Toasties can we go on chatting forever? Looks like it!

[Countmeout]

New thread. Woke (blooming cat) to find it’s nearly full.

I mash up broccoli for curry@IlovePond so it looks like pretend rice. There’s always cauliflower rice but it’s a bit beugh!

😹@Countmeout - I do quite like cauliflower!

@IlovePond - that's a very enabling set of pics! I don't suppose you remember what size/price those square toe boots were do you? And the beautiful pouring bowls?

That dark blue bauble would have gone home with me. Did you resist?

@Stoic123 - I am quite surprised at myself, but I resisted the baubles!

@faustina - I sent some pictures to my sister with sizes. Let me have a look.

These were a 6:

Edit - pic disappeared - will try again

@IlovePond - ah, then that bodes well for the diet willpower 😀

😹😹@Stoic123

@faustina - it’s not letting me do it. Here’s what I sent my sister and can see in some of my original pictures.

The Cheaney shoes were available in a 5.5 and 6.5.

The little brown booties under the table were size 3.

The Solovairs were available in size 7.

The brown Sturlinis were available in sizes 38 & 39.

The olive Sturlinis were available in sizes 37 and 40.

The black lace ups were size 6.

The bowls were 40% off as the largest bowl was missing, which made them £46 or thereabouts. (Weirdly, there were two identical sets of the brown bowls, but one only had 30% off 😹)

There were two Leach pottery bowls, again largest bowl missing - I think they were £56 or something similar.

Thank you very much @IlovePond !

@Stravaig priced up though no doubt!

@IlovePond I got two smaller Leach bowls in the sample last time and absolutely love them.

I was tempted @mizu. Was that last Friday or the one before?

@IlovePond this was a while ago, think I got one a couple of years ago and one last year.

I see @mizu - they are so nice.

@mizu Oh, possibly! A measure of your devotion :)

Although, samples are interesting - for every person who might pay more because it is unique, there are several others who don't want something that they don't recognise because it wasn't approved for the main collection. I once got some great sample trousers on eBay for £5, although it was 20 years ago.

That’s true @Stravaig - seeing samples and thinking ‘oh, that didn’t make it’ is interesting.

At last week’s there was an off-white version of the woolly bandana for £25 that clearly didn’t make the cut. I tried it, but that almost ice white- it wasn’t cream- is an impossible colour for me.

It’s also interesting to see labels from the original manufacturers. In the trousers I tried, (great fit and colour - made me look like I was wearing a sack🙀), the Indian manufacturer’s details had been left in a pocket. I would really like to know how much Toast pay these companies per unit, given how cheap these sort of items are to manufacture.

@IlovePond Oh that would be interesting!

My DH reckoned a fiver @Stravaig 😹

These are the bowls. £5 and £10. Didn't see anything like this at the sample this year.

Personally I love a sample, feels a bit special

Gosh, that was a bargain@mizu ! They are lovely.

@mizu - ooh lucky you!

I'm just hazarding a guess, but I wonder if Toast try out new suppliers by providing the fabric and patterns and seeing what standard of garment comes back? Because the navy peacoat I bought in the sample sale on Friday is this seasons and I can't find anything wrong with it. I'm sure other manufacturers must do this?

@PrincessofWells - I got the grey linen jacket in the June sample sale for £50 and only realised it was a sample of this season’s stock when I walked past the new stock on the way out. It’s perfect.

Sometimes Toast sells seconds alongside its samples, but these will have faults or things missing. I think the actual samples are usually very good quality because the manufacturers are selling themselves to Toast.

An example is the hemp cardigan I got last week which is perfect, whereas someone on here mentioned how poor the finish was on hers, bought in the sale.

Vicariously enjoying the Sample Sale , and feeling Leach bowl envy !
I don’t have space for more homeware , nor knitwear …I’d love to be starting off again in order to be able to buy some Toast homeware.

In London for a couple of days. Popped into Notting Hill TOAST to have a look around - and check out the exchange rail !

The Hand Shibori Silk Dress is a thing of beauty. Didn't try it on as was so hot in too many layers but held it up against me in front of the mirror and fell in love.

However, it is £395!!

I treated myself to one of the quilted hot water bottle covers which arrived today. It is lovely, great colours and well made. But….none of the 5 hot water bottles in my house, all of which are different brands and slightly different shapes at the top, fit into it. What is going on?? I had considered the sheepskin one, I wonder if it is bigger. Though my worry about that was that it would be so insulating that the heat would not penetrate enough (I like my hot water bottle to be scalding hot!).