Pretty in Pink

Something I am always on the lookout for are china sugar bowls and milk jugs, especially with  pretty pink flower patterns. 

I love the thought of days gone by when tea was a proper ritual.  Teapot, sugar bowl, milk jug, dainty cup and saucer.  Today everything is rush, rush, rush.  Sadly, its not likely anytime soon that the four men in my home would join me in my love of this ritual.

 When I was a single, childless, girl about town, I would regularly sit  on my balcony, looking out to sea, sipping my tea delicately from a china cup and saucer and flipping through my vogue magazine pretending to be a "proper" lady ! Ha! Little did I know that my neighbours (now very  dear friends) would watch me and smile at my "grandeur".

A collection of some of my bowls and jugs all but one purchased from Ebay.  The only thing I resent about winning an item off Ebay is usually the postage cost makes the item not such a great bargain .

This Sailsbury Regency bone china sugar bowl is a real favourite of mine.  Won for 99p on Ebay but with a hefty £3.95 postage. Bah !

The wonderful ashtray above was a real find at a car boot last summer at just 20p.  Filthy dirty in a box of junk, I spotted the pink swags and when I picked it up discovered it was back stamped with a mark from The Ritz ! The stories it could tell.  Hope they don't want it back anytime soon. 

Take a minute to pop over and discover the other pre-loved treasures found by those taking part in .MagpieMonday

Plate Passion

I have a passion ! 

for a pretty plate, it doesn't even have to be in perfect condition.  If I love it, I love it !

Over the years I have collected many, some are now chipped, some cracked and a few broken.  I am not precious about them, this is the beauty of paying (mostly) pennies for my lovelies. 

I use them everyday, the family are used to my mismatched bits and pieces.  I think it adds to their beauty.  I will say though that I don't put food on the cracked and chipped ones for obvious reasons but I cannot bear to part with them.

A Selection of my lovely plates

My most expensive single purchase £4.50 for this totally too die for Johnson Bros Pareek Bone china plate

Really pretty Noritake Plate

I love the fact that the guilding is worn on this gorgous softest of soft pink plate (make unknown)

The smallest room in the house

With so much work to do on the house when we moved in, after the first job of ripping up all the filthy carpets (see previous post).  We decided on our limited budget the one place we could afford to sort straight away was our upstairs loo.

Before (apologies for the poor quality of the photo (BB - Before Blogging ) 

AFTER

AFTER - Blue & white stripe wallpaper Laura Ashley sale, Bunting won in an auction on Ebay £4.99

Hubby has spent hours and hours bringing the original door handles back to their former glory.  They were almost black with dirt and age on all the doors in the house when we moved in.  Pretty hearts again an auction find on Ebay.

Love this wooden sign, cheers me every time I go in the loo.  Won in an auction on Ebay for £9.99, Hearts also off Ebay, gorgeous designer material (can't remember price or name)

Nautical inspired porthole mirror, the only item we have in our home that came from my OH's previous home (that he shared with his previous partner !) I am assured he choose it ! LOL!  

There you go the first before and after pics of the smallest room in the house.