I often trawl the charity/thrift shops and car-boot sales on a regular basis. In fact, it’s an important part of my life. I don’t know whether it came about because my grandma was a great make-do-and-mend person and this was passed down to my Mum also. It must be in the blood. I remember my Mum darning my Dad’s socks for work, patching a pair of jeans and make me the odd skirt from a dress she no longer needed. My fondest memory (although I didn’t think so at the time!) was when I came home from work and found she’d made a favourite faux-suede top of mine into a lampshade!

In my twenties, my friend and I would hop on her Kawasaki motorbike, and trawl my hometown for all the well-hidden charity shops. And my, did we get some bargains! But it just wasn’t vogue/hip/correct or whatever the right word is. I was spotted hunting down the bargains in town by work friends and family and they thought it was weird. Why would I want to sift through mountains or other peoples’ cast offs when I can go to Chelsea Girl (a very trendy clothes shop in the 80’s)? I didn’t care.

Over the years, I would take off on my little moped – basket on the front and top-box on the back- and come back loaded down, thrilled with my treasures. Eventually, the more up and coming charities, caught on that they could make some serious money by making their shops more appealing and user friendly. The sniggering stopped then it joined in. I often see an old friend of mine in the very same shops that she would deride me for daring to enter. Ironic really! She laughs about it too.

Of course, when I became pregnant with my first boy this kind of shopping opened a whole new world for me. I get twitchy if I don’t go hunting at least once every couple of weeks for my bargains: books galore, fabric, clothes, shoes, bags, games for the boys and even furniture.

Although, these days I’ve learned not to bring any old junk home and only really shop for what I do love, need or use.

And so, I still shop. In fact, here’s my lot from a lucrative weekly haul. The light is really bad in this room where I had to take the photo, so I had to resort to using a flash.

• Tablecloth – 50p ( I think you can just see it)
• Linen flares – 1.00 (I’ve been looking for some that I *just* like for ages
• Shoes – £1.00
• Two t-shirts for Harry – £1.20 for both
• Salad stirrers – 10p – brand new and sealed
• Two photo frames -£1.50- for both
• Light pull – 30p
• Lonsdale zipped hoodie/sweat top – £1.00 – never worn
• Two pack of candles – £2.00 for both -some pebble shaped and some in little pot holders sealed.
• Combat trousers that actually fit -75p
• Through the Kitchen Window -A delightful book about the changing of the seasons around the home

Oh, and I did include some new fabric in this picture! I’m curtain and cushion making today.