Today's Finds................

Today was the day for poodle hair cuts so naturally, as my Thrift shop is right next door......what do you think? Yes, I just felt it my duty to go in and browse. So here are a few finds for today.


I thought the rooster would look good in my garden. He may just sit somewhere looking pretty or I may make a larger ornament with him on the top. I have been collecting Roosters so......


I have no idea what I will use these for but maybe at Christmas I can fill them with stuff I make for gifts. The cans fit inside each other and were 6 dollars. They are in any case nice containers.
Here is another Rooster

And this one too........this is much like the other one that now sits in my garden. I may just keep this one.

I found two vases. The blue one is beautiful in the light, it was made in India and has those glass squares all over a Cobalt blue glass.

That will go outside as a base for something else. Not sure what just yet. The green one I will keep, green and pink are my dining room colours.

I will be needing pots when I bring in plants for the winter. So will be looking for things like that. I guess I would rather pay the thrift shop than a store. I know I probably pay more than in most thrift shops for the items I choose. This pink candle holder will be the center of a plate flower I think

This next item is actually Limoges it is stained but in perfect condition otherwise. The gold is 18k

The plates/dishes I found were these. The first I got because I already have some and these are so useful. I do believe they are dollar store items but I bought it anyway.

The next two, I am not sure if they are old or not. In any case they will either be used for garden ornaments or I will keep. When I do a party I use glass dishes, bowls and plates. So may swap them out for some plainer ones I may have.


This I bought just because it's pretty. You know I love glass, crystal or cut glass. This was beautiful and I will find a home for it somewhere.

Before I end, I cant remember if I posted these glass plates before or not. There are 8 of them for 8 dollars. I loved the colour. I got them for the garden but........I may just keep them and use at Christmas as chargers under another plate? I wish I was the sort to do table scapes and set a pretty table but, well I am not just yet. You never know though so I will keep them.

So thats it folks, my day at the thrift................can't wait to go back. Sigh..........I really don't need anything. I have brought up a few boxes from the basement to go through. It will soon be time to pack stuff away so I better get finished so I can begin sewing
I am linking up at Ivy and Elephants this week and also with The Dedicated House anything Blue Friday
Also sharing with Brambleberry cottage also linking with From my back porch to yours I am also linking with French Country cottage for feather your nest Friday

New Entrance........................

We began this project at the beginning of summer and its still not finished. I wanted to do before and after pictures but well..........now it would be a matter of finding old pictures again. I will try.
The back of our house has been changed several times but in recent years the back door opened at the side leading into the laundry room. We closed off that door and it will eventually be a window instead. The old dining room was a useless room really it will now be the new entrance. We never used it as it was but the printer was in there. I had a glass cabinet so the kids could not really play there so what good was it.
I can't find pictures as it was but here is some of the progression of things.
First the deck had to be changed.

In that picture you will see the 3 big dining room windows, they will come out and become a door. The back door with two side windows will become a window to the laundry. This next one shows the almost completed deck.

Inside we put the church bench in the laundry and that shuts off the old door. This will now not be the congested entrance that it was. Especially when we had people in and out in the winter, with coats and boots etc. The half bath is at the end and the washer and dryer opposite the bench. I am hoping for a biggish window where the door was.



Meanwhile, the new door goes in.This is how it looks from inside. I put some shelves to put shoes next to the French door that goes to the sitting room.

I managed to get a coat tree at the thrift shop for 25 dollars. The last thing I needed was the cupboard and I found that one for 300 at a resale shop. Perfect for what I wanted. At this point the room is not yet painted or put together but you get how it will sort of look when done

The second project was the upstairs bathroom. I didn't even repaint it yet. It was black and white with green towels and rug. The theme was cats. I had cat pictures on the wall and the shower curtain was bordered with cats. Before Tristen came along I also had cat ornaments, well those had to go. Now it is a London theme. Bright and cheerful with hardly any effort or money.

I got the bin and box plus shower curtain at Bed Bath and Beyond.


I already had this picture and that fit right in. All I had to buy was the towels and rug Viola!!!!

I wish I had before pictures but in any case it would have made a rather long post. It turns out that now I have a lot of red and yellow in the house. That was not planned. Must be in that kind of mood because I had changed the downstairs bath from a sea/fish theme to Geraniums with yellow walls. Hmmmmmm Maybe on another post we will do a tour. All for now.

Bargain Hunting................

Lets see, Laura and I left the kids with Gerry and took off treasure hunting. We went to as many thrifts as we could remember. I did find a few things. First though I will show a couple of finished products in the garden.
See the blue and white tea cup?

Then the pink and black plate with the dragon fly.


I like my ornaments to be subtle I don't personally like lawn ornaments. I like to be able to find them in hidden places and spots with no colour for added interest.
SO these now are what we found that trip. I was not impressed with any of the Thrift shops, they were very busy and I didn't find much. What I did find was a lot cheaper than at my fav shop, but then I knew their prices were high. I found two hand painted china plates made in Bavaria. They were 3 dollars each. Not sure I can use those in the garden they are just too pretty



At another shop, more plates. This time one dollar each. Both had a butterfly theme so great for the garden.


close up

So what else, oh yes I found this yellow vase. Not at all sure what I will do with this its sort of delicate,

Then the last thing for just a dollar and something I wanted for the garden was a hanging basket

Another success with not so much spent this time thank goodness
I am sharing with From my front porch to yours
Linking with Create with Joy, Inspire me Monday
Linking up with Adorned from above Wednesdays linky party
Linking with Lavender Garden Cottage style party

Look what I made this time.............

Laura took me to my Thrift shop the other day. They have a name for me there. I am the Tea cup lady. Hmmmmmm. Is it bad that they know me there? Well naturally I found a few things. I forgot to take pictures at the time and cant remember all I bought. Oh I did find a coat rack, a stand up one for 25.00. That will be great when the entrance is finished. Anyway, I spent just over 100 dollars so I must have got something. I bought a couple of things for Laura but apart from that it was all mine.
First off this lovely crystal bowl. It's either crystal or good cut glass, not sure.

Then the flower vase. I bought two of those. One was a cheap one, I could tell but this one, this was beautiful. It's heavy and is probably cut glass.

The cheaper one is going to be used in a garden ornament. I also found a crystal box, it has a snowflake design on the top. I need another glass box like I need a glass eye.

I found this vase, the colours seem right for the garden. Now to find something to do with it..........

One of these days my dining table will be clear of all this. (yea and then my sewing stuff will be out) ..... These necklaces are 1.99 each and come with earrings. I bought them for the beads. I will use them in projects.

There is another that I bought that was made of butterfly, I will use that in a project too.

Well on to my projects for this week. I am making a garden ornament. I had put the top together from the last plates I found.

I added the dragon fly that had broken off something else. I had been waiting for a base. The flower vase from this week and a glass dish from this time put together was just the ticket. The earrings that came with the beads added something because I had already decided to hang the glass ball. I quite like the results.

This is the end project

This vase I got because it would fill a space on my bookshelf.

I can't think of anything else. Usually I keep the stuff out and take pictures but this time I forgot. I could spend a fortune in there, and it occurs to me I could buy stuff cheaper but I love to be creative and also the money goes to a good cause. Will I go back this week. I dont know yet. I do need a few plates to finish up some projects but I need to keep my spending more under control
I am sharing with Ivy and elephants
Also sharing with create with joy inspire me Monday
Linking with Sir thrift a lot
also
linking with Sugar bee crafts Take a Look Tuesday
sharing with from my front porch to yours

Finished items................

It took long enough. I was waiting for the hubby to cut some pipe for me. Remember the hen and the matching plate I found.

Well they went together like they were made for each other. I fitted them with a small block of wood with a hole drilled through it. The copper pipe fitted in well.

AS you see these type of ornaments fit in among flowers and do very well. They need washing once in awhile.


The 2nd project was the tea pot. I had to use it this way because the top was glued on so not much else to be done with it

I set this one a bit higher, it blended in with the larger garden and I really like the colours.

This one you can see its not sticking out like a sore thumb

Then I have one more thing to show. I was on Ebay..........should have known better, I don't go there. Can't remember now why I was actually. It's not something I usually do. Anyway. I found this cup and saucer.


The asking bid was 50c so I bit one dollar. I won the bid and sent off my money via pay pal. The owner contacted me. She lives in my town and offered to save me the postage by bring the cup and saucer over. We met, she was about to return the postage to me (pay pal takes it direct to her account) so I said "Oh no, I am sure you were hoping for more than 50c I appreciate you bringing to me" She said it wasn't out of her way but still. So I think in all it cost me 6 bucks. I am going to put it in the garden and use it like this one

Now to get some more pipes cut down. At first I thought they should be taller but I didnt like them that way. So now I feel like I know more what I am doing and what I like.
I am linking up with