Lion heads.

Tuesday was really miserable and wet.  The flat roofs that we were going to have recovered  have been put off due to the weather :o(   I needed to go to the local shop for a few odds 'n sods, and as it's right next door to the charity shop - what's a girls to do?  I really didn't go in with much hope - but boy, was I glad I did go!

These three lion headed soup bowls for 90p!  (I wonder if I'll find another three?)

A sweet lavender scented candle 20p

I've been after something heavy and sturdy to put kitchen utensils in....and look what I found -

This brilliant 8" high old stonewear pot £1 - IDEAL

This shabby-chic woven aluminium heart basket, hand crafted in Amsterdam £1

It's about 6" at it's widest.

A cute little chick  (after a good scrub!)- it looks to be Victorian or Edwardian £1.20 - 'CHEAP' or what! LOL

another trinket box about 4" square, very Autumnal I thought....

with oak leaf and acorn lid, £1.20

and finally, these cloisonne animals, just about 1.5" tall 50p each,

                                       

and such pretty flowers on the back of the panda.

Quite a haul I thought :o) Cheered me up no end lol.

Which reminded me of four items I got from our last visit to Dagfields and I forgot to post, so here they are...

These four cloisonne vases also about 1.5" tall for £5 the lot.

I love the first one, such pretty blossom :o)

Funny how such a miserable day doesn't seem so bad now either...

Thanks for joining my ramblings, leave a comment and let me know you visited please.

Best wishes and sunny skies to all!

Birthday and more.....

Some of you may remember it was my birthday last month.  I was lucky enough to have some gifts of money, here are a just a few of the things I got with it.

Cock A Doodle-Do!

I got this great rooster, that now has pride of place on the kitchen worktop.  It is for storing eggs.

This little piggy....shows cuts of meat in French.  (T K Maxx bargain!) 

These three great carpet bowls, love the marble effect one.

Then there are some more of my charity shop bargains I promised to show.

Two sweet little trinket boxes for 75p each.  I love the one with the two sweet birds on.

This dinky little mother of pearl fork was 20p.   The colours are beautiful, but the photo doesn't do it justice.

These two little Wade rabbits were £1.25.  (I think they are from Bambi?)

Another little bunny - blue and white of course (and out of focus!) 25p

A pretty pair of cotton tea towels and oven glove £2.50 

Did you really think I could leave this in the charity shop?  Very old Midwinter, half pint size - £3

A pair of wooden Indian Runner Ducks - too cute to leave behind at £3

And now for a poser.....

My dear friend Sandy had bought two of these lovely plates, (aren't the birds cute?) and gave me this one and asked me if I knew where it was from.  These are the only marks on the back....

I cannot find them in any of my reference books, but suspect they are either French or Portuguese.

I found this jug the other day (75p) with a similar colour pallete - it's Portuguese.  What do you think?

Hope you like some of the items I've picked up - let me know!

It's great that you come and have a look at what I've been adding to my collections. 

Best wishes to all,

Forgot to say....I'm STILL trying to catch that darn 'lucky' leaf!

Conkers! (And other stuff)

I've been out on my yearly search for conkers (horse chestnuts), we have quite a few trees locally within a two minute walk :o) 
Not so long ago all the local children would have collected them as soon as they were ripening - but since the onset of the dreaded 'Health & Safety' guidelines that seem to have permeated ordinary life 'conkers' (see here) are no longer allowed to be played at school :o(  What on earth is this stupid country coming too?  Anyway, I got about a quarter of a carrier bag full in about 10 minutes :o)  I just love the way they look...when I got them home, and inspired by the many lovely 'Fall' displays in America I had a go at making a centrepiece for the table.  Which do you prefer?

I used some autumnal coloured chrysanthemums in a vintage vase with a similar coloured glaze, my one and only Halloween candle ( which was a gift about 10 years ago from Canada) and some lovely pumpkins (I found at Lidl's) and to complete the picture a spider in his web, placed on a charity shop find table runner by Next in Indian cotton for £1. (As always, just click on any photo to enlarge)

In close up.

Then I decided to have a play about and tried this:

I moved the flowers and added some black cats and a couple of crystal balls to 'Witch' it up a bit!

I tried moving the cats about for a better look(?)

Waddya think?  Aren't the conkers great?

Of course, over the last month I've still been buying more stuff!  When will I ever learn a little more self control?

I'm hoping some of my dear American readers can help me with this one...I know its a Jim Bean Bourbon bottle dated 1982, but I have no idea of value (not that it matters) or what the symbolism is. 

I just loved that it's quirky - sadly all the bourbon has gone!  Help anyone?

Then, of course I've had another visit to Dagfields see here with my dear friends Sandy and Jan.  Got a few things there....

A super Calico pattern gravy boat and plate (£6), and then there was ..cluck, cluck!  A chicken dish, blue and white of course £4

I'm loving the rooster and hens on the base.  There was another purchase of a cat - but that'll wait for another post.

Of course I've still been touching base with the local charity shops ;o)  Here's a few of the things I couldn't resist.

I walked through the door of the most recent charity shop to open (about 5miles from home), and there staring me in the face was the MOST fabulous blue glazed vase.  It was filled with walking sticks - I looked for a price and was amazed to see it was £8.50!  Needless to say I'd soon hauled it over to the pay desk - yes, it's VERY heavy.   Came home with a very satisfied smile that day :o)

Don't you think its wonderful?

Then, on another day I had to travel to a town about 25 miles away, so of course I just HAD to see if there was any Charity Shops!  This is what I found...

A close-up

Ringtons were started in 1907 in Newcastle upon Tyne.  They are famous for their tea which was originally delivered to your home.  They have all sorts of blue and white memorabillia - this plate obviously made for the millennium by Wade, who themselves are highly collectible.  It only cost £1.

I have quite a few more purchases, but I've decided to make another post in a couple of days.  So, I'm looking forward to reading your comments - and hopefully someone can shed light on the bourbon bottle for me.  Thank you for joining me, I hope you've enjoyed reading it!

Best wishes to all.

First an apology..

Hello folks,  I'm sorry that I'm WAY behind with this promised post.  My Mom has been under the weather so I've been looking after her.  Happily she's on the mend now so normality (what ever that is) will return. :o)

I must also welcome my new followers!  I'm still quite amazed that anyone wants to read my ramblings, but you can be sure that I appreciate each and every one of you.  It's so nice to know that I have friends in such far flung places, and I truly enjoy reading all of your comments.

Working through my promised post I'll show you some more of my cat collection.  Here's a selection (of most) of the ones that share the lounge with us!  (I should look away now if you don't like cats!)  This is a LONG post, so I'd settle down with a cuppa :o)

These are on top of the writing and china cabinet to the left of the fire place.  The blue and white that you see is part of the base of a tall lamp, the ginger and white cat is a one-off special made by Crazy Cats.  It's label declares  'Unique, hand painted and definately different' -signed by Katz.  The cat and kittens in the centre is a cold cast bronze, and the cabinet holds a selection of small cats mostly purchased on various holidays over the years.  Just cut off in the bottom right hand corner is 'Second Hand Rose', which my dear friend Jan (George's Mom  http://georgethelad.blogspot.com/) gave me as a gift - it's pictured on my side bar!

A closer look in the glass cabinet -( I don't like taking photo's with mirrors in them! LOL).  There's 13 in total.

The tallest cat is only an inch and a quarter.  Then on the other side of the cabinet..

.... is another glass cabinet of 25 small cats. 

(Please click on any photos on my Blog to enlarge them).

Then there's the fire place.....

The two Staffordshire dogs are genuine antiques - they belonged to my maternal Gt Grandparents, Mary and Joseph Wedge My family tree)

The two candle sticks are antique too - they belonged to my maternal Grandparents, Jack and Clara Wedge, the topiary trees were a charity shop specials - I've mentioned before, and the mirror (which I love) was a rescue job.  I used to work for a lighting wholesaler, who also sold beautiful mirrors.  This one had been broken and the frame was going to be disposed of, I asked if I could have it - he said yes!  I had a mirror made to fit with a bevelled edge (like the broken one) for under £30 - RESULT! 
Now a closer look at the cats...

This is a 'Just Cats' little fella, made in Staffordshire.



This is unmarked, but I suspect she is made by 'Cats & Co.'  Another Staffordshire company as all my other marked ones have the same kind of paint pattern and style.

This little tortoiseshell puss is made by Babacombe Pottery in Devon.

and this little sweetie (probably my favourite of these) is handmade by Moorside Design in Wenslydale, North Yorkshire.  It is very tactile and has a lovely smooth velvety glaze.

Then in the hearth...

The large wooden cat is a recent gift from our friend James, it came in a package addressed to 'The Rose H Collection'!  The little blue and white mouse was a Xmas (tree) gift from my Mom in Law about 20 years ago.  She knew I loved blue and white even then!  The kitten playing with the ball of wool was a birthday gift last year from our friends Sandy and Rob.  It is a 'Cats & Co' model too.

The (fake) Staffordshire cats you met in a recent post :o)  The little black and white is another Cats & Co, and the little mouse on the left hand side is one that just appeared.....after a friends visit!

This sleepy puss is made by Royal Caldone (not Cauldon) I think it's so cute.  The candle stick was a charity shop purchase I made a couple of years ago, it cost £1.

I realise that I have quite a few 'Cats & Co' in my collection - this is purely coincidential.  However I do have a passion for Wynstanley cats.  They are made by Jenny Wynstanley in Norfolk.  She has been making them for over 40 years.  Here's a link to the catalogue http://www.winstanleycats.uk.com/pages/menu.html  At the moment I have nine of them and a little mouse too!  Here are the first three...

The large tabby and white is life size!  Don't you just LOVE their eyes?

It's the first one I had, a birthday present from my dear husband.  The 'Cathedral Glass' eyes follow you around the room.  The next three...

I love the little kitten on the front right :o)  The photo makes the Siamese look a little strange - it's my poor photography :o(  The tabby and white in he background is another life size.

The final three, and the mouse....(another gift from Sandy and Rob)

Sid occasionally sits amongst these, pretending to hide I think!

The blue eyed white cat is made by Just Cats & Co., but she looks happy to share a space with the others!  She, the black and white and the crouching ginger and white are all life size.  The angle of the photo is missleading as the sitting ginger and white is kitten size.  I only purchase these with money I receive as birthday or Christmas gifts - so they are very special to me.

 Finally.... these live on top of the Sky box...'

All are unmarked, and these two are placed by one of my favourite blue and white dishes

I hope you've liked looking at some of my collection.

  Oh!  I did promise to show you my weirdest collection too didn't I?  Well, I keep them in here...

A little pumpkin I've had for more years than I care to recall.  Then, when you lift the lid....

it reveals.....

a collection of......

CATS WHISKAS !!!!!!!!!!

Now you really know I'm strange!  Don't really know why, but when our other cat Sam (sadly no longer with us) used to loose his whiskas (naturally, they are NOT cut off - very cruel) I just started to pick them up and put them in this dish.  It's kinda continued with Sid.  So it's taken about 12 years to collect them - yes, I know - I'm weird!

(Thinks.....should I have named this blog 'The Cats Whiskas'?!)

Well, thank you for bearing with me, and my weirdness!  I'd love to hear your comments...(I think!)

Very best wishes to all.