Boot Fair Booty Part 2

As I mentioned in the last post, there are a few more items I managed to find at the boot fairs. I have to say that this item here is definitely my favourite -

A really gorgeous copper and brass oil lamp! All it needs is the glass funnel, and they are not too difficult to find, especially in France. Living right in the middle of nowhere in the French countryside, we do get power cuts during severe storms. Oil lamps and candles come in really handy then. I am always well stocked up with candles and already have a couple of oil lamps, but this one is lovely and big and goes so well with the other copper stuff in the cottage. It is really quite romantic sitting in the cottage all snug when its storming outside, playing cards or scrabble by the light of an oil lamp or two and some candles.

Tins, boxes, anything I can store bits and pieces in is always totally irrresistible. This sweet little inlaid box had to come home with me and will hold some beautiful old buttons -


I found some more Lexicon cards as well. Not in a gorgeous old box like the previous one I found, only in cardboard packaging, but nevertheless, its a complete set of Lexicon cards to use in collages perhaps -

I was very happy that I managed to find a couple of books as well. I love books, always have done. This little beauty is tattered and torn in places, but it is filled with lovely lovely images -

And this great big thing -


1169 Sacret Songs and Solos and Hymns! I have to admit, some of them are quite beautiful. If anybody is ever in need of a hymn, lol, you know where to come!

Now, this next little book appealed to me because it has lots of little maps in it. It is an old Baedeker, and I bought it mostly because it is so very Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In those days, everybody travelled with a Baedeker, it seems. I hadn't realised how old it actually was until I looked at the map of Brighton ( look, JJ !!! ) and thought, my goodness, thats very small....... I looked for a date, and it turned out to be a 3rd edition 1894 Baedeker. No wonder Brighton looked so small compared to today, lol -


Just look at the pages, isn't the design on them absolutely gorgeous?


And then there is that totally rusty box with those lovely shiny heavy brass.... errmmm, whatever they are, lol, some of them are belt buckles, and some of them look like, well, I suppose they could be unfinished belt buckles -


I know you are going to ask me what I am going to do with those bits......... just don't expect a sensible answer, lol.

And last but not least, a few more copper bits and pieces for the cottage, a ladle, a skimmer, a frying pan, three small moulds and two large moulds. All of them very unloved and unpolished, but thats one bit of cleaning which I don't mind doing. They are nice, heavy, solid pieces, not the flimsy modern ones you get just for decoration -


Toodleloo! xx

Boot Fair Booty Part 1

I didn't think I would be able to get to a boot fair on Sunday, as I had been booked to do a town walk with a group of German school kids that morning, right in the middle of prime boot fair time. 9.15 to approx 11.30 am. But it was a beautiful morning and a boot fair about half hour drive away was supposed to start at 6.30........ quick calculation, yep, just about enough time to have a quick womble about, get back and be ready for the tour at 9.15. We are early risers anyway so we took off at 6.15 and got there about 6.45. Too early! Darn. Most of the stall holders there were still setting up, and not that many had turned up at all yet. But it wasn't a wasted journey, I am happy to say, we came away with a few little treasures which made the trip worthwhile.

But what to do about the big local-ish boot fair I usually go on a Sunday? Hmmm, even though it is supposed to be a late start one, by midday its almost over, and some of the stall holders start packing up. My darling No.3 son came to my rescue. He picked me up after the tour, drove me to the bootfair, which was still going strong at 11.45 and left me there to go treasure hunting. I did have my trusted trolley with me ( son had thoughtfully put it in his car for me ), and of course it came in very handy indeed, because treasures were found! I don't care how many of you laugh at me for having a ( rather funky ) trolley, and I do get a lot of stick, but it saves my back and that I am very grateful for. Books are heavy, gals!


I honestly can't remember what I bought where, The sensible thing would have been to do a post for each one. But when have I ever been sensible, lol? I think I have to split the post anyway, because there are so many photos. Yes, yes, I know, I get somewhat carried away taking pics, can't help it.

Ok, lets get started then. The beautiful bedside lamp I had in our bedroom in France was one of the many items stolen in the break-in, and I have been looking for something to replace it for a long time. I found this lovely Art Nouveau style lamp at the first boot fair ( yay, I remembered, lol ), and it is perfect for our yellow bedroom, as it has the prettiest yellow glass shade -


I also finally found the perfect old jug decorated with roses, again to replace a stolen one. It is soooo pretty, with the gorgeous colourful roses on one side of the jug, and the much plainer design on the other side.


See that cup in the first photo? It is huuuuuuuuge, lol, and really beautiful. The guy selling it said he thought it was about 80 years old, it had belonged to his great grandmother. She must have been some tea drinker, lol -



This little trinket box was too pretty to pass up, don't you agree?

And I found another "rosy" covered vegetable dish for the cottage, yay! I love mixing different patterned china together when there is a big bunch of us eating outside under the trees in the summer

Well, those are the items shown in the first boot fair photo, so I suppose thats a good place to break off and finish this post. The rest of the finds I'll show in Part 2 tomorrow, or maybe tonight if get a chance.

Have a wonderful day/evening wherever you are xx

And a few more bits

Well, I did promise yesterday that I would post some more photos of recent finds. One of these finds will crack you up, I laughed my socks off when I saw it, but you will have to wait, it is right at the end of the post ( you can always skip everything inbetween of course, lol ).

I have boxes full of trims already, but I can't ever resist them when I see them at boot fairs. All those lovely fringes, bobbles and dangly bits, they are so pretty, and such a great way of embellishing all sorts of things. I have already used some on tags, like this one


This little bit came from this trim -


I think the next two would be great for tags in neutral colours, beiges, browns, with vintage images. I'll be making some of those this weekend.



Some sweet braids - one pink and one the most gorgeous rich wine red


And looking peachy -

This one is really pretty, the softest green and the most delicate pink, I adore this one -

I found some more of those lovely old shoe trees as well. The colours are so beautiful, the rich gold and the fabulous verdigris green

I think they look ever so attractive as they are, but I also like them wrapped in velvet or silk ribbons to soften them.

This sweet little thing stole my heart. Just look at the very worn measuring tape inside! I was going to take it out and cut it up and use it in collages, but in the end I just didn't have the heart to do it, it looks so utterly charming complete. At the moment it sits on a little table with some of the measuring tape pulled out, looking very pretty.


I found a packet of blank visiting cards as well, they are perfect for making tags with -

Mnd you, I love the battered old box as well.

A couple of books, of course, can't ever come home without at least one or two. This one is a vintage Torquay guide book, full of very detailed maps and all sorts of information. I love all the old advertisements!

This little book looked quite fascinating -

AND FINALLY, the object of much hilarity in our household..................

Tadaaaaaaa


Its probably just us, but it really tickled me, lol.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody! xxx