Hello Dear Reader,
Today has definitely been the case of putting the cart before the horse. I know I should decorate the living room before I put up curtains and make upholstery but I found these curtains in the Salvation Army shop in Liskeard today. We saw them there a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe they were still there. I checked the size and chatted to the lady there who said they were not £20 but £10. I knew they would fit one of our windows so I decided to buy them and got them home as quickly as I could.
When I got home, I checked ebay and found similar curtains for sale between £250 and £350, people were selling off cuts of Sanderson curtain fabric for around £150 for for 5 metres. On the Sanderson website, their fabric is £48.50 a metre ($82 a metre/ 1 and 1/10 yard!) These curtains would have used 9 metres. The curtains are by far the best bargain I've ever found in any charity shop. Also, Sanderson don't make curtains this large 'to go', they are always made to order. If I'd had these made, the cost including making them and delivery would have been £850. It might sound ridiculous but today, I saved £840 by buying used. I feel like one of those shoppers who didn't have to pay for their shopping because I had so many coupons!
I also found another dress today, I just love wearing dresses..........especially ones that only cost £3.50 from the animal rescue charity shop! Am I the only one who gets such a thrill out of finding and buying lovely items at very low prices? Weather permitting, we're off to a car boot sale tomorrow to hunt for bargains for the cottage.
I then decided to use up some linen fabric that I had and recover the window seat and make tie backs in contrasting fabric. I have enough left over to recover some cushions too. I'm really enjoying the challenge of renovating my home on a small budget. It's a fun challenge. One of the most satisfying points is having an old enough cottage that eclectic and shabby chic actually looks OK.
Our plans are to strip wall paper and have plain painted wall in pale colours so we can look for old water colours or prints to hang around the house. the wallpaper in the photo above will be removed soon.
We will be waxing our painted furniture tomorrow and I'll come back and share the results.
If you are in the UK, you might have had some incredible rain over the last twenty four hours. It's been a total blessing here on our new turf. It's been good to stay inside, sew and hand curtains.
Now, over to you Dear Reader, who else has found the most incredible bargain? Is anyone off to a car boot sale tomorrow?
Today's spend? £10 and the fun has been massive!
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx
I have found and sold an awful lot of Sanderson and Laura Ashley curtains in the eBay shop, the older ones don't carry a label the trick is to look inside the lining at the selvedges they give the design name and designer. Best buy vintage Laura Ashley cost £5. Sold for £104. If only it was everyday...lol
ReplyDeleteWe don't get bargains in our local charity shops anymore. Three of them won't sell childrens clothes (because they can't be bothered - I asked why) I used to buy Laura Ashley dresses in charity up till about five years and now all you get is Primark twice the price of new in Primark. Sorry about the moan.
ReplyDeleteWe sold at a boot fair a couple weeks ago and raised ourselves £63 so pleased with that.
Julie
Perfect, pretty curtains - they will look good for years - well done! We bought all the curtains (lined and good quality) for my Mom's new house on Ebay - none of them cost more than £20 - and we decorated the rooms accordingly! The tiles in our bathroom were also an Ebay find, they were £5 a metre, reduced from £40, we bought 16 metres. The place we got them from was closing down and we had to drive 80 miles to Prestatyn to collect, but it was well worth the £20 or so petrol - and our dog got a run on the beach into the bargain!
ReplyDeleteWow, they are gorgeous, I have just come back from Wales and the charity shops were so expensive, in my little town all clothes are £2 or less, I even bought a large pine table for £3 it was in excellent condition, the shop sells cheap to move on quick.
ReplyDeleteI came back of holidaying in wales Friday too we went to borth and visited a few towns while we were there and i agree with you the charity shops are very expensive there.
DeleteI am weekending in Cardigan and had a good trawl round the charity shops yesterday and picked up a couple of bargains. There are several charity shops in Ammanford, the closest town to Cwmgors, one of them is a bit on the pricey side but I found two pairs of huge floor length curtains for under £20 the lot. Both Sanderson, both with tie backs and pelmets and as Froogs says they were obviously made to measure for some one. It is just a case of keeping both eyes open and pouncing once you find a bargain.
DeleteLove that curtain fabric! I stopped at a garage sale today and got a small wrought iron plant stand that was marked "free".....I have several cans of black spray paint in the shed that I bought when it was 85 cents at a discount store that will make it look like new. At the same sale I found a small vintage crock pot that works like a charm for $1.50 to give to my grandson . Just perfect for a small meal. Your fabric reminded me of the Laura Ashley floral polished cotton fabric I found in a vintage consignment shop a couple of years ago. over 6 yards of 54" fabric bundled up for $3....I have made a door curtain and curtains for my craft shed and still have a bit left over....
ReplyDeleteWow! What a deal! I like the print of the curtains. I also love your plan for decorating. Before I married, my home was decorated "shabby 30's", but my husband is a mountain man type, and we opted for a more eclectic plan with oriental rugs, and darker oak furniture. One great bargain I found a few years back is a beautiful arm chair, with tufted back, upholstered in an old cotton velvet. It's a darker orange color, but looks great in our living room. I have a golden yellow chair, similar in design across the room. I paid $20 for the orange and $15 for the yellow. There are no flaws on either one, someone just got tired of them. Recently, I was searching for two captain chairs to go with my pieced together oak dining room furniture. The antique shops wanted $200 & up for one chair. I keep looking for quite awhile, and finally found two oak chairs, about 130 years old, beautifully carved, just lacking upholstery for the cushioned/tacked down seat area. The chairs were 2 for $13!! I couldn't believe it!! I'm now in the process of redoing all the upholstery on my chairs with a red cotton velvet I found in the bargain bin for $3 a yard. Redoing your home from thrift stores, yard sales, & antique shops is totally do-able if you are patient, and are open to making something work.
ReplyDeleteForgive me if i have sent this twice , i am not sure if i sent it or not , Anyway , i could not believe what i was reading , I too have picked up some sanderson curtains today but they are vintage from the 70s , I have been to a jumble sale and they cost me £2.00 , I also picked up a crinoline lady tae set for £1.50 adn in total i spent less than £8.00 , your curtains are a fantastic bargain and i love the window seat, The care and share shop in liskard i visited it last year when we were in Cornwall and i picked up a designer nightie that retails at £45.00 for £3.99 , but all the care and share shops have realistic prices dont you think.
ReplyDeleteThose fabrics are beautiful! My bargain of the day was to respond to a posting on our community tag sale page on Facebook last night. As planned last night, I drove over this morning, expecting to collect a bag of "larger pieces of fabric," instead getting a huge tote bag (bag included-I asked if she wanted it back), a large box, and a gigantic box of what she was calling "scraps." Large pieces, some up to a yard it seems, of Minky, designer cotton and linen fabrics, some linens, a few yards of seersucker. I plan on making a scrappy quilt or 2 out of this, backing it with the pieces of Minky that I will sew together. Fabulous find, and a freebie, too!
ReplyDeleteThey're really nice and will last you years. I always try and choose curtains first, then I can pick paint to match; paint is relatively cheap compared to fabric and you can get it mixed to match. Even though the last shaggy-dog-brand 5 litre paint we got mixed was £38, it's a lot but cheaper than one metre of that fabric.
ReplyDeleteYour curtains are lovely and will look good for years and years. What an amazing bargain!
ReplyDeleteI love charity shop browsing but I have to be firm not to buy everything I like. We are supposed to be decluttering...
My best bargain was a designer dress to wear to a wedding. Just the colours I wanted, pure silk and fitted perfectly. I`m sure it has only been worn once. It cost me £7.50!
Those curtains were a brilliant find. Unfortunately the charity shops near me are silly expensive, I've given up going in them. However, I did have a lucky find on eBay...a very heavy pair of chenile marks and Spencer patio door curtains for £40..they would have cost hundreds to buy new.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a find! I like the contrasting tie backs and the cushion cover too.
ReplyDeleteI found a lovely dress for my daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner in a local charity shop, and also bought my wedding hat in a charity shop. Prices are fairly high in Surrey but there can be some good quality items.
At a wedding rehearsal dinner, do you practise eating the same food?
ReplyDeleteFantastic curtains. Why cant I find something like this? I haunt charity shops. I guess its just a question of being in the right place at the right time. Well done you they look fantastic against the window seat cushion. Good luck for the rest of your renovation. I like what you have done with the garden as well. Low maintenance is always a good idea if you have a very busy life.
ReplyDeleteBright Blessings
x
Oh! What a GREAT find. ENjoy your frugal purchase. :) They're beautiful curtains.
ReplyDeleteI love a chairty shop bargain too particularly clothes and books they make me smile! well done you
ReplyDeleteOh frogs lush fabric
ReplyDeleteMy father late fiance had an uncle who worked for sandersons back in the early twentys/30s and his party trick was to walk inot a home and not only say what type the curtains were but the order number as well.
I managed to get 4 curtains equalling 2 pairs of beautiful mustard yellow cotton velvet fully lined and weighted for a £1 a curtain the other week. I have some thermal interlining that I will make detachable so in the warmer weather I can pack it away. These curtains will go in my living room and unless it is perilously cold won’t need to put the heating on in there ever!
I have a lovely 2nd hand deep buttoned 2 seater sofa that I will recover with the curtain fabric I have hanging in the living room it’s in excellent nick and will blend beautifully with the curtains I want to hang. I just need to get a larger second sofa as the one I have is now toast. So will need to go on a bit of a hunt would like one that has an exposed wooden frame so all I need to do is re-make or replace the seat pads as and when I need to.
Was wondering the wallpaper in your photo looks like it’s in good order have you just thought of painting that? Might save a bit of cash for a while. I love a painted wall myself they offer so many opportunities.
Fantastic bargain! For the same price of 10 pounds you could have got cheap and tacky polyester from Poundland, instead of which you have lovely quality and a very classic pattern. Well done!
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I stopped at the Oxfam shop in Rugby and discovered a Durham Quilt.......50 p. Even then, 50p was not a lot for a Durham quilt (broad red and white stripes and hand quilted ...probably about 1890, I would guess) . THEN, a month later, went in again and found another one, very similar ( same maker? ) , again for 50 p. Also, more recently, an antique terracotta rhubarb forcer ( no lid ) for £5, abandoned near a farm in a country lane. I found the owner ....I didn't just take it! My favourite curtains I made from some Sanderson fabric, printed with huge red and yellow tulips, from a charity shop for £20. Love Sanderson fabric....it just gets better with age. Love a bargain....it's the excitement, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteExcellent find! I used to make high end curtains for a living and those sanderson ones would still have been a couple of hundred pounds if you bought them second hand from The Curtain Exchange.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 7 months old and I've only had to pay for a car seat for her. Everything else came second hand and free from friends and family. We saved hundreds of pounds!
They are STUNNING!!! How lucky you are! xx
ReplyDeleteGorgeous fabric and such a bargain!
ReplyDeleteI bought a really decent flute in a charity shop last October-I've needed a spare for school for ages so I don't have to bring my proper one. It cost £52 but this model costs £550 new and it also had these special pads inside to protect the flute from moisture tgat usually cost £30. It was in super condition and I was so pleased! Your curtains are wonderful! X
ReplyDeleteGreat bargain! I have some bespoke designer fully lined tartan curtains that I got for free as someone I knew moved into a big house with grand windows but 'didn't really the curtains' so I got them. I had to take several feet off the length but they're perfect for my family room that has drafty patio doors.
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned to teaching I didn't have a 'work wardrobe' so have steadily been buying dresses from charity shops and ebay. My limit is £5 (inc postage) and have scored some great dresses that I always get complimented on. Even 'summer' dresses can be worn in winter with thick tights/leggings, boots and a big cardigan! :-)
Froogs what an incredible find!! Well spotted and what a great addition to your lovely new home! I am so envious of your thrift shops in the UK...I am itching to move there so I too can avail myself of the wonderful bargains on offer!!
ReplyDeleteGreat bargain. They will last a lifetime. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent find, lovely fabric, good sturdy curtains! But I can beat you, albeit not by much; I found a binbag of what I thought was fabric at our local Tip. Didn't have much time so I just handed over the £1.50 the manager asked for, thinking whatever was in it, there was plenty of it, and drove off. When I got home I found it was two huge pairs of beautiful Laura Ashley fully-lined & made-to-measure curtains in Pelham Stripe, complete with tiebacks, slightly faded but otherwise in brilliant nick. The narrower pair, shortened slightly, is now gracing my front door; the wider ones were cut down lengthways to fit the living room window and the two pairs of French doors into the conservatory. The (current) price for two pairs of curtains of the size these were, in the closest current fabric, was well over £1000... I have since found two cushions to match at car boot sales, for 50p each. Our house is old enough that slightly-faded & chintzy, rosy prints look just right; more modern patterns are usually too "big" and the colours too dark for smallish, darkish rooms.
ReplyDeleteI also picked up some stunning 70s curtains & two matching bedspreads for £10 in a charity shop in Weymouth. They're being kept for the "right" moment, when one of the bedrooms is unoccupied & able to be properly redecorated, but they came with a narrow pelmet curtain that's been perfect for making small items for sale, like little sewing kits & needlecases. So they've already paid for themselves!
Oh WOW
Deletewhat a lucky moment you had and to find cusions et al as well. I love it when I put something together and and can quietly feel a bit (smug)? at the frugality of it. At the mo I ma crocheting hats to keep out night chills for my festival going friend in the most god awful colours but she will love them.
I bought fabulous designer curtains (enough for a huge flat with high windows) in local charity shops.I also dressed myself for years totally from charity shops. I still try and hunt out the bargains.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find!
ReplyDeleteWell done Froogs, what an inspiring weekend you have had. I think they are beautiful curtains and your room is looking great. I do like painted walls. Well done.
ReplyDeleteMy son just had his school prom on Friday. The week before, after his exams, we decided we'd better get him a suit. We measured him up carefully then searched for the right size on Ebay. Fortunately for me, I found a lovely suit and shirt being sold separately by the same person, and they had been worn just once by her own son to his prom. I couldn't believe my luck when nobody bid against me and we got the perfect suit and shirt for £27 incl postage (apparently the suit was £150 new). It arrived the next day and was a perfect fit. He looked wonderful in it. Also, the whole process was so much easier than having to take a teenager shopping and trying on suits! I'm inspired by all the stories of how to find the right curtains. I also find some charity shops too expensive. I think they should price things to sell them quickly and achieve a faster turnover. After all, we shop in charity shops because we want to find a bargain. It's disappointing when the goods are overpriced.
ReplyDeleteI love charity shops and bootsales and over the years have had some bargains, recently I found a Joanna Hope dress for £5 in my local charity shop, I knew I had seen one online for £49 and I got an oil cloth Kitsch Kitchen vintage style shopper bag worth £20 for £2 brand new at a bootsale 2 weeks ago. I love the curtains and what a great bargain ! they look lovely and you have a wide range of colours that will compliment them. love the blog, such an inspiration, struggled for the last 5 years when my Husband lost his business but he is in full time work and I am now self employed selling upcycled furniture and homewares and class myself as a super scrimper and loving it and for the first time in 7 years can start saving again. We are moving to Devon next summer if we can secure work for my Husband and will never be as wasteful as we were back in the day. x Dawn
ReplyDeleteMy biggest and best bargain was a radley bag for £1.50 in my local charity shop. Never been used and such a lovely design. Looking online at similar styles it would have cost over £100 new! Crazy amount for a bag but for £1.50 i don't mind at all. :-D Your curtains are brilliant, great find. I also love wearing dressing and have just got one for £3. My local charity shop is much cheaper then the ones in town.
ReplyDelete