INSTAGONE

I have, for now, emigrated to Instagram. You can find me there at nuala_o'connor. I'll be back here for Christmas x

XMAS TABLE 2016

My Christmas table for this year. I was craving the warmth of gold so I got golden cutlery on eBay and various golden trimmings - the card Xmas trees are from my beloved Sostrene Grene, as is the blue wooden crate. The gold chargers (leaf embossed) are from Dunnes Stores. I've been collecting gold tealight holders for months in the charity shops and they look lovely lined up on the window sill.

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 :)