Happy Easter

xxx

Goulburn Swap Meet '13: Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows

Warning: This is a long post!

 

This years Goulburn Swap Meet on Sunday was a quiet affair. I only picked a few odds and bobs that I will show you soon, but today I wanted to show you the new outfit for No. 16, a ceremonial Oddfellows collar.

I've pieced together some information that I found about the history of the Oddfellows and have more detailed pictures below....

Back in the day, guilds were established to protect the practice and growth of artisan trades. The master craftsmen, or Guild 'Masters', were protective of their wealth and power and placed restrictions on who could join. Less wealthy tradesmen who were unable to join formed their own guilds, and were known as 'Fellows'. In some areas there weren't enough Fellows from the same trade to start a local guild, so they formed together to establish the 'Guild of Fellows'. Comprising of members from odd trades, they became known as the 'Guild of Odd Fellows' or ‘Oddfellows’.

Times were tough, and Oddfellows was set up to protect and care, (financially and socially), for their members and communities before welfare, unions or national health services where established.

In 1810, members of the Oddfellows in Manchester became dissatisfied with the rules and regulations of the Grand United Order. They formed an independent Order known as 'The Manchester Unity Order of Odd Fellows' (MUIOOF). A chapter of the MUIOOF was established in Melbourne in 1840, when a member migrated to Australia.

The Oddfellows collar that I purchased is from the Australian chapter, and was made by David Jones Limited, Regalia Makers, Sydney NSW, established 1838.

Elaborate bejewelled ceremonial attire was worn and signified the position of that individual within the Society. This purple velvet regalia ceremonial collar was worn by a PG, meaning a Past Grand (an individual who presided over an Odd Fellows Lodge).

The purple velvet collar is adorned with a metal thread and sequin star, metal tassle and embroidered ribbon. Along the ribbon is MU IOOF and a hand holding a heart, which is representative of 'giving or lending a hand to others'.

The standard emblem of the Independent Order of Oddfellows is a shield divided by a cross. Clockwise from the top left are: an hourglass, crossed keys, beehive and the lamb and flag.

Each symbol has a special meaning:
Hourglass – this signified truth, the shortness of time and the certainty of death. It taught promptness in assisting those who were in need and in improving oneself in practical virtues.
Crossed keys – this reflected the security of the order, and the treasures that were laid up in Heaven for those who believed.
Beehive – this illustrated justice as the reward of industry and the prosperity of a society based on right, fitness and justice.
Lamb and flag – this was the emblem of faith, purity and humility.

I hope you have enjoyed learning more of the Oddfellows. I would love to hear from anyone who could shed more light on the Australian Oddfellows or collar.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, and enjoy the rest of the week. It won't be long before the Easter bunny knocks on your door :) Tam x

Ahoy - lifebouy

Just a quick hello to see how you are all going. It's all go, go, go here, how 'bout you?

On our recent trip to the sea (on a reconnaissance trip to visit our 2nd caravan - more of that another time) we popped into a local garage sale. Good thing we did, because on the counter I spied these beauties.  Lifebuoy souvenirs of the voyage on 'SS Himalaya' P&O Lines, London 1961. Perfect for my sailor doll collection, and only $2 for the pair. Bargain!

Thanks for poppin in, have a wonderful weekend,  Tam x

If you would like to follow along on bloglovin, the link is now on my sidebar.

Crystal Siamese Clear

Thank you! To say India was chuffed to receive such wonderful comments on her guest post is an understatement. Now there is no stopping her and she has decided that she would like her own blog too. If you are interested, or have children who may be interested, you can find her at Crystal Siamese Clear. A blog about her artwork, her Littlest Pet Shops and some videos that she has been filming and editing.

A big fat Thank You all again from India aka Crystal Siamese Clear. She would LOVE you to pop on over and say hello.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, thanks for popping by, Tam x

Guest Post: India's Artwork

Hi, this is India, I will be posting today. I am 8 5/6 years old and I want to share a post because I want to start my own blog, and mum said this was a good place to start.
 
I want to share some of my pictures that I have drawn on the computer in Photoshop. I love drawing because it is one of my talents. I have lots of LPS to share (Littlest Pet Shop). :)

I named this cat Fish because cats like to eat fish. This one of my first drawings in Photoshop.

I will be doing a song and video of this. It is a picture of Crystal and Jay, two of my favourite LPS.

Catnip is the second drawing in Photoshop. I called it Catnip because Fish has a bag of catnip next to her, and Catnip has a fish :)

This is Splat, one of my favourite LPS. Splat is a baby Husky. I called her that because it was one of the first names that popped up in my head.

This is Pokemon vs LPS battle.

Thank you for looking at my pictures and I hope you enjoyed them. I will be making more and posting some soon. Bye, India :)

Enlighten: Sienta la Cabeza

India was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in the Sienta la Cabeza performance at the Enlighten Festival last night. I have loads of photos to show of the night, but will start with the hairdressing extravaganza.  Sienta La Cabeza travelled from Barcelona to perform their magical hair creations to music, provided by their DJ.

Here are a few shots of India, she is very Dr Seuss don't you think? They divided her hair, used wire to support the top pony and used loads of coloured hair spray. Amazingly she slept with the hair in place (minus the little village). If you get the chance to see their show, you definitely won't be disappointed.

I'll be back with more photos of Enlighten including Box Wars and the Architectural Projections. Hope you are enjoying your weekend, Tam x

Gone Fishing

With the Braidwood Makers Market only a week away, I wanted to give you a sneak peek of some new pieces that I will be selling.

Tonight we are heading out to see Box Wars, part of the Enlighten festival. It should be heaps of fun! Canberra is celebrating its Centenary this year and have a few things planned throughout the year. We are going to the Glorious Days, 1913 Australia exhibition at the Australian National Museum tomorrow, I can't wait. Hopefully I can get a few photos.

Have a wonderful weekend, we have a long weekend as it is Canberra Day on Monday (poor kids still have school as we live in NSW :) but the Mr and I have the day off work..yippee!! If you are heading to the Braidwood Makers Markets next weekend, I may see you there!

Bye for now, thanks for visiting, Tam x