NATIVITY - NEW

My latest nativity, bought in Oxfam in Belfast for £9.99. Fairly traded felted figures. Love it! (So does our new cat Nora Barnacle who insists on knocking the sheep around the floor...sigh.)

VINTAGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

A sweet, perpetual calendar from the local VdeP - €2. I saw it, left it, went back two days later and was delighted to find it still there. Birds, blue, old - what's not to love?

MOROCCAN BOWL #2

Another Moroccan bowl. The last one was from Angie's Attic. This one is from the VdeP. Slightly smaller but also €3.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL & ABALONE CARD CASE

I mentioned I bypassed something sweet at the Hibernian Antiques Fair, a few posts back. It was a Victorian card case. The heroine of my next novel, Belle, owns one and, therefore, I wanted one. I saw one for €40 at that art fair - mother-of-pearl, a little damaged. I liked it but I was not in a buying mood and it wasn't 'wow' enough for me, so I left it.

Cue me getting home and stalking eBay. (My name is Nuala and I am addicted to eBay...) Anyhoo, in the heel of the reel I found one, just what I wanted: mother-of-pearl and abalone, working clasp, no damage. A beauty. I put in my max bid and was gobsmacked when I won. Total price, inluding delivery: €35. Score!

A cigarette card of Belle Bilton (also an eBay find)
and the mother-of-pearl and abalone Victorian card case

Back view

Front view - unengraved cartouche

HIBERNIAN ANTIQUES FAIR BUY(S)

We went to the Hibernian Antiques Fair in Tullamore on Sunday. I was in lousy form - a combi of sinus infection and book stress. I was searching for certain things, but no one had what I wanted and it all seemed a bit overpriced anyway. I passed by something sweet I might have ordinarily bought, but the humour wasn't on me.

I did spy these two blue and white cats, though. And the lovely man sold them to me for €4 the pair (probably the cheapest thing there...). They are not pretty, bless them, and they are not marked. I did wonder why I bothered, but since I put them on the dresser, they're really growing on me :)

YELLOW BIRD PLATE

It's got a bird; a yellow bird. It's a plate. Maybe Italian? I couldn't resist. €2 in the VdeP in Athlone :)

The painting was an eBay find that I had framed locally.
I love its lush brightness, it makes me happy.

INGLENOOK SHELF

I got my husband to fit a shelf over the inglenook lately. It's the perfect spot to drape fairylights and have a moveable feast of a display. I am already thinking, Oooh, Christmas :)

Pangur Bán had to get in on the action

I keep adding to and subtracting from the shelf and will have to think deeply about what I want to put on it for Xmas. Hallowe'en comes first, of course. Fun!

The dome for my taxidermy mouse came from Sostrene Grene
- this year's shop-crush.