Yippee My Kind of Half Term….

I’m on holiday for a whole week, Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

It feels like an age since my last week off work at Christmas.

Although time does seem to be flying at the moment, how can we be in March tomorrow already!!

I nearly always have the first week of March off as it is Gav’s Birthday week, I call it our half term.

We will have a few days off together then I’m off to Suffolk for some time with Mum & Dad. I have never lived in Felixstowe where the rest of my family live, but we visited many times as children, a few years a go my parents moved back there to be near their parents. I doubt I will ever live there as it has never been home to me, although I have wonderful childhood memories.

I loved Felixstowe as a child, space to run & play a safe place as I remember it. A quaint seaside town with a huge dock yard, the biggest in the country I think. The town is small with lovely seaside features like the Spa Pavillion a theatre on the prom.

In my teens I found it quite boring and yearned for the weekends to end so I could be at home with my friends at home.

Now I appreciate it, I can walk into town in 5 minutes, there are lots of CS’s, my favourite fabric shop, a market on a Sunday & a couple of nice bars & eateries for the evening and this lovely shop Vintage Mason.

I hate the drive there it can take 2.5hrs on a good day or 6 hrs on a bad day!!!

As I said before I will never live there it is not home but I will always visit, as my family are there.

So I’m off to a different seaside on Wednesday for some spoiling from my Mummy & Daddy, I’ve requested Dad’s fish pie for dinner and can’t wait.

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I was hoping to be able to do a 100 follower giveaway.

Well I suddenly have 101 followers, big thanks to all who have been faithful followers and to those who are new. 

So now I am planning a Vintage CS themed giveaway.

I will be hoping to pick up some more lovelies for it on my travels this week, and then I will post about it. Keep your eyes open.

I have been making my buttons for the button swap this weekend but will wait to show you when I am nearly done, I don't want my swap partner to see them before I send them.

I hope you all have a lovely week, and that the rain stops as I defiantly need some spring sunshine.

Luv

The Horror of my Handbag Contents

OOhh now its time to embarrass myself by revealing the contents of my Handbag!!

I have been tagged by Crafty Helen at Home Helen at Home to show you what my handbag contains.

So without further ado here is my handbag.

It’s a big black paintent bag which holds a great deal!!

Its fab when I have to go to London for work as it holds folders & notebooks galore.

So inside my handbag what do I find well, a smaller handbag!!

This is one I have been using at the weekend, so I did rather lazily just pop it in to the bigger bag on Monday when I was heading off to the office.

Here are the contents of the 2 bags.

Rather large Purse/Wallet

Small CK coin purse

Cheque Book, yes they do sometimes come in useful

Savings bank books

2009 Diary

2010 Diary, I haven’t transferred all my addresses over yet, I know so unorganised!!

Make Up Bag – Bronzer, Brush, Mirror etc

Hand Warmers

Hat – I hate getting wet hair or cold ears

Chewing gum

Sun Glasses

Pen

Car Keys

Mints

Perfume – Alexander McQueen Kingdom

Tablets

Tissues

Lip Gloss

CK Lip Balm

Mascara

Hand Sanitizer

4 different hair grips/slides

12 green buttons taken off a jumper at the CS last week

2 Gisele Graham hearts my MIL gave me today when we popped round

So what a horrific amount of stuff I carry around with me, not to mention the pile of receipts, tissues & post it notes that also flew out when I poured it all out on the kitchen table.

I will now endeavour to streamline said contents, and I think change bags to a slightly smaller one that will mean I don’t stuff as much stuff in it!!

I wanted to finish by showing you these beautiful flowers that my MIL had on her dining room table today aren’t they gorgeous.

Have a good week

Luv

Retail Therapy

Yesterday I was having one of those days where you just don’t feel quite right!

Nothing really happened to make me feel odd, and I didn’t feel ill.

Just not quite myself.

So after work I took myself off to the dreaded big "T" supermarket to get petrol & I though I would pop in and get something yummy for dinner.

Hoping yummy dinner might help my mood.

The big "T" had something I have been looking for for ages.

What do you think?

I liked them immediately, especially the spots and they were in my price range at £10.

They will be our everyday cutlery, we can also use them to take to work in our lunch boxes.

While I was taking a picture of them for you I thought I would also snap a few of my pretties in my kitchen, some old & some new.

These Sunday glasses came from my Saturday stint in the CS and were perfect for trifle which I made when friends came to dinner a couple of weeks ago.

My Keep Calm and Carry on Poster that was found already framed in TKMAXX a while back adorns my kitchen wall.

My fridge has a couple of little bits of memorabilia style bits on it, a magnet & post card.

I love my new measuring cups my MIL bought me for Christmas & my china milk carton.

My Fortnum & Mason picnic hamper sits on top of my fridge looking after my saved jam jars, ready for the summer jam making season.

I found these little tea plates in the CS last week, and had to give them a home.

I just loved the pattern.

I’m feeling much more normal today, and have even had a lunch time expedition to a couple of CS near work.

I did get some lovelies, but more about them next time.

Sometimes everyone needs a bit of retail therapy, even if it is the penny saving kind.

Have a lovely Friday.

Luv

P.S. I'm thinking of holding a 100 followers Giveaway. 

With a Vintage CS feel so keep in touch only 10 more to go.

Happy Valentines Day

Can't Stay Away

I had the day off work today, which was lovely.

Gav said to me “as your off work can you bring me some lunch up to work?” so of course I said yes as his favourite sandwich shop is only opposite my CS!!!

Even though I am working there tomorrow I still had to pop in and have a look round.

I have found that when I’m working, I don’t always get a chance to have a proper look at what is actually out in the shop.

So his lunch was a perfect excuse.

I found some lovely's and here they are.

A really old Wax Seal set, with pretty coloured and perfumed wax £1.

I don’t think the wax still has any perfume, but we will have to wait and see as it might do when I melt some.

 And the weirdest thing is that I didn’t even look at what the seals were until I got home and guess what, one was an S ??? The other a Rose.

It was meant to be obviously.

I also found this old “Golden Hands” knitting & sewing magazine from 1973.

It has a double page spread to Granny Blankets, Lovely.

It also has the most amazing fashion & patterns in for only 50p.

And this book “The Batsdford Book Of Sewing” for £1, it has all the sewing techniques in it along with fabulous 70’s illustrations.

I also popped in to town for a meeting, then M&S was calling me so I went and got the Valentines meal for £20. I chose to have the red rose instead of the chocolates what with being on WW, and that was so I also get to have a lovely red rose which I don’t expect I would have got on Sunday as Gav is not in to Valentines Day. “too commercial” he says!!

So I was a happy bunny today, with my bargains & Rose.

I’m off for my 3rd shift in the CS tomorrow afternoon which should be fun.

Oh what will I bring home tomorrow??

Have a lovely weekend.

Luv

PS. Thanks for all the comments on my lats post, it's lovely to know a bit more about you all. xx

7 Things

I have been tagged by Julie of Swedish house to tell you seven things about me.

It’s taken me quite a few days to think of what to tell you about myself.

Here they are.

I am Manx which means I was born in the Isle of Man.

My first job was in a fabric & haberdashery shop, where I was a Saturday girl. I loved it and had always spent my days wages by the time I had finished for the day.

One of my favourite foods is beetroot, Mum was apparently addicted to it when she was pregnant with me so I must have got the liking then!!

My three names are all family related.

Fist Name Sophie – after my great grandmother Sophire which means Beautiful Jewel.

Second Name after my Mother.

Obviously my sir name is from my father.

I hate the Hoover, and have done since I was a small child. Mum says I used to hide from it; luckily Gav always does the hovering!!!

I love having my teeth polished at the dentist, weird I know but totally satisfying. The lovely sparkly feeling you have afterwards is the best.

I have an awful addiction to Diet Coke!!

I can’t go a day without a Can of Coke.

I know it’s bad but it’s my one weakness!!!

Well at least one of my one weaknesses.

So now you know a bit about me, I am going to ask you to share a little of you.

Don’t feel obliged I know we are all very busy people but if you fancy sharing 7 things about yourself that would be lovely.

Have a lovely week

Luv

The Inner Sanctum of the Charity Shop....

They Let me in..........

 

Do you ever wonder what is behind those doors…………

The Charity Shops back room?

Do you ever wish for a peak, to see what treasures you may find?

Well on Saturday, I did my first volunteering session at my local CS.

I asked to volunteer at my local CS as its local & for the local hospice.

St Barnabus Hospice, which is for Adults & the Chestnut Tree House which is for Children.

So to the inner sanctum…….

I was working in the clothes room; there is also a book section, a brick a brack section & Electrical section.

All out the back!!!

I know!! Soo much to see……..

So what did I do?

Well I had to go through the clothes and decide if they are good enough to sell.

Then decide on a price, we have a pricing guide to help.

Tag & Hang them.

Then I got to use the steamer on them to make them look lovely.

I was amazed at what people send to the CS, I had one box full of brand new clothes still with tags in them.

There were also clothes with stains, holes, bobbles & general tastiness.

Which I have to say really are only fit for the Rag Bag.

It’s a shame but there is a lot of good stuff that comes in to make up for it.

I was working with a Lady called Iris, who was lovely and really showed me the ropes.

The time flew by, and before I know it, it was 5pm.

So I had spied a lovely red handbag & a Weight Watchers Points cook book which needed me to take them home!!!

(Gav is terrified that I'm going to come home with loads of stuff, which I might!!!)

I paid for my bits and booked in to help out next Saturday.

I am really pleased I volunteered, it took me back somewhere.

I have a memory of being in a charity shop with my Mum when I was little.

My Mum volunteered for Save The Children Fund for over 25 years, and we as a family were always by her side.

Maybe she worked in a CS when I was little. I will have to ask her?

So I’m off there next Saturday for my next shift.

I think I might be helping Thelma with the brick a brack this week.

Hope your week is going well.

Luv