Inspiration: little finds

I love the serendipitous finds that dog walking brings! I’m always looking. Always noticing the strange and quirky. Always drawn to photograph the things that others might just walk past.

When I saw these antique, hardwood curtain rings my heart skipped a beat. Too lovely to pass by, their little scraps of faded fabric telling of a previous life, with tiny stitches made by someone’s hand many years before. My brain said ‘frames’ and so they came home with me and became the perfect fit for a tiny bee print.

I’m a collector of things, but I accept that their beauty isn’t always obvious to others! I pick things up off the street (see squashed tin lid above), get an excited flutter in charity shops and buy things that ‘have potential’ that I might one day find a use for.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.
The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.”

— William Morris

Finds aren’t always keepers. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look.

I’ll be the one photographing the paintwork, not the cathedral!

This pile of loveliness contains so much nostalgia and attachment. The green monkey, red Dylan the Rabbit and blue Brian the Snail were all from cereal packets in my Seventies childhood. The duck’s head appeared from the soil in my Sheffield garden. The crab claw was found by my stepson on our first holiday together.

The fragility of life is always an inspiration. Finding a dead bird is both sad and fascinating. Such beautiful, delicate creatures and such a privilege to be able to view them up close.

Even the bottom of an old cake tin can be a beautiful thing! I love objects with history, patina, signs of wear and use. As a stand alone piece, it becomes a planet, the moon…..a fascinating decorative object for your home!