Sunday 11 April 2010

A Little Bit of Thrifting Does Me Good

Thank you for all the very kind comments about my frocks post last week. It was great fun to find out about your favourite summery outfits and I do hope you've been able to get out and about in them this weekend in the fabulous weather we've been having. Yesterday was like mid-summer in the Moorlands, absolutely balmy. I tootled over to Ashbourne for lunch with a friend and we sat on our cardigans by the river chatting and catching up, wearing sandals, linen trousers and summery tops.

Today is cooler with a bit of a keen breeze but lovely and dry and blissful for April - the cruelest of months.
More work up at the allotment this morning and we're in much better shape than last year when we took it on. But more of that next time; I have much gardening news to share.
This week I've finally picked up a few treasures because I don't know about you but they've been thin on the ground around here. My favourite find is this dear basket from an antiques mill in town. Much more expensive than the others I've bought but it finishes off my little collection perfectly and was a bit of a treat for the hard work we've put into the comedy night Woody and I run together. It's finally taken off and is bringing us in a bit of money at long last, so he's had old vinyl and an old basket for me. It was absolutely filthy but I'm really pleased how it's cleaned up and I think it may be the perfect place to store all my embroidered tablecloths.
Elsewhere the charity shops have been very poor for pickings although I did find these sweet hollyhock plates the other day which were made at the Meakins pottery (where I think my Grandma may have worked once). They're just the right size for toast in the morning or a slice of cake in the afternoon when I sit on my garden bench and enjoy a cup of tea in this fabulous cup.
Even the daffodils count as thrifted this week. They popped up at the allotment and are such a delicate, pretty variety - maybe jonquil although I'm not sure. (Someone - so sorry I can't remembr who - asked me a while ago what the name of the little china posy is but I'm afraid it isn't marked and I picked up in a junk shop for 50p!
Oooh I do love the thrill of new pillowcases (I know, cheap date or what!) and finally I won a pair of Cath Kiston pastel flowers cases on ebay for less than a mortgage. Gosh they really are pretty, just the thing for spring.
And soon it will be summer again and I cannot wait to arrive at the little quay in this old Vernon Ward picture I also won on ebay (£5!). Last year Woody and I had a very special evening in Fowey, Cornwall and just as the light was fading we decided to jump on the little water taxi over to Polruan for pint in a cosy pub just around the corner from this view.
Going back across the water in darkness with lights twinkling on boats, in houses and on the far side of the estuary leading us home, is a trip I will always treasure. I'm so happy to have won this lovely old print to remind us of a special little adventure. Roll on July!

25 comments:

Rubyred said...

Such a lovely post!
It was slim pickings around here until today! A visit to the boot today soon sorted that!Love your basket and your pretty cup and saucer for your coffee!
Have a great week!
Rachel x

dottycookie said...

What a lovely happy post! We've been allotmenting today too - a good afternoon until the strimmer fired a stone at the car window with shattering results ... if we count that towards the cost of the plot I'm not sure we'll be breaking even this year!

KC'sCourt! said...

What a lovely post and what wonderful finds. My parents had that picture and it companion once.

Ryan said...

Lots of beautifull items. Adore the Baskets, I love collectinjg baskets i have lots too x

Serenata said...

Beautiful post that is full of cheer. Some lovely treasures! A bit of good weather makes such a difference doesn't it?!

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Lovely Fowey, many happt memories for me too! Th e picture is divine Steph, well done for snaffling it. I admit I have managed to wear a couple of pretties this weekend. More worryingly I have managed to buy two new dresses too!

Have a lovely week, cant wait to hear about the allotment,

Sarah x

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

Lovely treasures Steph and I'm so glad things are going well.

The littlest Boo has the very same (top) pillow case - a TKMaxx bargain 'yep' even they occasionally sell CK stuff.

Have a wonderful week and fingers crossed the weather stays as we have much work on our allotment to do too.

take care,

Nina xxxxx

Sally said...

Great post! I'm in the Staffs Moorlands too ...lets hope this lovely weather lasts!
Sally x

Mitzi said...

Love your header. Love the picture of the vase of flowers,the clock and the Miss Read book.( I have a collection of them.) Also covet those pillow cases---so pretty.

periwinkle said...

looking forward to hearing/seeing more of your allotment - love the basket(s ) too

Garden Girl said...

hurray for Cornwall!! I am pining and it's only been a couple of weeks since we got back! It really is a magical place.
We've got daffs at the allotment, and have spent the weekend building raspberry cages. Madness.
x

Frances said...

It is such a pleasure to visit your site. Where you live and what you see and do is so very different from my frenzy here in New York. It's truly cheering and soothing to see that another scale is possible.

I know that you do enjoy that scale. Wish I could attend one of those comedy nights!

Best wishes.

Katy Noelle said...

After a busy week, I was just thinking, "it feels like it's about time for a post from steff," and, hooray, here it is! I love these happy thoughts and cheery colors. I think that I will just let this be the PERFECT end to my domestic day of housekeeping! Have a lovely April week and "goodnight"!

Love, Katy

Dawn said...

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you expect to pay for a basket like that? I was eying one up recently but wasn't sure if it was a good price or not.

Anonymous said...

Hi Steph,
My name is Carole and i live in Lancashire. I love reading your blogs and the photos. I noticed a Miss Read book next to your vase of daffs, i love love her books and have read alot of them from the library. They are soo sweet and beautifully written.
Love Carole from Rossendale, Lancs

melanie said...

Absolutely gorgeous finds. I love your collection of baskets, I dont know what it is about wicker baskets, but I just adore them. :) Also love your pillow cases, so very pretty. :) xxxx

brookeslay said...

Everything looks gorgeous well done on the colour combos. You deserve the new basket, I have four myself plus two plain wicker ones !!!.

Did i spy a new mini abacus and a new dog ? what make is the pink cup and saucer MAYBE royal tudor and where did you get your red book trough ? please

thanks B

bellaboo said...

Love all your finds,especially the pretty Meakin plates,you always go for the same things that I would.I have started collecting those china posies too..and the CK pillowcase is gorgeous..of course!How lovely to have that picture of your special place...I love Cornwall too,I spent many happy childhood holidays there.

Bellaboo :0)

A Thrifty Mrs said...

I nearly bought a basket, exactly the same as the one in your first picture, over the Easter weekend. But the antiques dealer wanted £45 for it. I'm still in shock now.

Manya said...

Hi!
I just love, love, love your blog! I was blog hopping and found you! I'm Manya from Greece, my blog is "manya-mykitchenstories.blogspot.com"

Celia Hart said...

Looks like a few of my blog-friends are over here already!

What a lovely place your blog is... I feel quite at home as I grew up in a house with a Vernon Ward Cornish harbour on the wall (Looe, where we went on holiday one year).

Celia
x

silverpebble said...

Hello there Mrs Curlew. Goodness how I have enjoyed my little browse of your place in the last few minutes. I tell you, I have a passion for them there baskets. I have one, highly prized and living it up on my pine box. You have three! That is surely greed, of the best and thriftiest kind. I will be back, you can be sure. It's lovely here, and as Celia says, so many lovely blog friends have found you already.

Reading Tea Leaves said...

Hello Steph, thank you for visiting my blog, isn't it funny I also see some special blog friends have found you already too - this is what's so great about blogging! Your little hollyhock plates are delightful and your painting of Polruan is wonderful. We are off to Cornwall again this year in September - I can't wait.

Jeanne
x

Ticking stripes said...

Loving those hollyhock plates and the Vernon pic. If you are on Flickr please add it to the Vernon Ward Flickr group which I set up for fellow Vernon lovers to enjoy his work.

melanie said...

Hiya, I was just wondering, those lovely baskets, do they have a special name? You see, I am trying to find them on the net to buy, but when I type in wicker shopping/grocery basket absolutely loads of results come up, and I give up looking. Any advice on what I can type in to search for them? xxx