Vector Park

Todays post is slightly different, in that its not an object, and it doesnt have much age to it!

I was sorting through a whole hoard of online bookmarks and rediscovered Vectorpark. Above is a screen grab from Feed the head. Its so simple and really quite beautiful! With its ephemeral noises, and bizzare goings on, theres a touch of Svankmajers Dimensions of Dialogue about it!

If you have a moment, I recommend hopping over and interacting with some of the other creations. Its a visual feast! Patrick Smith is the designer behind Vector Park and you can see more over at his blog!

Who knows perhaps this could be the start of a whole bunch of multi media posts!

Wicker Man Cheeseboard

This lovely Cheeseboard turned up at the local charity shop, last month. It measures 13.5" in diameter and has a metal rim, but like so many of my favourite things, it has no makers mark.

The figures are all in national costume and have a Scandanavian folk feel, but, underlying that, theres something sinister. It could be their raised hands! Are they praising the cheese? ( I like that idea!)

Whatever it is there's something a little bit Wicker man!

1969 Britains Cotton- Education Pack

Heres a curious find from a car boot, this summer. As is so often the case, just as we were about to leave, this brilliant educational pack turned up on the penultimate stall.

Released by The Textile Councils, Education department, this box has all manner of samples relating to the cotton industry. Britain's Cottons- Samples of Cotton, from field to fabric is beautifully designed and details various aspects of the industry for the year 1969.





















A couple of statistics from the printed sheet above, stand out. In 1969 a total of 122,029 people were employed in the textile industry, and the UK exported £53,227,000 worth of cotton and man made fibre that year. I wonder what the figures were for the UK, last year?


















Above are some close ups of the sample book, along with a Cotton Boll sample. I bet The Textile council dont send boxes like this out to schools anymore?

Fisher Price Jolly Jalopy

I just couldnt resist this pull along toy from Fisher Price. Apparently made between 1966 and 1978. He has a wooden base and a plastic grill. As he goes on his way his sprung head wobbles, and the wheels makes a great "putt-putt" sound

Richard Scarry Playskool Puzzletown figures

Over the years weve picked up a small collection of Richard Scarry Puzzletown figures. They were released by Playskool, in 1976, and there were five sets in the series. The 2" figures were solid plastic, but the buildings were made of card, that all slotted together, and sat on plastic bases. Below you can see one of the buildings from Set E, Lowly Worms Rail Roadway .

The wonderful world of Galt

Apologies for the lack of posts recently, but while we were away, we did pick up some gems. Including another lovely set of dominoes from Galt.















I do wish there was more written about all their stunning products from the sixties. Ken Garland one of the designers for Galt has some information, but I do wish there was more!

Isnt it time you changed your shorts?

Sad Wooden Donkey

A sad wooden donkey, who is in desperate need of a restring. Hence his weird posture! Hes beautifully made & is around 12" in length. There is no makers mark, but he could be Galt or Brio. His rubbed edges hint as his history and just add to his charm.

UK Decimal Currency Converter 1971

On Monday 15 February 1971, Britain went decimal. Old money - pounds, shillings and pence was replaced by a new system that had a 100 pence in the pound. Shillings became a thing of the past!

There was much confusion at the time and a whole set of promotional items were created to launch and promote the new money. Todays post is a rather nice information wheel which converts old money into new.

Unobtainable Under Private ownership

The pick of yesterdays booty. One of a number of beer mats.