The Jones Family Likes .....

Our home if full of paintings, pictures and vintage signs.  This is the latest addition to the collection.  I love it.  If you would like one for your family let me know.  Selling them for £28  including the frame plus P & P, you can choose from reloved vintage frames painted in aany colour of your choice or new frames in white vintage (as shown) modern white, black or brown.  Contact me for more information. xx

Instant Best Seller !

This weekend I had an unexpected success on my hands at the Christmas fair I attended.   Like a lot of things it was a last minute idea to make some decorations.  I thought they might work as decoration if nothing else to accessorise my vintage finds and reloved furniture.  As it turned out they were a best seller !

wooden heart decoration, hand painted and distressed.   Available to buy from The White Approach - £3

Small wooden heart decoration £1 each

Blue and white hand painted and distressed wooden heart garland £6

More colours and shapes available soon, including snowflakes and reindeer .

"Our Family Likes" personalised and framed picture, available to order from The White Approach £25

Linking up to HandmadeThursday over at Whitelillygreen

Making a Thrifty Living

I say this over and over but somehow, being forced into this thrifty lifestyle just after the birth of the twins really has opened my eyes to all the treasure that you can find on a budget and it really is possible to live well and furnish your home beautifully with a bit of imagination and luck.  The Sunday morning boot sale is now a regular part of our routine.  I am always amazed at the treasure I find.

I am now coming into the really busy season for selling my thrifty finds.  The run upto Christmas is swamped with Vintage & Craft Christmas fairs.  All my weekends are booked up with two fairs in one day in some cases.   I have resisted listing most of my stock in my Etsy shop as I am certain I will sell it within the month, resulting in my home resembling a charity shop itself.  I couldn't resist one more trip to the boot sale this morning as the forecast was dry and bright.  I am SOOOOOOOOO glad I went.  Look what I found :

Seriously tooo die for mirrors.  The one on the left is brass and is totally Divine.  The one on the right is plaster.  Both are in immaculate condition.  Purchased from the same seller for a super smashing price.  I know I should sell them, but ........

Also purchased from the same seller and the proof that getting out of bed at 5.30 to arrive at the bootsale in the dark is worth it.  These gorgeous handpainted but unmarked mint green bone china cups and saucers.

I paid £3 for the three and am *cough* keeping them, but as I have always maintained something in so something goes and after a Summer of gracing my kitchen windowsill I am finally ready to see my beautiful pastel coloured trio's move on.

Pretty ceramic trinket pot and lid will though go to a fair, it will be certain to sell as a lovely Christmas gift.  I may put something inside.  I have lots of lovely new soaps, candles and other handmade lovelies to take along this year.

The photograph does not do this saucer justice.  Palest hand painted mint green, pink and gold.  Again I have plans for all the odd saucers I have collected this year.  Hopefully they will be a good seller.  If it works I will sell them in my Etsy shop in future.

Three lovely cups (all without saucers) again not to be overlooked. Sellers let you have them cheaper in most cases because they think they are not as useful without their saucers.  We of course know different !!

Beautiful finest bone china tea, coffee cup and saucer.  I paid more than my usual great thrifty price but who could resist ?

It's one thing finding a great bargain, it's another fighting for one !  Walking past this seller's table she was totally swamped with people grabbing items from her table, out the back of her car, from her boot.  It was total carnage.  I absolutely hate to see this and will not get involved.  As a bootsale seller myself this sort of behaviour makes me see red.  So I walked away.  When I returned she had hardly anything left and was looking frazzled.  She did though have this pretty Arthur Wood jug.

Any ideas what this could have been used for ?  lovely heavy glass with a metal handle, no idea of its use but totally love it !

I don't usually go for the books at bootsales but this pretty one caught my eye.  Full to the brim of gorgeous embroidery patterns, stitches, how to's etc.  Love it and am sure I will be able to find it a lovely new home at the handmade fair .

No not photographs actual embroidery ! Can you imagine being so talented and patient to make such a wonderful piece.

Finally this "has potential" chair.  Hubby was not best pleased that I bought it as its sprung and has horse hair filling but isn't it a beauty ?  I can so see the potential for it.  Watch this space for the makeover transformation.

Taking part in MagpieMonday do pop over and see all the other thrifty finds

Soy Candle Cups

I'm not somebody who consideres myself "crafty" in any shape or form.  I look on in wonder at women who make and bake and craft their way through life, but after applying for one particular fair and being turned down because my items were not handmade I thought "right, I'll show them ! "  and decided to have a go at making some candle cups.  How hard could it be ?  It wasn't !  in fact, it was possibly the simplest thing I have ever done.

I'm really pleased with the results of my first attempt.  Many more to follow.

 

Where there's muck there's brass !

I receive many comments about how lovely the items are I find at boot sales and how immaculate they look. In most cases I don't buy them this way, many are overlooked by other buyers because of the condition they are in.  Some of my best buys have been buried under layers of dirt,dust and rubbish, just screaming out for a good wash. 

Todays haul was no exception.  There seems to be an increase in "man with a van" types turning up at my local Sunday morning boot sale, they unload box after box of household items that have clearly been aquired from house clearances.  Many probably sitting in attics for years or in the cupboards of the elderly and infirm.  This is a double edged sword for me as I often feel a pang of sadness for the life that has been and the fact that many treasured possessions end up this way, but then I feel cheered by the knowledge that hopefully they would be pleased to know I rescue their items and they go onto be loved again.

BEFORE (although you can't really see how filthy the water jugs and cake stand were).  See the wire attached to the aqua dishess !  Why would you hang these on the wall ? Most odd.

AFTER

A good long soak in hot soapy water, bit of a wash with bicarbe and how fab do they look.

I might have to keep these aqua plates and dishes for a while, each one has a different flower design painted onto it, I love them !

Beautiful heavy Aqua coloured glass jug (was full of sediment and yuck in the bottom & sides)  Hot water, bicarb and a good soak and it looks fab! 

Don't be scared to barter the price, the lady initially asked for £5 for this little lot, when I pointed out the condition and the missing saucers I got them all for £3.  Washed up a treat, lovely Duchess English Bone China.

Take a moment to pop over to MagpieMonday and see what the other ladies have been upto this week.