I HAVE THE BLUES

I keep meaning to do a blue and white post. I am obsessed with blue and white china, porcelain, pottery and glass. I will pretty much hoover up anything that is blue and white. This is a long-standing love inspired by my parents who have always collected blue and white, especially Cornishware and its Irish sister, Carrigaline.

To be honest there needs to be no white involved for me to buy something. If it's not red in my house, it is generally blue.

I've said before about the monster bargains to be had in the charity shops where I live. I got the Wade Irish Porcelain jug and sugar bowl (jug pictured left) for 50 cent each today. The blue plate they are standing on cost €1 (English Petal Ware) - also found today. It goes nicely with the Johnson Bros jug and bowl bought previously. The gold rimmed jug is Polish and I picked it up in a charity shop in Westmeath ages ago. The blue Mason jar behind was a swap with my mother - she gave me two jars for a vase I had. The advantage of being related to collectors...

Every so often I say, 'Enough is enough!' - the walls are closing in here - but then I get back out there and start buying again. Like I say, obsessed. I blame the parents.

NEW DRESSER FOR OLD

I sold my old dresser some time ago. We have a small house and I love furniture but it was always too big for the space. I put a  china cabinet in its place but was keeping an eye out all the time for a smaller dresser to replace it. I found one - at last - in Lynn's Antiques in Athlone. It's not as old as I might have wanted but it is well and simply made and I may paint it eventually. For the moment I am enjoying its honeyed brown wood.

Before pic 1

It needed a bit of work before it would suit my needs. I got pine beading in B&Q yesterday, so I could put plates standing up on the shelves and I also got cup handles to replace the ugly brass ones that were on the drawers. My hubbie stained the beading and put it on the shelves and he changed the handles, so the dresser is in place now, looking lovely. It's great to be able to see my stuff again! Here are a few pics.

Before pic 2

After pic 1

After pic 2