Mandala CCLXXII, Demitasse Spoons and Dominoes

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXII, Demitasse Spoons and Dominoes.  Custom framed: 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include: A decorate porcelain plate with an upside-down brioche mold and two buttons; black, plastic checkers with dice-like blocks featuring various letter and spelling "Found Objects"; vintage cocktail forks; dominoes; a set of twelve Axel Prips demitasse spoons; gold, plastic four-leaf-clover tokens; white porcelain and metal drawer handles; black lids with faucet handles; assorted beads and buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This Found Object Mandala started with the twelve Axel Prips demitasse spoons.  They were still in a little box!  I bought them at the Arts and Crafts conference inside the Omni Grove Park Inn from one of the antique dealers (Spotted Horse Antiques out of Knoxville, TN) .  Truthfully, it didn't occur to me that anything in the convention center was remotely affordable.  Steve and I only went to gaze at the Stickley furniture and the many creations by Roycroft artists.  We were awed by ceramics with five-digit price tags and a pair of wrought iron chandeliers that cost what putting electricity into our home cost.  We almost didn't ask the price but on a whim inquired.  It was reasonable!  We didn't even suggest a lower price!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXII.)

Okay ... they weren't exactly cheap but they were too cute to pass up!  (Approximately four-dollars each)  I knew they would look great on a mandala!  I also suspect that they had never been used.  For decades, they probably sat in that box ... in the back of a drawer ... just waiting to be "out in the open" and appreciated for their Arts and Crafts beauty!  On the back of the frame, I glued the flattened box lid.  It was such a joy to stitch this piece.  

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXII as seen from an angle.)