After a fairly quiet and uneventful morning at the market, my friend Amelia and I decided to take a trip to the Recycling Centre (a.k.a rubbish dump) just out of town. I have to say I often forget about the tip when I feel inspired to do second-hand shopping. But I think I'm becoming more and more addicted to it! Last week I found a beautiful Steve Fullmer bowl that came to the grand total of... erm, one dollar. Can you imagine? Taking one of those to the tip? I hope it was by accident. But we'll be able to give it a very good home.

Today I found this amazing 'Tala icing set':

I don't know how old it is (from a Google search, maybe 1940s-50s?), but it's made from stainless steel and looks as though it's NEVER been used. The box is very old though - I can imagine someone finding it in an abandoned basement or something. I've always wanted one of these. Don't you think they'd be great for Arlo and I to ice cupcakes with?

And also this:

A finished, but unframed piece of embroidery which I found peeking out of a box of dirty old bits and pieces. It's definitely in need of a wash, but I'm a bit scared as some of the stitching is beginning to unravel, so I'll try to do it tomorrow, carefully! The photo is terrible, because as usual I've left it too late to photograph without the flash, but it really is such a gorgeous piece of embroidery- the vase is beaded with tiny crystals and the flowers are made from very fine ribbon. I hope I can find a frame big enough, and restore it to it's former glory (before it ended up in that box of car parts!) I think maybe this one is heading to my Mum.

p.s. can you believe that if it wasn't for 'Recycling Centres' and secondhand shops, treasures like these and so, so much more would end up underground? It's so crazy to think about how much we throw away every day.