Valentine Cat

Just in time for Valentines Day, I found this whimsical wooden cat decoration at Goodwill. When you pull on the string, hearts and a kitten pop up from behind. It was handmade; it is signed on the back and dated 1983, but I haven't been able to find any information about the artist.

Fairy Flower Vase

Someday I am intending to create a tiny hidden fairy garden in the woods, so I always keep my eye out for inspiration. Last weekend I found this little 3 1/2-inch tall fairy vase at Goodwill. The porcelain vase is quite heavy and rather innocent; it seems like somebody's lovingly handmade creation. I especially like that the vase is a robin's egg. This vase would be perfect for a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley.

Riddle of the Sphinx

This little carved granite cat head is a bit smaller than a baseball. It has a sort of sphinx-like Egyptian character, I think, but it's another mysterious Goodwill treasure of unknown origin.

Fishface

Found this whimsical, dreamlike ceramic mask at a consignment store the other night while waiting for Rog to get off work. It is signed "Sara Morris, 1987." I did a Google search and found a ceramic artist who does lovely animal-themed work in clay, named Sara Morris Swetcharnik. I sent her this photo and asked if it was one of her older pieces, but no. Still a mystery.

Dried Flower DooDad

Last week I was paging through a bird identification book I purchased at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and I came upon this dried flower art that the previous owner must have tucked in as a bookmark.

It is a die-cut metallic scrap with dried flowers carefully arranged inside each circle, sealed within wax paper. The entire piece is about 6 inches in diameter. It reminded me of a favorite project back in grade-school, when we sealed autumn leaves and crayon shavings between wax paper with a hot iron.

A Good Reason to Get a Water Buffalo

Yesterday I found the coolest bell at Goodwill! Well, I guess you call it a bell, despite the fact that it is hand-carved from wood and makes more of a clattering than a ringing sound. It has two hinged external clappers.

It looked sort of southeast Asian to me, but I could envision it worn by one of my hoped-for Icelandic sheep. It would also make a terrific percussion instrument for the musicians in the family.

I searched the internet last night trying to learn its origin. I only found two references to a similar bell: one was an image of a cow in Thailand wearing a bell much like this, and the other was a description of a wooden bell with two exernal clappers used on water buffalo. Hmmm...water buffalo might be good on a small sustainable farm...