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*

Potted plants and Tiny garden (again!)

Sharing with you some more photos of my potted plants with flowers blooming!!!! This is my yellow gerbera in a pot. This plant doesn't look so happy. I don't know what to do anymore. It looks so sad when there's too much sun or when I water it a little bit too much. I don't know though how much is just enough. *Sigh*

My lovely begonias!!!! These plants look so happy and just keep producing more an dmore and more flowers!!!! I love them!!!

Also a glimpse of a bench surrounded by potted plants and flowers - a beautiful resting place that my husband and I created. We sit there and just go quiet...sometimes we watch the sunset or wait there for Jurell coming home from school.

Husband's hanging plants attached to the wall outside the house are beautifully producing lots of flowers! These are geraniums...I so love them! We also have a white rose bush!

This is now the array of my potted plants on the windowsill in the living room. I have from left: ficus, orange gerbera, red begonia, yellow begonia, pink pointsettia, another yellow begonia and flaming katy. They are all so beautiful! I do hope you are enjoying all the colours of summer! It is so hot today and everybody is enjoying it over here where I am. In a couple of months, it will be autumn so let's enjoy the sun whilst it lasts!

xxx