What is it with petrol stations turning into op shops in my neck of the woods? First there was one in Kilmore, which lasted about two years, and as of a week or so ago there's this one in the main street of Romsey. The drive-through aspect is good for dropping off donations, though!
More to read on my blog.

At an op shop last week, the old dear behind the counter decided she’d had just about enough of the colleague who was putting out clothes in all the wrong places. As this colleague went to hang some more tops with the dresses the old dear exclaimed, “They’re tops! They’re tops!” and then added “You wear them over pants!” The colleague didn’t react but if she had, I dare say she would have been well within her rights to say, “I'm 70 years old. I know what tops are for, Beryl.”

Amy C


Top, $6, The Preloved Pedlar, Kyneton

I don’t often experience the ick factor with the things I buy from op shops. This coffee machine was just $3 at the church op shop in Kilmore. The coffee baskets and holder were in very good condition, but there was water in the tank which would’ve been there God knows how long, and a component of the top lid showed some signs of metal corrosion. I haven’t been able to bring myself to use it. Would you? More on my blog.

I was thrilled when I found these shoes for $2 at the Uniting Church op shop in Romsey. They’d clearly never been worn, and as with most unworn shoes at op shops, when I took them to the counter the woman said, “They didn’t last long, I just put them out,” which just confirms to me that being a successful op-shopper isn’t about finding the best op shops, it’s about visiting whatever shops you can regularly and often. More on my blog.

Thrift trip

Hi dolls,

Haven't had a chance to do much thrifting lately *BOOOOO*!

Managed to squeeze in a quick trip though at my fave spot - Vinnies Hoppers Crossing. I found these funky print loose pants, cute clutch and shabby picture frames.

For full post go to http://www.vintagefokus.blogspot.com/ and don't forget to enter my giveaway ending tonight!

I've been hiding!

Op Shopping Adventures, originally uploaded by Spices for Violet.

It's been an awfully long time since I've posted anything on my blog or this one... I blame having an all-consuming job! Now that I am on holidays, I was able to hit the op-shops in Warragul (country Vic. - 1hr 10 mins east of Melb)
1. Chair - $10.
2. Belts - 3 for $5.
3. & 4. Picture Dictionary - $1.
5. Little Golden Books - 50c each.
6. Children's Picture Book - 50c
7. & 8. Vintage Patterns - 25c - 50c each
9. 10. 11. 16 - All plates $1 each (made in England)
12. Basket - $2 (my favourite of the day)
13. Nanna Dress - $6
14. & 15. Apron - $1

(You can see more detailed photos at my flickr or my blog)

Happy New Year everyone!

Careful with your "donations"...

Some years ago a friend was working in a local op shop in a country town.
It was coming up to Christmas and the volunteer staff had been run off their feet but were looking forward to having a month-long break with the op shop closed until after the New Year.
My friend was called into the back room by one of the senior staff and was profusely thanked for all the hard work she'd done and told how much they appreciated her efforts.
"Here's a little something to say thank you and we thought it would look lovely on your table at Christmas,"
She was handed a green and gold painted glass bowl with angels around the outside of it and an odd lid firmly stuck on top that had been donated to the shop sometime earlier in the week.
My friend packed it into her bag and took it home, thinking no more about it until shortly before her husband got home.
Taking the bowl out she saw that it was pretty dusty and needed a wash to sparkle properly.
Try as she could the lid was stuck fast but after a while she managed to get it off, just as her husband walked in the door.
"What have you got there?" He asked, peering over her shoulder.
She explained how she came by the bowl, adding,
"But it's full of this dust or dirt or whatever,"
Hubby made some choking noises as he grabbed it out of her hands, stopping her from dumping the "dirt" in the bin.
"That's not dirt, that's somebody's ashes!  They've given you an urn with a cremated person's ashes inside!"

They never were able to trace where the "donation" had come from, despite many discreet enquiries!

south gippsland op shopping

The boys and I recently spent a few days with my parents in South Gippsland. We usually travel late in the day or weekends, so to go mid week gave the rare opportunity of visiting a few op shops on the way. Apart from all the op shopping opportunities, the scenery along the South Gippsland Highway is beautiful and worth the trip in itself.

Our first stop was Korumburra with its four op shops, a surprising number for a town of about 3000 people. Three are stretched along its main street, with another, a Vinnies in a back street parallel to the main street. Of the four, I found the Kilmany House shop in the main street to be the best. Its a good, old fashioned, heavily stocked store, with lots of rummaging opportunities. The Salvos, on the other side of Main Street is another good (and quite large) store.

15klm further down the Highway is Leongatha, with another three stores. First stop was another Vinnies, just off the highway in Bruce Street. A typical Vinnies store, it was very neat and tidy. This store had quite a few craft books and I found this bundle for 10 cents each.

Bruce Street is the continuation of Peart Street, and here you will find St Peters Anglican Church shop (opposite the car park). The best shop of the trip, its in an old house, with lots of little rooms for rummaging in. I picked up a few embroidered hankies and a lovely embroidered supper cloth, which my Mum was quick to claim before I could photograph it.

On the highway itself is a Salvos store, which, as it looked like the store roof was about to blow off in the gale force winds, we left for another day.

From Leongatha we continued eastward to Meeniyan and its Community Store, housed in the old roadhouse that used to serve fantastic fish and chips. These days, the old chiller cabinet is home to the op shop "good stuff" and the lolly shelf now holds assorted novels.

Another 25klm along is Foster with its single op shop. It is located in what used to be the Water Board building until they relocated to the old Shire Offices, the Council having moved out following the amalgamation of a couple of local Shires into the wide ranging Shire of South Gippsland.

This shop, staffed by one of my old school teachers (we pretended not to recognise each other!!), is always a good haunt. This time I picked up a coffee jar of extremely dirty buttons for $2.50. By the looks of them, these buttons have come from garments worn to milk the cows.


The undoubted highlight of the trip (seeing the parents notwithstanding...), was the second hand book sale at the Foster Arts Centre. This annual event is really popular, and the crowd was quite thick, even at 9.30am on a Friday morning.

The boys and I selected a fruit box full of goodies, including 10 copies each of Martha Stewart Living and Notebook magazine, six books each for the boys and a book about cat behaviour (in an effort to figure out why our cat races around the house like a lunatic at 9.00pm every evening). This worthy (and extremely heavy) haul set us back $4.50 for lot.


Welshpool is a tiny little village 25klm further east again and counts an op shop amongst its five or so shop fronts. I was very surprised to learn that my Dad is this shop's best customer as it has a great book selection. Best second hand books in the area, according to Dad. And you think you know someone.....

Our last stop was Yarram with its single shop in the main street. Another typical country store, it had a great selection of knitting needles and kids toys.

An added bonus of driving all the way to Yarram is a trip to its bakery with a lovely choice of cream cakes. Yum!