Thought you might like to see the results of my recent couple of hours fossicking around in a few charity shops.
I was on a very focused mission - I was after books - books that offered possibilities for some of my mixed media stitched work - notably the next batch of embroidered lampshades and other little pieces.
The haul was a really mixed bag.
A dictionary - but those pages or words offer so many options and possibilities.
But I found a ridiculously cheap book of birds, and just look at some of those illustrations.
And an old London A-Z. I can see that coming to life on lampshades. I could use the whole pages; I could cut out the parks or patterns within some of the major roads; options, options.
And did you spot that civil engineering book?
Sums!! I can definitely do something with sums!
And, because I was on a roll I was even able to finish this traditional bit of quilting which has been hanging around for too long. All I have to do now is sort out the thread ends then I can say that is done. (A vibrant lap quilt using a simple 9 square design - this must have been started about 5 years ago).
So, all in all a very successful day - and this doesn't include the haul of fabulous paper and an old frame picked up at a studio clearance sale. But that is for another day.
I love that word....fossicking, I don't think I've ever heard that before.
ReplyDeleteAnd the London A to Z reminds me of my student days.....happy times indeed! X
I have no idea where it came from - looking for fossils, peeling back the layers? Describes exactly what I did as most of these were on bottom shelves so I was scrabbling around near the floor.
DeleteYou use a lot of old papers - where do you get yours from?
Well goodness, I've never heard of fossicking either and had to look it up. Used in Australia and New Zealand, it says, so where did YOU pick it up? But you are right that it describes what you were doing:
ReplyDelete1 Australia and New Zealand : to search for gold or gemstones typically by picking over abandoned workings; 2 chiefly Australia and New Zealand : to search about : rummage
It also says it can be dated back to use in the mid-1880's meaning to ferret out. So there you go!
As for the variety of books, you definitely have a bit more imagination than I to think of uses for an engineering book. ;-) But the bird illustrations are beautiful.
How strange - the word was just 'there' and I felt perfect for what I was doing. And you're right - it really does describe what I was doing from the definitions you found.
Delete