I have two completely different items to show off this week.
The first item I’m very proud of. Can you guess what it is?
I found it in a local charity shop for pennies. My husband hates it so won’t let me have it on display but I love it. I didn’t know what its’ purpose was until I saw one on Eastenders. Dot Cotton had one in her kitchen and it is a kitsch string dispenser! When I have the perfect 1950s kitchen I will have it on display.
The second item I need your help with.
I fell in love with this little item when I saw it in an antique shop and had to have it but I don’t know anything about it! I can’t identify what it’s made from, how old it is or what it was for. It measures about 10cm x 7cm. The top of the inside of the plant has been hollowed out, so perhaps something could be stored in it?
If you have any ideas I would love to hear them.
I’m linking up with Flea Market Finds, Magpie Monday and Thrift Share Monday – please follow the links for more lovely vintage discoveries.
Love the cat, even though it is a bit creepy. I would TOTALLY use it for kitchen string…or for dental floss. I dunno.
I love the idea of using it for dental floss! I think that would totally freak out my husband 🙂
oh the things people think of. My only guess for the second lovely would be a vase of sorts but I do love the string dispenser.
LOVE the cat, you must sneak her out into the house somewhere!
hooray for dot, throwing up answers, besides the usual la-di-dah… 😉
and i can see, i think, the fascination for second item. could you just look at it, and that’s it? because that might be enough. it is actually stunning!
(is it ivory, you think?)
n♥
Hahaha…love your string thingy…sooooo Kitsch!
lol @ using it for dental floss.
cat thing rocks, awesome find!
♥ Sir Thrift-A-Lot
The string holder is great! Do you knit? You could use it for wool too :0)
I have plenty of vintage ricrac, I’m liking the idea of it spewing some of that!
I love the cat! It’s such a cool colour. I don’t think many of our husbands/partners really ‘get’ our love of thrifting. Hey if it’s good enough for Dot…
Excellent finds! A ric-rac cat is a great idea – anything Dot Cotton has is good with me!
I wondered if the lady was ivory too, and assumed a vase, but maybe you could keep crochet hooks or something similar in it?
You can absolutely join the swap – I’m still working it all out, it’s a spreadsheet nightmare at the moment!
Loving that string cat! No idea what the other item might be for, can only think it might be a little vase for a single stem that an admirer might have picked for you on a romantic walk. x
I didn’t like the cat at all until I knew it was a string dispenser. Now I want one too. I love impractical looking practical things! The lady is rather glamorous but afraid I can’t help with identifying her. Lovely find though.
I absolutely love the cat…..have a thing for kitsch 50’s stuff! As for the other item I reckon it might be for matches? or toothpics? it’s definitely a cool curio 🙂
Adore the string dispenser! Those pesky husbands…(just kidding–sort of!).
I love kitch things but cats ….. Nooo, sorry, in agreement with hubby on this one : ( xxx
Love the lady, she looks asian or maybe african ? Could that be an indigenous plant with some significance ? Hope you find out. WOuld love to know.
Oh what a fab string dispenser I love it…gonna keep my eyes open when watching Eastenders to see if I can spot Dot’s 😉
Sorry I don’t have a clue what the other thing is.
The cat gives me the creeps, and that’s coming from me, lol. Love the other ornament though; is it ivory? Really attractive.
CJ xx
A string dispenser!! Who knew such a thing even existed! And it just goes to show how educational watching soaps can be, too!
I would say the second item is definitely representing Africa, drawing on the (from 16thC) tradition of representing the (then) ‘Four Continents” as allegorical figures. Africa was commonly represented as a figure against a tree/plant with a scaly bark, such as in your figure, see some examples here:
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/12/allegory-of-continents.html
Its hard to say any more, as I haven’t seen one like it. What does it feel like/sound like when tapped? (for the material)
The lady/plant seems Hawaiian to me.
I don’t think I would’ve bought that cat, not my kind of find…
As for the other thing, she reminds me of a cuban mulata, and the vase part looks like tobacco leaves. Could it be a cuban souvenir or maybe a match holder to light cigars?
Oops, sorry! O.o My cat remark sounded harsh!
It’s just that I wouldn’t have given it a second thought and would’ve missed it! 🙁 My scanner isn’t set up for that kind of thing… 😉
I’d use the kitty in a heartbeat, and my husband would have no room to talk. You should see the … “lamp” he uses as a bedside lamp – it’s a broken plaster-of-paris (American) football lamp he painted when he was a kid, with a ratty burlap shade. I’d be fine with the lamp in another setting but between you and me the thing was pretty … um … hmm … I’ll go with old … when we got married. Now it’s even worse – he broke it in a move a while back – glued it back together, covered the seams in black and green paint. I’m currently fighting the good fight with a collection of thin scarves draped over it. o.0
The other item looks like a bud vase to me – I swear McCoy makes one that looks a lot like that, but I did find this one – – that reminds me of it – what do you think?!
Thanks for your reply. The vase you found is spooky – perhaps the design was quite common?
I’m surprised your husband’s lamp ‘survived’ the move! I always use moving as an excuse for my husband’s toys to go missing 🙂
That appears to be a Holt Howard string dispenser! They were made between 1958-9, and in mint condition can be rather valuable. I’ve seen them online for anywhere between $50-100.
To me, your pretty vase looks a bit too smooth and stylized to be an ivory carving. There are, however, TONS of fake ivory pieces out there that almost look like the real thing. It looks a bit 30s-40s to me, maybe with a bit of a Polynesian vibe? I’ll be keen to hear what the material feels like, how heavy it is, etc. I’m sure someone out there know more about it than I!
Thanks so much for helping to identify it properly. I had a quick google and found the bow on the side is meant for scissors!
That appears to be a Holt Howard string dispenser! I dunno. Do you knit? What does it feel like/sound like when tapped?
As for the other thing, she reminds me of a cuban mulata, and the vase part looks like tobacco leaves. I wondered if the lady was ivory too, and assumed a vase, but maybe you could keep crochet hooks or something similar in it? Now I want one too.