A bit of upcycling

Now I really don't mind where my bargains come from and I am not averse to a bit of skip wombling at all.  However on this occasion my teenage daughter spotted something in a nearby skip, photographed it on her phone and showed me.  I sent her straight back for it.

It was a light fitting with five glass 'cups', a chandelier type thing and quite large. Unfortunately one of the cups was badly cracked.  So I had a little think about this item.  I took the cups out.  I had just bought some solar fairy lights for another project but I got them out and twisted them round the arms of the light..  They look really nice.  I now want to hang it in a tree outside much to my partner's amusement 'in a tree, what for?'  It's art, it's fun, it's different.  What more can I say?

The chandelier - not in it's finished state or in it's final position but you get the idea.

The four remaining cups haven't been wasted either as they are currently residing in my conservatory and I  intend to put tealights in them.  They may have a different function at some stage, we'll see!

I would have so liked to have added a picture of it lit up at night but I can't seem to capture it very well.  It's very pretty.

Pannal Car Boot Sale Returns

7th April 2013

Oh how I love this car boot sale!  It was the first of the season today. It's based in a field just outside of Harrogate so you get a better class of rubbish but generally they do not overcharge.  It also has very little in the way of 'market' stalls.  Most are genuine car booters or at least traders with proper car booty.

We got up early and set off across to Pannal, Peter, Isobel and myself.  It was cold but a beautiful Spring morning at last.  We were a bit dismayed that the entry fee for buyers is now £1 per adult (children go free). It used to be 50p each last year.

Isobel who is 15 has been wanting some of those shoes that look like wedge heeled trainers.  Imagine her delight when she found a pair, in just the right size and they sold them to her for £2.70. One happy teenager.

I then found a Yankee candle 'lamp shade' for £1.  These usually come with a matching saucer and can be anything up to £20 for the pair.

A few more stalls and a voice called out to me 'not canoeing today then?' A friend of mine who I know through the Disabled cycling club had a stall.  After a bit of chit chat I noticed a knitted headband with pom pons on, brand new, it was only £1 so that came home with me.

The last item I got was a nice warm brown cardi for £1.  Not a lot more to be said about it apart from that it is comfy and warm and not bad on the eye either.

Peter gets round these sales in double quick time.  He doesn't rummage and think about things or have a bit of banter with stall holders.  He just has a cursory glance and if there is nothing to catch his eye first time then he doesn't stop.

I set off last Sunday to do a bike ride with some mates. Unfortunately as soon as we set off I knew there was something wrong with my bike.  It felt like I was riding over cobbles just with my back wheel. So I left my friends, returned to the car and thought 'hmm, there's a car boot not far from here'  so that's where I went.

This one only runs about 5 times a year and it is in a more affluent area so it was worth a look.

I got parked up and popped through the fence (not to avoid paying in , just quicker). People were starting to pack up and leave so I scooted round quite quickly.

First thing I bought was a black, sleeveless sports top = 20p.  Cleaning cloths cost more!

Then I didn't find anything for a while.  Well not anything that was well priced anyway.  The next thing I spotted was a nice black and sequinned dress but I didn't ask the price.  Just above it was a rack with a lovely 'Next' dressing gown, fluffy and black. I asked the stall holder how much. £1 yep that came home with me.  So I asked about the dress.  That too was £1, yippee

Not bad considering I didn't set off to go to a car boot sale.  Strangely all three items were black.  I have added photos of the dressing gown and dress but the black top was too boring (but functional) to photograph.