A visit to the Charity Shop

Just stopped for a small tea break after getting stuck in with the immediate back garden outside the back door for most of the day.  This little stretch of garden is my herb garden and I also normally have some planters with bits and bobs in as well.  Thought I would tell you about some treasures I have found recently at my Charity Shop.

All inspired by Frugal Queen's post this morning about making a quilt out of recycled charity shop shirts, (and also a post a little while back by Cotton Reel)  I went tootling round to my local charity shop, but unfortunately they had no 50pence bargains; although they did have some nice shirts where the tones blended and would have been ideal for me starting to collect the fabric for a home made quilt cover.  However they wanted £3 apiece  (their prices seem to have gone up during the past few weeks) and after all the idea for me of making the quilt would be to make it frugally so that I came out with something handmade and unique for my home, but at a frugal price.  I shall have a wonder in town and see what I can find during the week and I will also have a raid on OH's shirts to see if there are any there that he does not want or will not fit him etc.

However, all was not lost, despite being unlucky with the fabric on this occasion I have still found some useful bounty!  I have snaffled a white Pyrex bowl (one that used to be used on a hand held mixer [in fact it has Morphy Richards Stamped on the bottom) for £1.50, a sponge flan case tin for 50 pence ideal as a base for home made Baked Alaska, and four little glass dishes for 80 pence.  These will go with the little glass dishes I got the other week from there.  They are like little ramekin dishes but I have in mind to use them for cheeses (Jam cheeses).  There is no lid with them, but that can be quite easily solved as I can put a waxed circle in on top of the cheese, cover with paraffin wax let it set and then put on a cellophane jam cover and store on the pantry shelf.  Well I am trying to get as much as I can out of my money.  I have fourteen of these little glass dishes so far, and I am keeping my eye out for more.

I have also had put up for me 6 Grolsch style beer bottles for £2 apiece.  They appear to have been used for ginger beer by their previous owner. I already have some, but wanted to add to my collection for use further on in the year as I have found that sometimes I am a little hamstrung with the things I want to make because I don't have enough of this type of bottle or that.  I will pick these up at the end of the month,  (I have put a small deposit on them) but needless to say I will get a lot of use out of them.

The other week however I managed to get about three metres of shower curtain material, enough to make a shower curtain for my bathroom for £2 and a Nut Brown hand held original Toastie Gadget for 70 pence.  I also managed to find some more small coloured glasses for 70 pence as well, which will go with some I already had.

So even with a little money during the past few weeks I have managed to find some useful treasures at my local charity shops.  Its just about keeping your eyes peeled and having the pennies to take advantage of the bargain.

Right I am off out into the garden again Tea break over [I have already managed to break a nail quite badly and my fingers are muddy despite wearing gloves] but it will be a job well done although I still have masses to do.

Back to work

Catch you later

Pattypan

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Pattypan