"We love..."

Charity shops!

They are a mine of potential wonders!
For clothing, although it no longer goes by the name “second-hand”, but “retro”. So much trendier!

Or for furniture & accessories...

OK, so you have to be prepared to get down and get dusty, but with lots of patience and regular visits you'll be surprised by the treats and treasures you can find. They'll make you wardrobe and you home stand out from the crowd, for a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere!

I recently picked up a huge ornate gilded picture frame (admittedly it's not gold leaf, and the glass is long gone, but hey, what do you expect at 40 bucks).

I'm always tempted by empty frames: such potential!




I plan to spray paint it in a matt finish and cover the backboard with a wonderful piece of fabric I found in Normandy. Very atmospheric, totally affordable, and all of it "recycled".

Same for my last purchase, a utilitarian, iron-framed chair I found covered in 50's velour, and rather more recent cat hair...that's currently awaiting some some tender loving care at the back of the garage (please don't let my husband read this before I get around to recovering it!).

I'm sure it will be gorgeous in the corner of our dining room with a "new" crewel-work cover, or maybe a coton stripe...

Now I just need to keep an eye out for a retro lamp to stand next to it...

And with thoughts of Spring cleaning coming soon we can all do our bit to refresh their stock. So get sorting and pass it on, because as they say, “one mans rubbish is another's treasure”.  So let's all try to make do with less this New Year, keep recycling, and help give our planet a rest!