Are as follows

Hi. Just another one of my little updates. A few things I have bought lately to furnish the home with, are as follows -

The best ever plate

This amazingly beautiful plate came from The Front Parlour on Sharrowvale Road. There were actually three of them there, but they were priced individually at £3.00 each and I could not justify spending £9.00 on three plates. It upset me a bit to split this one up from it’s friends after so many years, but I could seriously only allow myself to get one.

Edge

The plate is a Royal Albert crown china one dating from the late 20s/early 30s, called ‘Lido’, and it’s small, the perfect size for a sandwich or some cake. I can’t help but wonder who used to own it, back when it was brand new. I wish I could know it’s history.

Lido

I know it’s quite sad of me but I cannot tell you how much I love this plate, I love the shape of it, the colours and shapes in the design, the detail on the edges. Everything!

Deco florals and stripes

Although it is old and beautiful I will still use it rather than display it I think. I do wonder if I should display it on the wall, but if I did that with every plate I ever liked it would get silly. I think it’s one of the nicest plates I’ve ever seen…from a different era altogether than the mid-century designs I normally go for. Lucky I saw it there that day. Oh also, if you’re ever on Sharrowvale Road, it’s worth looking in The Front Parlour, it’s a very interesting shop run by two lovely ladies with a really old vintage cash till, which they still use. There are often quirky and unusual things to be found there, so it’s worth popping in if you like that sort of thing. (They are only open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.)

Royal Albert

This cat string holder is an Ebay purchase. I don’t know why, but just lately I keep admiring all these different vintage string holders and thinking they would look nice on the kitchen wall or somewhere. I like them purely for their decorative value rather than for their functionality. String is perhaps not such a essential household item these days that it would warrant having a string holder, although having said that, we do have one ball of brown string, which we use periodically and keep in the kitchen drawer.

Dispense!

It is very similar to the 1950s Holt Howard ‘cozy kitten’ string holders you see about now and then on Ebay and various vintage sites, however I don’t think it’s a genuine Holt Howard as it has no stamp. Either way, I am very happy with it. I think it must be pretty old as the varnish is all crazed and it definitely has a late 50s early 60s appearance.

Side view

Here is a completely bizarre dog which we got in the second hand furniture shop on Abbeydale Road. I don’t know anything about it, how old it is or anything, all I know is there’s something really odd about it. It’s as though it’s meant to be cute, but it’s actually a bit sinister in a way. I think it’s his eyes! And it looks like it’s had various paint jobs done on it quite badly over the years! I think it might be made from plaster or something like that. He’s stood by the telly now and I’ve named him Doggins (as of this second).

Doggins - happy to have a home I expect

This is another bizarre item I got a few weeks ago, it’s a foreign-made small dog teapot. It’s weird isnt it? I think the dog has a really freaky face, like he’s got blood on his lips! And I’m not keen on his yellow eyes. Yet still I couldn’t help myself and had to get it! It came from Tam’s bric-a-brac shop at Emmaus. I think Tam’s shop is a new-ish edition to Emmaus as I’m sure it wasnt there last time we went – it’s good for having a look round if you like rummaging through stuff.

Foreign dog teapot

Paw from the spout

The dog is painted quite shoddily, but for me, the unusualness and bizarreness of it overrides any shoddy foreign workmanship. I really like it in a weird way!

Head off - tea for one

I found this glass in the Brainwave charity shop at Little Thatch, South Petherton, when I went home for a bit recently.

Bird glass

Sometimes we go and stay at Rob’s Grandma’s caravan, and she has a set of these glasses there, and I have always really liked them! They are made by Luminarc.

Birds

I only found one glass but I was pleased with that. And, it was only 50p!

Red and yellow print

Originally these glasses came in a set of six, with a jug. I wish I had the whole set!

Blue and white bird

This lampshade is another Ebay purchase. I love the woven plastic look.

Woven shade

Metal and weave

I don’t know the age exactly, maybe 60s. I think this shade will look really cool when it’s lit up, although I’m not quite sure which room we’re going to put it in yet.

Circle and weave

Lastly, for now, these coasters came from The Sheffield Antique Emporium at the weekend.  They are held together with clear wire, so they are kind of bendy if you know what I mean.

Playing card coasters

There’s nothing on them to indicate who made them or where they came from, but I’ve never seen any like them before. They would quite cool with just the alternating colours, but I like the fact they’ve got the playing card design on them too. I wonder if they originally came in a holder of some sort?

The four

They look like they’ve been well used…

Heart, Club, Diamond, Spade - The suit!

And we did actually need some coasters, to replace the Jack Daniels ones that went manky!

Thats it for now! x