Added to my plate collection...

I think I've mentioned that I love collecting plates?  Or maybe I had just dreamt that I did?  It's true, I can't keep track of my own posts anymore.

This beautiful little plate is unmarked so I don't anything about it.  Still, it's gorgeous.  Found for $3.

50 cents (each) bought me these very pretty Churchill saucers last year, but no cups were found.  As usual, I'm on a mission to find matching cups.  And if I don't, it doesn't matter because I love them anyway.

 

And last but never least....

 I found a sweet little plate at the op shop, then took it to the counter to pay $4 for it.  I was told that there was supposed to be a matching cup with it for that price, so I quickly dashed back to find it.  

I'm glad I got a knowledgeable person at the counter - a lot of the times those people wouldn't have a clue what they have in stock.  Now, as far as I can tell it's not a cup and saucer, but rather a cup and small plate.  But I'm not bothered by that fact!  

As you can see it's 'Mad in Engla' (and the number 49 in blue) thanks to the bad lighting that our camera has to struggle with whenever I take photos.  hehe.

Books, books and more books!

I find a lot of books (yes, for free) and I think I will need to stop because they have become a burden and a waste of space.  The books themselves aren't at fault but it's the mere fact that our home isn't a large one and we lack storage - yes, rant and rave!

Books like these for instance;

 Ok, it's very true I could live without most of them but possibly not the famous 'The Great Gastby' (1990 edition) - so I will be keeping that one.  So, it looks like I might be donating them to either the op shop or the library.

I'm steering toward the op shop because after all, they will be selling them for charity UNLESS somebody begs me for them (you know who you are, hehe).

My glass heart just shattered...

Do you see this bottle?  I had found it for $2 last year, but it exists no more.  Due to an unfortunately devastating accident, it shattered into hundreds of pieces... and so did my heart.  I called it my 'Jeanie' bottle and it used to sit on the coffee table in front of the sofa just so I could admire it.  There is a void on that coffee table now and I need to replace the space with something else.

The free green dress, but...

I found this dress, but it was a size too small so I could not even squeeeeeze into it.  Sorry the first photo is so blurry!

So I passed it onto goodwill.  But before I did, all the beads came off.

I loved this dress and I wish I was super skinny so I could have worn it.  But if it's not meant to be, then I can live with that.

Free, but never in a hundred years...

Very rarely do I find trash that really IS treasure!  How 'confused' do you think I was when I found a vintage crystal perfume bottle on a trash heap??  I mean, come on - who on earth, why on earth, is all I can ask myself.  But for whatever the reason, I now own this;

 It's one of those bottles that usually has that 'puffer spray ball' attached to apply the perfume with, but alas, no puffer ball was found.

I must have run all my fingers across every millimetre of it several times and not one chip or crack was found.

Amazing when you think it was obviously so unloved that it needed to be trashed and one would expect an unloved thing not to be so perfect!

 Old perfume residue - and boy does it smell old.

Now to find a puffer ball that will fit....


PS; I'd love to know what the real name of those puffer spray balls are and if anybody out there knows, please do message me.  :)

Quick, duck!

I love my little wooden ducks.

This one was a gift from a co-worker back in the early 80's and I kept it all these years.

I found this one at the op shop for a huge 50 cents last year.

 

For me, they aren't easy to come by and when I do find them 
they are damaged in some way.  

Such a shame.

Free Avon

Because my mother knows I now collect old Avon products, she passed on most of hers to me just recently.  How excitingly sweet!

What is this?  A jug of some sort?  It's now mine!

 

 These Unspoken scented soaps have seen better days.  Now they're mine!

I forgot what these things are called, but you put scented crystals inside to make the room smell nice. 

Mum says that the crystals inside are the original ones, and boy do they smell original.  

Now now it's mine, all mine!

I'm all spooned out

This is one of those spoons that simply must be in my collection, which I found for $2.

Hot and cold

We're all set for winter and summer.... for free!

A lady was giving away her Pyrox gas heater for free because she said it kept cutting out.  Well, I thought.... we'll pick it up anyway and hubby might be able to fix it.  So he did.  This was about 2 months ago and we've not had a problem with it at all so far.  Even putting it on the lowest setting makes me sweat after about 10 mins - that's how great it is.

We do have reverse cycle air conditioning (cold and hot) but honestly, at today's power prices one is insane not to use gas.

 I also found this small cooler fan on somebody's pile of junk, and it works just fine!

Lovely book stand

Beats me why I bought this.  It was only $5 and it's in pristine condition - as new!  I might end up selling it unless I find the fanciest book in the world to display.  Yes, I could use it as a recipe book holder in the kitchen, but hey.... I'm no great chef, if you know what I mean.

All about free cane

Just over a year ago I picked up two cane chairs that were being trashed by one of our neighbours.   On close inspection, they looked like they could do with a varnish or a couple of coats of paint.  I've yet to decide which.  Why am I waiting so long to do that?  Because I'm 'weathering' them.  You heard me... 'weathering' them.  If you leave something outside for long enough, preferable with rain and sun for about a year you'll see that the old varnish or paint will start to peel off.  This is the environmentally friendly way of doing it, if you're in not rush of course.  Well I think it's nearly time because most of the old varnish has fallen off as far as I can see.  Now, new varnish or paint?  And if I choose paint, what colour?  Oh, the devastation of having to choose only one!  Those cushions are really ugly, so I'll be sewing up some pretty new covers in a nice pale blue colour.  Well I've just answered my own question, haven't I?  I think I'll coat them with varnish unless I find a nice enough blue paint.

So.... then about 4 months ago I snapped up this small cane table!  Unfortunately there is not top and I'm guessing it was glass because of the 4 rubber stoppers on top and the former owners accidentally smashed it and then decided to trash the whole table.  It won't be too difficult to find a top, whether it's glass or wood - I really don't mind.  This could do with a little weathering too, I guess.

 

Finally, at around the same time my friend Tracy gave me a sweet cane chair which she had saved from a trash heap.  She got a little bored with it so she kindly passed it onto me.  It sits in the house because she's pretty.  Yay!

 

Ding Dong, Avon Calling...

Who remembers that advert on TV many, MANY years ago?  Now that's showing my age!! 

I come from the Avon era.  Specifically from the 70's.   I had a sister that sold Avon products back then.  I remember each time we celebrated a birthday, or at Christmas time... we'd get something cool from Avon!  I was only a little girl back then, so the things I received were children products.  And boy, did we get a lot of nice stuff!  Well, as the years faded away we sadly received less and less.  

By the early 80's Avon was going out of style, well it was in our family.   I kept certain things for a few years, some things I actually threw away... or maybe empty bottles were thrown away for me (my parents) which breaks my heart today.  Why does it break my heart?  Because I now collect old Avon products.  For me, it's not about what it could be worth because no fortune would or could be made - but rather for the nostalgia and the memories.  

I sometimes browse Ebay to see what's out there and I'm always surprised that they either don't sell (much), or they want some astronomical price for it.  I sometimes see things that I used to have and it simply makes me want to cry.  But I have a seeeecccrreeetttt........

I've been finding Avon treasures at the op shops and I'm always surprised when I do.  Today I'm showing you a couple of things which I found earlier this year;

Glass soap dish for $2.  As far as I can remember, this came with a soap.  Unfortunately I found it with no soap.  It's still a lovely piece.

 I'm not sure if this is ceramic or porcelain, but this 'Spring' egg is very cute.  They also sold 'Winter', 'Spring' and 'Fall' in different designs but I've not found those - - yet!  It was only $2.

I will show more lovely Avon products in the very near future.  :)

Essential oils in a box

Ealrier this year I found this box of essential oils for $5, but it was an impulse buy.  I've used about half of them so far and they sure smell good.