But its a collectors item...

Saturday and not one but TWO boot sales advertised locally - yee ha!  But don't get too excited my lovelies I drove to the first one and there was a huge turn out of 2 cars, yes really just 2 cars.  I didn't even bother getting out of my car, unloading the baby buggy and my son for two tables of goods. I could see from my dashboard that one stall was full of army surplus and batteries - not for me thanks.

So onto booty number 2 and result I could see at least three lines of sellers so I was hoping for some goodies.  I did come away with a few kitschtastic and mucho tacky items - right up my street. So here's today's finds:

50's Big eyed Bambi with the extra touch of "You'll always be my dear", love the Bambi but the added cheese factor just rockets this one for me lol.  I couldn't argue with 20p either!

1950s Kitty probably with extra 1950s fleas judging by the scratching motion - 20p!

1970s childrens book 'The Elephant with the Curly Tail' which was produced by Flamingo Books! hey hey! Another 20p well spent.

Little vintage poodle ornament, he only stands 2 inches tall, bought from a lovely little lady who was running a plant stall. She had this little one nestled between the geraniums and the tomato plants.  Took him home for 10p :o)

Now are you ready for the star of today's show, do not adjust your computer screen this really is a real item of clothing, tacky but oh soooooo fabulous.....

 Mwhahaha!  Check out this vintage Elvis print track top!!  Seriously I couldn't walk past and leave this:

 Not content with one Elvis they decided to put 10 on the front, but that's not all, oh no...

BAM!  Two on the back too! hahaha!  I will not be wearing this (oh ok might give it an outing to the Elvis 2012 wembley concert for a laugh and to excite a few of the older Elvis ladies) but come on how could I resist!  It was displayed pride of place on the sellers car door so thought it might be a pricey item but I was in luck...£2! That's 20p an Elvis on the front alone! *wink*

Boot Sale annoyance of the week

My number one pet peeve of the boot sale world is the seller saying "oh its a collectors item" (with the underlying phrase of "you wont be able to afford it") when asked how much for an item. After this they usually wait for me to say something, normally "yes I can see that but how much is it", seller "well its a collectors item and these sell for a lot on eBay", to which I reply "ok BUT HOW MUCH IS IT?" the seller will then begrudgingly explain a bit more about the item before telling me the price at which point I know this will be way over the top, they will probably not sell it at the boot sale, and I'm annoyed enough not to want to buy it.

Today this happened with some tatty ladybird puddle lane books, exactly the same spiel telling me that ladybird books were very collectable (no s**t Sherlock), finally she got round to telling me she wanted £4 per book!!  She concluded that "sell for £5 plus each on eBay"...err ok sweetheart.   Has this happened to you?  I find this irk happens at least once every bootsale!  I must give off a cheapskate aura *wink*. Next time I may just buy the item with a £50 note hehe!

I've got the next installment of witnessed at a boot sale for you all too but I'll save them for my next post.

Have a fabulous weekend all.

Scarlett x

Off to the Emerald Isle

Well my lovelies this is going to be my last post for over a week as I'm heading off for a family holiday to Ireland tomorrow and hopefully be able to fit in a bit of bargain hunting while I'm over there!

As I wont be car booting for two weeks I had to sneak off this morning when I should have been packing to the Saturday booty just so I could get my fix.  It was quite disappointing, the same old trader stalls selling over priced children's toys and dodgy tracksuits.  I was thinking that it was going to be the first boot sale I left empty handed until I spotted these:

Love these shelves - they are coated in varnish so I'm going to have to put the dreaded sander to work again but I've got a feeling these are going to be fabulous shabby chic'd up :o)  I paid £6 for the pair which was more than fair as seen some of these in the charity shops with ridiculous price tags.
I've also found a couple of things in the charity shop which I thought I'd throw in for good measure:

 Victorian Vignettes and Illustrations book full of lovelies which I'm going to get my craft on with - £2.

I also bought these fabulous little women's Institute books:

Full of handy little tips and humorous quotes, two of my favourites being in the washing section:

 "I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem. Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash" - Jerry Seinfield.

"Automatic washing Machines: please remove your clothes when the light goes out" - Sign in a laundromat.

Right I better get back to the packing, don't miss me too much *wink*, I'll be catching up on all your blogs when I get back :o)

Scarlett x

Easter Boot Sales

I love the Easter weekend as it means the boot sales nearer to where I live start up and there is also 3 days of booting! Although I love the late start booty we normally go to it was nice to go to the nearer one with all the "fresh meat" lol.  I have got a tad bored of seeing the same trade stalls. Anyway today's booty did not disappoint, it was heaving. 

So here's a looky at what I bought home:

Cupcake teapot - 10p :o)

Cookie Jar which is really heavy ceramic (it broke the bag handle carrying this bad boy) -50p (worth it for the polka dots).

Vintage sheet music - loving the covers on these!  10p each.

The Dancing Years Film booklet - 10p (from the same stall as the sheet music).

1970's soda syphon - 50p 

Beatrix Potter ceramic pomander - 50p, now filled with fresh lavender.

Very 50's kitsch and made me chuckle so this little poodle was coming home with me - especially as the previous owner only wanted 10p for him.

Bud Vases - 10p each

Vintage fabric bundles - 50p each.

How cool is this Lighthouse lamp!  Ideal for the little man's nautical nursery and at £2 - what a steal :o)

Dressing table jar which matches my dressing table set - 50p :o)

Vintage glass bon bon jar - 50p

Isn't this freaky looking - love it lol.  It was bought from a lovely old lady who said it stood on the bar in her house for cocktail sticks and it still has said sticks in its head.  Love the fact she had a bar and even more so that she had her cocktail sticks to hand.  I paid 50p for this little ugly one but he makes me smile (and will probably scare off the demons!).

And my favourite buy of the day:

 

This beautiful dressing table set.  According to the lady selling it, it is about 80 years old.  She bought it from an antiques shop 10 years ago for £70 but is now downsizing so needing to sell all her lovely trinkets and this was included.  Its got a bit of wear but so will I when I get to 80!  How much did I pay....£4 :o)  Chuffed to bits with it, now just need another dressing table to put it on.

I actually must confess that I bought more than this so will save the other buys for another post - give all your eyes a rest. I will also keep you waiting for the 'witnessed at the bootsale' too *wink*.

Hope you have all had a fabulous Easter Sunday

Weekend Finds

What a busy weekend I've had in the search of bargains, a table top sale, a fair and a boot sale.  I'm going to share the booty finds first and save the others for another day  As it was mothers day yesterday my mum joined me on the boot sale scrum down, which was somewhat of an eye opener to her as she hasn't been to a boot sale for years. These are my latest house guests:

1950's french decanter, not sure if this is for oil or vinegar or another pourable liquid but who cares - I just love the look of it and it was £1!

1950's Puzzles - both for 80p.  The guy who sold them to me told me that these were played with by himself and his brother when they were little. I love that the came from the original owner and not a house clearance or trader stall.

Pyrex jug - probably 1960s or 1970s,  pleased to have got this one for £1.

Little blue glass apothecary jar - bought from a little old lady who told me she kept her cotton wool in it for years.  Bought this little lovely for £1 and a smile.

Poodle tea tray!! lol - how could I leave a tray with two poodles with a calculating look in their eyes! Love it especially as it was 50p.

Vintage curtain fabric, there is about 4 meters of this -  got the lot for £1.

Another wacky buy - cowboy boot beer glass.  Probably would hold half a pint but it made me smile so will probably now be a juice glass - I bought it from a guy raising money for Cancer Research for 50p. He told me that he had raised 4k over the last year for cancer research - what a star!

Pair of 1950s curtains (to use for fabric), they look like they were never used!  Got the pair for £1.50 :o)

These amazing vintage french glass bowls - probably 1950s, bought from a teenager's stall and found nestled among a pile of primark belts and bags, she gave me the 3 for £1! Mucho squealing!

Huge Dorothy Perkins silk scarf - not vintage but amazing anyway and a steal for £1.50, it still has its tag attached.

1970s storage jars - 50p each. I remember my mum had a set of these when I was growing up and she laughed when she saw I had bought a couple.

One for the royal wedding - Sandringham tea tray, ideal for when posh people come to tea *wink*.

A beautiful cream lacquer jewellery box. I did a bit of an Internet research and looks like its probably 1940s/1950s.  It has a small bit of damage to the lid but hey its survived pretty well.  I found this on the Sandringham tray stall and it was in a box in the ladies car so asked if it had been sold and she said she didn't have room to put it out - well hello jewellery box! Snapped  it up for £1.50!!  The best bit is that when you open it up it smells of vintage face powder - not everyones cup of tea I know but I love it.

1950s Beaded purse - 50p!

Vintage face powder compact with mirror - still has original liner :o) Bought this with the beaded purse for 50p also - again much delight and a pay and run moment.

And of course couldn't come home without the usual Pyrex casserole dish - check this one out:

Its a miniature casserole dish! I laughed so much when I saw it, maybe it's the dieters friend.  I've taken a picture by a mug so you can see how small it is:

I'm very tempted to make a tiny casserole in it and give it to hubby for dinner for a laugh.  I got this little gem for 50p :o)

Witnessed at a Boot Sale

The first boot sale funny actually involved me.  As its such a fight at this boot sale I was squeezing past a lady to get through the bottle neck of people when i felt my bag tug.  I've got a Cath Kidston Satchel which I wear across the body, well when I felt the bag tug and heard a lady squeal I turned round to be faced with a very surprised Polish lady with her hand of her butt cheek.  It suddenly sunk in what had happened - the buckle of my satchel had caught on the bum pocket of her jeans giving it a tug, she thought I had grabbed her bum!  I apologised saying my bag had caught her jeans but she just smiled at me and chuckled, looks like I may have come home with a Polish lady as well as my bargains! I quickly made my getaway.

I also saw a stall which was selling autographed sporting memorabilia. A Thai lady was picking up the signed caps and putting them on her sons head:

Stall Holder: "Can you not put those on your son"

Thai Lady grabs another cap and put it on her sons head

Stall Holder: "I said can you not put that on you sons head" snatches the cap from the lady "this is signed by a golf pro and costs £50"

Thai lady: "50p?" she goes to take the cap from his hand

Stall Holder "No £50! You're not going to buy it for £50 are you so leave them alone"

Thai Lady "£50?? No I give you £1"

Stallholder "Are you taking the piss?"

Thai Lady "£1" (At this point I was admiring her haggling technique)

Stallholder: "No its £50!" Stall holder then takes the cap and puts it in his car.

Thai Lady : "How much for these two" picking up 2 more caps.

Stallholder: "They are not for sale..."

The last thing that happened was me again, there was a crowd around a new table so I peered in and saw a vintage Kelly style bag - I picked it up and then suddenly got my hand slapped by the lady next to me "Mine" she barked! First time since I was 5 year old that I've had my hand slapped! lol.

Happy Monday all.

Scarlett x

 Make sure you all check out Bee Happy 100th Follower giveaway :o) too and my giveaway is still running, check it out here.

Linking to thrift share Monday , magpie-monday and newbie-party

 

Boot Sale Part 2 :o)

As promised my lovelies I'm posting the second half of my mammoth boot sale haul.  Thanks for all your lovely comments on the last post and to answer the question where I put it all, well we have a lot of in built storage in the house :o) I'm also replacing all the modern boring kitchen stuff with my vintage finds as I love that mismatched look.  I'm trying to clear as I go along via La Bay which funds my shopping habits lol.

So lets take a look at the new additions.  Well it seems that some one is sending me a sign, first the froggy murder print, then the wind in the willows hamper and now:

Yup old school Wind in the Willows book.  Love it, has a slight bit of water damage to the top of the dust cover but the book and illustrations are perfect. Looking forward to reading this to my son.  Plus it was only 50p :o)

On the subject of old books I bought this lot:

Basically bought the books because they look "pretty" in a true shabby chic way. I'm not going to pretend I have literary prowess - just like the covers *wink*  I'm also a sentimental fool and the 'little men book' has this inside:

A February birthday girl in 1950. I also got this fabulous kids book by Mr Jungle book (and Nobel Prize winner) himself:

This little gem was published in 1948.  Amazing its still in such great condition.  All these books cost me 20p each *grin*.

The next item I bought caused a massive argument between the stall holders. I saw this vintage trinket jar (with mirrored lid) and perfume bottles (complete with stoppers -eeeee!):

I went in for the grab before anyone else spied them and asked the young guy on the stall how much for the set, he said £2. Well I tried to keep cool but inside I was squealing.  His mother then called him to the front on the van and they started having a heated discussion while pointing at the set. I had my £2 coin in my hot little hand just wanting to pay and run but was looking like I wasn't getting these for £2.  The guy then came back and said "my mother wants a lot more for them but as I've said £2 you can have them for that". Well the coin was in his hand like lightening and I was busy stuffing these into one of the pillow cases (aka swag bag) I bought.  The mother then came strutting over and I was like 'run run run' so I grabbed my bags and as I was darting off I heard the young guy say "well that will teach you for selling my stuff too cheap, now we're even"  eek! I wouldn't want to be in their house that evening sheesh!

But I don't feel so guilty now every time I look at them - hehehe (yup my ruthless side has shown its face) at at least meany momma can be safe in the knowledge they've gone to a good home.

I also got 5 jars which are now storing my buttons, I've only photographed 3:

They were 10p each :o)
Now what you've all be waiting for ....

Witnessed At A Boot Sale

I see so many crazy and amusing things at the booty that it would be rude not to share.

The boot sale I go to has its regulars (me being one of them) but the most noticed of us is a lady who rides a mobility scooter complete with African Grey Parrot. I kid you not the parrot hangs onto her keys and takes the whole boot sale in his stride.  I was behind her on a tricky narrow bit full of people and the parrot said "A bit of a Squeeze" and she didn't pat an eyelid just replied "yes it is" - me and the lady beside me were open mouthed in amazement - clever little bird!  I wonder if  knows how to haggle - who's going to say no to a parrot wanting a bit of chintz for a knock down price.

The second happening which amused me greatly was an eastern European lady looking at a box of breast pads:
Lady- "have they been opened?"
Stall holder - "no they are brand new"
Lady -  "oh I'll leave them then"

The last thing that made me chuckle was a grown man sniffing a handbag - getting a proper eyes closed lung full of sweaty plastic. I think he was using the guise that he was checking for leather but I think that bag just made his day...

Well done to those that got to the end of this post lol.  I've also seen today that I've reached that magic 100 followers, thank you all and I am in awe that you all read my blog!  I'm off to sort out a giveaway so watch this space as will announce it in a few days.

Scarlett x

Linking to : nifty-thrifty-tuesdays , twice-owned-tuesday and junkin-finds-friday