Yesterday, Nathaniel went on a short school trip to Dewsbury Museum and I was asked if I could go along to help out. Years 1 and 2 at Nathaniel's school have been looking at old and new toys. The museum had lots of displays of toys and also had an room kitted out as an old school room. The children had a fab time. They also got to go outside and play with some of the old toys. I'm actually going again tomorrow to help out another class!
So today I was planning to stay in this morning, but once I'd dropped the kids off at school I got the urge to go into town and visit some of the charity shops. I love the thrill of possibly finding a bargain, something quirky, something that just draws me in. Anyway I had a great time!! I'll put pictures on later when I've uploaded them from my phone camera. I'll describe them now anyway!!
My first find was a white ceramic owl. I guess I could put a plant or flowers in but I'll probably leave it as it. Looking at it just makes me smile, so I had to have it!! It only cost me 75p (about $1.50).
Then on to bigger (and heavier) things!! In another shop I found a beautiful small wooden 2 drawer box that sits great on my sideboard. It is a dark wood with metal drawer pulls on the front. And it is heavy, even though it's small! The price on the top said 3.75, but when I went to buy it there was another price of £2.95 on the bottom and that's what I was charged! I absolutely LOVE it!! I'm not sure whether there is any age to it or not but I still LOVE it! At the shop they put it in a large white bin liner which wasn't very strong so it was awkward (and heavy) to carry to the next shop.
When I got to the next shop the assistant let me put it behind the counter while I looked around. There I found 2 packs of Top Trumps cards for Nathaniel and Zachary. One had Marvel Comic Superheroes and the second set was Ultimate Military Jets which will probably appeal to David as well as the boys! I'm not sure if they are complete or not, but there's plenty in them to keep the boys amused!! They were only 50p each and are the proper Top Trumps brand which comes in the best type of case.
Also in this shop I found a box which had a BRAND NEW Quoits game!! I was so excited as it was a traditional wooden one, just like the one we'd seen at the museum yesterday! And the rings were made of rope too. It is from Past Times, which is another store that I love! The original price tag of £20 was still on it. The pieces inside were still in the plastic bags. And I paid £1.50 for it!!!!! I'm planning to take it to school later to see if Nathaniel's class wants to borrow it while they are still studying about toys. Then I'll bring it home for the boys to play with. I was VERY excited to find this bargain. What a coincidence to find something that we'd just been looking at on the school trip yesterday (or was it!).
By this time I had my hands full and decided to head back to the car as I didn't want to drop and damage the wooden drawer set. I was very pleased with my shopping trip and it had taken less than an hour!
On the way back I realised that I still had quite a bit of time left before I had to pick up Zach (and Sam who was coming to play). I then decided to try and find the Wakefield Hospice warehouse store that my mother-in-law had said was located near Thornes Park. I had to go past that area anyway so thought I'd have a look since I was in the thrifting mood! I had heard that they have furniture there as well so decided to have a look. I had been told it was difficult to find so rung my mother in law to find out exactly how to get there since I had no clue. So once I had the directions I had no problem finding it. I went in and was delighted with the place. They had some lovely pieces of furniture and will definitely go again when I need new wardrobes for the boys' room in the next few months. Especially when I asked whether they delivered and she said 'yes' for a charge of only £6 to my town (which is fantastic when you consider they are a charity!). In one corner of the room they had a few pictures which were labelled as half marked price. I found a really old (I think!) picture in a dark wooden frame. The picture is a yellowed black and white picture of the sailing boat on the water. You know when you see something and it just 'speaks' to you? Well this picture did to me! I don't know what it is about it that I love, but there's just something about it. And I LOVE the back of the picture, which is a weird thing to say, I know! The back is really old with ripped paper, and the hooks that hung the picture up have corroded so I will have to either put it on a shelf or put new nails in. However, I just love the fact that is old and distressed. I love to see things of history. I just can't explain it! And because if was half price it as £2.50 instead of £5.00.
And then I saw a picture for my mum. It is actually a large Ikea canvas picture. And it is large! It is over a metre wide by nearly a metre high. The picture is of hydrangeas, with colours of pinky purples. I know my mum will love it! And it only cost £3.00. How cool is that!!
I did take pictures of them all (which is another story in itself!) which I will add later. I am just so pleased with my trip this morning and looking at all my finds makes me happy, especially since they cost so little and the money spent is going to various charities.
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