Magpie Monday - Russian Dolls

When I first saw this set of five nesting Russian Dolls on the shelf in the Cancer Research Shop yesterday I thought they would make a great gift. Then I decided that I could not bear to give them away!

The proper name for these is Matryoshka. They are thought to represent motherhood. I just think they are very beautiful! With raspberry red shawls and teal skirts, they combine two of my favourite colours. And of course my son is enjoying playing with them too. And they only cost £3!

I am getting back into the swing of thrifting after the chaos of moving house. There are some really good charity shops near here. But I have promised my husband that I will only buy things I really love.

Linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow - it is lovely to feel part of an online community that cherishes pre-loved finds!

Three Good Things - the vintage and retro edition!

On Saturday, I went for my final thrift-shopping trip to the charity shops in Beeston before we move out of our house. And I found three good things to buy.

1. Retro Thetford tray

This Thetford tray with a retro floral pattern in blue and purple was just £2.50 from the Vintage and Retro section of the Sue Ryder Shop. When I saw it in the shop it looked a bit faded, but it has scrubbed up beautifully. I love it!

2. 'Scoundrel Days' by A-ha

I paid £2 in the Oxfam Books and Music shop for this. The tracklist includes 'Manhattan Skyline' which is one of my favourite ever A-ha songs. This record will sit alongside my copy of 'Hunting High and Low'. I am now on the look-out for a record cabinet to store all my records properly.

3. Smoked glass serving dish

I am thrilled with this smoked glass serving dish, which is in mint condition and came with its original box (£3.50 - Vintage and Retro section of the Sue Ryder Shop). It is so evocative of the 1980s. I will be using this at our house-warming party when I finally move into our new house.

Linking up with: 

• Three Good Things at Margot and Barbara 
• Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow 
• The Op Shop Show-Off at Blackbird Has Spoken
• The Nifty Thrifty at A Living Space

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.

Charity shops on Goose Gate

On Saturday I went into Nottingham to get my hair cut. It is now a proper bob shape after taking months and months to grow out my old pixie crop.

Anyway, I also took the opportunity to check out the charity shops on Goose Gate that present themselves as being 'a cut above' ordinary charity shops. (see what I just did there?)

White Rose 2

The first shop is called White Rose 2 on the corner of Broad Street and Goose Gate, which sells 'handpicked second-hand fashion' in aid of The Aegis Trust. It is a really lovely shop. As well as women's clothing, you can also buy cake plates, buttons, broaches and knitting needles.

My favourite finds from there in the last year have been:

Big mother of pearl buttons

Teal cardigan

The Oxfam Shop on Goose Gate is also worth browsing in, though the prices can sometimes cause a sharp intake of breath!

The Oxfam Shop on Goose Gate

The stock in this Oxfam shop can be pretty eclectic. My favourite ever item from here was this:

Flowery curtain

I didn't find anything I wanted to buy in either shop on Saturday, but that's the thing with charity shops, you have to go in fairly frequently to find the good stuff.

I've added both shops to a Google Map, in case you want to check them out yourself.

Linking up with The Charity Shop Blog Hop at Lulastic and the Hippyshake

Also linking up with Magpie Monday at Me at My Shadow

 

Magpie Monday - this week's finds

I set out with good intentions not to buy very much on Saturday, but the local charity shops were full of treasure so my good intentions fell by the wayside.

The first thing I found was this multi-section bracelet:

The colours of the bracelet will go really well with some of my teal clothes and with my fitted denim dress.

The next things I spotted were two Goldfrapp albums in the Oxfam Books & Music shop. Supernature has been on my wish list for a while, and to get this together with Black Cherry for £2 each seemed like a real bargain.

Finally, there were some lovely retro homewares in the main Oxfam shop and I came out with a set of Tupperware sandwich containers and a pyrex dish. 

The pyrex dish is virtually pristine with bright cheerful colours and I'm looking forward to cooking something in it. It's fair to say that the Tupperware containers have seen better days, but they will be good for storing toys or craft items. 

I am linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow.