South Wales Echo was produced to contain stories and information about 'The Big Freeze'.  This included Mr. B. Waite of Rhoose who abandoned his car in Porthkerry only to have to dig it out days later from under six feet of drifting snow, "and it started first time!" the article proudly states.  Milk was in danger of rationing because farms got cut off and people were not putting their milk bottles back out for collection.  The Army and RSPCA had to trek on foot in North Monmouthshire with food for wild ponies who had, "been on a cardboard diet" and a slab of ice fell down a mine shaft in the Maesteg Valley injuring three miners and damaging the cage bringing work to a standstill.

Things have changed.  Now the slightest mention of a snowflake and people are fighting in supermarkets over the 20 pints of milk and 15 loaves of bread that they think they need, I'd be amazed to see a modern car that would start after being left in a snow drift, the mines have all but closed down, and charities like the Welsh Pony Rescue and Rehoming Charity are left to help feed the ponies even in mild weather.  The paper ends with, "...the only happy people around were the travel agents as they dealt with a telephone blizzard of inquiries from people searching for the sun"... I guess some things do stay the same.  I however, would be happy to fly out for some real snow.  I'm so busy at the moment the chance would be a fine thing.

If you are interested to learn about Welsh Pony Rescue and Rehoming Charitable Trust who I mentioned briefly here please visit their Facebook Page . I see first hand what brilliant work they do. So come on snow! I want to build an igloo!

Term Time! - Cloisonne.

Term Time!!

No, we aren't back at school. its time for a new word.

I found this piece and wondered if there was a name for detailed enamel work on metal.  Turns out there is, and its ...

Cloisonne

Thin wire work, often in silver or gold is used to create a pattern outline, often on a copper base piece. It creates an outline for different sections or colours.  They are then filled with enamel powder made into a paste and fired.  It was first used on jewellery and small clothes fittings in Ancient Egypt, during the Roman Empire and in Anglo Saxon crafts,  It got picked up by Chinese craftsmen in the 14th century who used it for much larger pieces.  It is still a hugely popular method of decoration in China today.

If you are interested in the piece shown above it is available in my store Chinese Dragon Cloisonne Vase

Hope you found this snippet of information useful!  

Ciao,

Ignis.

Its Finally done! The Bloggin Begins!

So I've finally gotten around to making the blog.  You may be wondering what this blog is for?  Well, I LOVE old items.  Carboots, skips, auctions, charity shops... even the ground we walk on is full of treasure that we can still learn from, use and cherish.


You may now be thinking, "Under the ground?! What is this crazy woman talking about?" Well my degree was in Archaeology and I worked in it for a while (including a couple of stints on the infamous 'Time Team').  So it turns out, I have found quite a lot of 'treasure' in muddy holes in fields!  These days I mainly concentrate on slightly warmer and cleaner means of finding my treasure!  I have an Etsy shop that I have been running for the past year which I thoroughly enjoy, its becoming more a full time thing now which I'm thrilled about.  Id really love for you to check my store out as I have got some amazing Christmas stock in, loads of items would make lovely and unique gifts.  Why buy a generic high street store item when you can rehome some treasure eh?!  MY STORE


Found anything you like? I hope so.  Sharing these items, pairing them with new loving owners and ultimately saving a lot from landfill is a huge part of the joy of doing this.  I see so many beautiful and functional items that are discarded or undervalued because they aren't appreciated, they aren't in fashion, they don't match the new carpet, etc.  It really annoys me.  In an overpopulated world and consumer society we should be taking more care with re-purposing, recycling and re-loving our old items instead of simply getting rid of them.


Hopefully over the next few blogs I will be sharing with you interesting bits of information I find out.  This passion is really something where you are learning new things all of the time.  Plus I will share any extra cool items I come across, tips for cleaning things, my general moaning about stuff: Like my store, it will be a weird, eclectic yet interesting mix of 'stuff' that I hope someone out there will appreciate and love.  There is always that one special item for everyone.


Ciao for now,  I have treasure to list in the store.


Ignis.