Last post for the year

Hello everyone, thought I'd squeeze in one last post before the end of the year in an effort to redeem myself (since I update so regularly, d'oh!). I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have recovered from any food-induced comas and bonbon related injuries. This year I once again received some lovely thrifty gifts of the glomesh variety to add to my collection including a silver handbag, cream wallet and matching coin purse. I also got a small gold handbag and a diamond shaped shell ring. If you received any thrifty gifts this season please share!

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has passed and the year is just about over. I think 2011 is going to be a really good, but busy, year for me. I got accepted into honours for my program at uni which I'm both excited and nervous about. Hopefully I won't crack under the pressure! I'll have a few friends beside me though which makes me feel better. My 21st is next year as well so I'm looking forward to celebrating that milestone. I really want to get stuck into some sewing while I still have time at the beginning of the year so will see how I go with that.

I've started a big clear out of my wardrobe and all my things in preparation for the new year and will do a post about that when I'm done; always love a good before and after. I've been thinking a lot about my 'style' so this may involve a few outfit posts (but only maybe!). I was also thinking of doing a small blog sale, but I'm not sure how many people would be interested? It would mainly be dresses I've bought from etsy/op shops that I never really got around to wearing.

Anyway, enough babble from me. I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year; see you around the corner in 2011!

Oh deer

I used to pine over look at this deer everytime I went to the op shop and was surprised to come home one day and see her sitting on my desk in all her glazed ceramic glory after Mum had bought her for 50c =) I have called her the very original name of Bambi. Here is Bambi frolicking in the violets...

Speaking of violets I also picked up these cute earrings for a couple dollars...

What's everyone doing this weekend? I think for the rest of the day I'll catch up on some uni reading and then tonight I'm going out for Indian for my friend's 21st. I hope there's onion baji and pistachio kulif icecream, yum!

I'm still here!

Despite not having posted for a wea small time, the lovely Kani has given me an award for my blog. I love Kani's blog and she has a great eye for thrifty finds so this award is a huge compliment, thankyou =)

In return I'd like to pass this award on to some of my favourite blogs...

Tune into Radio Carly
Carly is a great writer and discusses lots of interesting topics on her blog.

Clothed Much
I love Elaine's blog because she proves that you don't need a lot of money or a huge wardrobe to look incredibly fashionable, which is a philosophy I've held for a long time.

Kendi Everyday
I love the writing that accompanies Kendi's posts but most of all her outfits!! At the moment she's currently remixing 30 outfits from 30 pre-selected items of clothing which again fits in with the minimalist wardrobe theme.

Our Tea Party
I'm so glad Penelope re-opened her blog as I love reading about her nifty finds. She has a cute etsy shop which you should check out as well.

Remade in Melbourne
Hayley writes about mindfulness and ethical living which I find really inspiring. She's also written a great series of posts on personal style which is definitely worth having a read of.

I'd also like to welcome all the new readers to my blog as I've noticed a steady increase since Kani's kind link. I really do try to post as often as I can and although that hadn't been for a couple months up until now it was mainly due to undertaking close to a four month field placement for uni. I appreciate all the readers who have continued to follow my blog regardless of my sporadic posting! To prove I haven't been completely slack here's a taste of one of my recent finds at a new op shop I discovered while on placement.

I found this sheer floral blouse for $6. I love the way it flows and I think the colours suit me really well. Can't wait for the weather to warm up (but not too much!) so I can wear it more.

Anna Sui purse

I found this gorgeous Anna Sui purse the other day at a new Salvos I discovered for $9. The lady was just putting it in to the cabinet as I walked in. I have no idea if it's a replica or not but it was brand new with the Anna Sui card inside and another card with Japanese writing all over it. It also has Anna Sui stamped onto one of the card holders. Regardless, I love the floral tapestry pattern and the lining on the inside. It has heaps of compartments and fits all my cards, love it! If anyone can shed some light on whether it's authentic or not please do as I'd be interested to know =)

Three little earrings all in a row

I took about fifty million photos of these earrings trying to get a decent shot and of course in the end the one I took first turned out the best. Oh well at least I got out in the sunshine for a bit. The little bells in the middle are the Avon earrings I mentioned in my previous post. I found these in a junky box full of bits and pieces of jewelery (You know, like those metallic pom pom earrings people wear around Christmas and those thin rubber bracelets that were cool in the 90s. Well I thought they were cool. Especially if you wore two linked together). I asked the op shop lady how much they were and she said that they have a minimum of 50c for items to which I casually replied "oh ok" and handed over my coin.

The flowers I found for a couple dollars at my favourite op shop and the Pharaohs were $5 from the Salvos which was probably a bit much but I thought they were interesting =)

Glomesh love

I've been meaning to do a post on this Glomesh purse I got for my Birthday for ages (My B'day was at the beginning of March...). My Gran gave it to me and she still had it wrapped in the plastic in its original box. I have a couple of the small square purses in my collection but not a rectangular one like this. It's in such perfect condition that I'm afraid to use it. But then I figure what's the point in having a collection if you just keep it in a drawyer and don't enjoy it?

Even better is that when I opened the purse to take a photo I discovered some Birthday money I had forgotten to take out, woo woo!

On a side note, does anyone read Frankie magazine? I came across it on Penelope from Our Tea Party's blog last year and have been buying every issue since. I managed to get some back issues and have been trying to complete my collection (yes another collection haha) so if you have any issues from 1-15 that you would be willing to part with do let me know :)

Tell me more, tell me more...

'Twas a very successful shopping trip today of the op variety. I took my friend around to some oppies to find her a costume for a 1950s themed 21st that we've both got coming up. We found a pink faux leather jacket, a black skirt and bought some tulle to sew underneath - hello Pink Lady! I've already bought a dress from Etsy but you'll have to wait for the finished product. In the meantime I managed to stumble across these beauties and yes, it was love at first sight!

I found this pretty dress at the Salvos for $6. I love the style of this dress with its little capped sleeves and gorgeous colours. It has a ruffled hem and ruffling on each side of the row of buttons that goes down the middle.

I also found this wonderful wool/poly blend mustard coloured coat at Vinnies for $18! I have been craving a coat in this colour for a while and prayed hard that it was my size when I saw it. Lucky for me it's a small 10! I think this will turn out really nicely after a good dry clean. My Dad thinks it looks like one of the old jackets that real estate agents from Century 21 used to wear but I love it! It's a swing-style jacket that kind of flares out a bit at the bottom. I found a couple pairs of earrings and a brooch today as well. One pair are Avon earrings that cost 50c! Saving those for another post though ;)

Pin me!

I've been meaning to do a post on my Mum's brooch collection for a while now. Most of these are op shop finds but a few Mum already had in her collection before it officially became a 'collection' (if that makes any sense at all haha). I can't really remember what sparked the beginning of Mum's brooch collection. We always keep an eye out for interesting jewellery at op shops and I think it just grew from there, as collections do.

I found this guitar brooch in an op shop on Chapel Street in Melbourne and thought Mum would love it. The back is stamped with 'BROOKS' but I haven't been able to find much info on it's significance. I thought the design was really unique and love the gold wire strings and pearl on the base.

Mum found this one in our favourite op shop. The gems are such a beautiful blue colour and so sparkly. I can't remember the exact price but it was under $4 which is amazing because once we got home we inspected the back and it's stamped with '9CT' - 9 karat gold! It has one of those fancy little chains to make sure it doesn't fall off. The gems could be real, who knows?

This last one is one of Mum's most recent acquisitions and a definite favourite. I was looking on Etsy for vintage Avon brooches and came across this artiste's palette for $15 plus postage. I decided to try my luck on ebay first and see if anyone was selling any on there and found someone in Adelaide who had it listed for 99c. Thought I might as well try my luck so placed a bid, and after a few days when the listing ended no one else had bid! It turns out the seller actually lives in the same area as me so she dropped it in our letterbox free of charge; how lovely is that! It also came in its original 1970s box with a pair of stud earrings that match the red stone on the brooch.

So there's Mum's brooch collection. Most of the jewllery in the op shops lately seems to be from Diva and the likes so we haven't bought any for awhile. We always keep our eyes peeled though. Is there anything you like to collect or look out for when you go op shopping? I've started collecting Frankie magazines but don't have much luck finding them in the op shops. Always keep my eyes peeled for Avon jewellery and Glomesh of course =)

Sew cute

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I wish I could sew. Well, I've decided I'm going to teach myself! I've borrowed a sewing machine off a friend of my Mum's and have been pouring over sewing books from the library. So far I've managed the small achievement of threading a bobbin on the machine :) The next step will be actually threading the machine and having a go at some practice stitches. I emailed Brother and got them to send me a dvd of how to use the sewing machine so hopefully that will help! The last time I sewed something was in year eight or nine when I made a pillow and a pair of boxer shorts which actually turned out quite well. I'm hoping that's a sign I'll have a knack for sewing.

I found this sewing basket at my favourite op shop during their half price sale the other week for $2.50. I love the cute flower pattern on the inside :) At the moment it's just housing some material scraps I found at another op shop for $1.50. Still on the hunt for a smaller sewing box I can keep all my bits and pieces in.

I also found this old sewing book for $1. The instructions inside look nice and clear so it could come in handy. I've ordered a copy of the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing (couldn't find an old copy in an op shop, bugger!) as I've been reading the one I borrowed from the library and found it really helpful :)

If you have any suggestions of particularly helpful websites/books or easy sewing patterns I could try do let me know, I need all the help I can get! I think my first project will be a headband, I should be able to manage that surely.

In other exciting news my Mum has just started volunteering once a week at one of our local op shops. Make sure you're extra nice to the op shop volunteers you speak to because it could be my Mum that's serving you! :)

This little light of mine

Oh dear, looks like I've already fallen off the blogging wagon. So much for more regular updates! Must. Try. Harder. I admit I've been slack in photographing my recent finds, but I do have some photos of my latest acquisition to share with you.

I bought this cute retro desk lamp from a local op shop for $5, still in good working condition. I don't think op shops are actually allowed to sell second hand electrical goods in case someone gets injured, but I'm assured that all their electrical items are checked out and tested (ie. by plugging the item into a power outlet out the back and assuming it's ok if it turns on without burning the shop down). Anyway here it is in all it's light-giving glory...

Writing about my 'retro' lamp just now reminded me of an interesting exert I read the other day from a book called The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by Melody Fortier about the difference between vintage and retro fashion. Here's what Ms. Fortier had to say on the matter...

'...the true definition of vintage has something to do with age and previous popular appeal, but that's not everything. For me a key concept is what I like to call 'Enduring Style'...Be they old or not so old, vintage fashions are about styles that are pioneering, classic or iconic as well as reflective of their era. And although their day may have come and gone, there is renewed interest in wearing them' (p.10).

'Retro is another term used (and confused) with vintage. Retro commonly refers to clothing designed to emulate past fashions... Retro-vintage is vintage clothing that evokes an even earlier time than its own' (p.12).

I still haven't quite got my head around the definitions of both of these, especially with 'antique' then thrown into the mix. I may have to get my paws on a copy of the book so I can read up a bit more. For now I think I'll just cover all bases by referring to anything that looks like it was made before I was born as 'old'.

Summer days

I mentioned towards the end of my last post that many op shops are beginning to open after the Christmas & New Year break. Now, and for the whole of January really, is a great time to go op shopping as people are de-cluttering for a fresh start to the year as well as donating unwanted Christmas pressies. I've had a bit of a de-clutter myself so hope to get my op shop on sometime this week when some nice (ie. below 40 degree) weather kicks in.

Speaking of the weather, here are some cute Summery dresses I found a while ago. Did you notice my segue there (as opposed to segway which is the thing you ride. Took me ages to figure that one out!) ?

This one's a Valley Girl dress (I'm beginning to see a theme with Valley Girl clothing) made from light cottony material with a cute matching bow at the front and cost $5.

This second one I think may have been made by hand as it doesn't have a tag. I think it would look cute with a light denim jacket. This one cost $2.

Both dresses need a little bit of altering of the straps and such. I'll have to get someone to do that for me; It's times like these I really wish I could sew!

Fill me with apples

Haven't op shopped much clothing in a while so thought I'd do a small post on these two tops I managed to nab at my favourite op shop when they were having a half price sale.

The on on the left is a navy Valley Girl top with apples all over it and cost $1.75. It zips up at the side so fits really nicely and has pleats at the front. The second one is a light blue dotty shirt from Temt, also with a zip up the side and cute puffy sleeves, which cost $1.25.

The coat hangers the tops are hanging on are most likely from an op shop too. Op shops are great for finding padded coat hangers, especially the knitted Nana style ones. I think these are better for your clothes than wire or plastic hangers. Hope you're all not melting in the heatwave! A lot of op shops re-open next week after the Christmas and New Year break so hopefully it will cool down a bit by then.

PS. You can now follow my blog with bloglovin'

Silver bells

I wore this bag with the dress I found on the first op shop tour to my cousin's wedding at the end of October last year. It was brand new, only $5 from the op shop and a perfect match for the dress. I love all the silver beading. I also wore the bow necklace I found awhile ago. My shoes and underwear were new though haha.

Unfortunately I don't have any decent pictures of my outfit from that day so here's a closeup of the bag instead which is much more interesting...

Continuing with the silver theme, I found this genuine Glomesh coin purse for $6. It was sitting in the counter cabinet; couldn't believe someone hadn't snapped it up already!

Christmas loot part two

Continuing on with the op shop-related Christmas pressies, I also received this gorgeous cream coloured clutch. Just the right size to fit all my crap essentials in when I go out. The inside is all cushy and satiny:

This next one wasn't op-shopped but was given to me by my Aunty. It's a glomesh coin purse that belonged to my Dad's mum so it was a really thoughtful and sentimental present. I love glomesh and don't have anything like this in my collection.

My Aunty also bought me a ticket to another op shop tour which is in a few weeks time, can't wait! I'm going with my cousin :) Hello Linda if you're reading! This time we will definitely be nabbing a seat near the front of the bus and not be moving to the back for some lady with 'car sickness' - yeah right! You can read about the tour me and mum went on here.

This last present wasn't op-shopped as such but was still recycled in a sense. It's a Mickey Mouse watch I used to wear when I was little. Thought we had given it away but Mum found it and got a new battery put in yipee :) Was my favourite present.

So that concludes my loot of nifty thrifty Christmas pressies. Of course like anyone I enjoy new things from time to time but I love op shopping and appreciated the thought that went into these pressies :) I can safely say none will be returning to the op shop anytime soon haha.

Christmas loot part one

With the Christmas decorations packed away the new year is well and truly underway so I thought it was about time I got my butt into gear with my blog. I've been taking lots of photos today and have a few post ideas stored up my sleeve so can't wait to publish those, although I may stick to scheduling one post to be published every couple days so it *appears* that I'm updating somewhat regularly- I hope that's not cheating!

This post features some of the op-shop related gifts I received for Christmas. Some people would probably balk at the idea of receiving op-shopped presents- after all presents should be shiny and new and wrapped in plastic packaging right? Not the way I look at it. I think a lot of thought goes in to buying someone a present from an op shop. Firstly, you have to have an idea of the person's tastes including the kinds of things they like or maybe collect. Secondly, it is likely you will have to invest a chunk of your time searching different op shops to find the right gift. Thirdly, you are essentially rescuing and finding a new use for something that would have been destined for landfill - recycling makes me happy! I've mentioned before that most op shops are charity-based, so your purchase from an op shop also helps in some small way to brighten another person's Christmas. On that subject, this year I bought a couple presents from Oxfam Unwrapped which is a great alternative to buying someone a box of chocolates or something they may not even use. Anywho, enough of the chitchat, on with the loot!

I got these cute Pierrot pieces which match the trinket box in this post. I have all three set up on my shelf displaying my jewelery, although I haven't figured out what to put in the heart shape vase yet besides maybe a pretty fake flower of something. Any ideas?

Here's a closeup of the jewellery. I absolutely love the pearl bracelet; it's an Avon one and the detailing is so pretty. The pearls aren't actually attached but are kind of wrapped in wire so they don't fall out. The ring is also an Avon one and fits my finger perfectly. The stone reminds me of an aquamarine which is my birthstone :) So nice and shiny. I'm getting a bit of a collection of Avon jewellery so it's something I keep my eye out for. I like enamel jewellery too and the earrings are really cute. Lastly is the opal necklace. It's not stamped so not sure if it's real or not but I love the colour and swear it changes every time I look at it.

Hmm this is turning into a gigantor post so I might split it into two parts. To be continued...