Trash or Treasure?

My husband likes antiques but strangely enough, he doesn't like me getting clothes from the charity shop....until recently, he seemed to change his mind.

I have started a small collection of decorative plates. The one on the left (above) was a Christmas gift from my friend in Cromer who is an antique dealer. It's a Coalport - Rose Cluster 1994 collection. The one on the right was also a gift from a friend which she got from a second-hand shop, an Edwardian (no date on it).

I have a friend, based in Norfolk, who is an antique dealer and hubby's childhood friend who is based in Lancashire is also an antique dealer so we are really not new to the knowledge that there is value in old things! Husband seems to have changed his mind about me buying clothes when I mentioned to him about a lovely lady who used to be a work colleague and now runs her own on-line business selling previously owned and vintage clothes. (If you wish to visit her blog, please click here.)

So the past few weeks, we have been combing all of Norwich for charity shops and found really beautiful items that I'd like to share with you!

I've started collecting decorative covered jars like this (above) I've now got two!
This jar costs a mere £1.50 if I remember it right!

I found this lovely F&F red floral skirt and bought it for £2.60


This black TM Lewin skirt is, surprisingly, brand new in a charity shop for £3.40!

I got a pink blanket for £2.50! Look, I can also use it as a bedspread!

So far, this is my husband's favourite - a Welsh dresser which we bought for £35! Shocking, eh?
It was stained with a funny reddish brown woodstain.
We plan to paint it with something a little bit on the browner side but not yet.
It looks good as it is, don't you think?

One's trash is another person's treasure!

I have learnt from my antique-dealer-lady-friend that I must not buy brand new china as she finds it to be a rip-off. She is now looking out for a good china set for me which will not cost me a fortune. She also told me to buy gold jewelry from car boot fairs and charity shops, not the high street. Whilst it is nice to shop for brand new things and I must admit, I get excited shopping on the high street for brand new clothes but my question is - why spend a fortune from shops for something that you can get for only a fraction of the price somewhere else? Don't get me wrong, I still shop brand new clothes majority of the time but sometimes you can find really nice things in charity shops!

I know charity and second-hand shops can sometimes look like they are full of rubbish, useless small things. But if you try just a little bit harder, you may find nice things like what I did!

*smiles*