Monday 25 April 2011

Car Boot Bargains and Blooms

Happy Easter Monday everyone!




I hope everybody had a lovely Easter Sunday yesterday.

Thankyou for all the lovely comments on my last post.

Poppy loved her bag, and put it to use straightaway. She rushed round the garden with her walker, bag attached, little book in it already, and joined in the easter egg hunt in the garden with her older sister Daisy.

No photos I'm afraid as I forgot to take the camera.



We took Logan to the Boot Fair yesterday, and he had a great time sniffing and greeting all the other dogs. We missed the best of the stalls as we got there late, and many sellers were starting to pack up.

But I still managed a pretty good haul for £10
(not including the minimal entry fee and ice cream for Bella!)



Traditional stoneware jar - I love these and already have two, but for 50p...... couldn't leave it behind now could I?





A beautiful vintage flask - now I have seen these in the pages of magazines such as Country livng and Country Homes and Interiors, and have seen new reproduction ones too, so I was thrilled to find this for £1.




It is such a beautiful pale turquoise, with a lovely pink blossom design




Something a little more prosaic! Have often looked at buying these but have been put off by the price, usually £8 or £9, and doubts as to whether they actually are any good, but for £2 a pair I thought I'd give them a whirl!




A beautiful pale blue and white Spode dinner plate - not that old but still very pretty




And a lovely little tea plate with a blue and red folk design, reminiscent of spongeware



I love this, and it looked old from the front but on turning it over it is a Johnson Bros design, Hearts and Flowers, and is dish washer proof! So no antique here!



Two plates for £5




A couple of books for £1




A brilliant design source book full of stencil designs from the 1918 and 1920 catalogues of a Chicago firm.




And this wonderful annual from the late 50s, aimed at 9 to 14 year olds, full of interesting facts and exciting stories as those lovely books always were - my daughter has already been enjoying it even though she is a thoroughly cool 16 year old - she always loves old books and has read many novels that her Grandma gave her from when she was a girl (gems like Jam Tomorrow, and numerous school days books), and my own books too ( such as those wonderful Mary Stewart adventures set abroad).



Wonderful illustrations!

And a little Prinknash jug for 50p - I love Prinknash studio pottery, set up in 1942 by monks at Prinknash Abbey when they discovered clay on their land, and I particularly love the simple shapes of the black lustre, deep grey shimmery jugs - I already have one the same design but made at a different time as the backstamp is different.





Sorry about the dust and marks - they both needed a wipe down before photos, but I was too impatient!



So that was my haul for the day - we all enjoy going, even my husband does these days,  ever since I picked up a pair of Victorian oil paintings last summer for £12, signed by a minor but listed RA artist.

We found a similar pair by the same artist sold at Christies a few years ago for £900............

So now he can't wait to get me there instead of the usual grumbling and moaning we used to put up with!





Suddenly lots of new colour in the garden with rhododendrons and azaleas coming out













The lovely red acer out the front has its new leaves




Columbines flowering everywhere, with dandelion fluff caught up amongst the blooms



Incidentally, the mass of floating fluff is seeding all over the soil in the little pots of new plants I have hardening off outside - little green seedlings all ready!!!!

So goodness knows how many dandelions we will get in the lawn as the grass is covered with fluff  like unmelted sleet - we will have to mow again to disturb it to try and get rid of it I think.





Have a sunny Easter Monday!

Edited to add: Royal Wedding Giveaway Cushion

If you haven't already left a comment and you want to enter the giveaway, don't forget to leave a comment on the Royal Wedding Giveaway post of the 4th March by Thursday 28 th April,12 midnight, for the Giveaway on the day of the Royal Wedding, the 29th April.







20 comments:

  1. Oh what a great haul! I went to my first ever bootsale last week while we were in England and can't wait to get back for more. Off to work now. V envious of all your bank holidays coming up. C.x

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  2. Hi Gill,
    I love your flask, the colour is beautiful. :)
    The 1950's drawing are brilliant and as always your garden photos are gorgeous as is Logan!!
    Vivienne x

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  3. What a wonderful array of goodies-- So glad you are having such a lovely time
    Kindest regards Linda

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  4. Love love the flask, and your plates the books.....you scored big! all so lovely and then Little Logan....and all the beautiful flowers!

    George was in the dog house when we went to church he got the door open under the sink and knocked the garbage over....we had seafood for dinner. I don't even know how he did it!!!

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  5. Gosh what a fantastic haul!!!! I love it all but particularly the annual....those íllustrations are fabulous!!! Gorgeous flask too. Well done! xx

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  6. Crikey Gill what damage could you have done if you had got there early? You obviously have an eye for a bargain - well done. Have a great week, love Linda x

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  7. We were going to go to a carboot sale yesterday. They always have one on Easter Sunday in the local Tesco's carpark (as it's closed). I didn't get organised in time though so we gave it a miss. You did really well even though you were there late. I love the stoneware jar and the prinknash jug. You must be very good at hunting out bargains after the luck you had with your paintings. You're garden is a riot of colour, it looks like you're going to find lots of interest in every season, something which is hard to achieve in a garden.

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  8. Thank you for your very lovely comment, Gill xx

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  9. Thanks for visiting Gill, hope you enjoyed Janes blog and the links to it. I had a lovely Easter thankyou, hope you did too? Love Linda x

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  10. Gorgeous flowers and wonderful finds at the car boot sale! I especially love the two little plates - it doesn't matter if they're not old because the design looks lovely and vintage - it reminds me of old embroidery designs - lovely! I noticed on Saturday that the grass verges aroud here are thick with yellow dandelion flowers - so I'm expecting we'll have the fluff floating around in the air soon too. It must be a good year for dandelions! Have a lovely week.
    Helen x

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  11. Excellent finds - would never have said you got there late. Loving that little black jug (I have a thing for jugs) and the flask.

    We went to our local boot sale yesterday too and made an effort to get there earlier than usual but didn't find much - I got two rose prints (which need frames), and a small oil painting of flowers (whose frame needs a revamp), plus a book and a mug. C'est tout. It can be such a hit and miss business.

    Your garden is fabulous - meant to say that on one of your other posts. My husband is working like a dervish in ours whilst the sun is shining - he is kaput every night and getting so sunburnt. But the garden looks good. I am not a keen gardener but very good at admiring it all. :)

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  12. So jealous of the garden and I love the stencil book...finally got around to giving you a link on my blog.

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  13. My, so glad to meet you.

    Clearly you are a woman after my own heart. Well done at the boot sale.

    We have nothing as good in Virginia. So across the universe is a slightly jealous blogger:)

    xo Jane

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  14. Logan so cute bless him you just want to sit and cuddle him ;-)) Lovely photo's i love that flask its so very pretty isn't it great when you finds things you love and at great prices to. Enjoy your week, dee x

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  15. What a great haul! Love the flask. Your garden is looking lovely. Abby x

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  16. What great buys! I especially love the books, the plates and the flask - what bargains!!
    Gosh, has Logan grown up overnight? He seems to have matured a lot lately, but still as cute as ever!

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  17. Looks like you scored at the market! Love everything! Happy to hear you had a nice Easter with the girls! And of course I love the close up of Logan!

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  18. So many great finds! I especially love the flask.
    x

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  19. Great buys, I love the flask, so pretty! I've seen these in mags as well, good find :)

    Bee happy x
    Have a delicious day!

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  20. Wow, Gill, I want to go thrifting with you! You always bring home such great stuff. Excellent eye!

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Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment - I love to read them!
Gill x