Colourful and not too deer.

Another very early start for me on Sunday morning. Up at 5am and on the road by 5.30. Its lovely having the country roads to myself at that time in the morning. I noticed there were an abundance of rabbits scurrying into the hedgerows as i drove. (Keep thee away from my veggies or i'll run you over)

Selling was slow and steady at the car boot sale and i packed up a little early when rain threatened. The rain never came, but i did get a chance to have a really good mooch around. 

I picked up a crochet blanket for €5 threw it in the washing machine as soon as i got home and dried it off in the sun this evening.  I'm really pleased with it now. I've decided to finish off my very small granny square blanket with lots of rows like this one. It was only looking closely at this one on the washing line that i realized how much more straightforward this pattern is. One ball of wool and off you go till you run out. 

On a multicoloured theme, i picked up these rainbow coloured mugs. They aren't old, I just liked the colours and their potential for space saving, which with my very small kitchen is an important consideration.

They stack.

Not sure i'll use the frame they stack into, but i'll keep it, as I will no doubt sell these on at some point.

 I may well regret this one.....I knew Mr Thrift Bee would question my sanity when i arrived home with this little purchase. He is quite lightweight plastic (the deer, not Mr Thrift Bee) and i thought i could spray him some funky colour.

Or perhaps not.

Source

The white would be cool.

Source

Or if I was feeling a bit glam.

Source

I think he'll come in pretty handy at Christmas.

After I arrived home from the car boot sale, Little Bee was keen to keep up her day long adoration of her father on fathers day, so we decided to make rhubarb crumble for after dinner.

Little Bee using rhubarb leaves as an umbrella.

I cut the leaves off and it was her job to pile them up and take them out to the compost bin. The recent rain meant the leaves were huge.

About a pound and a half of rhubarb, squeeze of lemon, drizzle of water and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.

Top tip: I always make DOUBLE  the quantity of crumble topping and put half in the fridge or freezer for a super quick pud the next time i have a fruit overage. So into the food processor, buzz up 7oz SR flour,   6oz butter and 2oz brown sugar, then stir in 5oz of porridge oats,  use half for to cover the rhubarb and store the rest. It will keep in the fridge for as long as butter would, but you could also freeze it. I had twice as much rhubarb as i needed so the rest went into the freezer, it means I just chuck it all in a dish and have a pudding done any time the range is hot.

In the oven for 40 mins @180 and bob's your uncle.

The resultant crumble was a bit sloppier than usual, in retrospect I probably could have left out the water completely. There has been so much rain recently the big fat stalks were obviously swollen with rainwater.

It didn't detract from its tastiness! And 'Father' approved.

Happy Fathers Day.

Linking to Her Library Adventures and Thrift Share Monday

Thrift Share Monday

I spent the weekend, once again, buying and selling. Chaos ensued at the bric-a-brac stall at a lovely garden fete, goodness those grannies show no mercy.

 I have got to stop buying retro flasks. I am now officially a collector of them. I really need to sell some on. This Thermos one is for soup, complete with cork stopper and soup bowl, and whacky woven print on the tin outer shell.

I grabbed the coffee tin and asked if there was any more to match, the man beside me already had the Tea one in his bag. He very generously handed it to me. The condition is fairly ropey, but i wish he could see how well they match my new paintwork. Tea/Coffee canisters €1.50

Two floral trays.

 

Another cut glass vase for summer posies, and a silver plated cake server.

Possibly the most appreciated little find was a tripod for my camera for €1, I had been pricing these on line only last week, and although they are not expensive, it was a 'would like' item,  rather than 'we need' item so I had to wait for at least a little while to see if I could thrift one from somewhere. I didn't have to wait long!

Linking to Thrift Share Monday

and Magpie Monday

and Thrifty Love

All that glitters is ...Green

Photographed with very early morning sun streaming through the kitchen window, my midweek thifted finds have a definite green theme. I love green, would go as far as to say that it is my favourite colour. Around this time of year when its has been a bit warm and there has been plenty of rain, I look at the garden and am amazed at just how many different shades of green there are. Grass, kelly, avocado, lime, chartreuse, bottle, army, moss, forest, pine and emerald. Sure it nearly looks like a jungle out there.

Sequin evening bag €3  

Glitter green feather butterfly (needs a pin attachment) 20c

Glass and feather bird ornament 20c! (my favorite)

Linking to Her Library Adventures Flea market finds

Red Leather Day

I only picked up a few things during the week, and they happened to be red and leather. Two lovely round boxes in embossed leather, one big, one small. I can't resist anything that can be used as storage in some way or another. If they don't find a useful home in my home, they will be for sale.

I don't know why i bought these, they are too high for me, and shiney red shoes, although fabulous are really not me. I mean, are these the right kind of footwear for letting out the chickens, pottering in the polytunnel or for doing the school run?

They are lined in the most lovely purple colour, and this colour combination always reminds me of an old friend of mine who, for her wedding  wore a red satin Vivienne westwood knee length outfit and her husband wore this sort of purple shirt. It is a most unusual colour combination that always reminds me of her.

Does every house have a sweetie jar? We do, it has sort of come about because whenever Little Bee is deluged with sweetie offerings (Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Tuesdays, Halloween, Thursdays, any day) I can divert them to the sweetie jar and dish them out in a vaguely moderate way.  I broke the jar a while back and have been using just one of my regular Le Parfait jars. I found this today for €3, and i reckon having a sweetie jar that you can't see directly into is going to be a good thing.

Little Bee tells me that it is not nearly big enough.!

I arrived late at a Jumble sale this afternoon and there was basically only tat left.  I didn't want to leave completely empty handed so I scoured until i found this grey satin hair pin and the net and bead brooch.

For 20c each, they'll jussh up a vintagey outfit sometime. 

Linking to Her Library Adventures Flea Market Finds
And Thrifty Love
and Penny Worthy Project
and Magpie Monday

Thrift Share Monday

This weekend  was one of both buying and selling. We have some very tall trees in our garden that need felling before we start work on a small extension. Mr Bee and a very kindly friend were going to tackle them  together. I was not going to be of any help, hovering and worrying.

So it was a perfect afternoon to go and set up shop in a field belonging to one of only two Waldorf Steiner schools in Ireland.  It is not far from us, and having read various reports (not least through Selena at ATG) I was very interested to go along and have a nose around. What a very pleasant place it was too. A glorious sunny afternoon with a gentle breeze it was pure bliss. 

The class room for Yr 1,2 and 3

Mr B made me this same wellie boot rack, but ours is only for three pairs 

Grand big polytunnel 

With a good potato and strawberry harvest to come

Not at all strange in America, but i've never seen a homemade lemonade stand  in Ireland.

Plenty of play area for the littlies

Some of my recent thrift finds already for sale. The crochet tablecloth was only €2. and fits my table perfectly.

Some more of this weekends finds. 

I have been looking for a green jug with a narrow top to hold big bunches of sweet pea when they come, for my newly painted green kitchen. Picked this one up for €1 and on the way home came across a  wild (not in someones garden) lilac tree with blooms that i could reach. I carry a secateurs in the car during May for this very reason. The yellow roses were given to me by a fellow stallholder. A beautiful rose called Peace.

The etched plate is the same colour green and really rather nice, not sure whether it will find a use in my house though.

Brass hand clip. For holding letters or lists together. 

A large Le parfait for 50c, I use these a lot, and always pick them up when i see them.

Another glass cake stand which will be for sale.

These Pimpernel coasters and place mats will go into my Etsy shop which will get opened the next not quite so sunny day. For now, I'm off to plant tomatoes, courgettes and purple beans that all need planting out. Make hay while the sun shines!

Linking to Thrift Share Monday

Short and Sweet, Small and Sparkly!

Maybe it was just the lovely sunny day that made these tiny sparkly thrift finds catch my eye.

More glitter/salt/pepper shakers

Lovely little bunch of grapes brooch/pin.

Linking up with Her Library Adventures

And Thrifty Love

Flea market finds

I was very kindly given the heads up on a school summer fete by a kindly neighbourly stallholder last week, and went along yesterday morning with a pocket full of money and free arms ready for the scramble. Scramble it was, but worth it.

 Here's my haul.....

 An Antler travel/vanity bag, it looks like i'm hiding a big hole in it with my tray cloths, but i'm not. The outside is in quite good condition. Inside has a few watermarks on the taffetta lining if anyone has any tips to remove them from the fabric, i'd be very grateful to hear them. The vanity case is destined to house my growing collection of crochet doilies and traycloths, of which i scored a few more. I also picked up a lovely Samuel Lamont Irish linen tablecloth. 

 The tablecloth was 'freshly' laundered and wrapped in celophane by Lady Jane fabric care service. "for people who take pride in their appearance"  Ok, laundered but maybe not so recently freshly. 

I keep picking up these little shakers, I have visions of presenting my daughter with a whole pile of them filled with different coloured glitter (probably seen on Pinterest) But the thought of glitter all over everyone and everything in my house makes me shudder.

 Perhaps when she's a bit bigger.....like.....34.

I have been using a fancy jar with a pierced lid as a flower shaker for some time. The glass one I had broke and I improvised. The fancy jar served me well until I found this little baby yesterday for .20c

I don't think its old, it's just perfectly simple and practical and i like that.

The bone handled knives will be added to my own stash. Nabbed for .20c a piece too!

One of my long term thrift wish list items was a glass cake dome. Once washed up she sparkled. There is not a mark or chip on her.

Thinking i may have to get cake making again. 

Finally a 1950's Vacco flask which i cleaned up and then researched, to find that the base screws off and contains a glass bottle for holding milk. I didn't even realise the base was removable when i was cleaning it. Bonus!

The yellow Le Creuset saucepan was also a steal, and most appropriate colouration for a thrifty bee.!

I'm linking to Her Library Adventures 

and Apron Thrift Girl

and Thrifty Love