The vintage art of typewriting

I was moseying around an antiques fair in Buxton Pavillion Gardens in Derbyshire over the weekend, when I stumbled upon a curiously characterful vintage find..

.An Underwood portable typewriter, still in its carrying case – and bearing the original warranty. This magnificent machine must surely have been the iPad of its day?

There’s no date on the typewriter or the case, but the dealer suggested this model dates from around 1929. Unusually, the shift and caps keys are in Eastern European typeface - can someone please let ShopCurious know which language this is?

Anyway, it brought back memories of layers of coloured copy paper – yellow, pink, green and blue… and multiple Tipp-ex papers to erase errors.

Oh, and forget iPad art a la David Hockney: What about this story from Oddity Central about Paul Smith, an artist with severe cerebral palsy, who creates the most extraordinary art using an old fashioned typewriter.

Who needs modern technology…


Do you?

London's most conspicuously cool landmark?

It’s come a long way since its original conception around 12 years ago, but today The Shard will be officially opened to the public.An extraordinary feat of engineering has taken place to create the mega-monolith - just take a look at the photo gallery of the construction project at Wikipedia (see link above). During the course of the building works, I’ve also taken quite a few photographs from various angles and locations, several of which can be seen here:

Despite what the advertisement hoarding next to the Shard says, there’s no longer any need to travel to America - at least not to see the towering, shimmering glass of colossal high rise buildings.What’s more - the Shard is so conspicuous, it’s difficult to escape from, wherever you are in London...

With penthouses on offer at around £50 million apiece, the residential accomodation on offer is a tad pricey, but if you’re looking for something tall, with a bit of English provenance, how about these curiously collectable twisted wood antique candlesticks from ShopCurious? I’m not sure how well they'd suit a contemporary apartment in The Shard, but if you love old fashioned British style and subtle lighting (as opposed to laser light displays), these may be just what you’re looking for.

 

Are you?

A curiously decorative Christmas...

Merry Christmas!

May your holiday weekend be filled with decorative Christmas curiosities... like mine:

I decorated the tree (a Nordmann fir from pinesandneedles.com) with a mixture of cherished vintage baubles, together with some of the hand painted wooden decorations from ShopCurious.

I managed to smash just one – unfortunately a rather lovely, old fashioned glass ball. But Henry the hoover came to the rescue. He's very busy at this time of year, what with all the pine needles and Christmas crumbs on the floor...


















































































Talking of which, my mother arrived with a curiously kitsch Christmas cake. Apparently, she won it at her golf club in a ‘guess the weight of the cake’ competition. 7.02 pounds in case you’re curious…










I took her to the Christmas Market at London’s Southbank. It was teeming with people and full of nasty cooking smells. I’m not quite sure what barbequed burgers and bratwurst have to do with Christmas? There were dozens of candy stalls, and a glut of gaudy snow globes.





Don’t you just love this time of year?

Do you?


PS Check out the latest posts at The Dabbler for more Christmas curiosities – including our retro 3D Version of The Night Before Christmas.

Weaving life's rich tapestry

Have you noticed how old fashioned handicrafts like needlepoint and lacemaking are coming back into vogue lately? I’ve spotted embroidery, crochet and patchwork everywhere from art galleries and craft fairs to niche boutiques and trend-setting chain stores.

Another curious trend is that tapestry is becoming rather popular, not just for wall-hangings, but also as fabric to cover furniture and cushions.






















The practice of weaving is said to be meditative as well as enjoyable, perhaps that’s why it’s become fashionable again recently? However, traditional weaving is not so much ‘make do and mend’ as DIY manufacture. There’s a real art to creating your own textiles – and don't even bank on saving money in the process…

Nevertheless, one way of cutting your coat to suit your cloth (sorry) is to purchase a second-hand loom. And, if you’re tempted to master this rustic craft, we may have just the thing at ShopCurious – a Glimakra Ideal weaving loom, which we’re selling for less than half the current market price.






















If you’re already skilled at producing your own unique, homespun creations (like Edward Taylor, whose handiwork can be seen above right), this could be a curiously useful purchase - or even an investment towards your future in sustainable design. If not, you can find some lovely vintage tapestries at specialist galleries, or antiques fairs (see above left).

By the way, any weavers reading this post are invited to share their work by adding a link in the comments below.

Will you?

Rummaging through retro memories

Philip Woolway’s ‘fish eye’ photographs of curiously cluttered junk shops illustrate a curiosity shop style that is very 'of the moment'.

These sorts of establishments are where contemporary jewellery and accessories designers often go to find retro bits and pieces for upcycling into curiously characterful new creations. Check out some of the uniquely arty items I’ve spotted in our latest Curious Trends post.

Products with past lives and provenance assume added value in today’s superficial, soulless world. Of course, you can create your own story too – and at ShopCurious we’ve got some ready-aged journals so you can do just that. The diaries in question are conveniently undated, yet give the impression of having been around for a good few years:



















There are several to choose from, including a girly pink ‘Soulmate’ version, and a somewhat more antiquated ‘Moment de Memoire’ - which wouldn’t look out of place in an old fashioned gentleman’s library. They’ll make great Christmas gifts – plus you’ll avoid the crowds (and less original items) on the high street.





















Alternatively, you may wish to record your own doings and thoughts. A few notes scribbled in an old book, perhaps alongside the odd photograph, may well become precious memories one day. Or you could always invest in one of Philip’s charmingly curio-filled photos and go all gooey about how things used to be…

Will you?

Carnival magic and fairground fun

With the carnival season upon us, and Mardi Gras coming up in a week or so, I thought I'd take a look at some of the curious carnival inspired creations appearing in fashion, art and design.

The FAS Contemporary Gallery will present the Trinidad Carnival inspired work of artists Che Lovelace and Zak Ove at the cutting edge Volta art show in New York from 3rd – 6th March.







Theatrical styling, influenced by street celebrations, circus clowns and magicians is very much in evidence in contemporary interior design. However, retro fairground memorabilia, puppets and old fashioned circus ephemera are also highly collectable as items of ‘modern’design art.












Surreal, carnivalesque costumes in bold, primary colours are also appearing on the catwalks, along with masks and other magical accessories.






Talking of which, we’ve a pristine pair of vintage hallmarked silver cufflinks at ShopCurious, featuring suits of cards…

I can't guarantee they'll bring you luck at the poker table, but they're great for adding a touch of magical fun to your attire.

Will you?

Stocking fillers for a capital Christmas

The last minute rush is upon us. There’s more cold weather coming too... I suggest you sit back in a comfy armchair with your laptop, so you can pick up a few stocking fillers without even going into town.

Here’s my choice of curiosities from London via ShopCurious, all available in time for Christmas (last UK orders 22nd December):

To start with how about a retro London powder compact, perfect for a liberal dusting of old fashioned charm...



Zarvis London’s divinely scented ‘mothaway cones' make a curiously useful gift, especially if you happen to live in London, where there seem to be plenty of moths. Are there any your way? In any case, there’s a special offer for a pack of two eco-friendly cones, which are available at a 20% discount.





If you’re going for the shock factor, there’s always The Little Shop of Horrors’ anatomical curiosity – the innocuously named Ted and Eddy, a freakish two-headed teddy bear. Eek!






Or for the traditionalist, choose from a selection of curiously collectable royal commemorative tins, starting at only £8 – surely the least expensive heirlooms in town?







The quirky and characterful Someday diary has no fixed dates, making it a totally timeless gift – but also perfect with the New Year just around the corner. And only £17 a pop too...








Keep someone warm this Christmas with a classic vintage men’s silk scarf. At only a little over £20 this is arty style that’s surprisingly cheap.







Or choose from a range of charming, old-style brooches, some attached to a pretty postcard, that are both reasonably priced and perfect as unusual gifts for ladies of all ages.

There are plenty more curiosities and gift ideas on the website, but I thought a few mentions might help you on your way. Take a look around, anyway... you never know what you might find, without eating too much into your capital.

Will you?

Sweet but spooky retro treats

Did you know that Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday next to Christmas? In the United States, Halloween candy sales average around two billion dollars annually.

I stumbled upon this old style American candy store on a recent visit to the States. Full to the brim with old fashioned varieties of sweets – plus retro memorabilia that included images of dead movie stars and celebrities like John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Ronald Reagan.











Never mind the ghoulish apparitions and skulls on display, I got a distinctly weird feeling about this store. The staff were very curious - and there was something decidedly eerie about the place. I started to imagine all sorts of horror film scenes, like candy store displays coming to life in a sort of Mexican Day of the Dead style procession.






















And I was reminded of the Mexican style curiosities (called Die-a-ramas) by Blue at ShopCurious. There’s one curiosity box in particular - featuring a skull and the word ‘Muerte’ (death) - that’s made from a vintage sweet tin, decorated with found objects and macabre ephemera. If you’re looking for unusual gifts for Halloween, this is curiously creepy.











Go on, have a sweetie…

Will you?