Last month when I was on vacation in Belgium and visiting my favourite second hand shop (remember the lovely doilies?) I found some other amazing treasures. I actually could have easily filled a moving truck with things like kitchen cupboards from the 50’s, old wooden wardrobes that were in desperate need of a face lift, vintage coffee tables and antique desks. It was torture to be there and have so little space in the car to bring anything back to Italy.
But I did find a few little objects besides the doiles that did indeed fit in the trunk of the car and made it back home to Italy. Some of my favorites are these three little porcelain elephants from probably the 50’s or the 60’s. They are in perfect condition, not even a chip or scratch on any of them.
There was even a sticker on the middle sized elephant that says they are handmade in Holland by Fico Art. I’ve googled the company but didn’t find anything about them or these little elephants. In any case, I’m very smitten with these little creatures and they will proudly grace one of my shelves or bookcases. Oh and did I mention that I paid less than 5 euro for the three pieces?! 
And in case you’re wondering, the background in these photos is a vintage wallpaper that I purchased from an old wallpaper shop in Gent. A pair of 80 year old sisters own the little shop called Behangpapier Priem and they have a huge selection of wallpapers from the 60’s and 70’s at really amazing prices (I think this one cost 9 euro a roll).
We papered a small wall at the top of our stairs with it and I love how happy and bright it is (although I’ve seen a few confused reactions from other people). I must admit that using vintage wallpaper is a very trying experience due to it being fairly brittle and the fact that walls in Italy seem to be completely crooked and lumpy. But the husband and I made it through alive and we’re still married.
Jillian In Italy 