Small tins and kits - 3rd collection

>> Tuesday, April 25, 2006

I often see small tins at flea markets and I like to buy them if I really like the graphics or lettering. Like the large tins, I try to find a use for them rather than just having them on a shelf, but I will admit I have acquired a bit of a collection. Oddly enough the tin shown above was included in an old sewing box full of odds and ends. I like it because it's really tiny and I like the lettering and cross-hatching pattern. I think the picture below shows almost all of my small tins. I will show close-ups of my favourites!Of course my favourite tins are related to sewing. This blue floral tin was for pins and was still full of them. My girlfriend told me that her mother who still lives in Turkey has this same kind of tin for her pins! I just love this one, the light blue with red and white flowers is so pretty.This box was full of mending floss for darning one's stockings. I probably won't be darning any stockings, but now that I think of it this might have been handy for darning that rabbit. A couple of people asked me about darning, I guess it's interesting and nostalgic because most people don't do it anymore so maybe I will show a how-to sometime. It's really quite easy.The spools are tiny, and they actually curve out in the middle - to seem fuller I guess. This box was $10, I thought it was worth it since it had all the spools and most of the thread still on them.I also love to make kits from small tins, this is one of my favourite things to take with me on holidays. Of course I don't want to spend my whole time doing crafts...but there's always some times when you're lying around and a little beading or knitting is nice to have handy. I remember seeing a picture on Flickr of a girl on a beach and she had a crafts kit with her and was absorbed in making something. And I thought, "yay, I'm not the only person who takes crafts to a beach!" This is a bead kit I made. A friend of mine gave me the little jars - they're used for specimens in labs.This next one isn't vintage at all, it's a new paintbox made by Windsor & Newton but it's done in an old-fashioned style. I couldn't find it here in Canada, I ordered in online from an arts supplies store in the UK. It's metal, and there is room for water in the bottom half which is an attached flask. The lid becomes a little water trough to put the water into when you're painting, and it hooks onto the side. There's a loop at the bottom to put your thumb through. The inside of the lid is white for mixing colours and the pans of paint are removable so you switch around the colours. I've made a little legend of the colours as I did with my large everyday paintbox. My plan is to try some en plein air painting this summer.
And last but not least, this tin was from our last Sunday market trip. My friend wanted it too but she let me buy it (it was $5). I had seen this type of tin on a previous trip to the market and I liked the penguin and wanted it. But it turned out to be full of old pen nibs, oddly enough, and was a bit too expensive. Not that I don't like old pen nibs... hmm... maybe I should have bought it then... Flea market regrets are the worst because you know you can't go back for things later. In any case, it seemed fitting to find a cough pastilles tin this week since I had a bad cold.
I guess penguins are a good spokesperson for cough pastilles because they are quite hardy and can resist the cold. I just loved March of the Penguins.

10 comments:

Anonymous,  April 25, 2006  

I love your little penguin tin, and all the other flea market finds!

laura capello April 25, 2006  

That's a great bead kit you made.

And yes, MotP was fabulous.

Heather April 25, 2006  

I love all your little tins!! I have really got to go shopping where you go!!!

elisabetha April 25, 2006  

I love your collection, especially the penguin!! I share your love of old tins, though I collect bottles too. I try to find use for all of them, but I admit there is a pile of empty ones sitting on my shelf, and I can't bring myself to throw them out!

Anonymous,  April 25, 2006  

Lovely collection. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous,  April 26, 2006  

Thank you for sharing your collection of tins! Such beautiful designs.
I found an interesting, small tin last fall, maybe not as *pretty* as some of yours, though. I was determined to find a use for it immediately so I filled it with extra sewing machine bobbins right after bringing it home. Here is the post with pictures of the tin: http://knittingiris.typepad.com/knitting_iris/2005/10/garagemovingant.html

julie April 26, 2006  

The tins are amazing - I love stuff like that too.
I also remember my parents in the UK had a blue pin tin like that.

Anonymous,  April 26, 2006  

Hansel and Gretel fabric above, and then musings on the qualifications of penguins as spokesanimals!

I'm dying of the cute!

Anonymous,  April 26, 2006  

Your collections make me smile.
;-)

Anonymous,  April 29, 2006  

These are so fantastic, I am obsessed with little tins like these, so much history comes with them. I like seeing what you've done with yours.

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