Anastasia Drawing & Dreaming

Hello, my name is Melinda Andersen from a little paper cutting place called Paperklip. It is so very nice to be here at Anastasia’s blog while she takes a holiday.
Today, I will write about my second love (after paper) - Vintage - and how to buy it and make it work in your home.

Our home is a mix of styles, based on quite a few years of collecting. I have been buying old things for a long time – from markets in Balmain, Sydney when I was a drafting student, from flea markets and antique fairs in Copenhagen when my Danish husband and I had a flat there.

I guess what I am saying here is my first tip – buy what appeals to you and always with your heart. It is important to trust your instincts regarding your style and your home.
Try to steer away from having a show home.
My second idea is to start a collection. I collect West German pottery vases from the 1960’s/1970’s. This picture is from a corner in our bedroom. The ladder shelf is new, and I feel this mix works because the vases are all from the same period. About 6 months ago these vases were in a cupboard. What was I thinking?? – get your collections out and get them on display! I love looking at them, their different forms and colours.


Moving on, the goal now with my ‘collection’ leads me to a third tip – buy quality. My shelves are reaching the full mark so it is time to be selective. I now try to find specific colours, or a different shape and always in great condition, with no chips or cracks. It is okay to reject something if it is not in great condition. There will more than likely be another one along – provided you are not collecting very rare things.
There are many great places to buy vintage these days. Why not try your luck on Ebay, search for something specific on Etsy or take a trip to your local opportunity shop to see what lies there. If you are in Sydney there is a great collectables fair on once a month in Glebe that I can highly recommend.

Happy collecting to you!



images One, Two, 3 & 4 both by Melinda, Five