Car Boot Loot #18

Finally some sun!  It's been so long that I've forgotten what sunshine looks like.

I think the whole of the UK has me to thank for the sun!  Yesterday we all trooped out to buy the Wee Man some wet weather gear.  Not only a windproof, waterproof jacket but also an all in one rain suit thing.  The type that you zip yourself into with just your face and hands showing.  

So because of this timely purchase of wet gear, the sun has decided to spite me and shine it's smug glorious face all over us.  Shouldn't really complain should I.

What the rain did stop us from doing this weekend was go car booting.  They were all closed because the fields were pretty much lakes.  So I don't have much to show this week.  Just some goodies from charity shops.

First up, a beautiful set of Paragon tea plates.  They are the right shade of green and the pink roses are gorgeous.  I do love pink roses.

And another train game for the Wee Man.  He has so many board games they are taking over my house but for £1.50 and it's a train game, I had to buy it.  It'll be a lovely surprise for him when he comes in from school today. 

That was my lot for this week.  Not much to show really.  The rain really has a lot of answer for.

If you liked my Car Boot Loot post have a look see at my other Loot posts.  Just click here.  

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Vintage Easter Swap

 I've been slightly tardy with this post.  A wee while ago the lovely LissyLou organised a Vintage Easter Sap and I was lucky enough to be partnered with Katie.

I was thoroughly spoiled and received lots of gorgeous goodies.  The goodies were wrapped in pretty pastel coloured paper and ribbons.   I love receiving gifts that are prettily gift wrapped.  It makes me smile. 

What was inside the pretty wrapping paper?  Gorgeous pastel coloured crcheted bunting!  The bunting is currently decorating the top of my dresser.  The little roses really make the bunting special.   

Some sweet smelling Cath Kidston smellies.  I usually take showers, so I'm keeping the bath melt to use for a special occasion i.e. when I have the house to myself and I'm not rushed out of the bathroom with shouts of "MUM!" or "MADISON!".  Which is more often than you would think.  

A set of gorgeous hand painted glasses.  I've been hunting in charity shops and car boot sales for a set of painted glasses.  How did she know?!  

A very handy sewing kit.  I have been known to bung some needles and thread into a plastic food bag to take with me when I feel the need to sew on the move.  This little set is perfect to keep in my handbag. 

A sweet little pink bucket.  It's so cute and the pink is the perfect shade of pink.  

And inside the little bicket was a handmade hanging Easter egg.  Look at the detail on it.  I originally thought it was shop bought until Katie told me she had decorated it.  It's perfect!  The fabric on the egg is completely wrinkle free.  How did she do it?! 

And of course you can't have an Easter without Easter chicks!  These were given to the Wee Man.  We've been hunting for some Easter chicks to put into his plastic Easter eggs and they've all been either too big or too small.  These were the perfect size and he promptly stuffed them into his eggs ready for his Easter Egg hunt.  

I was rather spoiled wasn't I?

I can't seemed to find the photos of the things I sent her.  I'm off to have a more thorough search.  Where are those blimmin' photos?!

 

Car Boot Loot #17

Hasn't the weather improved?!  It's so lovely and sunny here I can finally believe that Spring is here.

Yesterday we hottailed it to our favourite car boot sale in a neighbouring town.  It's about a 25 minute drive away but well worth it.  Unfortunately there were not that many sellers there yesterday.  Only a quarter of the usual amount so the pickings were rather slim.

So slim in fact I only got two things for myself.  The Wee Man on the other hand got a huge bag full of books and a game.

First up for me was this cute little ceramic hen.  The seller informed me that is was a gravy seperator.  I thought it was a wee bit too small for gravy but smiled nicely and accepted her 50p offer.  I think in fact it's an egg seperator.   See the little lip on the hen's chest?

Unfortunatley I have no use for an egg seperator as I do not cook with eggs that often because of the Wee Man's allergies so the hen will be for display purposes only.  Love her eyelashes. 

Next up a chequered cake set for all of £1.  It's always a challenge to make exciting and different treats for the Wee Man and I thought this cake set would make a little surprise treat for him.  The seller said it belonged to her Mum so maybe it's vintage, though vintage "Made in Taiwan" is a bit of a stretch.

Reading the instructions I think there is a lot of room for disaster, but I'm willing to give it a go.  Maybe the cake will be more splodge than chequered?  Either way, I'll post some pics of the results once I get round to using it.  The Big Man observed that the cake set will most likely end up in the box of stuff for us to sell at a car boot sale!  Humph!

That was it for me.  I also got a huge pile of books for the Wee Man, a lot of them old Ladybird non-fiction books, for £1.

Also a Mousetrap game which unfortunately had no instructions in the box.  I bought it from a man who had just got a call to say his daughter was in labour with his first grandchild.  I didn't have the heart to keep him back whilst I checked the contents.  He was desperately packing up and I think the buyers felt his desperation because a crowd converged on his stall picking up anything and everything and demanding a price for it.   For the record I was already eyeing up the game when he got the call, so I was not one of the vultures, though to be honest I did have a quick squizz around his stall to make sure there wasn't anything else I wanted.  Am I naughty?

And last but not least a fantastic Egypitan craft set.  My 10 year old niece is obsessed about all things Egyptian.  She can name all the rulers of ancient Egypt, who their parents were, how they got to be ruler and anything else you would care to know about them.  I always keep an eye out for anything Ancient Egypt related for her.  

The box is full to the brim of crafty things.  She's also very arty and crafty.  I can't wait to give it to her.  She will be so excited. 

That's my lot for this week.  We were suppose to go to another car boot sale today but the Wee Man and the Big Man are off riding miniature steam trains instead. 

If you've enjoyed reading my Car Boot Loot post why not have a look at my other Car Boot Loot posts. Just click on the link,  Madison's Car Boot Loot

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The Perfect Railway Holiday (aka as the "Best Train Holiday EVER") - Part 1

Where do you go on holiday if your child is mad about trains?

The answer is simple, Wales.  Berwyn to be precise where for a reasonable amount of money you can hire the Station Master's house at Berwyn station.  It's situated right on the railway platform where regular steam and vintage diesel trains run.

Here's the link if you want to have a nose. Berwyn Station Masters House

I can't remember how I found the house but find it I did and I booked it there and then.

I can hand on heart say it is the BEST holiday home I have ever stayed in.  The view from the living room is stunning with sweeping views of the platform and the River Dee.

 
Berwyn station is a vintage lovers dream with lovely vintage touches here and there.

The house is beautifully furnished with everything you would ever need on holiday, including an iron.  Several of our past holiday homes were without one so I was especially thrilled to find an iron in a cupboard.  Simple things!  To welcome us on our arrival at the house there was a lovely bottle of wine and beautiful fresh flowers.  And of course the obligatory carton of fresh milk in the fridge for a cuppa. 

The Wee Man spent many happy hours playing on the platform.  The station is rather quiet with not many people getting on and off at Berwyn so he had the run of the platform and for one whole week he was the Station Master of Berwyn railway station, complete with train cap, whistle, flag and official badge.

As part of the holiday home hire we were given complementary tickets for the railway which allowed us to ride the trains as many times as we wanted during our stay.  This made the holiday very worthwhile as at £12 for an adult ticket and there being four adults we saved a lot of money.  The tickets were used almost on a daily basis.

The majority of the railway staff are volunteers and were exceptionally lovely which really made the Wee Man's holiday.  He was given a tour of the signal box at Llangollen station, allowed into the driver's cab of a steam train, helped with the coupling up of several trains and the highlight for him was a ride in the driver's cab of a vintage diesel train.

I think you need to be a parent to a train mad child to fully appreciate why all of the little extra treats were really special.  I have to add though that the little extras are not part of the holiday package, but merely the staff recognising how especially train obsessed the Wee Man is and indulging him in his obsession.  He really is obsessed!

More holiday posts to follow where the Wee Man's train obsession will become very apparent.

Car Boot Loot #16

Well I'm back from my hols in Wales and the Wee Man had a fantastic time.  More of our Welsh Adventure at a later date.  But today a quick - ish rundown of all the loot I have gathered since the last Car Boot Loot Post.

I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to go to as many charity shops as I had hoped to on hols, but I still found some treasures during my travels.

First up a vintage Oxo cube tin.  All for a mere 10p.  The tin design was the winning design in the Oxo Graphic Design Award for schools and colleges in 1992.  It was designed by a very talented Martin Sanders age 19 and the theme shows that OXO can be enjoyed by everyone throughout the day.   (I write this as if I am knowledgable about all things Oxo tins, but really I'm only copying it from the tin!)

My favourite part of the design is the circus lion licking it's lips.  I wonder if he's eyeng up the cup of Oxo or the lion tamer.  

Next up some serious vintage china porn.

Four very gorgeous Johnson Brothers tea cups and saucers.  I love the bright Spring colours and the lovely floral detail. 

My first ever handled cake plate.  It's an Old Foley one bought from a charity shop in Porthmadog for a very reasonable £1.99.  The price sticker said £2.99 but the lady behind the till gave it a look and said it was only worth £1.99, so that's what I got it for.  And of course I put a little donation in the collection tin at the till.  

We found an attic sale in a church hall and amongst all the toot there was this fine example of a stately tea pot poking it's spout out of the chaos.  It's Royal Albert Inspiration and is currently looking lovely and serene on my dresser.  

And lastly a "little" something I picked up on our last day on hols.  Two lovely and very heavy red enamel pots.  The colour reminds me of "Keep Calm and Carry On" and I'm thinking of either stencilling the logo on to the pots or using a decal.  Not sure yet.  Bought for a meagre £1 each from a vintage steam train station platform.

That's my lot today.  More holiday adventures to follow.  I hope you all had a fabbo Easter holiday.  Not sure what your weather was like, Wales was wet!

If you've enjoyed gawking at my loot, why not gawk some more at my other Car Boot Loot posts here.

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Car Boot Loot #15

Well after a rubbish start with the new charity shop, it's finally come good.  Remember I missed out on the lovely F&M picnic hamper?  I've been visiting the charity shop nearly every day after I drop the Wee Man off at school and over the weeks I have come home with some rather fabulous finds.

These are my most recent.

A set of gorgeous mini playing cards.  I bought them to put my handmade flower hair clips on.  I thought the pink birdies on the backs would look lovely.  It wasn't until I got home and had a proper look at them, I realised what a bargain I got.  All the face cards are different and oh so gorgeous.  Instead of Queens there are "Ds" and the Jacks are "Bs".  I'm thinking Duchesses and Barons?  Anyone know? I showed them to the Big Man and he suggested they should be framed since they are so lovely.

I also got a set of vintage "Lexicon" playing cards.  I know they sell on Ebay for a fair bit so I'm toying with the idea of selling them on, however my wannabe crafty mind is going into overdrive thinking of things I could do with them.  A Google search is in the offing.

Of course some more vintage china.  A set of Royal Albert Gossamer tea cups, saucers and tea plates.  I love the colours and the fine marbling detail.  A bit different from my usual vintage flowery desgins but the colours are divine.

 

 That's my lot for this week.  What Loot did you get?  

This post is shared on Flea Market , Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

I Love Tea Cups!

As you may have gathered from my many thrifted vintage china finds, I love vintage china, especially tea cups.  I was so pleased to find a few tea cup linky parties in blog land.  It's another legitimate reason for me to droll over gorgeous photos of tea cups.  They do make my tummy go flip flop.

So I thought I would join in with one of my favourite tea cups from my collection.

It was bought for me from my very generous Mother In Law from an antique centre we were visiting.  It looks a wee bit boring on the outside but wait until you see inside. 

Sigh!  I love the colours and the details in the flowers.  I could stare at it all day.  

The saucer is just as detailed and just as pretty.

It's made by Foley and has pride of place on my dresser.

This post is shared on Sweetology, Rose Chintz Cottage, Time was Antiques,

Car Boot Loot #14

A very quick post today as the Wee Man has the lurgy.  I was all set for going to a car boot yesterday,the first time this year, then the Wee Man was struck down with lurgy.  I was so excited but needs must and we spent yesterday stuck indoors entertaining a poorly Wee Man.  Sigh!

I was able to get to town last week and did a quick tour of the charity shops.  I found lots of lovelies but only came home with one.  Charity shop prices have gone mental.  I know there's lots of blog posts about charity shop prices so I won't bore you with another one.  Alls I'll say is "BLIMEY!"

Lookey at this gorgeous Royal Albert tea plate.  It makes my heart sing.  I'm going to put some plates on my dining room wall and make a plate display.  All I need to do is get rid of all the Wee Man's "art" first.  Which may be a wee bit tricky.  

And of course I can't go into a charity shop without coming out with a pile of books for the Wee Man.  He's such a book worm.

So the Wee Man did better than I did this week.  Next Sunday will be a wash out also as we'll be visiting family.  So I'll lose another week of car booting.

Will I ever get to a car boot this year?!

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Car Boot Loot #13

Yesterday was the Grand Opening of a charity shop that's a 5 minute walk from my house.  I'd spied a gorgeous F&M picnic hamper in the window and was determined to make it mine.  Unfortunately the woman in front of me in the queue was just a little bit quicker than I was.  Grrr!

The Big Man was not in the slightest bit sympathetic when I told him I'd missed out on the hamper.  I've obviously married an idiot.  He reasoned that I had enough F&M hampers, we don't have room for any more and I'd bought the exact same one from a charity shop a couple of months ago. 

Hm.  Maybe he's not that much of an idiot after all.  But I do love baskets and I especially love Fortnum and Mason ones.  They make me feel posh.

I've bagged a few bargains since my last Car Boot Loot post.  Mostly from charity shops as the car boot season has ended in my town.  There is one in a neighbouring town but the Big Man has been working weekends recently.  Thankfully the show he was working on has ended now so we shall be heading up there next Sunday.  

Here's some of the goodies I got recently.

A beautiful Royal Ascot tea cup trio.

Gorgeous pink Grindley and Johnson Bros bowls.  They go perfectly with the pink tea pot the Big Man gave me.

A Johnsons Bros Rose Cloud platter.  This thing is huge!  It would comfortably fit a Christmas turkey with all it's trimmings.  I'm not sure if pink is a suitable Christmas colour scheme so I'm not too sure what to do with it.  It's currently on top of my dresser looking pretty.  

My utility china collection is getting a wee bit out of hand now.  But the Wee Man has now moved into his new bedroom which means I can now move his toys in there, which means there's more space downstairs for me to have more gorgeous things on display.  Result!

I've got loads more to flaunt but I'll keep them for another day.

This post is shared on Flea Market Finds, Magpie Monday, Coastal Charm, Vintage Thingie Thursday The Brambleberry Cottage