If only I didn’t have to think about carrying things back to Greece… I wish I had a workshop… I wish I lived in the Netherlands where I could go thrift shopping to my heart’s content.

Who knows. Maybe when I have a workshop of my own on Paros I’ll find a ton of thrift shops in Athens and I can go fill boxes of stuff for upcycle projects, buy tons of old furniture begging to be remade, and have it all shipped to Paros.

I am holding onto that dream.

Till then, I visit second hand shops and mostly drool at the possibilities…

I didn’t even look at the records. I’m a vinyl collector. I have a very small collection, and a record player which will record to the computer, but its not somehting I use often. Or at all, really. Still, I had to take a pic of this. Seemed appropriate somehow.

The photo doesn’t do this painting justice. It was gorgeous. They colours vibrant yet soft, the brushwork beautiful. I’d have bought it if I lived here.

A stack of old wooden ice skates. These would make amazing decor in the right place.

Oh come on!!! What a great item to display in a grooming shop window! I absolutely love the 50s package artwork.

Multitudes of board games. In dutch obviously, but what a selection!

And here is my tiny haul. I always buy knobs and handles when I find them.

Last time I was at this shop I bought 4 small porcelain knobs with a blue delft pattern. Two of them are the decorative ends of my curtain rod on Paros, and I gave 2 to a close friend for a cupboard he made from old doors.

This time round I found 3 matching knobs which look interesting, Two crystal knobs, a brass knob, a faux bronze handle and a chandelier crystal. And some hooks, I always love old hooks or things that can be made into hooks. Like the window thingy – I am already seeing that hanging in my studio with my work aprons hanging off it.

There was an old doll stand, always handy for my makeover dolls. And some little galvanized metal tags I just loved. I’ll use them for something.

I really miss my workshop in Tasmania where I had drawers and boxes for all kinds of things I’d collect anywhere I went. If I needed a hinge there was a box of them, some new, most old. If I needed a knob or handle, there were boxes of them too. Decorative bits, yep. Had them too. I had a selection of old wire items, a collection of old taps, old tins… All the basics like screws and nails of all sizes, hand tools, power tools, clamps, bits of timber, old drawers, baskets, old light fittings… basically, you mention it, I probably had it.

If I was making something or re-making something or if I wanted to make something new, all I had to do was go through my stashes and find the bits I needed to create it.

Collections of ‘stuff’ have to begin somewhere… and I’m starting mine all over again.

z