Stool Makeover

Hubby and I are spending most evenings painting old furniture and hopefully transforming them to be sold and reloved all over again.  We are still new to this and in our eagerness to get working, we often forget to take the necessary "before" pictures.  Many apologies that I don't have any for this piece, but take it from me, it was a very sad, unloved piano or bedroom stool with an awful tatty seat cover.  I hope you like what I have done with it.

The wood was a very dirty yellow colour, I rubbed it all down and gave it a light coat of white paint, when it was dry I gave it a rub over with light sandpaper.  This revealed some of the original yellow paint underneath and also gave the stool a distressed appearance.    Once I was happy with the appearance I rubbed in some Annie Sloan clear wax to protect.

I covered the seat in a lovely material remnant purchased from my good friend Helen's ETSY Shop, isn't it just the perfect match !

More items soon.  If you are interested this piece is available for sale  : ) . 

Charity shop hopping

I didn't manage the boot sale this week, partly because hubby was working and partly due to a late night on Saturday at a friends 40th Birthday party.  I did though, manage a few trips to the local charity shops last week including the very upmarket one in Topsham (average price of a house there is around £600,000) !

Here is what I found

Two cups, four saucers and 6 side plates in the prettiest pale pink with a lovely turquoise pattern.  Unusual combination but think it works really well.  Super fine bone china too.  A total steal at 10p per item !!!

Following on the pink theme (there was a lot of pink around in the shops last week for some reason) Pretty Rosa J & G Meakin dinner plate.  10p !!

A pretty pink unmarked jug found in Topsham for the very reasonable sum of £2

some more pink china, found five of these Colclough cups for £2 each and the saucers and side plates were in a basket marked 20p in the Topsham shop.  I think they go really well together .

I found this beautiful child's real feather down Eiderdown in my local charity shop.  It is the most gorgeous Rose Pink colour and is really heavy. Reminded me of childhood, long before duvets were invented and we used to have sheets, blankets and if we were really lucky in the winter (no central heating in our bedrooms) we would borrow a big thick Eiderdown from a relative.  I can still remember the weight of these things, they really kept you warm and snug even when you could see your own breath, because your room was so cold.

This would look absolutely stunning on the bed of a little girl in a shabby chic style bedroom,

Whenever I go to Topsham I always make a point of popping into the Quay Antiques Centre   its packed full of Vintage wares . Everything you can think off, some of it way out of my price range but also lots of gems.  I found these beautiful opaque plates for a total steal.  In fact I think the dealer must have forgotten about them, they were tucked away on a bottom shelf, gathering dust.  I loved them and was more than happy to pay the asking price especially as when I went further along into the store, I found two other dealers selling the exact same individual plates for the same price I paid for one centre plate and four side plates !

Finally, my favourite charity shop has an extensive book section.  I always take a peak to see what's in as I love books with a passion.  Last week I found this beautiful, beautiful book entitled Hugh Casson's LONDON.  It's an absolute feast of water colour pictures from in and around London.  All painted by the Artist Hugh Casson and including memories and information on the places from Hugh himself.  It's a Divine book and cost me just £1.  

One thing that really touches me when I buy books second hand is if they have personal messages inside the front cover.  

why did Pippa give this book away ?  Who was Paul ?  I adore all things vintage and reloved from charity shops for that alone.....  The history, the story ...

That's all for this week.  Please do take a moment to pop over and look at what the other thrifty peeps have been buying this week.

Taking part in :

MAGPIEMONDAY

APRON THRIFT GIRL

China, China Everywhere !

I haven't been to the boot sale for a few weeks, weather or other commitments prevented me, so when hubbies alarm went off at 5.30 am this morning I bounced out of bed all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

 Arriving at the boot sale it was not the usual cram of vehicles, it seemed really quiet considering how lovely the morning was.  On days like this I get that "oh I'm not going to find anything today" feeling.  Treasure was thin on the ground from the trade dealers but as soon as they opened the gates to the "family booters"  the loot started piling up.

It was definitely a china day today.  Which is great because I really need to stock up my Etsy shop and start building up the stock for the Christmas vintage fairs I am planning to attend.

Unfortunately somebody else beat me to the lady selling these gorgeous, so delicate cups and saucers.  Luckily she was only interested in some of the pieces. (horror ! she wanted them to make candle cups out of )  I could have cried that such beautiful delicate china was going to be used for this latest trend.  Anyway I still managed to bag all the side plates and two dinner plates and one cup and saucer.

I found when I sold at the Vintage fair that people really liked my idea of putting sets of china into wicker baskets lined with crisp white linen napkins, so I am always really pleased when I find complete sets of cups and saucers .

Really liked these ironware cream and sugar pots, don't think they are that old but look vintage : )

Oh! pretty, pretty, pretty ! and sold last night to my gorgeous Twitter friend Agnes (thank you so much ) xx

and be still my beating heart !  White ! lots of gorgeous, immaculate white English Bone China.

Pretty plates

and ooooh so pretty Rosebud teaset

Lots more including a beautiful art deco black and white tea set, lots more plates, some linen and a few books.  Most will be listed for sale in my Etsy shop soon.

Linking up to MagpieMonday (hosted this week by Molly and the Princess)

Printable Alphabet Bunting

I spend far too much time looking at gorgeous blogs. 

 From time to time I come across a post that I simply have to tell people about.  Take a look at this gorgeous paper Alphabet Bunting you can download and print it off.  So pretty, easy and cheap. 

 Perfect for parties or just to brighten up  your room .

Pop over to Ruffled blog  and follow the simple download instructions.

Hecworth - Australian Silver Elegance

This weeks post is dedicated to just one purchase from yesterdays boot sale.  I swooped in and bagged this beautiful set seconds before an Antiques dealer who I regularly see on a Sunday morning.  I found out when I got home why he didn't look best pleased !

One of the most enjoyable parts of my boot sale treasure after buying it, is researching it on google.  Sometimes its really straightforward to find dates, manufacturer etc and sometimes it takes a bit of digging.  The seller told me that this was a Hecworth Tea and coffee set from Australia.   Which I must admit I thought didn't seem likely, it looks so classically English !  He was right.  There was no Hecworth on the UK sites anywhere and all the google ebay links lead to Australian Ebay.  There was a similar set selling on Australian Ebay but it was in appalling condition.  Mine as you can see is totally mint, a few small scratches on one of the pots but apart from that it doesn't even look as if it has ever been used.

I did a bit more digging and then came up with a webpage from a museum in Australia with this picture and information !

Statement of significance

This tea service is from the collection of silver and EPNS (electroplated nickel silver) tableware, trophies, napkin rings and spoons made and/or used in Australia between the 1890s and 1950s. Presented to the Museum in 2002, the collection was assembled in the 1980s and 1990s by Professor G W Kenneth Cavill, an Emeritus Professor of the University of New South Wales. In his retirement, Professor Cavill has researched and published the histories of notable early 20th century Australian silverware manufacturers. The collection is representative of their products and includes many rare objects. It was put together to both document and preserve examples of the golden era for the production of domestic silverware in Australia. Rare manufacturers' catalogues of the 1920s and 1930s that complete the collection, show the extensive range of products then available

The hollowware represented in the collection was made in electroplated nickel silver (EPNS) and reproduction Sheffield plate (electroplated silver on copper). Finely made and modestly priced, Australian silverware competed strongly with imported goods. Since the 1950s, table silverware has largely given way to stainless steel. Souvenir and giftware such as spoons and napkin rings are particularly well represented.

Napkin rings made in Australia are comparable in quality to British wares of the same period - a similarity the donor notes is largely due to supervisors being recruited from Birmingham or London. Whilst simple napkin rings were within the capabilities of an apprentice, elaborate ones required much expertise. Reflecting this range, the collection encompasses a wide range of styles from Arts and Crafts to Art Deco and in techniques that include engraving by hand and machine, stamping, and fretwork.

Description

Tea and coffee service, consisting of tea pot, water jug, coffee pot, creamer and sugar bowl, silver plate on copper, 'Hecworth' Plate made by Platers Pty Ltd, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 1940 - 1945

A five piece matching tea and coffee service made of silver electroplated copper. The tea pot is rectangular in shape, has a short pedestal foot, a concave top and hinged stepped lid with Bakelite finial. The 's' shaped spout extends from low on the body to beyond shoulder and attached to opposite side is a black Bakelite square-topped handle. The water pot and coffee pots are rectangular in shape with high slightly flaring sides, short pedestal feet, concave tops and hinged stepped lids with Bakelite finials. The 's' shaped spouts extend from low on the body to beyond shoulder and attached to opposite side is a black Bakelite square-topped handle. The creamer and sugar bowls are rectangular in shape with open tops, short pedestal fee and square-topped silver handles. A 'rope' patterned border decorated rims of foot and shoulder on all pieces. All are marked on base.

Made: Platers Pty Ltd; St Kilda, Victoria; 1940 - 1945

Marks

Marked on base 'HECWORTH REPRODUCTION OLD SHEFFIELD'.

The Registration Number of an object is a unique identifying number applied by the museum at the point of acquisition. Current numbering format comprises the year of acquisition, followed by a sequential number. For example, '2007/45' is the Registration Number that represents the 45th acquisition in the year 2007. Registration number

2002/80/6

Production date

1940 - 1945

I'd love to know how it came to be in the UK, so wish I had asked some questions of the seller at the boot sale.  I can't find any reference to value and the museum has no email address.  What do you think, valuable ?

Please pop over and see what the other MagpieMonday ladies have collected this week.

Linking upto http://herlibraryadventures.blogspot.com/2011/11/flea-market-find-of-year.html