charity shops: a win win win situation

The lack of flea markets (or car boot or table top sales as they call it here) in Cardiff, is more than compensated by the existence of CHARITY SHOPS. I love charity shops! It's dead cheap, you recycle and the money you spend goes to a good cause. Now that's what I call a win win win situation! This week I was working on an illustration and I really could use a bit of inspiration. So I decided to take a break and walk over to the three charity shops around the corner in the hope to expand my 'library'. Well, I spent four quid and came back with eight awesome books! I bought five Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake paperbacks for just 25p each. Among these was The BFG, which I had only read in Dutch. It contains my favourite word in the world: SNOSCUMBER. Or in Dutch SNOSKOMMER, which I think is a more than excellent translation, it sounds better than in English!

I also got this DIY sewing book for kids. It has nice drawings of sewing machines and sewing instructions. And some really nice 70s fonts. Can't wait to make my first egg cosy...

Last but not least I bought a cook book, also from that era. I just love the colours of 70s food. Doesn't it look delicious?! It makes my mouth water. And they really knew how to decorate back then! Check out that piece of meat with peaches and cherries!!

Talking about charity shops, there is this guy who blogs about the cassette tapes he buys at an Oxfam charity shop in London: dalstonoxfamshop.blogspot.com. He also travels quite a bit and buys cassettes where ever he goes. On his blog is a story about him having a day lay over in Honolulu. Instead of going to the beach or whatever, he and his girlfriend headed for the wrong side of town to go to the thrift store. On their way back they stumble on a yard sale where he buys old school 80s RnB dance tapes and a black TDK cassette with a sticker that says 'funk rock'. Go listen to this funk rock on his blog!