Hi friends,
Today is an adventure into the world of treasure hunting! I have lots of eye candy for you today!
In January 2018, I posted here about three lace and fabric collages I made using a vintage baby photograph given to me by Dee of Dee's Funk'n'Junk Shop, in Ulladulla, on the South Coast of Australia. Above is the one I made for Dee in thanks...
I promised to show you Dee's shop, so here we go on a tour of the vintage, retro, and grungescent Dee's Funk 'n' Junk Shop. If you see anything you'd like to buy, contact Dee through Facebook.
Dee's sense of decor and decorating is quite eclectic and unique - a cross between sea change and shabby chic with a distinctly Australian vintage feel. The shop is always changing its face as furniture is sold and replaced with more vintage or fantasy pieces. Dee has an artist's eye for seeing beauty in things many might overlook, and for telling a 'story' through her vignettes of found treasures.
Dee was born and bred in Ulladulla and lived in nearby Burrill Lake too. Dee's Funk 'n' Junk Shop started 11 years ago as a hobby she loved doing, and after a while she gave up nursing and dental nursing to follow her dream, to do what she really wanted to do with her natural gifts and talents.
"An old man once said to me that when you do something you love doing, you never work a day in your life," says Dee smiling, "so I made that choice!"Dee has always loved recycling and making things. She can see treasure in old worn things that just need some work to bring out their beauty.
Dee loves timber and is appalled by cheaply produced chipboard furniture and the IKEA imported wood style. She enjoys recovering sad upholstery and refinishing worn old timber furniture. The pieces that are beyond restoring might get a coat of shabby chic style chippy paint to restyle and resurrect them for another family's use. Dee is proud to be a keen recycler!
Vintage costume jewellery is a favourite of Dee's, but she appreciates the past and its stories in every piece she finds. She loves the stories told by generations of colours of paint on a piece of timber furniture, like a gift she unwraps to find the secrets of changing fashions in the past.
A grand treasure-hunter, Dee finds it in unexpected places. She been part of her community for over 50 years, and locals know she'll be interested in their 'old junk' they no longer need or like.
Music from her collection of LPs for sale is always playing in the shop, setting the atmosphere to help you step back into the past, where life was harder, things took longer to make, and great care was taken to make things look beautiful.
I asked Dee what was her best-selling stuff. Her answer - "People look for something unique, something one-off and special - not mass-produced and spiritless. Like this broken old grandfather clock made into a timeless china cabinet. These pieces go to their new homes to be loved and treasured in a new life."
"Does your house look like this too?" I asked her. "Is it full to the brim of the beautiful stuff of the past?"
"It's even BETTER than this, because I do take some favourite things home", says Dee. "But I've had to make a rule for myself that there's only so much you can fit into your living space, so if I'm tempted by something, I have to sadly let go of something else. I try to limit myself, but there's often a special thing that I don't have and it's so tempting!"
"I built my own house out of recycled timber and bits and stuff - old windows and doors", says Dee. "It's a timber frame with gyprock. The verandah is made from old timber sleepers from a railway station. They even have the old metal on them. I'm still building my house - you never stop..."
"I really want to encourage people to stop importing rubbish-quality chipboard furniture from overseas", says Dee. "Stop and look at what we have here, things you might have walked past because they are the wrong colour - instead, try to re-style, repaint or remake a solid timber piece. It doesn't have to cost the earth!"
Dee's favourite product for bringing out the natural wood finish is Mastertouch Carnauba Wax, which has an orange citrus smell. It rubs on, and leaves the timber refreshed but not shiny, keeping the vintage patina while protecting the surface.
So now for a peek at the shop...
First, my all-time favourites I coveted but couldn't afford/fit it in/make it work with my decor... the Post Office Cupboards. How stunningly gorgeous are these? Sadly, the Abbey is sold!!! Just imagine either of these in your craft room stuffed with vintage lace hanging out a little, or coloured paint pots, coloured crayons/pastels or small collectibles! Every now and then you might find another piece done in a similar quirky and clever way... these are just one of a few unique cabinets which come in on consignment by a friend of Dee's - exclusive to Dee's Funk 'n' Junk Shop.
I can just see vintage teacups in those wider pigeon holes, to make it a kitchen cabinet...
A vintage typewriter... I wish I could find space for this in my place...
An old worn book from London...
Old tin trunks and old boxes - great for extra storage as well as display...
Check out this 'fireplace cupboard' with leadlight display window cupboards on either side... some wooden wagon wheels... vintage curtains and bedroom fabrics... and that old pram up high...
A lacy wedding dress with the rose chandelier...
Lovely white candlewicking embroidery...
Retro Books, clothes, and linens to browse...
Framed pictures, old china and lovely furniture in a range of old styles...
Old LPs...
A pale pink cotton slip or nightie...
Vintage hat boxes and old suitcases that can be stacked...
An old evening purse and recycled rose pictures...
Vintage table cloths...
Old photos looking just right on vintage pine dresser shelves...
Maybe sisters? Or the same woman at different ages?
Beautiful old china ...
A pretty shabby chic styled dresser...
What a trip down memory lane, it's almost like visiting a small museum. I hope you've enjoyed my tour of Dee's Funk 'n'Junk Shop.
Last, but not least, Singer sewing machine drawers - I love these! So handy for craft spaces, but even kitchens or just general display.
Since some may have missed this post, I am linking it to Simply Neutrals Tuesday at Wen's blog Appleapricot, so jump over there for some lovely neutral beauty.
If you like old sewing machine drawers, below is a sample of my Pinterest board on them...you can see more ideas on this Pinterest Board here.
To all vintage treasure gatherers, I wish you happy hunting!
