S is for Shiny Shelfies!

While in TKMaxx the other day, I shot these ornamental lumps for two reasons, one being that they cover a subject we cover here, and secondarily to show how a lot of what might be appearing in local auctions rooms as 'apprentice pieces' might have been made five-minutes ago from recycled drinks cans in Mumbai!

By far the better piece and at £12.99p affordable if it tickles your fancy that much, but not something I need, a vague Mosquito look, it would go well with Tintin figures in a display cabinet maybe? It had a stern label stating it's "...not a toy" and is "...for decoration only", which is probably to save TJX Europe from law-suits for broken toes!

This was frankly ugly, and is the sort of hidiosity you might see in the background of one of those navel-gazing movies about the making of the movies where it would be owned by some unspeakable Hollywood mogul who's Bel Air mansion would have been entirely furnished by an 'interior designer' anyway, but then you can say that about a lot of the stuff in TKMaxx's home-furnishing section!

It also looks a bit like some of the designs in that movie with Jude Law I can't remember the name of (the one with the flying aircraft carriers - and Angelina Jolie as a pilot-babe?)? It had the better propellers though, the ones on the 'mosquito' are vary crude and heavy.

Both were marked 'Made in India' which is forth entry in the tag list I think, and reminds me there's still some 'India' in the queue, from Mr. B!

H is for Homemade Home-casts

Following on from the less than common Krolyn aluminium comes these, common enough to traveller as they are sold primarily as tourist keepsake items, they are sand-cast in back alleys from melted down drinks cans!

A typical 'rural' pair of females collecting maize and bringing back...firewood? Sugar cane? A minimalist paint job in a pallet of muted, almost autumnal colours over a worn undercoat of black which is probably either ink or boot-polish based.

Also from Africa comes this necklace of tiger's eye lumps with clay, stone and other beads, featuring four home-cast animals. In this case they seem to be brass or bronze, presumably recycled from electrical or engine parts? The patina probably gained with a urine bath (yes, pee!), lemon juice or vinegar?

They may - of course - be hideously commercial and just made to look vernacular?

Studies of the animals, the two big cats (a cheetah and a male lion) are a nice 1:76'ish, while the buffalo and rhino are smaller.