Little Bits of Thrift

 
Just two little bits of thrift were found this morning at the weekly 'Coffee and Jumble'.  Some unused Launderette labels - issued by the National Association of Launderette Owners.  Presumably one portion of the ticket was attached to the washing bag and one was kept by the customer in order to collect the washing when it was done.  I've never seen anything quite like them before and goodness knows what I'm going to do with them but for only 20p I bought them. 

The other item had to be pointed out to me and I was asked if I knew what it was.  Short answer, nope, no idea.  Turns out it's a ceramic ink well from an old school desk.  I don't think I'd ever seen one made of ceramic before - in my day the desks either had empty holes where the ink wells used to be or had plastic ink wells - nobody ever used them anyway.  I wonder how many children used this one over the years?

Linking up with Me and My Shadow's Magpie Monday.

Comments

[Liz Burton]

Oh your items are totally charming.

I would absolutely have bought them too.

Thanks for linking up x

[Vix]

We used to use those laundry labels back in my catering days, they are lovely things, it's a shame they replaced them with a scanner.
That little ceramic inkwell's a beauty! x

[Sharon]

Oh, that inkwell takes me back (I'm 45 by the way, not exactly ancient!). I attended a grammar school in the 1970's/early 1980s and our school desks had those inkwells although we weren't allowed to use them - we used those cartridge ink pens.

There are probably hundreds of them still lurking in some dark unloved corner of that school!

[anne]

I' m just a few years older and we did use the ink wells to refill our fountain pens at grammar school! I seem to recall an ink monitor whose job was to refill the ink wells from a big bottle. We also had blotting paper to 'blot' our work which we kept in the desk.

[Maureen]

I remember them too. They always had that slightly crazed look, like an ancient tea-pot. Happy memories...filling the pen and squirting it..not so happy getting the cane for said deed!

[Loo xx]

Interesting finds, Elizabeth. I'm eager to know what you'll do with the laundry labels!

[Kate]

I like the quirky and always buy things that intrigue me too. Loving the laundry tickets. Yes, I remember desks with holes instead of things like your other purchase too. That probably dates us terribly.

[Sandie]

I remember using such an inkwell at school. Usually you dipped your pen in and discovered that someone had put blotting paper in the ink and your nib emerged with fluffy whiskers!

[Caroline]

That inkwell takes me back, as my school had old fashioned desks with inkwells. It was quite behind the times even then, though!!