Tacky Greetings Cards

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A tacky greeting card collection could potentially be huge. Have you ever come across your mum or dad's old wedding cards, or the baby cards from the year you were born?
Horrid.

 Greeting card design follows trends as much as clothing does. There are types that go in & out of favour, illustration styles, colour schemes of the year.

 I don't especially collect cards, but I did have two. The third I received from my pal in England, Charlotte (@queenchoo) a fellow kitsch lady.
She sent me the fabulous silver foiled flamingo number. Very tropical!

 The Valentine's card isn't strictly vintage, it uses genuine antique images, but has been put together by a crafter & I bought it from eBay for my husband last Valentine's.

 The last card arrived through my letter box when we lived in our last rental house, from some long-lost-relatives of previous tenants. With no forwarding address I decided I'd put it up that Christmas anyway & have kept it's foil loveliness in the cabinet since.

Claire

The Kitsch Danger Zone

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I've mentioned before, there's a very narrow margin between cool kitsch & all out ugly; with this ensemble I'm not confident enough of it not being the latter.

 It's one part of the room I'm just not sure about. Perhaps because most of my other kitsch things are collected in pockets in the room; the wall of ugly art, the cabinet & it's wares, they re-enforce each other that it's 'meant to look like that'. But mister fish sits upon a really stylish retro side table & I'm just not sure if he 'works'.

 My iPhone camera photos aren't the best but he's a sea-green with a slight sheen to his paintwork.
He's a very large, heavy vase, I found him in the same tacky shop in Dublin where I bought the Jesus clock. He was only €15 & worth lugging back to the hotel!

 The plastic flowers are from a normal fancy goods shop, the sort that sells candles & posh twigs for decoration.
The blue birds are again Ikea Summer 2008, and I think they are fantastic! If I retire mister fish I'll still be keeping the blue birds in the room somewhere.

 I'm scared to ask what everyone thinks of this get up! Do you think it's just too ugly, not retro enough to get away with?
I could always move mister fish to the garden...

Claire

Russian Matryoshka Dolls

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Russian stacking dolls have bizarrely snuck back into mainstream design this year.
Many mainstream brands have used the image on clothing or cushions & furnishings for this coming winter.

 They appeal to me due to their collectable nature. They come in many varieties, including modern versions of The Simpsons.

 I only have two sets so far, a Star Wars one I bought for my husband & these original design dolls from Hawkin's Bazzar which came 'blank' to paint yourself.

Claire

Painting by Numbers

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My bible, "Kitsch Deluxe" includes painting by numbers artwork in their run down of key items.
Personally I was surprised to see them included, I find kids' velvet art to the the pinnacle of ugly DIY creativity.

 You remember? If you were an 1980s child like me, you'd have had a black velvet art of My Little Pony, or He-Man, which would come with a entirely inadequate selection of four felt tip pens to add your own colour.

 I did have two of these glorious works of art in my old flat, some kittens in a basket & a velvet reproduction of the classic dogs playing pool.

 Since getting married & moving to a 'proper home' I ditched them, now we have our own little son I'll be letting him make a masterpiece when he's old enough to!

 But back to painting by numbers. I do have a ship bought for it's nautical theme rather than it being one.

 It's quite large & hangs above the cabinet. It's really well executed by whoever the original colourer-in was.

 I bought this for £2 at a church fête.

Claire