Magpie Monday - Denby Arabesque sugar pot

This little sugar pot was hidden amongst other pottery items on the crowded shelves in a local junk shop.

It is from the Denby Arabesque range, originally designed in the 1960's, and has all the attractive features that I associate with Arabesque. The shape of the sugar pot goes with the other items in the coffee set and the hand-painted markings are really beautiful.

The shop owner told me the least he was prepared to sell it for was £6, but that seemed like a good deal to me as they go for at least twice that on eBay. I'm not planning to sell this on because I love it too much.

After washing off the dust and sticky gunk that was inside, I am now using it as a sugar pot. It is much prettier than the old plastic container we were using before.

Linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow.

 

Magpie Monday - Hunting High and Low

This weekend I had an opportunity for a thorough look around the local charity shops without a small boy in tow. I set myself a £10 budget and then almost blew it straight away on a biscuit tin full of bobbins of thread.

But then I decided to see what else I could get for the same money.

The first thing I spotted, tucked away in amongst the homewares in the Sue Ryder shop, was a little kit to make a beaded broach. I didn't like the design at all, but 95p for lots of pretty beads, some stitching paper and a broach pin seemed like a real bargain.

I've always really fancied trying stitching paper but have never been brave enough to buy a packet of the stuff in case I turned out to be hopeless at it. So I'm pleased to have a little square to practice on, and I'm planning to use it to make a Christmas card. Will show you the results if it works out!

My next stop was the PDSA shop, where I found three DVDs for £1.49 each. The one I'm most excited about is Strictly Come Dancersize.

Also in the PDSA shop, I bought a couple of gorgeous Denby cereal bowls, £2.49 the pair. I think the pattern is Minstrel based on the photos here, which means that it dates from 1971-1977 according the information here. This design will go nicely with my other Denby and Midwinter items.

So that left me just over £3 from my £10 budget to spend on an original vinyl version of A-ha's first album Hunting High and Low from 1985, which I have been listening to whilst writing this blog post. A real blast from the past! I was 14 when it first came out.

I'm linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow and Me Time Monday at Mums and Me.