ART NOUVEAU PLANTER

This art nouveau beauty was €3 in one of my local charity shops today. Gorgeous!

SUSSEX FINDS

I'm just back from lovely Sussex in England where the availability of vintage finds is always second to none. The charity shops (we started calling them 'chazzers' on this trip) are stuffed with reasonably priced gems and there are many, many shops in every town. Not everything I buy is vintage but almost all of it comes in shades of blue. It's an addiction.

I was in England on a research trip for novel #4 (which I posted about at my writing blog here) but I was also on a mission to explore as many chazzers as possible in the small time I had. My husband is endlessly patient with this activity and my 7 yo daughter is fast becoming a chazzer enthusiast. (Chazzerist?) Anyway, let it suffice to say that I hoovered up as much blue and turquoise items as I could manage to pack in our carry-on only bags. And I left so much behind - things that were impossible to carry such as these fab chairs in the Debra shop in Crawley:

If you are a fan of mid-century modern, get yourself to that shop. Sideboards for £40.Tables for £20. Unbelievable value. They had v little bric-a-brac there but I found this Balinese frame for £1. The books - a Collins Adam Bede and a Penguin Tortilla Flat were also bought on this trip.

Willow plate - £3, St Catherine's Hospice shop
Aztec blue plate - £2.39, Sainsbury's
Spanish plate/trivet - £1.25, British Heart Foundation shop

Blue jug - £1, St C's Hospice
Floral jug - £3.50, Cancer Research UK

Clear & gold paperweight - £5, Oxfam

Teeny millefiori paperweight - £3

Sass and Belle jewelry tree - £3.50, Cancer Research

Turquoise ball vase - £3, Oxfam

Is it really YSL? Who cares at £6.99?

NAIRN PURCHASES

Oh Scotland, Scotland, how I love you. And your fabulous charity shops. I was in Nairn recently (I litblogged it here) and, naturally, I hit the charity shops. These were my finds:

Charles and Di cup - £1

Filigree brooch - £1.49

Caithness paperweight- £20

Handmade tea cosy by Jill Laurillard - £3

GLASGOW FIND

A trip to the UK is not complete for me without a dander into the charity shops. Their shops are so well-stocked and the prices are always great. I was in Glasgow last week and, though it was a flying visit, I managed a peek into a few shops.

For this princely sum:

I bought this beautiful watercolour of a cottage:

High Mills near Tain by Janet C. Kennedy

Duck. Doll. Swan.

I just can't believe the last time I posted here was June - arrggh! Between three trips to the USA and two novels to get to bed, I have been flat out. But I have been photographing and buying and I keep meaning to post my finds here. Anyway, one quick pic to rectify the neglect:

Duck. Doll. Swan.

Three finds from three separate places. Duck egg-cup: 50 cent in an Athlone charity shop. Porcelain doll (stamped Japan on the rear) $9 from an antiques shop in Amherst, Massachusetts. Blue swan, 50 cent from one of the Ballinasloe charity shops.

A TRIP TO TIPP

I was doing final research on the Ireland-set part of my novel-in-progress (NIP) this weekend in lovely Tipperary. Seriously, that county is beyond gorgeous: lush and green.

And the walled town of Fethard may well be the friendliest place in Ireland. We were bowled over by the welcome we got in Jolly's Café (great brownies) and in the shops. Even in the church, where I was given the potted history of Saint Rita. The same woman gave my daughter a miraculous medal (on the traditional blue string) and she gave me a scapular (brown string!) for the car.

Juno & me, perched outside the fab Kyle Lane

Kyle Lane purchase - Go on the Tea plate - €10

We stayed in Clonmel so I had to go to Kyle Lane, a great shop I follow on Facebook that sells upcycled furniture and plates. On the way there I came across this cutesie shop:

Forget Me Not, Clonmel

Of course I managed to get to the famous Fethard Car Boot sale and to Clonmel's charity shops. I am trying to be more discerning when I buy, so while I saw lots of sweet things, I want to only buy what I love or what has meaning for me. And, I also operate a one-in, one-out policy, so some items have to go after this weekend's purchases.

The novel (my NIP) is mostly set in Massachusetts so I was pleased to find this tin tray at the boot sale for €2:

I am also a fan of American Fiesta Ware - I have a turquoise pitcher that I bought in Macy's in New York that I love, so it was good to find this matching Fiesta mug for €1 at the boot sale.

All in all it was a productive research trip and a nice bric-a-brac trip too. I am still thinking about two oil paintings I passed on at the Fethard boot sale but, until I get that Georgian mansion I dream about, there just aren't enough walls :)

CHARITY SHOP BARGAINS

A journalist in The Irish Times was lamenting last week that there are no bargains to be found in charity shops anymore. That may be so in parts of Dublin, but here in the Midlands there are still outrageous bargains to be found. I present today's finds, totalling €1.50, from two separate charity shops:

Owl trivet - 50 cent

Jar - 50 cent

Hand-knitted baby cardi for my daughter's favourite bunny, Patch - 50 cent

SILVER PLATED DISH

Another monster bargain from my very favourite local charity shop. An EPNS dish from Elkington, Mason and Company for 50 cent. Dating from 1853. I had fun looking up the hallmarks on this excellent site: Silver Collection.

VINTAGE CRIB FIGURES

Vintage crib figures from my favourite Westmeath charity shop - €5. Score!