Monday 2 May 2011

Thrifty Bits

This week my parents came to stay for a couple of days and it was so nice to be able to show them my little town in the glorious weather, we spent much of the two days gradually pottering through the local Antique shops and charity shops looking for bits and bobs to kit out their new kitchen with.  We found them a gorgeous Victorian pine dresser and matching chest of drawers which will give them a great excuse to come back and visit again soon when they pick them up, which I'm looking forward to!


They wanted to treat me to a couple of things so I took them charity shopping,  I couldn't believe my eyes when I came across the Sadler teapot above - it was £3.49 so I swooped!  I don't know if it's just me, but the big gap in my vintage china collection has been vintage teapots - they seem much harder to come across than teacups, cake plates, creamers and sugar bowls so I can't walk away if I spot one.


Mum clocked this little Wedgwood pin dish with her eagle eyes and had whisked it to the checkout to buy it for me before I could even get out my purse, she has some quick draw skills.



Possibly the bargain of the day though was the Stratton compact above for 99p, this one made me squeal a little!  


Once the folks had departed I popped out for a little more shopping to perk myself up and found a Fortnum & Mason limited edition tea caddy for 50p - I've only recently become a little obsessed with tea caddies but it was only a matter of time until it happened given my passion for tea.


This little tea/coffee pot came from the same place as the Sadler teapot and is Queen Anne, funny how I can look high and low for teapots and then come across two in the space of a couple of days, to use the cliche; they're like buses.


Last but not least this miniature cupboard was 50p and has landed on the 'makeover' pile.  It looks a little as though it was made for sort sort of school project so it'll be nice to give it a new lease of life!

Take care,
Jem xXx

30 comments :

  1. Nice finds, well done. I was good friends with the Sadlers of Sadlers teapots so it's lovely to see them appreciated. xx

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  2. these are some awesome finds Jem!i too love Sadler teapots so to findone for £3.49 is like the holy grail!!x

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  3. Aah it's so nice shopping with mum isn't it? And sounds like you both did really well - congrats on your new pots! I love the compact - especially for 99p.

    Interested to see what you do with the cabinet, is the mod podge coming out again or will you paint it? It looks like it might be for jewellery, or if it isn't, you could screw little hooks inside and hang necklaces inside, and keep rings etc in the drawer.

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  4. ooooh im so in love and full of envy of your teapots!! i agree that i rarely come across teapots in my charity shops, especially those that are as gorgeous as yours! normally i found one or two that are plain and made by tesco or F & F and they still charge you around £2 above! so lucky you!! how sweet of your mother to buy you a lovely pin dish!! glad you came back to that charity shop to find more lovelies, im in love with the stratton compact and the tea caddy!! that miniature cupboard could make a nice jewellery storage, maybe?? so cutee!! Thanks soo much for your lovely comment, Jem!! xx you cheered me up by your lovely finds!! xx Susan

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  5. Oh wow, you have done well.

    Love the little cabinet - can't wait to see what you do with it, although I like it as is.

    The teapots are beautiful too. I guess a lot don't make it what with broken handles and spouts :0(

    Thanks for linking up.

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  6. Fab finds, love that your mum was on it re the pin dish.

    I can find loads of cups and saucers but never a decent tea pot, I live in hope. :)

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  7. It's dangerous reading your posts..too many beautiful treasures to collect!I had never heard of Sadler's but that teapot is just gorgeous so I'll be on the lookout now.Glad you had a lovely time with your parents and thanks for popping over to my blog:)xx

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  8. I love that gold topped teapot Jem, the shape, roses and those curves.
    I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the little cupboard...

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  9. I just love the tea pots, so pretty...specially the gold teapot Jem, with the roses. Can't wait til you show us what you did with the cupboard!
    Hugs
    FABBY

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  10. Very pretty teapots, Jem. I love that cabinet. I'll bet you can give that a great new look with some paint.

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  11. Ooooh pretty teapots Jem! Well done!

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  12. Great finds! Love the teapots. Sounds like a nice visit with your parents.

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  14. My third attempt to comment - my browser is being difficult today and keeps eating my comments. I could slap it!

    I like your tea pots. I have little success in finding them unless they are either hideously ugly, chipped brown earthenware or part of a full tea set.

    That tea caddy is great too. I am a tin fiend. I have a box full of tins in the loft and more in storage in France - yet I keep buying more. Which is stupid really but it's one of my few vices. :)

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  15. Looks like you had a great day with your parents - great finds!
    Liz

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  16. That Sadler teapot is perfect, I would have fought you for it if we'd seen it at the same time (only joking!)
    I can't wait til the day comes when I can spend time looking around charity shops properly, for 4 years I've put up with 5 minute glances in them. When my youngest son starts school next year, I'll purposely hold off finding a job to do just that!

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  17. The little cupboard would be my favourite I think. Does it have a shelf? Anything miniature could be displayed inside. It would look great painted. I hope we'll see how the makeover went.

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  18. What great finds! I love the tea pot and the tin! I would also love to make over that little cupboard! I can see chicken wire where the glass is now! What a fun project! X

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  19. Jem! I was over your way last week and looked around loads of Charity shops in Ashbourne town expecting to find lots of lovely little tea cups, but alas, there was absolutely nothing! I think you must have already bought them all :)

    I have the opposite problem, I find loads of teapots but no tea cups...xxx

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  20. Very nice teapots, Jem! The miniature cupboard is cute too. Have a lovely day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  21. You find the best treasures!
    Lady Linda

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  22. Oh those teapots are gorgeous! I'm in the same position -- I have collected about 20 vintage cup and saucer sets but have only one teapot. I get a lot of them from Ebay but the pots are definitely harder to come by. Thanks for posting all of your great finds!

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  23. I love this post! Thank you for visiting back and for the lovely nd sweet comments! The rice is really delish, this is how you do it: In the electric rice cooker, put like a Tbspoon minced onions, olive oil and in the blender, blend some fresh basil with enough water to cook the rice, according to package inst., add salt and pepper, pour it in the electric cooker, than add the amount of rice you want. Take some pine-nuts and in a pan roast them a little and add to green rice to serve it. This way it's elegant to acompany some dish with a meat that comes with juices, or gravy. Green is great for Xmas.
    Have a wonderful Mother's Day today.
    Hugs
    FABBY

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  24. well jem you have just left me green with envy - obviously I would have sulked over that compact if i was in the shop with you - what a steal! The tea pots are fabulous and loving the tea caddy! Looking forward to seeing what you get upto with the cabinet :o) Scarlett x

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  25. I want to live near your town! I love the Rose teapot, and the compact is very pretty. I have been eyeing up a tea sets recently, but like you said they rarely come with the teapots, so a great find to find two! Bx

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  26. Pretty pretty compact - I collect them so they are always a treat to find - especially when I find fellow collectors on here. Especially when you get them for a steal.

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  27. How much I love strolling around second hand shops and bringing home bargains, I love the tea pot!! so gorgeous!! I need to get more often out of London for some junk shops finds!!

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  28. OOOOO, teapots. Bargain prices. My vintage china collection is sadly lacking in teapots too. We must try harder.

    Going through all your old posts so you'll get some random comments from really old posts. Loving reading your blog.

    Madison xxx

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