Sunday 30 September 2012

A Great Charity Shop Haul and a Monster Thrown In For Free!

Well thank goodness it's the weekend!  We've had a very stressful week unfortunately, and would you believe we are STILL waiting for our answer as to whether our offer will be accepted on the new house.  It feels like we have been going around in circles with the whole thing lately, you will recall from my last post that we were waiting to hear whether a "very interested" couple were going to put in the offer they had promised the estate agent they would.  They viewed our house on Monday, again on Tuesday, told her they "LOVED" it and even wanted to put in an offer higher than the asking price to secure it. 

Anyway, to cut a very long story short, they decided after all that, that they didn't like the house anyway.  Hmm..moving on, we still have the lower offer which is still on the table from the first couple that viewed, but of course now we are still waiting for our answer from the seller...he has today promised us we will get that answer next Tuesday afternoon (after he has seen his financial advisor, apparently), though we have of cousre been promised that before, twice already. 
 
So as you can imagine, after the events of this week, I was in need of a little something to cheer me up, so we headed up to the local school charity shop which opened back in the Summer.  For this week they have sub-let the shop to another local charity, and today was their last day.  Now we often pop here on a Friday, especially when it's the final day before another good cause takes over, as there is almost always an absolute bargain to be had!  Though I have to say, i've never experienced anything quite like this afternoon - I was in heaven!
 
Baby Boy and I first went in on the way up to collecting Mia from school, so didn't have long, but much to my absolute joy, every item of clothing was just 50p...and so was this gorgeous silk MONSOON dress, which came complete with the original £150.00 price tag!!! And to top it off - it was in my size and absolutely immaculate, obvioulsy still having the price tag on, it had never been worn, and was pristine!


I've found it a bit hard to photograph so I've found these other two images of the very same dress on Google images:





I tried it on when I got home and fits perfectly, though unless I decide to wear a very high pair of heels, I will probably need to have it taken up a few inches, though there is a local lady who does this and her prices are very reasonable.  I just can't get over that i've found a new with tags silk Monsoon dress worth £150.00 for just FIFTY PENCE!  We may have at least a couple of weddings to attend next year so this will be perfect, and I already have a pair of shoes and facinator that will match very well indeedy!
 
Next I nabbed this vintage hand-crocheted shawl, again worth it for just 50p!  Perfect simply for snuggling up on the sofa with a good book in the Autumn/Winter months;


 
 
I could have bought a whole lot more - but I abstained, my wardrobe is crammed as it is, and I was more than happy to settle with what i've got. 
 
Now for the books - again I could have gone mad, but I held back and settled for a couple of vintage Enid Blyton's and a total bargain as ALL books were just 10p each!  Funny enough I've just been catching up on Lucy's blog "Tales From The Faraway Tree", and she too found the exact same " Adventurous Four" book this week at the charity shop!
 


 
While I was browsing and trying to hide my utter joy at the bargain Monsoon dress, Baby boy was getting very grouchy, and the lovely old ladies running the shop were trying to cheer him up - without success i'm afraid, as he's a little under the weather today, his teeth I think, but his blue eyes won them both over and they GAVE him two little teddies to "cheer him up" bless. 

Now this leads me to the "Monster" mentioned in the title of this post.  Upon seeing Baby Boy's "free" teddy bears on the way back from school, Mia was more than a little miffed, especially as once upon a time it had always been her who had managed to bag a freebie at many a charity shop or jumble sale - usually from a lovely elderly lady.  I told her that as a special treat, we could pop back to the shop and I would buy her one little thing as she'd been good and because Baby Boy already had something.  Oh how I regret that now...!
 
We went in for another browse, and upon looking over Mia, I noticed the she was doing a very convincing job of looking extremely sad at the teddy bears, whilst making a fuss of Baby Boy at the same time and glancing over at the old ladies.  The little monkey's ploy worked - one of the ladies said "oh dear is this your little brother? I didn't know he had such a pretty big sister and I gave him a little something earlier, now I must make it fair - would you like to choose something?" And Mia immediately beams and points to the most HIDEOUS monster on the top shelf - I hadn't noticed it earlier.  The ladies seemed more than happy to hand the thing over, and insisted she take him, despite my polite attempts at "oh you don't need to do that" and I of course because of their generosity simply couldn't tell her to "put it back!" like I normally would, and even popped 50p in to their collection box for their kindess.  So, home with us came..."ALF"!:

 
 
 
Mia carried him all the way home on her shoulders, and even around our local TESCO when we called in for a Friday evening treat - a bag of gingerbread men.  She was CHUFFED, Baby Boy is SCARED of him, and I spent the whole way home trying not to think how awful he'd look in her lovely room against the Cath Kidston boat print duvet cover!
 
She is tucked up in bed with him now as I write this...his ugly face beaming in the light of her lamp...the free Monster..out of all the things she could have chosen it had to be ALF!

 
 
Wishing you all a lovely weekend xx
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

13 comments:

  1. I wish you could see my face looking at that monster. Oh my. I am wide eyed to say the least. It's an interesting looking thing! I'm thinking it must be from a TV show or a film or something? I don't really know why someone would generally design a teddy like that ha! If you can call it a teddy...
    LOVE the dress you found! That is one hell of a bargain. Never seen anything like that in the charity shops round ours! The shawl looks so nice and cosy too! I've not been in the charity shops around mine for a while, but my auntie (who works in Age UK) brought me some really cute Christmas cards the other week! They've got an old Mini Cooper on them with a Christmas tree tied to the roof! I think they were on sale for 29p for 10.
    So hope your offer will be accepted, that'd be so exciting! Would you move in before Christmas then?

    & thank you so so much for the comment on my post the other day, it really did help. There are just so many weird men out. I think your experience was far scarier though, I'd have been in tears on the bus if that happened! I haven't seen him on the bus since, thank God! However I think I did see him last night in that same club, I can't be sure it was the same person though, but I kept my back to him whilst my friend watched, and she said he was looking round this certain area of the club watching everyone and mainly watching couples, so maybe it was him, who knows! At least I have some idea on what to do next time if there is a next time! Thanks again :) xxx

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  2. Yay, book twins! I'm afraid at those prices I would not only have gone mad, but stark. Raving. Bonkers! What a bargain you scored on the Monsoon dress. That doesn't happen every day. I hope you're moving house limbo is over very soon. I've been there, it's awful. Poor baby boy, teething is horrid isn't it. Calpol and cuddles at the ready :) xxx

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  3. What a great haul - love the dress - I wish I'd been there. My son used to have a monster just like Alf! I couldn't get rid of it soon enough!
    Love from Mum - just blog hopping around.
    xx

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  4. Hello Marina
    You must be over the moon, a £150.00 Monsoon dress for 50p bargain of the year !
    Your little girls Monster made us all have a chuckle bless her.
    Thea x

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  5. WOW that beautiful dress must be the bargain of the century and the shawl is beautiful too xx

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  6. Oh lordy. You will be amazeballs in that dress, you lucky lucky lady. Wow!!! What a bargain!!!!!
    Sorry you have a stressful week. I totally understand. I was a ball of tears a few weeks ago. Worked out in the end though and yours will too I am sure.
    Alf.............LOVE HIM!!!!!!!11 Born to clash with Cath Kidston but my god it's a creature to be proud of!!!
    Big love and chin up.
    x
    x
    x

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  7. Sorry typed too fast above so excuse all errors. x x

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  8. That dress has got to be the bargain of the century! Your account of Mia's antics really cheered me up. Sending a huge amount of 'bloggy love' to you all as you wait for house news. Jx

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  9. The price of that dress surely makes up for the next five years (or more) of looking at the Monster in your daughters room :-)

    Sue xx

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  10. *LOL* That is My pet Monster! It was my favorite cartoon as a child. One of my friends had that exact bear who originally came with a big pair of plastic handcuffs on his wrists. (I WAS Soooo JEALOUS)
    I always played with his Monster when we visited them.
    (Look up My pet Monster on youtube) They have some episodes on there. You may... or may NOT want to show your little girl. *hahaha*
    He may look scary and weird but... he's actually sweet and funny.
    =p

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  11. I did have a giggle at your daughter's winning ways with the old ladies, and choosing the most hideous toy in the shop - typical! At least you can console yourself with that STUNNING bargainous dress, that's incredible!
    x

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  12. Hi, I just popped over via jumble & jelly - that dress is fabulous, what a bargain! I hope you grow to love Alf, he's not the prettiest is he?

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  13. Love that dress Marina,bless poor Alf ,hope Hes not scaring the baby too much,Xxxx

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