Help ! I need to shop !

I have to admit to starting to twitch a little.  Two weeks without being able to go to my beloved Sunday morning boot sale.  Last weekend we were away in Birmingham and try as I might I couldn't get my hubby to detour via streets that might hold charity shop heaven.  This weekend, well what a washout !  I prayed for a miracle on Saturday night that the weather forecasters for once would be wrong but sadly it was not to be.  I was kept awake most of the night by the wind and rain lashing against the house.  Why is it that weather forecasters always get bad forecasts correct but never manage to correctly forecast good weather ?

Anyway I was a bit in the doldrums yesterday and as I had to go to the post office I thought I would just pop to Topsham for a look around the charity shops and the Antique emporium on the Quay.

This is what I found.  Paid £12 for the vase ! Gulp ! I know, but it is seriously gorgeous.  A huge lustreware 1930's pitcher standing 14 inches tall.  Perfect with flowers sent to me last week .



 

That's all for this week !  I know shocking isn't it.  I am too busy to do justice to the few other bits I "may" have found in the charity shop last week. Will try to post later this week.

If you love thrifty bargains pop over to the gorgeous Liz at Magpie Monday

The Hall Stand

I like to pick up bits and pieces from boot sales like chairs and small items of furniture.  My husband on the other hand often has bigger ambitions.  Some months back he casually announced he had won an old hall stand on Ebay !  "Its lovely" he exclaimed.  "might need a bit of work" he added.  He also only bids on items that require local collection, his thinking is not so many people will bid if it is not in their location.  He does have a point, he won the hall stand for £10.50.  As he was working it was left to me to collect it, it's OK the seller assured me its in several pieces and will easily fit in your car !  He wasn't wrong !

Here are some photos he remembered to take before he set to work repairing the stand.  We think it's either Edwardian or Victorian.  Its certainly old and was in a really sorry state having been in storage or a garage for many years.

In this picture you can see the mirror in the centre panel was still in relatively good condition, just some age spots which I think add to its beauty.  All the original hooks were the first thing he removed and put to one side to bring back to life later.




This is the base which also has a tray which fits in the bottom for umbrellas.  Hubby removed the wooden storage box as there was a lot of damage, this has now been fixed and is waiting for him to paint.  The wood was cracked and as you can see from the photo the arm on the left as you look at the photo was missing and broken (the seller did provide this piece, just wasn't attached).



The broken pieces of the left arm


more damage.  Trying to educate hubby to take lots of pics from good angles before he starts renovating.  Think he is getting better, at least he remembers now.  Look at the dirt and yuckyness at the bottom of this piece.



It really never ceases to amaze me how talented my husband is.  I am thrilled to bits with the end result.  We had planned to sell this piece but, well its staying put now.  Think it suits our entrance hall beautifully.




















The Stool

It's been a busy few weeks with the Easter holidays, lots of selling at Vintage fairs and children to entertain.  I did manage a quick visit to the boot sale yesterday morning but don't have the time to show you my wares today.  My mother flies home today and we are going to squeeze in one last trip out this morning before she goes. 

I thought you might like to see a previous charity shop purchase I have "reloved".


BEFORE
Sad, unloved stool




After

Inspiration came from one of the pieces of gorgeous material my lovely friend Helen from icklebabe.com sent to me.  A lick of paint and a recover of the seat with Helen's material and a new stool is born !








Stool will be available to purchase in my etsy shop soon.

Linking up to Liz at MagpieMonday

Moving in Day

As we near the end of the major renovations on our house (don't worry I think I will always be tweaking and changing bits and pieces around) all the major building work has been completed mostly by my amazing husband, I decided to create a page on this blog to document how far we have come.  One of my biggest regrets was not taking more photographs on the day we moved in but at the time I was too busy dealing with exhausted removal men, traumatised friends (more on that one later), screaming twins, sulking ten year old and a shocked husband.  There are some photos to show the before but really they do not do justice to the horror of the inside of this house that had been lived in for ten years by an elderly, infirm lady.  Prior to her a family had lived here for over 40 years.  Very little had been changed internally from the 1930's.  We actually loved the original features that still remained like the heavy wooden doors complete with brass handles and original keys!  Although filthy and black with age we could really appreciate their beauty. 

Every room except the kitchen and the bathroom had a fireplace in it.  We are not talking discreet Victorian types tucked away in a corner either.  These were HUGE take a look at us, ugly fireplaces.  I am sad to say the only one that remains is in the living room.  We just could not live with them.  They dominated the space and were really not in keeping with the rooms also taking up valuable wall space.  Anyway more of all this later.

Here are the few pictures I did manage to take on the day we moved into our house.




Boxes, boxes and more boxes.  Piled up in every room.  This is the kitchen as it was.



The dining room.  You couldn't actually get it there.  We had so much furniture, moving from a large house to a much smaller one.  My husband put our lovely family photo portrait on the wall thinking it would cheer me up.  I promptly burst into tears with exhaustion and sadness at all that we had lost and left behind.



Another view of the dining room.


and another !  What were we going to do with all our sofas !  We had four from the old house.  It was hell that night, I can remember not even being able to think or talk at this stage.  I just wanted to sleep and wake to find it had all been a horrible nightmare.



Our bedroom.  It was Summer, look how dark it is outside and still no bed put together for hubby and I to sleep on.  This was taken about 10pm.



Jacob's bedroom.  He refused to stay in the house the night we moved in.  Our great friends who helped us that day had to take him home with them.  I do wonder the extent of what had happened to us in such a small amount of time and the huge changes to his life he had to undergo how they have affected him.  I like to think they have made him a stronger, kinder more understanding person.  I do hope so.



The doorway of the twins room.



They were the only ones who had a good nights sleep on that first night.  I can remember sitting in that blue chair nursing them in the early hours with tears streaming down my face and feeling lonelier and sadder than I had ever felt before in my life.

I am happy to say that seven years on, life is much different.  We have come through so much together and have worked so hard to make this house a real home.  Follow our story on The House Renovation Page.

More soon xx

It's only a chair

but oh ! What a beauty !




Spotted at the back by the van of one of my regular sellers, I couldn't believe this hadn't already been snapped up.
I love it, its shape, the way its legs kick out at the front like a beautiful girl showing off her feet, its colour, the smooth, smooth wood.
I won't be selling it, I won't be painting it.  It's perfect just the way it is.


and the cost ?  Just £3


I can't get enough wicker baskets. I have them in all shapes and sizes, perfect for holding stock and displaying at vintage fairs.  I bagged this one complete with linen liner (in the wash) for just £2.  Its a great size, would make a wonderful hall basket or storage for linens.  We'll see.



These won't be going anywhere either.  Bit of a trend this week, most of the treasure I found at the bootsale is destined to stay in my home.  These are the most beautiful, heavy turquoise glass candlesticks.  I love them, popped them on the newly built bookcase, displaying my books etc is still a work in progress but I have made a start.




After the success of my recent jewellery finds I've been keeping an eye out for more.  Not much about yesterday but found these pretty ear rings.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were real diamonds !  Doubt it very much, they belonged to the sellers grandma and have the old fashioned screw against the back of the ear fastening.



Last week I regretted not buying a set of teacups, this week I wish I had picked up all of these.  The seller had about twelve of them.  On reflection I know I could have sold them on.  The most gorgeous Scented East of India ceramic hearts !  Argh, so cross with myself.



Finally for this week, couldn't resist this jug for just 20p !  It depicts the characters from the famous Widdicombe Fair tune (where the words Old uncle Tom Cobleigh and all, come from ) Just look at the poor horse.


That's it for today. Boys on Easter holidays, sun is shining.

Linking up with Liz from Magpie Monday

Friend and Artist Kath Hadden

It never ceases to amaze me how many people I know are truly talented.  I met Kath as a parent at the twins school.  She is a wonderful, bright and beautiful lady.  She is also an artist.  Take a look at her work.  All available for sale on her website http://kathhadden.co.uk/


Walk from the Esplanade iii


Walk from the Esplanade i


Road to the Lighthouse


Road to Harlyn