Wednesday 20 May 2009

Dragging my feet

Oooh coming back from a lovely holiday can be a bit tricky can't it? Work has been a bit overwhelming frankly and mixed with too much washing than is really reasonable for an average family, a grimy house and a garden having riot; well it's all a bit much to be honest!
So nothing for it but to indulge the thrifting instinct and spend a few quid on some old tat which is absolutely guaranteed to cheer me up.
Luckily there's a twice weekly flea market in the town where I work, almost outside the office door. For some reason I can't quite fathom, I didn't discover it until a few weeks ago (and its huge!), I think I thought it was just your usual dish cloths, fruit & veg and ready made curtains sort of market and I shop in a charming little version of this in our local town on a Wednesday, so I'd breezed past the work one on tons of occasions.

What a mistake, I daren't think what I've missed so far, but already I've brought home some fantastic vintage finds including one that scored me "best mummy ever" prize - only a complete Tracy Island with all the rockets for £6. Honestly my little chaps eyes almost popped out on stalks.

Anyway these are my best finds lately:
  • £5 for a vintage cut-flower basket - the last one of these I saw was £30, this'll be just the thing for bringing home the blooms from the allotment (if the slugs don't get them all!).


  • £1 tins - the flowery one is a new home for my seed packets and the first aid tin has made me sort out our shambolic bathroom cabinet into a sort of useful order (how long will that last?)
  • Vintage watercolour - a bit more than I'd usually spend but this lovely picture reminds me of our holiday so much.
  • £4 job lot of spotty crockery - bargain Tesco seconds, just a couple of the spots are wobbly. There's tons of it, even more in the dishwasher!

Aaaah, that's better. And I'm almost getting over the housework mountain too. Fridge cleaned, windows cleaned, lots of wet washing draped about the house (its still raining can you believe it) and there are some delicious looking plants outside my back door waiting to fill the new front garden border.

After all that graft, I think I need another holiday. Hurrah for Bank Holidays!

21 comments:

Mary Poppins said...

Excellent thrifting purchases there, I adore the little flower basket :)

X

Sue said...

What lovely purchases. The spotty plates are brilliant, what a bargain.

I know EXACTLY what you mean about the return from holiday blues!! I have just about caught up with the washing but the weeds have won hands down!!

Sue xx

MelMel said...

The basket is so cute!
Lovely finds!xxx

Fluitenkruid said...

Love your vintage treasures and you have already nice flowers in your garden.

Fotballmamma said...

Very nice blog you have here..i have enjoyd my visit here. (:

MyCretanlife said...

Pleased that you didn't let all that work get you down. Your flea market buys are just lovely.

Funkymonkey said...

Great treasures, especially the flower trug. I know what you mean about the return from holiday. We're packing up to go away this week and the house is already looking neglected and the garden is growing things at an alarming rate - goodness knows what it will be like when we return.

Tracey

LinenandRoses said...

I know what you mean about coming home from holiday. Our last holiday was our wonderful honeymoon and although it's almost five weeks since we returned I'm still daydreaming about it and feeling a bit blue to be home. I obviously need to find some wonderful bargains like you. Love the flowery tin best.

LissyLou said...

ooooh i am liking your buys!!

Karen said...

Hi Steph, I know what you mean about post holiday blues. It always seems to rain when we come home so piles of wet washing are drapped over every piece of furniture etc in the house. We are all a bit crabby because work and school beckon but the long term memories are worth the effort I tell myself! Love that basket. Looking forward to pictures of your front garden. Karenx

A Thrifty Mrs said...

Well if it is outside your work you HAVE to go don't you? It'd be wrong not to go and snap up all of those lonely vintage goodies sitting there needing a new home. Very wrong.
Great goodies and I hope life is very slowly returning back to normal with min hassle.

x

Anonymous said...

Wow, fantastic bargains! I love your basket and spotty china! xxxx

...Nina Nixon... said...

Well done you, and such fantastic finds right outside your door!

I also have that red tin your planning to put your seeds into, it's so cute isn't it.

Have a lovely bank holiday,

take care,

Nina x

julia said...

Old tat is the most marvellous medicine, should be prescribed by the NHS. Loving all those goodies esp. the tins and basket. A flea market outside work is very dangerous for the bank balance!
Hope life is getting back to normal and the washing pile has diminished.
Julia xx

Home For Tea and Cake said...

I'm green with envy. The basket had me gasping with admiration and then I saw the tins!!! Lucky, lucky you.

Hope you get over your holiday blues soon. It really is a horrible feeling.

Thank you for your nice comments on my blog. It meant a lot to receive it from such a blog professional.

julie said...

post holiday blues = sign of a really good holiday. It always takes me a couple of weeks to re-acclimatise - I spend the first one thinking "this time last week we were..." and the next one just feeling fed up! Still a great vintage market right on the doorstep is a good thing to cheer you up - great finds - especially the Tracey Island!

Pipany said...

Excellent job done there Steph. I'm really impressed with the Tracy Island too! Definitely will meet up next time you're down xx

Pink Feather Paradise said...

wow thats some beautiful bargains there... I wish we had a good flea market in town.... ours is just a cheap jack market... very much the same stuff as you can buy in poundland!

I have a dilema though.... on monday do I take the family on a steam train ride... or go to my favourite village car boot? oh dear the anguish!

x Alex

Dawn said...

I'm always intrigued by how we can speak the same language yet have so many different expressions. I had to check out the dictionary to figure out what a "shambolic bathroom" was. I love it! Awesome word! Describes my entire house ~ mind if I borrow it? lol

Oh! and I love your polka dots ~ simply delicious!!

Hope you'll check out my blog (ART of Humungous Proportions). I added your link some time ago because I enjoy stopping by and want others to join in as well.

Excuse me now as I look around my shambolic home and ignore the dust while I blog hop and drink my 2nd cup of coffee.

Shambolicy yours ~
Dawn

Bertie Meadows said...

Hello Steph, such lovely finds, especially those tins. I hope you have a relaxing bank holiday weekend.
Bertie x

Just Original said...

Great buys, at least you have a reason to go to work!

Vanessa x