Treasures & A Count Down!!

Happy Saturday to you all, my bloggy buddies! :0) It's been a bit of a muddled sort of Saturday here where about the most productive thing I've achieved is to cut up a dozen mangoes to freeze. MMMMMM .... MANGOES! :0) One of our summer favourites that we've been able to get per box for a VERY good price the last few weeks, so as well as gorging ourselves on delicious yellow fruitiness, I've also been cutting some up to freeze so we can enjoy this tasty treat out of season.

The other thing I've managed to do is clean up our dining room table ... which had been looking like a rainbow self-destructed all over it due to my sewing fallout. :0) As a result, I've been able to get some nice pics of the treasures I brought home with me from my last play date with my Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette. The first one was found in a new-to-us-antique shop in Ipswich. It actually took me a while to start exploring cos I was too busy admiring the gorgeous old church building it was housed in! :0) But once we started to look around ... OH MY! :0)

I couldn't go past this pretty cross-stitched linen tablecloth for our dining table.

Look at those colours! You know I'm a colour freak, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Just look at all those little cross stitches ... so neat and pretty. But wait ... there was MORE!!

It also came with six matching napkins. In fact, I spotted the napkins first and was contemplating buying them to make a quilt or bag with when I found the tablecloth. SWOON! :0) I also bought a lovely lace tablecloth, but it's quite discoloured, so I'm handing it to the expert spot-removalist and cloth whitener ... my Mum! :0)

The other treasure to come home with me was actually a Christmas/Birthday giftie from Lynette ... after she saw me drooling over it and bemoaning that my budget wouldn't stretch due to having the post-Christmas, I-Don't-Get-Paid-Holiday-Pay blues. :0)

A GORGEOUS red transferware jug. More SWOON!!! :0)

 It's pictured here with my two red trio sets. I think red transferware is my new obsession ... along with vintage linen, green Depression Glass, Nelsonware jugs and pretty teacup trios! :0)

I love the rich red of the transferware and this jug is a lovely shape, too. See the castles? I wonder where they are in the world?? I don't know the maker of this lovely jug, but the maker's mark is ...

If anyone has any clues, I'd be interested to hear.

On to part two of my title ... the count down. Well ... for all of you OPAM enthusiasts, whether you're a "Repeat Offender" or a "Newbie" ... the wait is ALMOST over ... until Sign up for OPAM 2016! YAY!! Sign up will be on ...

TUESDAY JANUARY 26

Sign up will CLOSE on

MONDAY FEBRUARY 1

So ... mark it on your calendar to pop back to visit me here or visit my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg to read the guidelines and EMAIL one of us to sign up. PLEASE ... make sure you read the guidelines before signing up ... they're not tricky or tough, but they do make things a bit simpler for Sweet Peg and me as we run this fun, low-stress challenge to encourage us all to take time out to create.

Right now, though, I'm off to put my feet up with an adult beverage (have discovered pear cider - YUMMO!) and help the Aussies win the cricket against India. Hope your weekend is fabulous. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS