Happy Valentine!

                  I've started to put a few hearts out as a simple decoration for tomorrow,

                   (though it's not 'the norm' to decorate for Valentine's day in the UK).

I've added a little romance to the mantle..

Cupid is at the centre with a heart shaped pebble, next two polished stone hearts,

             then I've used two of the heart shaped seed heads and added a silk rosebud to the centre.

Then there's red tea lights, and dangling down beneath crystal candlesticks a beaded heart at either end

(they usually hang from wall sconces either side of our bed).

Lastly a large red silk rose before my Grandmothers candlesticks.

Okay, I know it's not that brilliant...but I think it looks sweet!

Happy Valentine's day tomorrow..hope your love treats you to something special.

Best wishes and hugs!

As promised, bargain catch-up.

Hello folks!  As some of you may know I haven't posted much since before Christmas, so there's quite a few bargains to share with you :o)  You may also know I'm trying to have a clear out (!) and I've decided to sort out a few items to take to the charity shop on each visit....I've kept this up over the last week (so far), today I took a pile of books and a lampshade that I never used.  Saturday my dear husband sorted his wardrobe out, so they got two sacks full of clothes - some new, unworn with tags..and I thought it was women who bought clothes and didn't wear them LOL!

Right, make your self a cuppa and get comfy....here goes....

This little piggy hangs in the kitchen, I got him just before Christmas at a cost of £1.

Then, just below it hangs this..

the colours are much brighter than shown, as the sun was shining across it when I took the photo.  I LOVE what it says :o) and it was £2.50

I found this beauty a few weeks ago, it now resides at the bottom of our bed though I took this photo in the bathroom as it showed up better.

It's pure wool and 3 foot long x 1 foot wide.  Someone had spent hours making it and I'm certain it had never been used as the back is as pristine as the front, I thought £7.50 was a bargain.  Don't you just love poppies?

A dinky minature teapot about 2 inches high was 50p, and now sits on top of the microwave, cluck, cluck!

This pretty blue and white bowl is about 10 inches diameter with a lovely shaped edge was a snip at £1.75

it's bound to end up in the kitchen ;o)

Just the thing with Valentine around the corner...80p for the set.

Now, talking of Valentine...

These gold painted seed heads were only 50p the lot, I got them with another 4 bunches of different seed heads (all the same price) with the intention of using (some) of them at Christmas, but, as you know that didn't happen.  The heads are each 3-4 inches high and fitted to sticks.  I love the heart shape and I'm sure I can use them in some sort of Valentine vignette.  I'll post the results...

Then I found this little sweetie

  Just about 4 inches long and £1, I'm sure I can find a nice home for it!

AT LAST!  I've found a sweet little cloche, 4 inches high and also a pound :o)

Then it got even better.....

This dear little sleepy cupid on a golden pine cone box is only 2 inches high, and I LOVE it!

Sorry, it's so small and I'm finding it hard to get in focus.  Here's a view of the back of it

and when the lid is removed...

there's cupids arrow through the heart .... guess what I matched it up with?

PERFECT.

(The runner it's sitting on was purchased today for £1)

(Oh dear, sorry, the colour's a bit wishy-washy). 

This tiny little golden pineapple is also 2 inches high, and was £1.50.

Does anyone have any ideas what it was for?  Those are a tiny pair of tweezers that fit inside it.  It is stamped on the bottom 'Made in England' (such tiny letters I needed my magnifying glass).

This pretty 'daffodil' coffee pot was purchased weeks ago for £1.50 - you'll be seeing it again very soon!

This funny little basket was only 60p, it was the blue and white handles that attracted me to it.  Measuring about 8 inches across, I can feel the spray paint will be out soon to brighten it up.

Some of you may remember the tall vase (18 inches) that I got last year, well how could I resist it's little brother for £1?  The colour is not as nice as the big one, but I have plans to put them in the garden in the spring with a trailing plant in the tops :o)

Friends who visit regularly know about my fascination with paperweights and glass, well this little clock joins the two together.  Caithness are well known for their paperweights..it's 2" square

side view

Stick with it...nearly finished!

It's hard to photograph paperweights when it's sunny...well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

This is a Caithness Glass one called 'Petunias' and it DOES really look like one - honest ;o)

and cost £2

This is another Caithness one called 'With Love' a pretty flower with a red heart in the centre. £1

(I've just found that this is a current model designed by Helen McDonald and costs £42).

Well, here's hoping you've stuck with it and enjoyed seeing my bargains.  Lovely to see another new follower, welcome :o)

Sending my very best wishes to you all.

Charity table top sale

As promised a catch up and photos from the charity table top sale I attended today.  An early start for me - up at 6 am, (not easy for an insomniac who is rarely in bed before 2 am - early night last night though, 1 am!)
My dear husband was up and about at 6.45 and kindly de-iced my car and loaded up, bless him :o)  We were told to be there for 8 am to set up, and so I was.  Now the organisers were 'flexible' with opening and closing times so we went with the flow.  The table was bigger than I expected - if I'd have known I would have taken more 'stuff' ;o)  This was after set up... click on any photo to enlarge.

A closer look at some goodies

Miss Piggy teapot , perfect with all stickers and tags (unsold) a bargeware brown teapot with 'Home sweet home' on it (sold)

Little boy'piano baby' (unsold)

Crinoline lady, lace all perfect 

Selection of vintage jewelery and cuff links , nearly all sold.

Tut, tut!  A vintage Playboy playmate Jigsaw puzzle :o)

Doors opened at 9.30, and a steady stream of folk came in between then and 1.30 when doors closed.  I was quite pleased, I sold at least 3 of the boxes I'd taken and made nearly £50 by close of play.  I packed up another box of unsold items for my 'supplier' and took home only two box fulls of things that weren't about to go to charity.  (Miss piggy, the piano baby and my old table lamps to name a few).  I was surprised that they didn't sell as I'd thought they were definites, along with a vintage chrome 3 tier cake stand, but they've come back home and I'll find another sale to try them at.

I took photos of a few of the other stalls there for you to peruse :o)

This couple were raising funds for MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship)

You can read about their work here

(Just noticed, and must mention the lovely old mirror which is a feature of our Peace Memorial Hall here in the village)

This stall had a overhead projector I was REALLY tempted to buy, but my mission was to GET RID! 

Cupcakes on the Macmillan stall - mmmm!

These Jigsaws were on the stall for International Aid.

All in all a good day, two friendships made with the lovely ladies who were my neighbours (priceless) and a bit of dosh towards repair of the (small) hole in the roofing felt I found when I was up there.....did I mention that before?

I see another follower has joined up :o)  Welcome, welcome!

Best wishes to all, hope you have a great weekend too!  I'll be back very soon with a catch up on some of my latest bargains bought since Christmas.

Busy, busy week...

I've had a very busy week, and one of the jobs I have started to tackle is clearing out the loft ...aaargh!  I spent about five hours up there and have sorted about a third of it's contents.  It was brought on because I'm having a stall on Saturday in the village at a charity table top sale.  Here's  photo's of the boxes awaiting packing into the car.

There was my estate car full of rubbish (boxes, bags and old forgotten 'tat') taken to the local dump and boxes of 'stuff' taken to my local 'supplier' (charity shop), so the joists over the bedrooms are now under considerably less pressure! LOL

I used to sell at antique and collectors fairs, and still have quite a bit of 'stock' left in the loft (there are two blue stack n store boxes pictured above, and at least another five or six in the loft) but no more inclination  to unpack all the boxes up once the sale destination has been reached, then of course to re-pack them when it's all over a few hours later.   So I'm taking some tomorrow in the hope I can sell most of it at discount 'get it out of the house' prices.  With the exception of maybe a couple of items anything left is bound for the charity shop on Monday morning.  As for the rest, well I think I'm going to load up the car and take it to Dagfields and offer it all for a set amount to the dealers there.  Whatever money I take is pure profit as I more than took enough to cover my stock prices when I was selling regularly.

Another reason for my foray into the loft is my neice has just bought a caravan and we still had our awning and loads of other caravan 'stuff' stored in the loft - despite we haven't had a caravan for at least 15 years.  (I am NOT  a hoarder!) It's just the right size for them and from what I could tell is still in a good condition, so that's more stuff gone :o)

I'm planning on taking the camera for a few photo's tomorrow, so I'll post over the next few days and let you know the outcome.

I see another two fine folk have added their names to my followers :o) Hello and welcome, great to see you here :o)

Hope you all have a great weekend, catch up again real soon.

                                                                 

Best wishes to all.

DRUM ROLL.......

As promised I have entered all the eligable enteries into the giveaway draw - good luck everyone!

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Ready for the draw...

Give 'em a stir...

and draw the FIRST LUCKY WINNER......who is

NANCY from Nancy's Daily Dish

http://nancysdailydish.blogspot.com/

and for the SECOND LUCKY WINNER....

ACORN HOLLOW (Cathy)

http://acornhollow.blogspot.com/

CONGRATULATIONS !  Now, will you please email me with your details so that I can get the goodies off to you :o)  

Looking froward to hearing from you!

Sorry that I couldn't send everyone a prize, but I will be having other givaways for you to enter.

Best wishes to all

I'm back (at last) and a give away!

Hello dear bloggie friends - and a happy and healthy 2011 to you all.

Firstly, I'd like to pass on my sincere thanks for your kind comments and support shown to me and my family after the loss of my sister in law - you really cannot realise how much this meant to us.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart xx

I'd also like to offer a big welcome my new followers :o)  It's so nice to think that folk are interested in my ramblings!

It's coming up to my first blogaversary....and to celebrate I'd like to offer a 'give away' to my followers.  I have been 'collecting' some (nice) things together for a while now with this in mind and think that I'd like to offer two packages of  small mixed gifts to say thank you for all of your support over the last year.  
To enter you need to be a follower of this site and leave a comment on this post.  Each person is allowed one entry.  Then on the 20th January I will place each eligable name entered into a hat and pick out two names, then I'll post the names of the winners on this site and ask you to contact me so that I can post the package off to you.  Good luck!  Here's some photos of some of the goodies to whet your appetite.  (I will try and send the gifts I think applicable to you).  Click to expand the photos.

Some of the goodies....

A closer look - damask napkins and beautiful Nottingham Lace ...my Daughter lives there :o)

A pretty 'cupid' dish, an 'English Lady' scarf, and a glimps of a Staffordshire Enamel framed picture.

Good Luck!

Sending my very best wishes to you all :o)