...well, i couldn't leave them there, could i?

hmmm...spotted this delicious meakin pattern at the charity shop...a funny assortment of plates and bowls really, but for £2.50 i couldn't say no. i'm slowly but surely collecting plates to put up in the dining room wall and these are just about perfection. and come to think of it, look similar to this, don't they? i'm obviously checking out turquoise and green lately...which is funny really because i'm sewing in those colours with grey right now too.

oh!

i went for a walk into town with my friend amy today and i decided to have a quick rummage in the 3 charity shops...my favourite one that is super-cheap was disappointing this morning and so i wasn't holding up much hope for the sue ryder one, which is usually a bit of a dead loss. BUT!!! lo and behold, there was this gorgeous piece of gorgeousness sitting on the shelf - designed by jessie tait for midwinter, it's called country garden and was designed in the 1960's. this particular pattern was manufactured for 10 years, between 1968 and 1978. amy *hated* it and couldn't believe i was spending good money on something so foul. while i was grinning from ear to ear, having paid just 3 quid. result!

score!

i know this is pathetic, but this is what happened yesterday, dragging the boys around the charity shop:

frank: please just this one though mum ok?

me: yes, yes, ok........oh my god! are they vintage scales? in baby 1930's blue? oh my god, yes they are...how much? £2? oh my god! *snatching the scales up, fumbling with my purse, throwing the money at the startled old dear at the cash desk*

frank: but what are they for mummy?

me: (vaguely) well, you know, weighing stuff.

frank: but we've already got lego weighing scales.

me: yeah, yeah...look, just don't mention these to daddy ok? let's go and buy an icecream.

i think i may have to start a vintage shop, because this is beginning to be a compulsion. but £2! i mean, how could i not? and as a side note, my husband is perfect in many, many ways, but if i could change just one little tiny thing about him, i'd love him to be into old stuff like i am, he just does NOT get it.

mind the gap

on saturday we had a lovely lazy day out in ely - it's so close to us, but it's never a place we really think about going to *that* often, which is completely crazy because it's a beautiful little town, especially when the sun shines. as well as the cathedral, (which i learnt on sunday night courtesy of griff rhys jones it was built entirely from stone bought with eels caught in the rivers surrounding ely!) the area near the river is perfect for picnics with a lovely green expanse for the kids to play on. and happily for me, while the kids were at the playground and eating icecreams, i was in the waterfront antiques shop. it's an big concession style set-up, with little 'shops' inside a massive old stone building, complete with 3 floors of wobbly floorboards and tiny windows. and as you can imagine, not everyone sets out their shop terribly tidily, so it's a real rummage fest. i came away with my find of the year, an old stone carved 'mind the gap' sign, for just £4. for some reason i *nearly* didn't buy it. but good grief, i'm very glad i did, i love it just a bit more everytime i look at it.

nifty thrifting

i had a few nano-seconds sans arthur this afternoon and took a quick snoop around our abundance of charity shops. not anything too exciting, but i left my favourite shop for last and came up trumps. this cute little colclough sugar bowl and jug for just a couple o' quid. perfecto for pimping my etsy pics, methinks.

well, have a lovely day people, i am sitting here chomping toblerone* and drinking tea. nice and relaxing after the mayhem of the last few days!

*toblerone related question: does anyone ever buy toblerone from anywhere other than an airport? discuss.

ohh, and a ripple effect from being etsy featured seller is doubling my following here, so hi to newcomers! hang around long enough and you'll probably die of boredom, but you might see some pretty pictures if you're lucky.

recent finds

i've forgotten to post these newly thrifted pieces...surprise surprise, they're blue and white. i know, i know, i'm edgy and never scared of trying new colour combinations, fnar fnar :)

first up, a cute little habitat cup, not sure of age...could be new for all i know, but it called to me for a few reasons:

#1. it's blue and white

#2. the number 4 is one of my favourite numbers

#3. it was 40 whole new pence, yes 40. so it was a no brainer that this should come home with me really.

the juice glasses are just so cool and retro. again, no clue of age. i nearly missed out on these, i saw them in a charity shop one week and decided against them, got home and had a sudden fit of what-the-hell-was-i-thinking?! but had to wait another agonizing week until i went into town again (it's a half hour drive away) but luckily they were still there. i paid the princely sum of £2 for four of 'em.

then lastly, the coffee pot. i'm slightly embarrassed to admit that i bartered for this. in a charity shop. that's so awful. anyway, i shall gloss over that, not my finest moment, i got it for 4 quid. a slightly hollow victory, but it's lovely and those dutch style flowers are a real inspiration. so that's it for this week's edition of 'what £6.40 can buy you these days if you look hard enough', thanks for tuning in :)