~Op Shop Finds~

Who doesn't love visiting op-shops.  They are a treasure trove for vintage items, furniture, handmade goodies, pictures and sometimes even the kitchen sink.  I am supposed to be good and not buying but instead thinning out my collections.  Temptation is too great I am afraid, and I again found myself drawn in by the lure of rummaging to find that elusive 'gotta have' bargain.

My favourite from this treasure hunt would have to be the ballet pictures.  I had a set of these on my bedroom wall as a girl.  The Baby Planter is a rare find also...dont see these around much any more and I love the pastel colours. 

I am pretty pleased with my vintage finds........what sort of things do you look for in the op shops?

~Pinterest.....a Hoarders Dream~

~I am a hoarder.....there I said it out loud!   

       I grew up in a time where we didnt have much, and what we did have was either a gift or a family hand me down.  We had bought stuff too but it was chosen with great care for durability more than looks.  Christmas and birthdays were a one gift item and often of the pratical nature and not for fun.  Nothing was thrown out if it was still usuable...often passed along to the next person to get their use from it.  Thats how I became the family hoarder......from the time I moved out of home my mother would pass things onto me with the words......   "don't you throw that out!"  So here I am ...50 something still hanging onto all the "Don't you throw it outs"  I did learn at a young age that all those pieces often came with a story of how they became in mums pocession, so as well as becoming a hoarder I also learned to love those vintage pieces and the history that went with them.  

    Thats what  started my buying of lovely old pretty pieces of other peoples history....no longer content with my own I wanted more....and so it continued until cupboards were brimming over with pretty vintage china, , linens, cutlery, pictures, dolls, sewing machines........you name it...I probably have it.  With each of these pieces my love for all things old grew and a new appreciation of a bygone era was formed.  I not only bought pieces but researched them as well so that I could look at each item with a new found love of its beauty and craftsmanship but with imaginations of who had used it before me and how lovingly cared for it was to have survived being around for how ever many years it had before it was added to my ever growing collections.  

     Then I discovered Pinterest and a whole new love affair with collecting began.  It was perfect....no money outlay, no storage issues, no washing or cleaning and  I could change my collections on a daily basis.  I could share my collections or I could could just lose hours looking and pinning.  It is perhaps the perfect place for all hoarders........so if you get a chance pop over to my Pinterest boards and pin what ever you like.....no limits just help yourself....you don't even have to follow...just enjoy!

      

PS Your also welcome to pin any and all pictures from this blog...all I ask is you don't claim ownership of my images.  Happy Pinning!

You will find my Pinterest page here: http://www.pinterest.com/shabbydelights/

~Saturday Pinks~

Saturdays come around so fast and every week I plan on being organised for ~Pink Saturday~ and before I realise it.....its been and gone and its Sunday.  

I will keep this short and sweet and just share some of my china from around my home.

Thank you to Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for hosting.

~Memory Lane~

I just went back and read some of my very first posts.....and marvellled at how many things have happened and how much my home has changed since back then.  Of course there are also the other changes like weight and age but that is to be expected with the passing of time.   My life has had some very huge moments....some I wish I could change and others have changed for the better. 

What ever happens its nice to be able to look back and remember the good and the bad....afterall its those moments that shape us.

~Cold Wet Saturday~

Winter is definitely here.....we have had heavy rainfall for the last few day and everything looks dark and dreary.  Its even too dark for photos inside....and I hate using a flash so this weeks pretties will be photos from the past.   I do love winter though because it means more sewing time and I get alot of things done inside that I normally put off for time out in the sunshine in the warmer months.  It also means more pinning time on Pinterest....my other addiction.  If you want to check out my Pinterest boards you will find them here: ~Shabby Delights ~ Pinterest. 

 Thank you Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for being host to Pink Saturday each and every week.

~Happy Pink Saturday~

~The birdhouse I have had forever and the little pink bird is a recent find~

~A couple of pretty plates~

~Dining Room China Cabinet~

~Washing the china usually happens about every 3 months and takes me anything up to 3 days to complete (because I have tooo much).  The Australian climate is very harsh on delicate vintage china and must be done to avoid crazing~

~Sweet Pinks in one of the kitchen hutches~

~One of my favourite musical Bols bottles~

~These jugs were my mums but there use to be 3 in the set and now only the smaller two have survived.  My mum used to use these to heat up my bottles in when I was a baby and the small chintz pin dish belonged to my nanna~

~Lovely Royal Albert~

~This cabinet gets changed around regularly~

~Thank you for visiting me~

~A Pinky Past~

My week has been busy moving all my junk (err treasures) from the spare room as my daughter is moving back home for a while to get back on her feet.  My poor sewing room looks like a demolition site so nothing creative is happening in there for a while so this weeks pinks are ones I have posted in the past from around my home .  Thank you to Beverley from  How Sweet The Sound for being the pinkest host.

~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY~

~Basket of Pink Hearts~

~Washing the China~

~Kitchen Dresser~

~Kitchen Pinks~

~Pink Bell Heart~

~China Rearranging~

Changed a few of the china pieces around this week and took some photos to share....I have also have started water marking my images......mostly due to the fact they turn up everywhere and usually by about the time I spot them my link is long gone.  I love seeing my pictures turn up and it gives me a thrill to think my home and the things I make are good enough that other like them.  It is very humbling in many ways and I thought by at least watermarking them they will know where they come from.

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY

Thank you to Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for hosting as always.

~Pink Saturday~

It has been quite some time since I my last Pink Saturday.....so I will keep it short and share some pretties from my home.

Thankyou Beverly from http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for playing host as always.

Happy Pink Saturday

My best friends hubby found this at a Garage Sale for $10....it now sits in my didning room.

My bargain of the week for $1

I found my sewing mojo and made this for myself this week.

Have a great weekend

~Time Flies~

Wow already day 2 of the new year.  Hubby and I had a quiet one this year...can you tell were getting old.  I hope your New Year was a safe and happy one. 

 My facebook page is going wonderful which is probably why I am hopeless at posting on here.  Even though I am not working (the paid variety) there never seems to be enough hours in a day.  I am studying again (Community Services) and try to do that for at least 3 hours a day and there is the housework, gardening and fb and pinterest....so the day goes past quite quickly. 

Pinterest is my other love and its good because it is actually stopping me from hoarding in RL.  I can collect everything I love in images and it satifies the need to own it all.  I still manage to loose many hours in the looking and pinning though.  Pinterest has opened my eyes to so much and as a recent comment on one of my pictures of my home mentioned....that we can live on different sides of the world and have never met and yet have such similar tastes. 

 I dont watermark my images and I always love seeing them pop up on others pages...it very humbling to think your style of decorating is good enough that others like it too.  However recently on two totally differnt pages I have found my photo with 2 other peoples watermark on it claiming it as theirs.  This did make me very angry.  Why would they try and claim something that they know is not theirs....I just don't get it.  I have shared thousands of images on my fb page and I am always very very careful to not claim or insinuate in any shape or form that I own the images posted and always provide a link or name of ownership or at least where I have found it if a link isnt available.  I actually love it when someone claims ownership of the images I post because then I can credit them  and 99% of the time people love it when I share their photo's because like me they find it humbling that others think their home is good enough for sharing.  

So if you get a chance pop over to my fb page here and say hi;  https://www.facebook.com/ShAbByPrImDeLiGhTs

and here is my pinterest page:

http://www.pinterest.com/shabbydelights/

oh and Happy New Year ...may 2014 be everything you want and more xx

~Shabby Share~

Just thought I would share a few things from around my home today... <3

My parents cards from their wedding over 60 years ago

Pretty cloche with soap cake in my china cabinet

 'Mother' Carriage Clock

Lovely silk blooms