Play Date Treasures!

Happy Hump Day to all of you out there in blogland! :0) I quite like Wednesdays ... it means I only have one more 'grown up' work day in my week before my weekend starts ... gotta be a good thing, right?! :0)

So last time I popped in, I told you my Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette was due to visit for a play date to visit Craft Alive with me. I also promised to try to remember to take photos ... OOPS! :0) Bad blogger! Tee! Hee! Hee! Lynette and I did have a lovely play date and although our time was limited, I think we crammed in the important things ... a craft show, visits to antique shops, lunch, coffee, adult beverages whilst reviving the ancient art of deck-sitting and lots of chatting and giggling.

And although I forgot to take photos of us during our adventures, I thought I'd pop in and share some photos of the treasures I found during out antique shop hopping. And both of us did indeed find some treasures ... you know where you have a run of being in the right place at the right time? That was us on the weekend ... wanna see?? :0)

First find was this pale minty green cake stand. Now ... before you wonder if I've lost the plot ... I know this isn't an antique or collectible and it's got a few little chips, but it cost under $10 and is a handy size and with a paper doily to hide the chips, it will be very useful, so, it joined my collection. I actually have some winter white pieces in this same style, so it will be a handy match for afternoon teas. :0)

This was my biggest bargain and the one I was most excited about ... it's a lovely platter. I just love the soft grey/blue pattern. And when I turned it over, I had a little chuckle to myself ...

... because it was made by one of my favourites ... Johnson Brothers. I seem to be drawn to their designs. :0) It's a slightly different makers mark to the ones I've seen for Johnson Brothers before, but interesting that it caught my eye. Better still, it was under $20. BARGAIN! :0)

And another pretty treasure that followed me home for under $20. Isn't it pretty?! I love the creamy background colour that really makes the flowers pop ... dusty rose sweet peas, blue cornflowers and a yellow splash in the middle. And in another serendipitous moment, it turned out that ...

... it was another of my favourite creators of china pretties. :0) I have another Meakin trio that this one is now living beside ...

They both have pretty flowers on the creamy background. Ah ... a successful weekend of hunting for treasures with my Bestest Buddy. :0)

In other exciting news ... my fellow designer and blogging buddy Toni Alexander shared some exciting news on her blog today ...

Her GORGEOUS book "Happy Quilts" is available for pre-order through Amazon and other online bookshops ... WOO! HOO!!! How exciting! I've already earmarked a copy for myself autographed my the clever clogs designer! :0) Toni will also be selling the book through her blog once it's hot off the printing presses, so make sure you keep visiting her to be ready to grab your copy. I'm a little bit lucky and have seen sneaky peakies of some of the designs in "Happy Quilts" and can tell you they are FANTASTIC!! Toni has a knack for designing and creating fun quilts that make you smile and send your imagination spinning ... perfect for the little people in your life ... or the big kids at heart ... like ME! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And that's about it from me for this post. I hope you're all having a fabulous week and OPAMers ... don't forget February is like me ... it's a shorty!! :0) So make sure you remember to update your finishes lists and email your tallies for January and February to me or my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg. I'm looking forward to seeing all the lovely projects you've all been working on. :0) But right now, I'm off to hit the shower and keep an over-due date with my pillow. Enjoy the slide down the tail end of the week to the weekend. :0) Til next time ... 

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS