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Wednesday 9 January 2013

Hey, Big Spender!


I know, I know, we're well into the New Year, but better late than never! I hope you've all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year and escaped any illness ... me and Harry succumbed to the Christmas Lurgy but are over it now, and it's nice to start to get back to 'normal'. As my sub-title is 'a diary of vintage, thrifty adventures' I realised that my posts have been sadly lacking in this department recently, so thought I'd share with you what I've been up to lately.


Some time ago, I saw a cooker made from a bedside table on a load of old tat blog so decided to borrow the idea as my sister was buying a log cabin for her grandchildren for Christmas and it needed furnishing inside.  Steve did all the work and I bossed him around  instructed him, but the cooker was well received ... I only wish I'd known of this idea when my own children were little, instead of spending large amounts of money on plastic rubbish kitchens and the like.


With everyone in the family back at work/school/college yesterday I decided to go thrifting as I hadn't done this since before Christmas, and I was starting to go a bit stir crazy! (There was method in my madness too, as there was no-one to witness my arrival back home with crates full of stuff!) I'm glad I went yesterday or I might have missed this little lot! All these items were purchased for £12 and that included a donation.



Thirty-nine pieces of Wood's ware crockery, including a teapot, milk jug, cups, saucers, side plates and dinner plates all for £3!! They were predominantly in the green Beryl colour, but the lady then found some Iris pieces and said "I'll throw these in too, love, to get rid of them and make some space". To think this crockery has survived almost 70 years shows that it has staying power, so that'll do for me!


A lovely dessert spoon set in leather case ... this looks unused, and I can imagine a young bride receiving it as a wedding present and putting it away 'for best' ... I hope that 'best' arrived and that she did get to use it.


Lovely, shaped standard lampshade.  A bit tatty and not really my colours so requiring a bit of Granny Chic, I think ...


Little Hornsea squirrel to join my growing collection of fauna ...


and a lovely little wooden cow on wheels who just asked to be rescued ... could do with a little tlc and a bit of a polish (but then again, couldn't we all?) ...

This is the best treasure that I've unearthed for a long time, so I hope it's going to be a good year on the thrifty front. I'm trying to have a 'no-spend' January, but this doesn't include thrifting obviously ... you have to speculate to accumulate, after all! I'm only buying necessities, such as food ... and never paying full price for anything, if I can help it.  Just try and have a week of living off what you already have instead of shopping for more stuff you don't really need. Think of the time you'd save trawling around a busy, soulless supermarket, not to mention the money!


This Sadler teapot is my alltime favourite piece of treasure I have ever found! I discovered it in a charity shop before Christmas, which I only go to once a month, when I collect my chicken food, and it was only £3!! I absolutely love it as hearts and flowers are my favourite things, and the two combined on a beautiful china teapot is just perfect.


I advertised on a local site requesting a reasonably priced old, wooden rocking chair and this is what I got ... it too needs a bit of care and attention, but I've got plans! I saw a very similar one in a local 'shabby chic' shop, which had been painted, waxed and distressed and was priced at almost £300! This little beauty was £15 and is definitely a keeper.


I'll just share my lovely red tulips with you ... these are one of my favourite flowers and a reminder that spring is on its way, bursting through the dark, grey days of winter!

I would like to thank you all for visiting and leaving such lovely comments on my last post.  I was overwhelmed by the volume of visitors sharing their stories with me and by the kindness, support and loyalty you all give so freely. I was really touched, so thank you, once again.

See you all soon,  keep warm and carry on!

Love, Claire

xxx 

61 comments:

  1. Some really great treasures here, well done. In the days when I was spending money(!) I collected a Royal Doulton dinner service, Albany. I was in a charity shop before Xmas and picked up a serving dish with lid for £3.00, it would retail on ebay for over £100. I was chuffed to bits with my find xxx

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  2. Happy New Year to you also!
    I LOVE your Sadler Teapot - SO pretty!
    xx

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  3. Hi Claire, Oh I do love reading your lovely posts, and you have some fantastic thrifty finds there! Just the same as you I'm trying not to spend in January..or in fact to try and save for the whole year as much as I can now that we've moved in to our new house, as you rightly say though, this does not include thrifting! I haven't had a chance to go for a while but am really itching to get out there and see what I can find! My most recent bargains back in November were 3 beautiful 1930's cake plates, which had been dumped in the "10p box" of our local jumble-sale shop - so I had the 3 for just 30p!! They look fantastic on my dresser, what a bargain! :) xx

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    1. Hello Marina, I think the better the bargain, the better the pleasure! xx

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  4. Oh my gosh! I saw that hoard on instagram and couldn't believe it but to hear the story as well- you lucky ducker! I love those spoons. Wow! Wish our charity shops were as abundant :) Great ideas for January too. I'm on a spending freeze myself.

    Hazel x

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  5. Hello, Mrs!
    Sounds like you have a spring~ in your step... And that's good!The little cooker is fab. Olivia would have loved this, when small of course...hehe.Ooh My! You have found treasure too...Happy New Year, Claire, lets hope it is a kind one for us all....Love Maria x

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    1. Hello Maria, thanks fr popping in ... See you soon xx

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  6. oh claire what an amazing trawl of treasure you uncovered.....something to cheer you up once 'normality' strikes.......love the lampshade(can't wait to see that grannified!) and of course the squirrel! i love tulips too and bought some bunches yesterday to fill the empty gaps the christmas decs left behind!have a lovely day x

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    1. We need a bit of treasure in the gloomy January days, don't we? Thanks for visiting xxx

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  7. What a wonderful collection of thrifty finds! I'm kicking myself because a couple of days ago I too saw a large collection of Beryl Woods ware in a charity shop and a matching coffee set in another one. As I am trying to stick to a non-spending policy this January I didn't buy it at the time but changed my mind the next day and, of course, it had gone. My non-spending policy has now been amended to not include thrifted items but extended for the foreseeable future! Love the little cooker by the way, such a simple idea, wish I'd thought of it when Miss RV was small. Love, Mrs RV x

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    1. Ooh Mrs RV, you have to get things when you see them, there's always soneone looking over your shoulder ready to snaffle it from under your nose! I hope something see turns up for you soon xxx

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  8. Lovely finds and what a great 'cooker' idea. M x

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  9. Oh my I love a thrifty bargain or two ... and that teapot is beautiful!!! xxx

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  10. Hi Claire, I LOVE that rocking chair...£15?? What a bargain and what a good idea to advertise for one...guess what I'm going to do later!! You've inspired me to get down to the charity and secondhand furniture shops now...that ironing is just going to have to wait!xx

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    1. Hope you got your rocking chair! I asked fir a standard lamp and got one of those too xx

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  11. Hello lovely Claire
    You have found some lovely treasures...
    yes you are right thrifting does not count..we are finishing up our christmas larder too and only buying essentials!
    I love your little cooker what a clever idea..and your teapot is so pretty well spotted..
    The tubby wooden cow looks lovely too
    Iam glad you are over your bug there has been so much about..I got away with just a stinky cold but it has taken ages to go
    Stay warm my friend
    Thea x

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    1. Hello Thea, these winter bugs are awful ... Hope you're fighting fit now! It's amazing what you can make just by using up all the ingredients you have, you can invent some great recipes and save money too. Take care lovely xxx

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  12. I'm coming with you on you next venture! Wow what a stash! Well done on the cooker, lots of hours of play there! :) x

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    1. Ooh, that'd be fun Ada, you're welcome any time! xxx

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  13. Oh that crockery reminds me of my great grandmother's, such a bargain! Love the spoons and the chair too, and can't wait to see how you Granny Chic-ify the lampshade :) x

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    1. I definitely recognise the crockery from somewhere, think it might be from the canteen at work in the 80's! xx

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  14. What a lovely stash, I wish I could come shopping with you! I love the rocking chair, can't wait to see what you do with it, and your teapot is beautiful. xx

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    1. Ada wants to come too Cheryl, you're all welcome, but we'd be fighting over the same things! Xx

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  15. Hope that you are fully recovered. Love the beside table kitchen.
    Finally updated my blog reading list and added you, hope that is ok?
    Dxx

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  16. Hello Claire
    That oven is brilliant. Much better than those plastic ones, what a wonderful time they'll have with it. More amazing finds. I do love that cow with the wheels and I can't wait to see what you do with the lampshade. Thanks for sharing your tulips it's lovely to see some colour to brighten up our days.
    Ali x

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  17. HI Claire, Love the oven! I would have loved that sort of thing when I was a child. I'm sure they must have been thrilled with it.
    You have a real eye for thrifty finds. I must admit I havent been around the charity shops for ages, I'm trying not to spend.

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    1. Hello Anne, wish I had your willpower ... But then I wouldn't have got any treasure! xxx

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  18. Love the rocking chair. I was looking at one in a furniture shop here in Dublin last weekend and they wanted 450 euros for it.

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    1. Who on earth would pay that much? It's getting quite ridiculous ... Xxx

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  19. Great cooker, I am sure it will be well loved!

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    1. Thank you so much for the idea, I would never have thought of it! xx

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  20. Wow what a haul! Happy New Year to you - hope you're feeling much better now. I've had the flippin lurgy for about 6 weeks now and it refuses to budge! The little cooker is very cute and I'm sure will be treasured for years to come :) Love Kim xx

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    1. Hello Kim, aww, hope you're feeling better soon, lurgy not much fun! xxx

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  21. Happy New Year to you and your family Claire...Wishing you a year full of all good things!..Hope you're feeling much better too...there are so many nasty viruses doing the rounds at the moment...
    Ooh, I love all your finds (especially the little cow on wheels!)
    Susan x

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    1. Thank you so much Susan, hope you nd yours have a fab year to! Xx

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  22. Fabulous rocking chair and I love the Cow! I agree about not spending in January ( apart from wool and treasures that is!). From Christmas onwards I am taking food from the freezer instead of vice versa- homemade tomato soup and bilberries for a taste of summer! Cathyx

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    1. Ooh, a taste of summer sounds wonderful Nanacathy! Xx

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  23. Hi Claire,WHAT A HAUL!!!I am sooo envious of your Beryl teapot(my mum's Beryl!)I had two of these in different sizes but gave them away a while ago when forced(by hubby)to have a clear out,I've regretted it ever since!Then the other day a large Beryl teapot came into our charity shop but I told myself I didn't need it and was so mad err I mean glad when someone else bought it!I got a GORGEOUS embroidered firescreen from my flea market today,I've posted a picture on my blog if you have time to pop over.Warm regards Pam p.s. adore the hearts teapot,it'll be lovely for a Valentine day cuppa!

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    1. Hello Pam, nipped over and seen your fire screen ... Great treasure, well done! xx

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  24. Wow, you did well there, what fabulous finds!! I am quite jealous and that tea pot is gorgeous. That bedside table cooker is a genius idea, I wish it had occurred to me to do something similar, but to be fair the wooden kitchen I bought child 1 is now being used by child 2 four years later, so at least we got our money's worth out of it!

    Gillian x

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  25. Hi Gillan, it's lovely to pass things down and your kitchen can be a new family heirloom xxx

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  26. Hi Claire,

    A Happy New Year to you and your family! You started the new year well. Love your thrift store finds. The spoons and the tea set look really good!

    Have a good weekend,

    Madelief x

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  27. Hello Madelief! Thanks for popping in, and a very Happy New Year to you and yours too xxx

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  28. Ah ha - very good busy so early on in the 'season' Claire - especially well done on the china front. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the rocking chair - I was always envious of Val Doonicans (even more so his jumpers!).
    Best wishes and wrap up warm
    Jenny

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  29. Hi Jenny, lovely to see you! Yes, it is a bit of a Val Doonican one ... and exactly the same as the one I saw in the posh shop, because I checked yesterday!

    You take care too xxx

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  30. Fabulous haul, love your 'Beryl' china, it's so timeless.
    Fiona x

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    1. Thanks Fiona, I absolutely love it and am using it every day! Xxx

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  31. Dear Claire,

    Lovely post and wishing you and your family the very best for 2013. You are off to a wonderful start finding all the great treasure - love it all and for such a bargain.
    The little wooden oven is so cute and as you say, so much nicer than the plastic ones.
    I like your idea of having a thrifty January and to use up what is already in the cupboards.
    Wishing you a very happy week and many thanks for visiting me.
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  32. Hello Carolyn, thank you for popping in, hope you have a lovely week too!

    Claire xxx

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  33. Gosh, you did some find some treasure! I love the cow ... I seem to have a 'thing' about cows and wouldn't have been able to resist her myself.

    Happy thrifting Claire! And a rather belated, Happy New Year :D

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  34. Hello Annie, yes the cow is lovely ... I don't know whether she's genuinely 'old' or a new one made to look old, but I haven't seen one like her before! I did have a lucky day.

    Hope you have a fabulous New Year too!

    Claire xxx

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  35. There are so many lovely things in this post, the handmade cooker is gorgeous, the china for £3 and the dessert set which I also have a set of from childhood (sadly not in a lovely box)& the tulips & vase (or is it a jug?) so pretty!

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I love to hear what you think of my ramblings and value all your comments ... I will try and get back to you, but am sorry if I don't always manage this ... sometimes real life just gets in the way! Claire xxx