Thrifty Finds and a Fair

Hi everyone! I’m sorry that I’ve been missing.  I had a handful of interviews at the end of the week and life just got a bit crazy.  Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving?  We celebrated yesterday and I had planned on posting my two favorite T-day recipes, but everyone dug in before I could get pictures of the finished products!  There’s always next year. 

Over the weekend I went to the Joy of Vintage fair in Watford.  This time I took my mother in law with me instead of my husband.  Just like me, she wanted to look at everything and it was a lot more fun than the fair the previous weekend was.  All I bought was a £1 scarf and some tea.  The tea was served in Woods Ware Jasmine cups!  We joked a bit about slipping them into our bags, but that would be wrong and even extra wrong on Saturday as we were in a church. 

After the vintage fair we checked out the Christmas fair across the street.  I found a Johnson Bros Greydawn mini coffee pot thing.  Someone had painted all over it.  I left it there, the painting wasn’t pretty and I felt that it ruined what could have been a nice addition to my collection.  My mother in law told me that I should feel encouraged that it is out there, I’ve just got to find it! 

Over the past week I have had a couple of thrifty finds.  I found this Pyrex dish for £1.99.  It’s kinda special because it’s one of the patterns that was only sold in the US.  This means that someone brought it over on a plane for me!  It’s called Homestead.  I looked on eBay and someone is trying to sell it for almost £20!  I think I’ll keep mine though!

 

I also found this yellow plate which doesn’t have a back stamp, but I thought was pretty.

 

Our eBay acquisitions have died down a bit recently.  We’re following loads of auctions, but often get out priced.  Its unbelievable how out of control they get sometimes! We have managed to win some Woods Ware Jasmine pieces.  This is my husband favorite style of utility china.  Over the past week we also completed our wedding china set using gift certificates we received as wedding gifts.  This included a tea pot that was very expensive.  We haven’t been drinking out of it though, we prefer the Jasmine teapot and well use the fancy one only for guests!

Did anyone have any good finds this week?  I think I’ll try and link up to Magpie Monday over at Me and My Shadow as well as Flea Market Finds over at Her Library Adventures!

Playing Tourist

I spent yesterday running all over London meeting with job recruiters.  I hate job hunting.  It’s soul destroying and horrible.  However it is giving me the chance to explore areas of London that I might never get to on my own.  

Yesterday I found myself right next to the Gherkin.  I’ve never been that close before and had a great time walking around it and taking touristy pictures.  

Unfortunately the recruiter meeting was not so successful.  He actually went off on a tirade on how dangerous New York City is (it’s not) and that he had to go to Harlem once and hired a body guard (ridiculous).  This was followed by telling me that I’m overqualified for everything they have going on at the moment.  Of course, I’m underqualified for the step above.  Story of my life.  

Anyone else out there job hunting?  Would you like to start a support group with me?

A Taste Of Home

A few days ago when my husband came home from work he gave me a hug and a kiss and told me that I was going to love him.  I replied that I felt that we firmly established that fact already.  He said you’re REALLY going to love me now.  He then pulled several packages of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups out of his bag.

Out of all the candy in the US this is the one that I miss the most and is the hardest to find! Of course, I love my husband no matter what, but it’s always extra nice when he brings a treat home!

If you want your own they can be found in Sainsburys for about 31p a pack!

Pop Up Vintage Fair

Yesterday my husband and I went to the Pop Up Vintage fair in Islington.   I’ve managed to get him almost as excited about utility china as I am and we were both really looking forward to it.  We even managed to wake up early on Sunday morning which never happens!

We were the last two people to get the discount filled goodie bags upon arrival.  My husband and I have the worst luck, I mean the worst.  Just since August our wedding was ruined by a hurricane, UKBA made a mistake in my visa, my former super stole some money, and I’ve come second for more jobs than I can count.  When we have small bits of luck like the discount bags it gets us really excited.  We quickly flipped through the discounts and pulled a few of the best ones aside.

The stalls were set up really nicely and it was fun seeing all people who were in full on 1940’s attire.  I loved the singing.  I disappointed with the size though.  For some reason we both expected it to be larger.  I was also disappointed that out of about 40 stalls maybe five had housewares and none of them had utility china.  I almost bought some retro plastic egg cups, but the price was too rich for my blood.  I did see a WWII ration card which was really cool, but I would have nothing to do with it. 

I’m really not into wearing vintage clothing.  Being on the overweight side makes it really hard to find anything that would fit me and it gets really depressing when trying to find something.  I also feel like some people are really able to take old pieces and incorporate them with new pieces and make them look amazing, whereas I looked frumpy in my wedding dress despite the fancy hair and makeup person doing an amazing job.  What I need is a super stylish friend to go shopping with!

Did you go?  What did you think?  Is anyone headed to the Joy of Vintage Fair in Watford this weekend?  Do you think I’ll find more homewares there?

Just in case anyone was wondering, we passed our discount bags to someone else. 

Thrifty Finds

Over the last week I’ve picked up a few thrifty items.

I’ve managed to expand my Utility China collection.   Most of these were bought via eBay and were a bit of a cheat.  This includes 2 Woods Ware Beryl bread plates, 4 Woods Ware Iris bread plates and the Beryl gravy boat.  The other two pieces have slightly more interesting stories.  My lovely and non-criminal mother in law liberated the beryl tea saucer from the gym she does yoga in!  It was very unexpected.  The Johonson Bros Greydawn bread plate was found at a charity shop in Golders Green for 50p.  When I went to pay I was shoved out of the way not once, but twice, but an older French lady.  I pointed out to her that I was in line before her and she told me that she didn’t speak English, I then replied that being French and old didn’t give her carte blanche to shove me around.  I was the first person (out of me and the rude French lady) who was helped at the till.

I also got this pretty little Pyrex bowl off of eBay.  I’m a bit surprised that I’m not finding more of this when I’m out and about.  Any tips?

Last weekend we made a trip to a local car boot sale.  It was pretty awful and muddy.  I don’t know if it was the time of year or it this particular one just has a bunch of tat.  There were five rows of stalls and very little worth even considering.  I ended up with 3 bags of mini Hersey’s candy bars (not pictured as I’ve eaten most of them) and a tea bag holder for 20p.  

My last acquisition isn’t pictured either, it was just a couple of boxes of floral cupcake holders for 50p each.  When I went to pay I put them by the till, there was also a book hanging out off to the side.  The cashier rang up the book before I could say not to.  When I pointed out that it wasn’t mine she grabbed her manager and then proceeded to recreate the crime scene so to speak.  She slammed the book down on the till and then put the cupcake holders on top of it.  She told her manager that’s how she found it which wasn’t true.  I waffled between sticking up for myself and just paying for the cases and leaving.  I didn’t speak up in the end.  I don’t live in Central London and when I speak in my little town area heads turn.  I feel like if I stick up for myself I won’t be perceived as customer being treated badly, but rather a loud American complaining about crap.  The joys of being an expat!

In the past week I visited charity shops in my little village (as I do at least once a week) Golders Green, and yesterday I spent a lot of time checking out the really nice shops near the Pimlico Tube station between interviews.  This totals almost 20 shops and all I’ve come away with that I’m actually after is one bread plate!  Is this normal?  Does anyone ever go weeks and weeks without finding anything?  Is there some obvious charity shopping rule, or guideline or something that I’m just missing?  Does anyone have any tips?

Oh well, after I finish my housewife duties and some bits for recruiters I’m going to head one town over to check out the 6 or 7 shops there as well as a little antique shop.  Wish me luck!

 

Cup Cakery

Last Friday night I used a Groupon and attended a cup cake decorating class.  I love Groupon, it’s just amazing.  You can do so many fun things with it and save loads of money. 

From the beginning though I had some challenges.  I wanted to take the class partially because I wanted to learn how to decorate cupcakes, but more so as something to do when my husband was at work.  The class advertised 10 am classes that were perfect.   When I got to the scheduling bit it turned out that there were only Friday and Saturday evening classes left.  Hence, the Friday night activity.

Overall I liked the class.  I learned a handful of decorating techniques and came away with four decorated cup cakes.  Please be kind, this was my first time!  My lovely and indulgent husband bought me a cup cake making kit from Cosco’s so I make some of my own over the weekend as well.  The icing was a disaster though!

Do you Groupon?  What’s the  best deal you’ve ever had?