Charity Shop Bonanza

I guess I was just in the right place, at the right time, when these treasures were being put out in a charity shop, which admittedly has a bit of a reputation in town for being “a bit too expensive”,  but occassionally yields up some bargains.

These small dies from the Tattered Lace, Forest Pines range were just 20p each, they are brand new and unopened.  Now, I don’t do a great deal of die cutting, but these delicate designs are really up my street, especially the Bare Trees at the front. I can already half see a very less is more Christmas card in my minds eye. I took just the designs I thought I would use, but I reckon the whole Forest Pines collection was there.

The nesting circles and squares from the same range were marked at 50p each, well it would be rude not too!

These three Joanna Sheen Signature Dies were also 20p each.  It was the pumpkin one I saw first, followed by the birds and poppy.  The birds are again perfect for a very less is more card, perhaps with a tiny stocking hung underneath?

The thing that had my heart racing though was this pack of paper, which is my most favourite Christmas design of all time. The pack had a Create and Craft band around it, but for the life of me I just can’t remember the name of the design or maker (all suggestions gratefully received). Around the time when it first came out I just couldn’t afford it, we’re talking back in 2007 at least, but I did find a digi kit (Little Joys by Zoe Pearn, now also long since retired) that I have used so many times over the years and spookily enough had thought about looking at again for this Christmas. Because all the items for sale were so current and in pristine condition, I wonder if this design has been resurrected more recently on Create and Craft, however, I just can’t reference it anywhere.  I paid £3 for 24 A4 assorted papers, glitter, velum and embossed.  I just want to stroke them at the moment.

This pack of 80, 15cm x 15cm glossy, Raymond Briggs Snowman papers was not originally cheap judging by the quality (again, I think probably from Create and Craft), but for which I paid just £2.  These are probably destined to be used on some very simple Christmas cards for the class of children I listen to reading on Wednesdays and Thursdays in school.

A finally, a lot less glamourous, something I hivered and hovered over for a short while,  25 sheets of black, adhesive vinyl for £2, time to get my Silhouette or Scan and Cut out in an effort to master cutting sentiments and alphabets me thinks.

I am guessing that this was part of one persons craft collection, as there were no duplicates and appeared to be whole collections from Create and Craft, including the Muppets, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom and Jerry, dies, papers etc. and mostly unopened and so unused.  I am very grateful to them, I spent £10 in total, buying things I might never have otherwise, due to their individual cost ……. but the snowman papers, well they are priceless!