Malvern Antiques and Flea – May 2023

It’s only been a month, but Lu and I were back at Malvern Antiques and Flea at the Three Counties Showground over the May Bank Holiday. While the Easter one was a pretty small affair due to the weather and boggy fields, this one was mahooooosive, taking Lu and I a good five hours plus to get round ………

…… so, despite our sensible shoes, we still wouldn’t have minded a cheeky sit down in these chairs by the end.

As you know we both always ooooo and ahhhh over a huge dresser and this was no exception, I didn’t see a price on it sorry, but generally they aren't that expensive, probably down to their weight and size.   

No price on this tiny, apprentice piece, desk either, but a perfect size for three little monkeys I know!

This gawd awful, but very me lamp was £10, Lu even offered to buy it for me, but even though I desperately went through each of the rooms in my flat in my mind’s eye to see where it “could” go, in the end, despite giving it several loving strokes, it was left for someone else to love and cherish.

This retro table was over £200, but where would you find another?  I have a spooky feeling I may have photographed it before at the flea last year, but if I did, at least I am consistent with my lust for some objects!

And, if I’d had a spare wall in my bijoux flat, without a flipping radiator in the way, I would have been sorely tempted by this set of drawers.  It was not more than about 16cms deep, if that, perfect and so beautiful for all my crafty bits and pieces, but how I’d ever remember what was in each drawer, goodness only knows.

There was more religious (kitsch) than we have ever seen before, it must be becoming a bit of a thing now, these were far too expensive for me and since I have sooooooo much now, especially after picking up a Lourdes mug in a charity shop in Worcester a couple of weeks ago, I really do have to reign it in!

Lu and I both pointed this dressing table out at the same time, but at £85 it was in such a state when we got closer, to be honest it was only really fit, in our opinion to scrap!

As for this illuminated cocktail mirror/shelf ……… OMG, if we’d both been in the market for one, there’d have been an unseemly fight, with hair pulling!

There were also an awful lot of dolls houses, something I do want, but it has to be small, no bigger that 40cms square and that’s pushing it!  There’s one in the antique/secondhand shop in town that I’ve been “stroking” over the past couple of months, but not actually measured. I’ve all but decided that if it’s still there and will fit next time I go in, then I’ll make a cheeky offer on it, but if its gone …….. I can also live without to start looking again.

Now, the flea is so big, that if you see something you like and then leave it, the chances of ever finding the stall again, if you wander too far away are nil …… this (below) is my “the one that got away” ………

…… not to everyone’s taste, I know, but appealed to my sense of kitsch and when I asked, it was £3 from a box of tat under the table. I picked it up and put it back a couple of times, and then decided to walk up the field and down the row and if it was still there, it would be mine ……. it was filthy and round the top of the candle holder broken, who else would want it?  I returned within 5 minutes to find it only just sold, oh well.

But, did we actually buy anything? Well, Lu bought a very 60’s/70’s tea towel for her kitchen, I bought mostly for 50p and £1, with the most expensive pair of items at £4.50, however what I thought was “complete nanny tat” seems to be worth doing a little research on. I’m saving these bits for next week, so that I can keep the weekly posts going ……..

The £2 witch plaque I got last time sold, almost straight away, for £15 on eBay, if it hadn’t sold I would have been equally happy to keep it …………

…….. however, as Lu and I would really like to visit the US again next year, I am not being too precious about some of my treasure if I can make a little profit towards our trip ……… we shall see.

The Works – Very Simple Birthday Card

This very simple, layered card measures 5ins x 5ins and uses a pre-scored card blank from, I think, The Works, some time ago.

Now, I don’t buy paper pads very often, as I don’t make an awful lot of cards these days, however when I saw the designs in this 12ins x 12ins “Lovely Flowers” pad from The Works for just £4, I just had to have it.

The pad consists of 24 sheets with 2 x 24 designs, double-sided printed in 250gsm.

All the designs are just too delicious for words.

I used my favourite pattern to cover the whole front of the card blank.

Then I took an ancient Craftworks, gold foiled birthday sentiment and layered in several times on scraps of gold mirror card and some more of the print.

In the top right hand and bottom left hand corners I put a metal, filigree corner, which was originally silver, but to match the card, I quickly sprayed them gold. 

Very simple I know, however, it still has to be said that my mojo really has  upped and gone. 

To blog or not to blog, that is the question …….with no mojo whatsoever I’ve been seriously thinking that after 13 years and just over 3,000 posts, I’ve done my bit, I ought to just simply take the pressure off myself, worrying about when the scheduled posts run out and simply call it quit ….. but I don’t think I am quite ready yet. After all these years of blogging, considered a bit old fashioned now, with so many crafters moving into vlogging, it’s a hard habit/compulsion to break and I know my old enthusiasm will return when I start to seriously think about Halloween and Christmas later on in the year ………… so for now I am going to continue with the once a week post, but if I miss the odd week, like a couple of weeks ago) please bear with me.

Guest Crafter–Iris Roo Is At It Again ……. Decopatch Coaster Set

……. And still my lack of crafting enthusiasm to continues, so thank goodness for Iris Roo and her set of Decopatch coasters bought as a blank from the The Works about a year ago.  It was a joint effort in the end as I offered  to do all the varnishing for her.

I am not sure if this set is still available at The Works, but I have seen similar on other websites, including Hobbycraft.  The stand and six coasters cost just £3 so I bought it for just such an occassion.

Iris wanted to try Decopatch something because she thought she might like a Decopatch party for her birthday at the local craft studio in Evesham.

While Iris Decopatched using some bits that I already had cut, I gave the base several coats of clear, glossy, quick dry varnish as the finish on it was a little rough. We decided not to Decopatch the stand itself just in case the extra layer of paper made the coasters sit a little too tight within the rods,  making it difficult to get them in and out, however, we decided a sparkly, flat back gem glued on the top off each rod wouldn’t hurt.

We used slightly watered down PVA glue to stick the paper down.  Iris, bless her, did the edges first, folding the paper over and onto the back before filling in the middle and then once that side was dry the next day, she filled the back in and then again waited for it to dry, until I stepped in to varnish, applying at least six coats per side, to guarantee that they were really watertight.

The girl “dun gud” …….. and is pretty sure a Decopatch party with a couple of her best friends from school would be a most excellent idea. Happy, happy days!

A Trip To Bilston Market.

A week or so ago, while I was back in Wolverhampton for a couple of days, Lu and I decided to nip over to Bilston for the morning. Bilston being the town where I grew up and where Lu loves the charity shops with their £1 racks and the historic, exceedingly brilliant and “proper” bustling market, something sadly of a rarity these days. Last time we were there we found a wonderful “Pound Stall”, where everything was just £1 and we hoped it would be there again.

Let’s just say Bilston didn’t disappoint!  There it was piled high and constantly being replenished from huge laundry type bags, all we had to do was wheedle our way to the front and then rummage to an inch of our lives, not knowing what on earth we would find. 

A lot of the bags were printed with the name “Whaline” which, after some research when we got home, sells on, among other places, Amazon, so I am guessing that what was mainly on the stall that day was Amazon returns and overstock from Easter, Halloween and Christmas, wrapping, decorations, party items, balloons, silicone moulds, giftware, homeware…….. it was glorious! So did I make a considered purchase or two?  You bet I did ………..

……… 12 green pumpkins with gold stalks, shared with Lu, currently selling on Amazon for £12.99 ……

…….. 10 assorted gourds, also shared with Lu, currently selling for £10.99.  I may re-paint a few them later on in the year ready for the autumn, in orange, green and yellows etc. just to add a bit of variation.

Then there was this mixed bag of autumn pieces (shared again) ……….. £5.99, again on Amazon ……. perfect for wreaths or a centre piece or two

……. along with a pack of 300 mixed maple leaves for £6.98.  Can you imagine my excitement, when one  pack of 50, alone, costs £1 in The Works

I couldn’t believe these Christmas Trees either (always expensive and currently on Amazon for £10.99), It was the bigger ones I was most excited by. I really hoped I’d be able to find another pack, but it’s the luck of the draw.  As the vast piles on the stall went down, the sellers would throw on even more treasure, even Lu, who is usually very restrained, said she’d give (almost) anything to be able to have the first rummage through all the bags still stacked in the van all to herself.

Lu loves a diamond dot, so she was well chuffed when we each found a set of these Christmas keyring/decorations. There are 8 pieces in each pack (currently £11.99 on Amazon).  Happy days!

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a few gingerbread men (currently available on Amazon for £8.99).  There were 15 in a pack, with gold threads to hang/tie them by.  I am thinking parcel tags, bag favours, or obviously, tree decorations.

I also found  a pack of 20, sizable hessian/organza drawstring bags (currently £11.99) …………..

…… as well as a pack of 24 bunny bags (£14.99) that’s 4p each! How cute are they? There may not be enough to give to the  whole class of my little readers next Easter,  however at that price I am more than willing to shop around when the time comes, to find a few more and then average out the price.

Goodness where I am going to keep these for the next year but at for £1 for 36 hanging Easter eggs (in two very generous sizes), it would have been rude not to.  I am thinking for Iris and Bertie to decorate an Easter Egg tree along the path in the school grounds as they did this year. I think a few could also be drawn on, Decopatched or decorated with stickers overtime.

However, I think I may have left the best ‘till last …… I had actually put these generously sized cushion covers in my basket on Amazon back in March, but I couldn’t justify the £15.99 outlay for just a week or so …… but for £1, that’s 25p each, well what’s a girl to do ………

…… and then, there were these, again a pack of 4 for £1, destined to be presents, I think.  How cute are they?

Then my heart skipped a beat when I found these, obviously I couldn’t get them out of the bag at the time, but I had a pretty good idea what they were likely to look like (still available on Amazon £11.99). Oh how I LOVE them!

My only “not quite sure” purchase were these 100 lollipop cards, because children with lollies, really gives me the eebbie-jebbies, however I am sure I can find an alternative to thread through the slits on their arm, chocolate lollies (Home Bargains) or small candy canes?  I will make sure have one in my bag at all times for when I am out mooching. If I don’t come up with anything, well, they’ll make cute tags or embellishments on cards.

In all, can you believe I only spent £14? Did I leave anything behind which, with hindsight I wish I had bought? Well, I should have bought a couple of packs 120 A4 sheets of Halloween or Christmas tissue paper, which would have come in  handy on numerous occasions when making favours etc., and I wish I’d also bought a couple of boxes of the various snowflake decorations they had, because at that price I could have banged out several very simple door wreaths to give as presents, if I’d thought about it at the time, but hey ho, the gurl dun gud!

Both Lu and I thought it would be well worth popping over every couple of months for more rummaging, although as I said, it’s pretty much the luck of the drawer as to what they would have ……… but if I do get over to Bilston soon, no doubt you’ll be the first to know.