Thursday 10 July 2008

Just for fun....

Today is going to be spent doing a mixture of cleaning and trying to finish the WIP dresser.


Just for fun try this........................................




I am An ISTJ !!!!

The Duty FulfillerYou are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done.You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings.Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you.Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy.In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed. For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved.At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility.You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependableWhen other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical


What are you???

Monday 7 July 2008

Rainy days and Mondays .............................



Usually always get me down. Except for this rainy Monday. An unexpected knock on the door can certainly cheer you up. Especially when its the flower lady delivering a surprise-for-no- reason-bouquet. Birthdays and anniversaries command such gifts but rainy Mondays dont. Thanks CB i love you too. x.






These flowers have certainly brightened up a corner in my base (kitchen). I say base as it is the base for everything; cooking, cleaning, paperwork, ironing, phonecalls and of course treasures. I have long yearned for a kitchen that i can put my own stamp on, fill with my treasures and lovely things. I spend 90% of my day in there and am gradually making it a space i can enjoy whilst doing my everyday chores. Our last house was always going to be sold so I could never quite be let loose in there as it had to conform to the beige cream silver brown chrome standard that most buyers desire these days. My style however is far from that beige style. I have been collecting lovely things for many years and dont intend for it to stay in boxes. In the last few years I feel i have grown confident enough to surround myself with the beautiful things that make me happy, ignore fashions and embrace what makes me who and what i am.

Some people like minimalist, but its not for me. I love old things, lovely things and pretty things. The rarity of them and the story of the people who have owned them before just intrigues me and i love the fact that im giving something a new lease of life that may otherwise have been discarded. I have a fascination with old things. I love to surround myself with beautiful pieces, one of a kind treasures and things that dont match! It all adds to the fabric of life.
Its quite easy to dislike your home and see things that you say you want to change. How many times have you said ''i need to do this, change this, get this??? However of late i have seen things in a different light. My home is my home. Make the most of it. See the beauty in what you have got. Can it be painted, changed or surrounded / dressed in treasures to enhance it. Unfortunately i dont own a 10 bedroom 17th century cottage with 4 acres and a moat around it, but until that day im going to be very happy with my lot. x

As its a rainy day with not much to look at outside i have trawled through my pics to find lovely things. Images that make me happy, warm inside and remember happy thoughts. I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings and i hope you enjoy my pictures. Is there anyone reading this anyway?????



Happy thrifting x x x x































Thursday 3 July 2008

The weather has not been kind, but the thrifting has!!!!

For days now we have had short sunny spells then heavy showers. Just when you think that summers here, another black cloud comes along! Not good when you have a football mad almost two year old that wants to be outside all day!

I have however been a little more lucky on the thrifting front. I have a wish list of items that i would just love to own, some more realistic than others. Glass cake stands, vintage books, pretty crockery etc are all of the more run of the mill everyday thrifting things i like. A never been used, never been out of the box, complete with guarantee and leaflet, gaydon melmex set is one of the more unrealistic things i always wished to find but never did. I have a few mix and match pieces but could only dream of finding a full set. Until Sunday's carboot sale that was.
There it was, in all of its glory priced at £12. A bargain in my eyes. DH however is never happy to pay the asking price and soon had paid £8 and was grinning like a cheshire cat. I felt like i had stolen it at that price and quickly made off incase they realised what a bargain i had. The box is a little tatty probably sat on a shelf somewhere for most of its life, but the contents are immaculate and i have still not taken them out of the box. I cant bring myself to be the first one in prob 40-50 years to remove it. So there it sits, in my cupboard. Dont know what i will do with it just had to own this wonderfully retro breakfast set.












I also found another gem. I have been collecting old advertising tins and spotted this tin which i liked the colour of. I opened it expecting it to be empty, but to my delight it is full of its original unopened contents! Dated at 1959, it contains some weird and wonderful potions and lotions (which i dont think i will be using!) bandages etc and a very interesting first aid advice sheet.




I expected it to be quite expensive but i managed to buy it for the sum of £1!!! When i got it home i noticed it was priced at £25 on the bottom!!! I dont know what i will do with it but sometimes i just have to give these things a home, Put them all together and enjoy looking at them. They are too good to pass by and too interesting not to be interested in.


This morning i have received my Cath Kidston order. A set of three cake tins. Delightfully summery and cheery. Not for keeping cakes in though but buttons of course! What else do you use cake tins for?!!




Talking of Cath Kidston.......... The Tesco Cath Kidston eco shoppers have been released. Limited edition of course and extremely hard to get hold of. Thanks to my shabby chic friends however i now have one of each design. Donna and Amanda very kindly sent me ones that they had managed to pick up. I have never met these two lovely ladies, just met them on the shabby chic forum. They sent me the bags before receiving payment from me. How lovely that there are such trusting kind people around willing to help others. Thanks to both of you.



Bye for now. Happy Thrifting