You've all done very well!

...as Young Mr Grace says in "Are You Being Served".   I've been opshopping too, but haven't got around to photographing my goodies lately, as I've been flat out like the proverbial lizard with quilting projects for charity.  Still, it is fun to see what everyone else is buying!

Emerald beauties

Hello--- Just a quick post to show you guys the lovely earrings I found today at Vinnies in Hampton. I volunteer once a week at Storehouse op shop which is two doors down from Vinnies and across the road from a Salvos so I always make sure to do a quick check before I leave the area. These little beauties were sitting in the jewelery cabinet and I just happened to notice them, mostly for the colour. $2 later they were mine! Btw, they didn't come on the fancy backing card. That was my little touch to try to get a good pic! What have you guys been up to? Any good scores? I hope so! Chanee x

Vinnies Mornington

 I had hoped to have a report on the Bendigo op shops but that trip did not happen so I had to bide my time until today.

A quick trip to the Vinnies op shop in Tyabb Road, Mornington revealed shelves full of goodies.

 This store is always well stocked and the staff are very cheery and helpful.  The stock varies from very precious glass and china pieces to
more modest household needs.

  

There are lots of pictures, mirrors and frames to choose from and you can see one of the jewelry displays too.

I love old pieces of china but resisted this lot - today.

They always have furniture - this varies a lot from day to day but usually includes some good vintage pieces.

The toy department is not huge but they have a good variety at really reasonable prices.

There are lots of books to choose from and if you are looking for childrens classics this is the place to come.

It seems all subjects are covered and there are also plenty of stationery items too.

As well as the books there are plenty of magazines too.

I did shop while I was there but I will save those pics for another day.  suffice to say I had a good time shopping and the staff were happy to help me with my bags.

If you are ever in the area then do call in at Vinnies and there is a Salvos store just a few steps away too.  I will save those pics for later too.

 

My lack of posting in no way reflects my lack of op-shopping. Quite the contrary: things were getting almost out of hand as I went for a Sunday morning walk and stumbled upon a Sacred Heart Op-Shop (cnr Inkerman and Hotham) open on a Sunday! A SUNDAY? This is just one of the dresses I bought. I think I bought two and a top and a skirt and some jewellery and..... the list goes on

I love this dress . My terrible photo doesn't really show how fetching it really is. It's Quick Brown Fox and was about $7. I predict I will be wearing it non-stop and makes a welcome addition to my wardrobe of op-shop dresses. I can highly recommend the Sacred Heart Op-Shops. A bit more upmarket (not in Reservoir anymore Toto) but have some lovely stuff.

Here is the cutest little clock I found in the op-shop where I volunteer once a month.

I paid a nominal amount for it. It's a happy little thing.

Speaking of happy here's two more pieces to add to my little Dutch Corner. I found these at the Salvos in Preston. How could I resist?

The little blue pot is actually a mustard jar given to me well over 20 years ago from my mother (in fact I took it from her cupboard). The cow I bought months ago from Epic op-shop.

Doilies

Hi all I'm Jess I wrote here a few weeks ago I'm the one that volunteers at the Salvation army in Ferntree gully. Only a little opshopping so far some doilies and linnens. I will use them in various craft projects.

do come say hi if your ever near by I work Monday 10-2 we're on Station street in Ferntree gully.

One of my recent awesome finds

Hey guys! I hope you've all been well. Here is a jacket I found a bunch of weeks ago in Storehouse op shop on Chapel St which I am absolutely IN LOVE with! Saw it hanging on the rack, loved it immediately, saw that the entire inside was lined with fur, loved it even more, tried it on and it fit perfectly...and of course I couldn't say no. It did come at a little bit of a price ($30) but considering how much I've worn it it's definitely worth it, and at the time I knew it would be so I didn't mind forking out the money.

As you can see, the hood unzips and you can wear it open like this which I quite like. I reckon this was one of my best clothing finds since I started op shopping. Or at least the best find most recently. Will hopefully get a chance to share some more of my other finds soon! Chanee x

The Fish Dress

Here's a cute little 70's dress I found at the Bargain Browser in Yarraville. The colours caught my eye at first, and I happily shelled out the $6 to take it home, thinking it was a pretty floral.

It wasn't until I got it home that The Man pointed out that the pattern was upside-down - which was when I realised the 'floral' was actually an underwater scene, complete with fish!!

I still love it!

A couple more recent finds were a nice pair of linen trousers at the Laverton Markets secondhand clothes stall for $3, and then an epic visit to the Laverton Lighthouse on the way back - what a gem that little place was! Not a lot of clothing on the racks, but some great pieces of older furniture and some sweet glassware. I picked up a lovely little old suitcase for $8, a nice retro pattern and some Footrot Flats - these are hard to find so I was very happy!

The best find at Laverton Lighthouse was of course this amazing vintage sewing machine - only $40!

Then later in the week at Footscray Savers, The Man nabbed these awesome vinyl poufs for $5 each.

A great week of opshopping I must say!

News from the Mornington Peninsula

 This is my first post on this blog so I will introduce myself and explain a little of my reasons for op shopping.

I live on the Mornington Peninsula and work from home which includes babysitting twin girls three days a week.  I started op shopping for needlework supplies and found that the shops in this area have lots to offer to crafter.

Op shopping provides a way of recycling and  re-using items that are still in good condition and of course there is money to be saved too.

I will show you what I pick up in the future but in the meantime the pics here show some of the things I have bought at the Salvos in Tyabb Road Mornington.  

I need plenty of toys for the little girls and this is a great way to buy a variety of toys and games and best of all I can take them back to the Salvos when I am finished with them.  

 The toy box is beautifully hand painted and it will be good for storing my linen once the babysitting is finished.

I found this little cabinet  at the Salvos in Chelsea heights some years ago.  It is home made and really sweet.  It usually has a tea set on the shelves











I am off to Bendigo later in the week and will let you know what I find.  There are lots of opportunity shops on offer so I expect to find some real treasures.

Happy Shopping, 
 Dian

Savers in Greensborough.

I haven't been to Savers for ages, as I just haven't needed to go to Greensborough for a while.  But I was passing through there last week, and having some time to spare....I was actually looking for something in particular, instead of just browsing.  They didn't have what I wanted (a coffee plunger to replace my last one which I bought at Savers), so I did some browsing to make up for my acute disappointment - ha ha!

A large length of red fabric - just what I needed for the sashing and border of a quilt I'm making. $5.99. A bag of machine cottons $3.99. I don't usually look at old cottons like this, but these are good quality, and as they are so expensive to buy now, I figured I may as well start buying up the old ones, as the quality of cotton was probably better than what it is now, going by my recent experiences with new reels of cotton splitting while I'm sewing...
More ties! $2.99 each. Yep, expensive compared to other shops, but I loved these designs. I also bought three books but for some reason forgot to photograph them...they were all art books, for $2.99 each.

This lovely little huckabuck hand towel cost $1 at the Brotherhood shop behind Savers.

need an excuse to visit Sydney?

For the last nine years party-goers have been stepping out in their finest thrift store finds for the funkiest fundraiser on the Sydney social calendar, the Variety Op Shop Ball. Far from your average charity benefit, this year’s special 10^th anniversary event is set to be the biggest yet, with up to 500 people expected to pack Sydney’s iconic Town Hall on Saturday August 18 for the ultimate night of nights. Think sequins, faux fur, velvet, leather or even your mum's wedding gown!
Revellers from all walks of life, including celebrities, socialites and drag queens will don their most glamorous charity shop finds from vintage fashions to the most outrageous second-hand outfits, all while striking a post on the red carpet to raise funds for sick, disadvantaged and special needs children.

While a sell out crowd descended onto Sydney’s Sky Tower for last year’s event, this year’s anniversary event at Town Hall is expected to be even bigger and attract up to 500 people in the hope of raising $50k for Aussie kids in need. 

The stylish event will kick off at 7.00pm, with MC Mike Goldman and will feature a host of out-of-the-box entertainment as revellers vie for the coveted titles of Mr and Ms Op Shop Ball. Entertainment will include a special performance from The Faders, Paulini Curuenavuli and Arrnott Olssen.

 

Variety Board Director, Bernt Schindler, is urging Sydney-siders to Op-frock up, and join the glitterati for a night to remember saying, “We have been overwhelmed by the support for this event in past years, from both celebrities and the public. This year, we’re planning to up the ante with an even more star-studded, glamorous and eye-popping spectacle; so we want the public to get on board in helping us blow our previous fundraising efforts out of the water. We want to see Town Hall bursting at the seams with stylish party-goers,” says Schindler. 

The night is all about having fun and getting dressed up for a very worthy cause. All proceeds from the Op Shop Ball will go towards Variety’s projects which look to improve the lives of sick, special needs or disadvantaged children in communities right across Australia.

Variety, the Children's Charity is dedicated to transforming the lives of children with special needs. In 2012, Variety celebrates 37 years of enriching, improving, and transforming the lives of children in need throughout Australia.

Tickets are available now by calling Samantha Holt on 02 9819 1001 or email samantha.holt@varietynsw.org.au

Fruitful Finds

I have had the chance to get out and about a couple of times this week, I am pretty happy with my finds :)

I picked up these tea towels at Salvos in Sunshine last week $1.99 each

I love the colours in this one

I think I would like to make a cushion out of this, I saw in a post recently someone else had made one it looked great

I am not so keen on this one now.....it's funny how sometimes things are just not as appealing when you them get home, or is that just me??

The next two finds were from Salvos in Williamstown /Altona? Not sure what suburb it falls into its on Kororoit Creek rd

A beautiful cross stitch table cloth with eight matching napkins

This teapot, I've been looking around for a while, waiting to find something I really liked - this is it!! the jug was just a bonus 

Last but not least an old record for my teen to play on his new record player........not sure if he will love the tune, it might grow on him ;)

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be

Just $1 from the williamstown hospital op shop

I spy with my op shopping eye....

Goodness me I just can't believe how busy I have been of late.  But I promise that hasn't stopped me from getting to op shops.  Au contraire...

I am just absolutely bursting to share with you all my goodies most recently hunted down - especially this beautifully designed cotton sheet, which has such a lovely colour palette that it has given me wonderful inspiration to properly set up our guest bedroom, ready to receive with rustic treats and just a touch of shabby chic!

So beautiful! And only $3.50 from the Community Store at Brentford Square.

Love it.

So here's how it all went down...

Brown stripey pillowcases were from the Epilepsy shop at Blackburn, with doona for $10, the blankets were gifts.  On the side table, I spied with my op shopping eye a lovely glass cordial bottle for just $2 at the Sacred Heart Mission on Glenferrie Hill. 

 Next to that, a wonderful glass dessert bowl, part of a set with six more smaller bowls, for just $7 from the Salvation Army at Forest Hill, used here as a wash bowl.  Gorgeously glazed two-tone brown jug a mere $2 from the Bow Tie op shop on Johnston Street in Abbotsford - if you want a serious bargain, go there, the owner Rye will help you out.

In front on the left, we have a delightfully handmade pottery tray in the shape of an English Ivy leaf.  I scored this for $4 from the Salvation Army at Ferntree Gulley. Last but not least we have one of a set of six coasters, straight out of the seventies, complete with holder for a measly dollar.

Well, that concludes my little Autumn & Winter collection, so until next time my fellow oppers, I look forward to seeing your spoils and collections!

Over dosing on opshops.

I worked at the BSL today to cover for another volunteer who wasn't able to work, and I'll be back there tomorrow - wheee! Not only that, yesterday I was out with hubby while he was looking for computer stuff, and we had to go along Settlement Road, Thomastown. Just before we reached the place he was going to, we passed the Salvos opshop. I happened to be driving my car for a change, so he couldn't say much when I swerved into the carpark and said "I won't be long!" But he wasn't going to risk being deserted in the car for half an hour, so he came in with me. He doesn't usually 'do' opshops, so it was a bit of an eye opener for him. He was pleased to find a John Wayne DVD that he didn't have.  $1.99

In the meantime I found a book on Acrylic painting for $1.99, a tie $2.99 (far too dear, but I love the design), and on the way out Ken spotted four ceramic chooks for $1.99.  We would have loved to buy them all, but he said "Where are you going to put them?" and not having an immediate answer, we just bought one, which is actually a tealight candle holder.

Today I only bought a few bits and pieces at the BSL. A lovely red stone butterfly pendant for $2.50, four ties for 75 cents each, and three lengths of fabric for my charity quilt projects - $6 a piece.