My Le Creuset Addiction - New Additions

I LOVE cooking with cast iron cookware, especially Le Creuset, it is an absolute pleasure to use so when I see it at bargain prices I can never resist.

I bought this fab retro Le Creuset roasting tray/baking dish on eBay for $24.99. It is from the "Mama" range by famed Italian modernist designer Enzo Mari, I've been looking for one of his pieces for ages so was overjoyed to get such a great piece in such a fab colour for SUCH a low price!! The eBay seller didn't mention the designer in the item description or title, if he had it would have sold for a lot more! I know from watching Enzo Mari pieces on eBay a lot!

This lovely pink ceramic mixing bowl with handle and spout is from the new Le Creuset "Junior" range, aimed at kids, well I'm a big kid at heart and this is MINE!!! I got it on Amazon in the UK, their prices are a fraction of what Le Creuset costs here in Australia, even taking shipping into account.

And finally, another teal / Caribbean blue piece to add to my collection. This lovely shallow buffet casserole was another Amazon purchase. How I LOVE shopping online :-)

White

Well, it's no secret my absolute favourite colours are blue followed closely by green. I'm usually drawn to items in these shades when shopping but sometimes I see beautiful elegant items in white and can't resist...



How lovely is this rooster platter? It cost $1 at a flea market, perfect for serving up scrambled eggs to my hungry boys :-)



At the same market I bought this lovely cake stand for $1. No, I didn't NEED another cake stand but it's so pretty...

I bought this large mixing bowl this morning at Vinnie's for $5. I think I may need to cover my mixing bowl addiction in another post.

These gorgeous Villeroy and Boch mugs were also a find from today, I got them for $2 each at the same Vinnie's where I bought a gorgeous collection of Villeroy and Boch cups a while back.

A small mixing bowl with a spout, very useful! $2 in Salvos.

I love lotus shaped bowls, these were $2 at a market.

A tiny bowl - 50 cents.

I love the retro shape of this teapot - only $4 at a market.

These soup cups were 50 cents each in Vinnie's

A cute little birdie - 50 cents, he lives with my little collection on the windowsill of our laundry room.

I love this little dessert bowl, I have a nice collection of mismatched bowls in this style, the boys know when I take them out of the cupboard ice-cream is on its way!

I have a weakness for ceramic tumblers, these ones are particularly nice, 50 cents each in Vinnie's.

And finally a cute birdie shaped platter - $3 in Salvos.

So much for decluttering eh ;-)

Declutterbug

Well, I know things have been a bit quiet here on my blog recently. The truth of the matter is I have been taking stock of all my "stuff" and decided that a big declutter was in order! Now I've never been prone to the tendencies that lead some people to be featured on shows such as "Hoarders" but having watched a few episodes I could see how it may have started out for some of those poor folk, "oh I'll just hang on to all my magazines even though I've read them to death", "hmmm there's still a few mls in the bottom of this tube I may squeeze out some day" and "so what if I don't have a record player anymore, I've been collecting these LPs for years, they're MINE and I'm keeping them"...

Anyway, it did get me thinking of a "less is more" way of collecting. Rather than having a huge stash of vintage bowls, plates, casseroles and cookware why not pick out my favourites and let them shine, let them be used instead of stuffed away behind other stuff"? So I have dedicated a few spaces to my vintage kitchenware collections, a few kitchen cupboards and the sideboard in the dining room. The other cupboards in my kitchen have been pared back to leave the day to day stuff I use accessible.

This has made a huge difference to how I use my kitchen and serve up food. I have bought some lovely new crystal glassware by Royal Doulton which contrasts nicely with my vintage glasses and have bought a lovely duck egg blue dinner service by Royal Doulton which looks pretty mixed in with my vintage plates and cake stands. I have sold off or donated a lot of my less favourite Pyrex pieces and am now limiting my collection to certain shapes and patterns (the Cinderella bowls in my recent post are STAYING). I have also cleared out ALL of my home decor magazines and made enough from selling them on eBay to buy a few gorgeous new quality pieces for my kitchen (I know, I know, more "stuff" but quality over quantity right?)

Anyway, the decluttering is an ongoing project, it's harder to clear out toys because I'm so sentimentally attached to them but my boys are getting bigger now (my baby will be FIVE next month) and the cutesy vintage puzzles and wall hangings are gradually being replaced with Darth Vader, Spiderman and Lego decor (still trying to keep it sweet and tasteful though as long as I have a say in it ;-)

I have enjoyed this process immensely, most of my cupboards are neat and tidy, I know where everything is, I still have a large collection of vintage items, but the ones I have kept are of a higher quality than some of the "junk".

This is not to say I will be staying away from markets or op shops from now on. NO WAY!!! I love vintage, I love retro and I have no intention of stopping my little hobby, I think I will just be a bit more discerning from now, just because I see something fab at a good price doesn't man I have to buy it - it has to fall into one of the following categories before I do, be useful as well as gorgeous, be resellable on eBay for a good profit or be able to displayed in the space I have available NOW rather than tucked away in a cupboard for the future.

So, sorry about rambling on so long and for a pictureless post (very boring I know). Ironically I do have lots of fab stuff to show you and will do so the very second I get a chance!!!