Accidently Spending Street

There are a few things that I refuse to buy as presents for people, unless I reeeeeally know their taste well. These things include - art, crockery & bed linen. It's wayyy too personal and I have had too many of those things given to me and I feel totally obligated to keep them because of WHO bought them. It sucks.

Someone close to us bought us a Royal Dalton (not the expensive stuff) 6 person crockery set, and whilst I really appreciated it and it's served us so well for the last few years, I've never liked the colours and now that a few bowls are broken I'm feeling less guilty about wanting a new crockery set in case they come over and see us using something different.

This is what we were given.... it's a nice set but it's just not 'me'.

I've searched high and low for a set in stores that I would say is 'me' but sadly they are all too perfect, too matchy. I love the idea of antique, but I'm just not a floral or gold type person, either.

I have been hunting in the op shops and ebay (NOTHING on ebay) for so long and I've only had luck in finding some white bone china dinner plates with black deco borders. I gave up my hunt for second hand and bought some black and white side dishes for $1.89 each on clearance from Target. I also found some square little bowls reduced from $8 to $4. I think they look quite fetching together....

I am so obsessed with red and green, I simply cannot choose one over the other. The upside of this Libran trait of mine - total indecisiveness - is that I will not have to redecorate at Christmas time. I popped into Robin's Kitchen and found some red and white polka dot (my second favourite print EVER) bowls which I snapped up too, for $4 also.

We have also been searching for well over a year for the perfect mug. By chance, I found a set at Aldi with 'Daddy Rocks' and 'Yummy Mummy' written on them. Although my one is pink, and I'm so not a pink person, the mug is a dream to drink out of. SD LOVES his. I was going to tell everyone over at Sausage Mama about them, but figured as they were in Aldi they probably had limited stock. But they had them even cheaper at Robins Kitchen! $9 for a pair! So I bought another set - one is red, wahoo.

At first I was pissed that there is pink and blue, but I hoped that all together, the mix would work quite well along with my favoured leopard print mug and our black cat mug. They seem to. I'm happy. If you are looking for a gift for a parent I really recommend these.

Our cannisters are pretty sad on the other hand.

Coffee in a coffee jar? Original! Sugar in a tea cannister? Awesome. Tea in stainless, not bad. I am truly a style icon. (I'm unsure why Vogue Home haven't returned my calls.) These have served us well, and I kept getting outbid on ebay on sets like this...

And when I saw these at Target....I couldn't resist.... polka dots in green OR red!

Are you a tea or coffee person? Try as SD might (he is an awesome barista apparently) I just can't love coffee. I'm too sensitive and get an instant headache. I'm a tea girl through and through. Black, no sugar. Don't care what is is, I'll probably drink it.

My love for tea started back when I was 16. I was dating a drummer, one of 3 brothers who were into heavy metal, wearing their goatees long, black faded Metallica shirts, etc. The youngest, was a mad tea drinker. I loved that he was hardcore, a smoker, but loved his tea pots. I have been in the market for a cute tea pot for forever also (I get tired of using my plunger with loose leaf tea all of the time) and I was thrilled to find this little beauty for $15. I might start collecting them....

This is as matchy as I get. I'm going to have to back away from any more polka purchases now.

How cute is this??

I also bought this for shopping...

for $9 at Target. I am the worst offender for forgetting my green bags when shopping. I have them beside the front door and I look at them as I'm walking out and think 'there are shopping bags' and I don't think to stop and take them with me. Lame. So now this basket is where those bags will be stored, and I can't NOT think to take this. Surely! It looks super cute with unbagged fruit and vegies in it....

Before...

After!

Before

After!

I justified not being super tidy because I didn't have nice stuff. So now that I do have nice stuff, I gotsta keep it clean.

Let's see how that goes!

Oooh and check out my kitsch glass fruit bowl from a garage sale for $5

What's your favoured style of decor?

-SH.