The Book fairy ....and treasure hunting

I think the book fairy has been looking after me this week! I am an avid reader and collector of books. In particular I collect vintage children's books with a sub collection of Christmas themed books.
I visited a couple of op shops this week and found some really lovely treasures. Sometimes my local op shops are a bit overpriced but I did get some bargains this time around.

This lovely old hardback Christmas book was sitting on a table all by itself. Priced at a dollar I snatched it up quick smart! I love the vintage illustration on the cover.

Next I found The Poky Little Puppy and a couple of other hardback golden books for 50 cents each. I think they are from the 1970s era. Lovely condition!

Next a baby and toddler treasury of stories. I usually wouldn't have looked at this probably but it was a hardback in beautiful condition for just $3.

Then I came across this book.... The Enchanted Dolls House is just gorgeous! The hard cover is velvet embossed and inside there are 4 different pop up houses from different eras in time. Each of the pages is filled with little pop ups, lift the flaps and other surprises. It is just charming and I know as a new book it is quite expensive to buy. How could I leave it there for just $3? I do hope I have grandchildren some day!!!

Next I came across a 2 book set of Readers Digest Illustrated Dictionaries. Gorgeous condition, beautifully gilded and embossed covers for the bargain price of $5 each. I snatched them up quickly lest someone else lay eyes on them. On top of all this I was given a 10% pensioner discount at the checkout as they were having 'pensioners day'.

Move along to op shop number 2 which is my regular op shop but more expensive than some of the others I visit. I often spot treasures I would love to buy at this store but often leave things because I think they are asking too much.

The first item to catch my eye in the shop was this darling little cup and saucer. It was in the locked china cabinet so I knew it would be a higher priced item but I had to bring it home as it was so sweet. It cost me $15 and is stamped made in Czechoslovakia. It is smaller than a normal teacup but rounder so I'm not sure if it's a demitasse cup or just smallish because of the shape. I don't know much about china and usually just buy pieces that I think are pretty.

More books! Another thing I collect is quotes and sayings and I pick up any of these little quotation books whenever I see them. $2

They had $3 on this little lovely. It's a small book approx 6 inches by 6 inches and of course the cover caught my eye. Inside there are lots more lovely pictures and interestingly the history of lace!

More yummy vintage illustrations! I think they had $1 on this one. I have never seen a book so cheap in this particular shop before!

You just know I wasn't going to leave this one behind right? $1

This one perhaps not quite so old but I vaguely remembered having read this as a child so picked it up as well.
I've spoilt myself considerably this week with a few ebay purchases which I will share later and a few more books for the home library from book depository. At this rate by the time our extension is built we will need a new library wing added to the house! ;)
I have had problems with leaving comments this week so to my regular blog buddies I apologise. I have visited and in many instances tried to leave a comment but Blogger was not co-operating! Lets hope the Blogger gremlins are gone again soonest!

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

I'm a little bit naughty...

I stopped at a local op shop this morning. I really shouldn't have. I have no excuse.....
These are the treasures that jumped into my arms and said buy me!

Two pretty Royal Vale trios. At ten dollars each I had to bring them home!

Three orphaned plates at $2 each. The gilt trim is a little worn in places but I don't mind if they are a little shabby. They must have been well loved in a former life. I am getting a bit of a collection of orphans together now.

A boxed set of 6 lovely wildflower place mats. These were $6.99 but too pretty to leave behind especially as our current placemats are nearing the end of their lives.

It is always a fatal mistake for me to go anywhere near the book section but I go there anyway LOL. I found this how to crochet book for $2.99. I want to learn how to crochet so I guess I have no excuse now! The book is full of fabulous clear illustrations along with instructions.

Finally for $3.99 I picked up this book about life on the goldfields of Australia for Mr. B. One of his lifelong interests has been gold prospecting/ metal detecting and I thought he might find this interesting.


I did have to leave behind a fabulous not quite complete set of china. I just didn't have enough money to bring it home with me. **sighhhhh  There was a large cake plate, 8 small cake/sandwich plates, 6 saucers and 5 cups. They were embellished with a dainty rose pattern and gilt trim. All for just $10. I'm betting someone will buy the set and sell it for twice that on ebay. I Soooooooo longed to bring it home but I really didn't have the money(no not even $10 ) and am fast running out of room here to store or display things. Despite being a little naughty and comfort spending money I really shouldn't ought to have my found treasures bought joy and sunshine to my day!

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Comfort shopping...

I'm not sure if it's the onset of Winter or just my current life challenges but I have been feeling the blues a little recently. I am sure it has been obvious from my recent blog posts. Given that I am trying not to succumb to the temptations of chocolate to chase the blues away I seem to have found a replacement by way of comfort shopping! I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? Certainly better for my weight loss efforts but not so great for the budget!

I have been to the op shops three times this week and come home with plenty of treasures. I also had to leave some behind due to a lack of that awful stuff we call money. I comfort myself with the knowledge that there will always be new treasures to find. Anyway here are a few of my 'comfort' items.

I actually bought this teacup and sandwich plate a few weeks ago but had forgotten to photograph it. I adore the blue. Sadly it didn't have the saucer with it so I am hoping I might find an orphan that matches sometime. If anyone has one I'd love to buy it from you! It is a Royal Albert pattern.

I found this fabulous old glass jelly mould for $3.99. It's about 6 inches deep and 5 inches in diameter.

This is a pretty Paragon trio I found recently. Paragon make the most gorgeous designs. I wish I could afford some of their more ornate ones.

This is a little jam dish that I kept coming back to. The gilding is worn so it has been well loved. It was made in Australia and only $1.99 so home it came. I don't often see things that are made in Australia.

A Royal Vale trio. It's funny that I love teacup sets so much. I don't drink tea at all but I suppose there is no rule that says I can't drink coffee from a cup? Then again maybe there is!

This one was an ebay purchase. A lovely nylon? netting food cover/table throw with a crocheted crinoline lady in each corner. My photo doesn't do it justice. It's actually a lovely bright lemon colour.

A very practical purchase and such a bargain! I found this like new Burberry brand raincoat for just $10 at a local op shop. The sleeves are too long for me but otherwise it fits beautifully. It has two deep pockets, chunky buttons and sleeve detail as well as being fully lined with a nice check print. It's not my choice of colour but I really don't care for that price! My girlfriend and I went back to the same op shop a few days later and they had another one, exactly the same but a different size AND it was priced at $80 which we thought was outrageously expensive for an op shop EVEN if it was a Burberry! I assume mine must have been priced incorrectly or perhaps just by a different staff member.
I also bought some lovely children's books and another item which I'll share in another post as this one must be a mile long by now. Do you comfort shop or do you head for the fridge when feeling a little down?

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Op shop delights...

After my dentist visit yesterday I decided to stop at two of my local op shops on the way home. I found some beautiful battenburg lace, a cutwork runner and the FIND of the month was a divine old sandwich plate.

This little gem was just $3. Can you believe it? I grabbed it up immediately and when I took it to the counter to pay the lady looked quite perturbed and showed the price sticker to the other serving lady. Much frowning ensued  and she told me she thought it had been marked incorrectly and that I had found myself quite a bargain. I just smiled politely and said oh yes I expected it to be more than that. Inside I was terrified they might refuse to sell it to me for that price.

It has printed on the back "Weatherby Hanley Royal Falconware". I have seen other pieces of theirs with the crinoline ladies on.
It is in beautiful condition, a little of the gilding is worn as you would expect of a vintage piece but there are no cracks or chips. I know next to nothing about china and just buy what I like but the pattern on the ends of this plate suggest it might be from the art deco period to me.

This is the cutwork runner I bought. Just $2. It measures approx 40 inches long by 14 inches wide.

A couple of close ups of the embroidery. It's machine done but still beautiful.

I found 4 of these lovely battenburg lace doileys. They are approx 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. $1 each

More battenburg for $1. I think this is a doiley or a tray cloth. The embroidery looks hand done. It measures approx 16 inches long and 10 and a half inches wide. (Folded in photo)

Two more pieces at $1 each. Not sure if these are doileys, tray mats or placemats. They have a slightly different embroidered pattern on them, again it looks hand done. 16 x 10 and half inches.
Needless to say I came home with a smile on my face.

wishing you sunshine in your shadows (try your local oppie)
Helen