Making Good Use

Saved from a Shed

My lovely next-door neighbours have recently had a new kitchen fitted, which has necessitated a real clear-out of everything they had stored away in their old kitchen.  When I was round there on Saturday they mentioned they had a couple of old cake stands / comport dishes that they were going to get rid of, and would I like them.

 
The short answer was yes, please.  So, out of the dusty confines of their shed came a couple of real beauties.  I was delighted to be able to give these old dishes a new home and one of them will be just the ticket for keeping grapes on - much more elegant than the old enamel pie dish I've been using up 'til now! 

Vintage Ribbon

 
I came across five little reels of vintage ribbon in the charity shop this morning.  It was the maker's label on the top of the reels that first caught my eye - that wonderful line drawing of a pinnacle in black on a cream background, very English, very vintage.   I also loved the fact that although the ribbon is nylon (it says so on the label!) each layer is interleaved with wax paper to stop the ribbon getting damaged.  What a nice way to treat something made from nylon.

I paid 20p each for the reels and when I got home I realised that, actually, the ribbon would probably be quite useful too.  When I was wrapping my sister's birthday presents a couple of weeks ago, I realised I didn't have any appropriate wrapping paper in the house.  However, I did have a rather large roll of brown paper and a bag full of off-cuts of lace and ribbon.  The brown paper looked rather splendid when all gussied up with the lace and ribbon and I think I'll wrap all my presents that way in future.   This slim vintage ribbon will do the job perfectly.

Just Another Boot-Sale Sunday*

Another beautiful sunny warm day, just perfect for a trip to the local boot sale.  There were masses of both buyers and sellers today (no surprise really!) and I found one or two things but not as many as I would've liked.

 

 
Two black tops - one Evans with a diamante buckle feature, and one that is brand new and never worn.  They were both £1.00 each and will be destined for ebay.  I did buy them hoping I'd like them on myself but they're not quite 'me'.  I seem to have lost quite a bit of weight since being on a low-fat diet and many of my clothes are now too big.  I'm fairly OK for tops but will have to buy some more jeans ASAP as I can't keep mine up anymore.  P and I are going to head to the humungous Sainsbury's in Basildon one evening this week, and I'm hoping they'll have some cheap jeans that might be a good fit.  P is struggling to keep his trousers up as his are also too large now so we'll be on the hunt for a pair of cheap trews to fit him as well.

 
Two wooden embroidery hoops - 20p each, for me.  Plus a Barbara Daly nail varnish - 50p, for me, and a Nivea moisturiser.  The moisturiser was good timing as I'm just getting to the end of one I bought at Champneys in February and I didn't have anything in my stash of toiletries to replace it with.

 
Two gents tweed Trilby hats - one of them by Kangol (£1.00 for the hats and the Nivea moisturiser together) which will be put away until the autumn and then listed on ebay.

 
A beautiful cream velvet cushion cover decorated with flowers made from ribbons.  Another one heading for ebay.

I also got a booklet that was good for re-selling on Amazon and a rather spiffy blue and white striped top for myself which is currently hanging on the line having been quickly put in the washing machine when I realised just how filthy it was!!

*To the tune of The Bangles 'Just Another Manic Monday.'

I'll link this post to Me and My Shadow's Magpie Monday and Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share.

Table Runner

 
As part of my sister's birthday present, I made her a table runner to go on her lovely rectangular pine dining table.  I'd never attempted making something like this before, ie quilting, using batting, and using bias binding.  Although I cogitated, deliberated and proscrastinated for weeks over the various stages of making it, it didn't actually take very long in total to come together. 

 
The trickiest bit was hand sewing the bias binding on, although even that worked out just fine once I got going.  The bias binding was some gorgeous natural-coloured linen which I found on ebay.  The corners are a bit dodgy but for a first attempt at using bias binding I was well pleased with myself.

 
I've got just enough of the various jewel-bright Kaffe Fassett fabrics to make myself a runner too - although mine would have to go on the sideboard as our dining table is a) in a disgusting state so is always covered by a tablecloth, and b) is round so wouldn't look so good with a runner on it.  Mum has chosen some material in various shades of green and has requested a table runner for her birthday too. 

Apologies for the fairly poor photos but I took these a few weeks ago when the light wasn't too good, and when I realised that photgraphing something as long as the runner is a bit of a b*gger!

Spring, She Has Most Definitely Sprung

 
Another gloriously warm and sunny day today, and all the fruit trees are springing into blossom at the same time.   The garden is looking really pretty at the moment (if I ignore the shaggy lawn that needs cutting - again, and the weeds which are springing up at an alarming rate!) and I'm already dreaming of picking plums, pears, apples and greengages  come late summer.

 

Playing Catch-up

Back home in Essex again now after having had the most fantastic time in Bristol with my family.  Highlights included: surprising my nephew and meeting him from school one day - he was most astonished to see us all there to greet him; playing hide and seek with my nephew, Mum and sister on Mother's Day; a lovely afternoon tea at the Swallow Royal hotel, something we haven't done in years, to celebrate my sister's birthday; and just generally spending lots of time with my Mum.  Oh, and there were a couple of good finds from a local charity shop too - always a bonus.

Of course, being back home again means plenty of mundane tasks like getting in the shopping, deciding what to have for an evening meal, washing up, and making the most of this wonderful warm and sunny weather by getting as much washing done as is humanly possible.  I won't even think about how much dusting, hoovering and general cleaning needs to be done.  It's full steam ahead with ebay listings again too.  I won't bore you with the full details of last month's buying and selling but the three highlights were definitely the vintage Owzthat game which I found in the local junk shop and which sold for £14.26, twenty wooden cotton reels (also a junk shop find) that sold for £14.40, and the 50p vintage Mouli Grater (from the first boot sale of the season) that sold for £16.00. 

The glorious weather is set to continue through the weekend so I'm hoping the car boot sale this Sunday will be really good - I'm looking forward to it already!

I Do Love Me a Jumble Sale

The much-anticipated Scout jumble sale near my Mum's house was just as fabulous as always.  Amongst many other things, I found

 
a pair of Dorma Country Diary curtains in excellent condition - they'll be heading to ebay.  And three aprons, two half-aprons and a full-size one.  I'm rather partial to the jaunty red and white seersucker one with little anchors all over it but they'll all be listed on ebay too eventually.

 
Another pillowcase to add to my collection, a large piece of hessian - could well come in useful in a craft activity at some point, and a handmade log-cabin patchwork cushion cover made with vintage Laura Ashley fabric.  The cover will be for ebay but I'm keeping the beautiful old ticking-covered feather cushion (not in the photos) that was inside it for myself.  I already have plans for a new cushion and this feather insert will be just the right size for them.

 
A stack of books - some good for re-sale, others already bagged up for the local charity shop - including a 1939 Lea & Perrins recipe booklet in the most amazing condition.  I expect this will end up on ebay too but I'm going to have a look through at some of the recipes first.

 
A rather nice, if slightly grubby, vintage kitchen timer.  Hopefully, it'll clean up well.

 
The most amazing vintage bread bin - I love the typeface used for the word 'bread.'  That'll be for ebay eventually but it'll be staying at my Mum's for a while as I can't cart it back to Essex on the train, my suitcase is already groaning at the seams with my other jumble sale finds that are coming back home with me.

 
And, finally, a 'Detective Sarah Lund from 'The Killing'  style' hand-knitted jumper.  I gather her knitwear in the Danish detective series practically has a fan-base of it's own so I'm hoping this lookie-likie will sell well on ebay next autumn (just in time for the screening of the second series of 'The Killing' on BBC4!)

On top of all this lot I also found a few tops for my nephew, and a pair of summer trousers and a sun top for my Mum.  I think I spent somewhere in the region of £7.50 at the jumble which is not bad considering just how many items I managed to find.

I'll link this post to Apron Thift Girl's Thrift Share Monday and Me and my Shadow's  Magpie Monday.