Car Boot Bargain Hunting!

Now it's no secret that I am a bit of a Bargain Hunter. It's also no secret that I hold Tim Wonnacott as a style and general everyday icon, or that I proudly announce getting re-tweets off my favourite Antiques experts...you can see where this is going!

This was a post-midnight Bargain Hunt Binge - look at that jolly hat!

So, when Mum and I eventually got to visit The Countryside Car Boot this week, I decided to take it pretty seriously! I actually spent money within 30seconds of entering the site which could be a new record even for me! I didn't take any photographs at the fair itself as shopaholic tendencies took over! Here is the booty once I'd gotten it safely home:

Not a bad little selection considering we were late comers and only got there at 9.30am - practically lunch time in car booting land! The beautiful Pelican is a hand coloured Victorian print, I spotted it immediately, I adore the fish in his beak. The seller also had two others, a crane and a grebe, but space is such an issue for me now,  so I had to be controlled! He does have some light damage but he was such a bargain price, how could I resist? 

Next along is actually my Mums purchase, a mahogany antique book press, in working condition! She left buying it up to the lap of the gods, until we were walking back to the car in fact, but as it was still there, that made up her mind! The two studio pottery bowls were my first purchase, the one on the left is my local Greyshott pottery and the other is a Welsh pottery. The front room is being redecorated in a blue theme so they will sit happily in there, always useful!

The adorable English pewter sardine dish was my last minute purchase, he was pretty reasonable already but I waited until most stalls were closing up to return. Now, it may not immediately seem a useful item in the 21st century, but the glass is in perfect clean condition so you could use it for serving, or as a storage box....but I might just use it to jazz up my Sardines on toast!

I brought the book press into the Shepherds Hut to test it out, I'm afraid mahogany doesn't sit alongside the timber, but you get the idea! It needs a good polish and then it'll sit alongside some of our many books, looking right at home! Here is a closer view of the jolly Pelican, see the detail of the fish tail an the birds feathers? I will have to research the artist and find out it's history, and probably reframe it for more dramatic effect eventually.

This large book from 1910, 'The Story of My Old World Garden, And How I Made It In A London Suburb' by G. Hilliyard Swinstead is a very very interesting find. I paid £10 for it, and I think I got quite a bargain, judging on the few for sale I've so far found on the internet. The photographs are absolutely beautiful, my exact favourite kind of garden scenes, but I will scan them properly for another blog post because they really do deserve to be seen in their full beauty! Oh, and I've just realised it's signed, jolly nice too!

And finally, not quite on the same theme as my other finds, but look how sweet! This sunflower glass coffee set was mine for pence, and well, it's just a little slice of summer. I can Kitsch when I want too!

I would highly recommend Countryside Car Boot if you are near the area, it's on Wednesdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays so lots of opportunity! I will make sure to go earlier next time, with a thermos of tea!

Have you found any bargains recently?? I'd love to know!

Thanks for reading!

Katie