The very fact that I am starting this post with an excuse might indicate just how many doubts I have about my most recent of purchases.
The fact that I am going to reveal said purchase slowly so as to minimise the visual shock might emphasise this further.
You see Mr K - who shall thus forth be known as Mike for that is his name - insisted on popping in to our local charity centre. As I duly followed him in I was feeling fairly nonchalant about the prospect. Having had a conversation on our way there about having too much 'stuff' I had resolutely stated that I'd have a look around, but really didn't want or need anything at all. I was there purely to support his quest for some old cameras.
It nearly worked.
Then Mike spotted something I'd missed.
Something with a lovely pattern.
And an interesting shape.
Maybe a feature?
Or two?
At this point I feel it is only fair to warn you that if you possess a modicum of taste you might want to stop here.
You could imagine I have bought a beautiful old vase.
Or bowl.
Maybe a dainty cup or a tea set for summer picnics.
What you probably won't expect is this.
A fine example of a prettily patterned pottery dog!
And if you're still here you might be thinking 'how could this get any better?'
I'll show you how.
A pair of prettily patterned pottery dogs!
They made me smile.
I chuckled all the way home.
Today the chuckle has been tempered by many doubts. Am I turning into the sort of person who throws taste out of the window in favour of a cheap thrill? Will my twilight years see me surrounded by hordes of prettily patterned animals? I have never given much heed to popular taste and have always fancied a wall full of cuckoo clocks.
Is this a slippery slope?
HELP!
Jane
xxx
I'm sure these pretty china dogs fit in well with your eclectic mix of things in your home. Will you give them names? I'm jealous that your husband will even consider stepping into a thrift store ... mine won't. Nor will my kids. So I venture in alone most times ... not quite as fun. I'd say you only need to worry about your purchases when you run out of room to display them nicely, or you find you're hiding things away in your bedroom for fear of ridicule when you have company. LM Montgomery had a pair of these china dogs, and she wrote about them in her Anne of Green Gables books. I think hers were green ... green!!! Wendy x
ReplyDeleteOh dear, this could well be a slippery slope, hehe! They're certainly not to my liking, but I wouldn't worry about them - if you like them that's all that matters, if they make you smile, don't worry about taste or what other patterned animals you might find in the future!
ReplyDeleteA very unexpected reveal, I though it was going to be a stash of fabric! I wouldn't worry, if they make you smile bring them in, if you decide one day that you can't tolerate them for another moment well then the charity shop can take them back. (I confess to be a lover of cuckoo clocks...;)
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the first picture, I got all excited. I thought it was a new Liberty print,ha ha. I like these dogs. I have whatever appeals to me , in my house. I don't worry if something is fashionable or not.
ReplyDeleteTaste is purely subjective. I like them.... but it depends what background you put them up against (flowery wallpaper + dogs = too much chi chi) but in a modern,bright interior they would be very kitsch in the best way. A lot like rice.dk's owner, Charlotte Hedeman Gueniau writes about in Happy Home.
ReplyDeleteOh Jane!! You have me in hysterics now!!!! I think they are very pretty and a great buy. I knew in the picture just before the one with the nose what they would be somehow - but no idea how, so I am pretty scared by that!! I have all kinds of things and yes, some people might think I am mad - she turns her head to see all kinds of things on the shelves right now! - but I don't care! As someone else said above, you can always donate them yourself in a few years if you want! I love them!! Hello Mike, nee Mr K! xx
ReplyDeleteHa-ha! You never fail to make me chuckle. Those dogs certainly were very popular in the day. And if they make you smile, then that's really all that matters. I say put them on either side of a pretty potted plant. Everything looks lovely when a plant is involved. :) Best wishes, Tammy
ReplyDeleteI think you may be 'bang on trend'... have you seen Rob Ryan's dogs? xx
ReplyDeleteJane! Half way through your post I thought 'she's bought King Charlies!!' and I was right :-) As an owner of a real one I have been on the look out for a pair of china ones to sit on my mantel. Everyone else manages it but I can't, and to see this lovely pair you have really hit the jackpot. Well done!!!!
ReplyDeleteCertainly a talking point, which can never be a bad thing surely. They were probably much loved and treasured once, so now will be again xx
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing, you're a star. I'm certain that before very long they will sought after retro vintage things and everyone will want them. Never doubt your own taste, it's what makes you you, and I much prefer interesting people who don't follow the crowd. They're brilliant! CJ xx
ReplyDeleteWell I do like them. Very much in fact. I only laughed when I saw two of them. But that was because of how you set it up, not because they are funny or wrong or bad and no no no, definitely not tasteless. How could they be so, when I really like them? My daughter said that she thinks they are supposed to sit either side of a fire-place. Anyway, wherever they go, they will be delightful. They have such cute little expressions on their pretty patterned faces don't they?
ReplyDeleteOh and blow that having to have them in a modern pristine environment. Eclectic in your own style, beats following set trends that you need permission for. Doesn't anyone dare take the risk of expressing what they really like? So I hope you have got floral curtains and a nice chintz sofa for your new acquisitions to blend nicely with. Personally I love all those things. Enjoy having those lovely dogs.
Sara
Absolutely gorgeous! Those colors are delightful. I would have bought them for the colors alone. If you love them, who cares if no one else does?
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you've got the pair! Who knows, we could be seeing you on Antiques Roadshow being told how your patterned pair are going to see you financially sorted into your dotage - and who'll be laughing then? :-) xx
ReplyDeleteI love them! They're a great find, Jane. :o)
ReplyDeleteThere are no words! Haha! Confess I don't like them but can strangely see how you'll never part with them too....some stuff just grabs you and you don't know why but you gotta have it! They need names....I'm thinking Derek and Dulcie :-) x
ReplyDeleteToo late - meet Pinky and Perky!!
DeleteI'd say you've started the slide! Enjoy the ride! LOL!
ReplyDeleteOh, but they made me smile. I have hanging on the wall over my computer desk a poster from the Rob Ryan exhibition we saw at the Shire Hall, Stafford in 2011 of his Staffordshire dogs decorated with the words 'your job is to take this world apart and put it back togather again but even better' so as covered in decoration as yours. I also confess to having a pair of cats on my mantle shelf in blue and white although quite a bit smaller than your dogs. They are a great find and I hope you enjoy them:)
ReplyDeleteOh fear not, Jane. It seems to me that you and Mike have a wonderfully well-developed sense of style, as well as sharing a great sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteThose dogs are great! xo
Hey if you like them, they're a successful buy. Taste is subjective, is it not and who cares if they're not to everyone's taste. I have a plaster religious statue that most people think is ghastly but I love it. (even though I am not remotely religious) I do as many above and when tired of an item donate it.
ReplyDeleteGo with your gut instinct.I think they are lovely! I have tried boxing up stuff that I've bought, to make a less cluttered space.But I don't like it!
ReplyDeleteI think Mark Hearld said that buying things can be an extension of your own creativity- sounds good to me.
Hahahaha! Your purchase reminded me of this weird sort of "what is it" dish/thingy with rabbits that I bought at a yard sale! Sort of ugly but charming and most of all it made me laugh and smile. I put it outside! Then one of my boys knocked it over and broke a piece off. Then I started to wonder if it was a valuable something for Antiques Roadshow and should I bring it in and cry about its being broken. I think I know just about where you are with these funny/happy little dogs, in other words. No worries.
ReplyDeleteReally you could never leave those cuties at the store. You had no choice but to buy them.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
I nearly choked on my tea when I saw the pair of dogs! They are very pretty and I'm sure you haven't lost your sense of taste. I love cuckoo clocks. Have you ever heard a real cuckoo?
ReplyDeleteLove the new header and those dogs are pretty cute too. Jo x
ReplyDeleteaw Jane you are funny and these dogs are spmething special:))
ReplyDeleteand I think they are cute!!
How are you doing Jane?
I love the new header!!
See, you're well on your way for February's Photo Scavenger Hunt, already ;) because one of the categories is 'whatever you want'.... here's the rest just to remind you that it's only the beginning of February and you have 25 days left to scour the countryside...and thrift shops.
ReplyDeleteFebruary's List 2015
Flowers
Love
Number
Something beautiful
Your favourite colour
Bird
On the road
Tap
Price
Heart
A corner of your home
What ever you want
They're ace though! We have a very old book about a child finding a china dog like yours at a jumble sale. I'll have to dig it out when we go to my Dads. I think they look very English, therefore very lovely. xx
ReplyDeleteOh my, this made me giggle. While they aren't something I would choose, I think if you like them, that's all that's important. And I'm sure that they make you smile every day.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Sharon
Mr K actually pointed these out to you!! My hubby would have stood in the way ,so I didn't spot them,until I had wandered safely by! I have a pair of pink flowery ones,they were one of the first bits of "tat!!" that I bought and I do love them as you must love yours.Pam.
ReplyDeleteThese made me smile too! Twice!
ReplyDelete