Tuesday trinkets 18...

The puppies are sleeping peacefully and hopefully will continue to do so until I finish this post!
Today I have a small assortment of novelty pins and brooches to show you.

This beautiful spider brooch is handmade and I was told dates to the 1920s.He measures a scant 2 inches long. Apologies to any arachnaphobes out there!

This cocky brooch is tiny measuring just slightly more than a half inch. I wonder if he might have been part of a set of collectibles available through collecting Lipton tea coupons? He has the look of that kind of thing about him.

This sweet little dog brooch is marked Gerry's. Gerry's produced mostly figural items from the 1950s through to 1996. Their jewellery range was priced in the low to medium price range and their items are relatively common.

This hummingbird is beautifully enamelled and finished with clear diamantes. I am unsure of the vintage.

He was very hard to photograph but I adore this charming little hedgehog brooch.He is domed and quite chubby,approximately one inch long. Vintage unknown.

A pretty enamelled Rosella brooch. He is larger than the cockatoo pin measuring slightly more than an inch long. A souvenir pin perhaps? Vintage unknown.

Cute 1950s fly or bee brooch. Made in Czechoslovakia. Approximately 3/4 inch long.

Another sweet puppy pin. I'm unsure of the vintage but would guess 1950s or 1960s. He is unmarked and measures just a bit more than an inch long.

A tiny poodle face brooch. Barely half an inch tall. Apologies for the poor photograph. He is unmarked and again I would guess his vintage to be 1950s or 1960s.

Adorable elephant brooch.Measures approx 3 inches across. I have another of these somewhere in a different colour. Perhaps they were a souvenir from an overseas trip? He is very heavy and solid and also has a pendant clasp attached so he can be worn either as a brooch or pendant when attached to a chain. He appears to be made of some kind of moulded plastic with extensive goldtone  finishing. Vintage unknown.

This owl brooch refused to photograph well which is a shame as he consists of absolutely gorgeously designed and worked sterling silver. The whole owl is worked in fine filigree within a heavier silver frame. He is marked with the 925 mark. He stands at approximately and inch and half tall. Vintage unknown. I purchased him from a UK seller.

This butterfly is one of many I own and is one of the loveliest. Again my camera doesn't do justice to the delicate work on this piece. It is beautifully layered and the back looks as attractive as the front! I have no idea of the vintage but it sure is pretty!

The final brooch for today is this lovely fox. I believe he is from the 1920s or 1930s. He is missing one stone eye. He has an older, simple type 'C' clasp. Although his body appears to be made up of diamantes or stones this is an illusion. He is made from pressed metal and has been designed using a technique that resembles marquisite stones when looked at. The name of this technique/style escapes me at present.
I hope you have enjoyed todays trinkets. I love the figural items, they are such  a lot of fun!

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Puppies are fun....

But Oh soooooo exhausting! I have barely been on my computer since the puppies arrived but maybe that is not so bad? I am getting more exercise than I have had in a while and they really are a joy to watch. I feel like a new mother all over again. So I hope you will excuse my absence from blogland a little longer.

We also still have my sister and her friend staying. The house is a little squishy, it was never mean't to accommodate so many people at once. They have both started temporary work and are looking for a place of their own. Ohhhh how I wish our builder could get on with our extension!

The cats are carefully avoiding confrontation with the puppies and each other. My girlfriends cat has the puppies bluffed after a couple of firm swipes across their noses. Our two cats are curious about the puppies but also a little scared and are still sulking in the bedrooms a lot. Our cats are definately not happy about having another cat in the house but thus far we haven't had any real fireworks thank goodness!

My sister's pet rat is oblivious to all!

I may not be commenting much but I am trying to read a few blogs each day.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Meet Max and Cheby...

I mentioned in my last post how busy life was around here recently. We have a lot going on.
Thursday we picked up one of our new puppies. He is an 8 week old Bichon Frise Miniature Poodle Cross and just the cutest bundle of fluff at present.

Meet Max!

My girlfriend who became homeless recently owns a beautiful long haired domestic cat named Simba. Mr B and I told her that if she could not find a new home for Simba we would adopt her either temporarily or permanently. Simba arrived on Friday, perhaps not the best timing but we promised we would give her a home and so we have.

Meet Simba.

and yes her eyes are a beautiful green!

Saturday we collected our second puppy, a purebred miniature poodle we have named Cheby. Mr B tells me Cheby was a famous mathematician. Cheby is prounounced Ch for chain and Ebbie on the end.
Meet Cheby!

The puppies are settling in well. Simba is still very unsettled but coming out of hiding more and more. She seems unperturbed by the puppies but is nervous of people with the exception of my son, Sam and myself whom she knew previously. Simba sat on my knee for a short time today with one of the puppies so I think that is a good sign. Our two cats, Squeaky and Tabby are totally miffed and are still hiding in my daughter's bedroom only coming out to go outside. They are scared of the puppies and not happy about a new cat in the house. My sister and a friend are currently staying and I think my sister's pet rat, Hermione, is the only animal in the house truly relaxed at present. Hopefully in a short while all will settle in and at the very least learn to tolerate each other.
I imagine my time will be taken up with puppy raising duties and animal reassuring for some weeks to come.
I haven't owned a puppy for some 30+ years so it is quite an experience for me.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting our new babies, I have enjoyed showing them off!
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Busy busy week!

Just a little note to say there will be no Tuesday trinkets post this week. I have had a very busy week and have not had a chance to take photographs.
Last week Mr B had further surgery on his jaw and the rest of his teeth removed. I am glad to say he is recovering well. This surgery and teeth removal is due to complications caused by his cancer treatment last year.

My sister and a friend arrived to visit with us unexpectedly last week and are staying with us whilst they search for work and a place to live. My sister has lived interstate for several years at the opposite end of the country and we haven't seen each other for about 4 years so it has been wonderful catching up. Having two extra adults in the house has seen things a little cramped and a lot chaotic here but so far we are managing ok.

I have two very dear friends who are undergoing very serious health issues at present. I have been very anxious about them both and thinking about them a lot in the past week.

We are awaiting the arrival of a sweet furbaby addition to our family. I have spent a lot of time this week chasing up a second furbaby as a companion, thus far without much success. I didn't realise adopting a puppy would be so jolly difficult! There will be pictures and more info in a few weeks when our new purebred puppy (and hopefully his companion pound puppy) is welcomed into his new home!

So you can see I have had a few things taking up my time this week but hopefully Tuesday trinkets will be back again next week.

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen