seattle challenge - week 7

This was an impulse buy from MECWA Windsor but it's been a great jacket. It's a good shape (although a little rumpled here), mostly cotton, well constructed. Hooray for a $10 impulse!

I heart books

Must. Stop. Buying. Books!

I bought this one, "Thunderbird Trail" for the gorgeously aged cover and lovely creamy paper inside, intending to use it for drawing on. BUT! I get books home and make friends with them, and then don't want to use them for the intended purpose. Instead, they take up residence on my bulging bookshelves.

This has a wonderful Coles library sticker on the inside cover - 6d a loan! - and the cover art pasted inside, as well as the cowboy graphic on the title page, makes me swoon.










To accompany the cowboys, I also bought the heart shaped card box below, to make into a case for a heartshaped book I'm planning on the theme of - guess what? Yep, hearts, but not the love and kisses Valentine sort. Anatomical hearts, broken hearts, jealous hearts, hearts of darkness...













From the Salvos in Oakleigh. Grand total for book and box: $2.85, because it was pensioner's day and 20% off for bearers of a health care card :)

Treasure Troves in Cheltenham

Do you long for the old Salvation Army 50 cent bins? Do you miss the thrill of the chase in those cluttered old op shops?

After much recent disappointment about the commercial nature of surging op shop chains, I have struggled to find op shops that fill me with the passion I used to feel when I found a bargain. With chains like the Salvo's now staffing their stores with paid staff, and clothing with price tags of $20+ I have been struggling to find my Op Shop Mo Jo. However today I discovered two delightful op shops in Cheltenham. These charity shops are run solely by volunteers and every cent of the money you pay goes to the charity. They are the kind of shops that leave you gasping for breath when you walk in the door. The cheer magnitude of clutter and clothing overwhelms you to the point where you can't help but dive in and find a bargain. With traditional values such as the 50cent racks and volunteers that make you laugh, what more could you ask for. Although I will always venture into The Salvos, Vinnies or similar stores, these two shops are now on my priority list. Although the Volunteers were not quite happy when I mentioned how glad I was to find an 'old school' op shop, I think their values are long forgotten. Take a trip this week and warm away the winter blues with a dive into a bargain bin or two. If your like me, it's a great relief after shopping at op shops which are fast looking like Bourke St Mall.

Australian Animal Protection Society
22 Station Road Cheltenham

Cheltenham Opportunity Shop
Across the Street!

seattle challenge - week 6

A Ben Sherman shirt for my husband. This is actually one of a few that he has which came from the op shop. This one was either Sacred Heart Mission or Salvo's designer sale - can't quite recall.

dates for your shopping diary

Excellent news from the St John of God Accord op shops - a sale!

Burnt Bridge, Croydon and Wandin

½ Price Sale August 11 – 16

$1 Sale August 18 – 23

Greensborough

½ Price Sale August 12 – 14

$1 Sale August 19 – 21

Curtains up!

Jodi posted a little while ago about the Aussie Vets . That's where these curtains came from.

We bought them there for $8 last year.

At first, we merely thought of them as lovely rose-strewn panels of fabric.
Perhaps to cover a chair? Perhaps.....

Then recently Herself quietly took down the venetians that were there.
She snuck off to Bunnings and purchased some curtain hardware.
Got going with her trusty little drill and...
Hey presto, beautiful curtains for the kitchen at The Trad Pad.
She robbed my stash for the flowers and the ribbon.

Aussie Veterans Opportunity Shop

5 Erica Avenue

Boronia Vic 3155

Phone: (03) 9761 0468

seattle challenge - week 5

Currently baby bear's footwear of choice - she can easily get them on and off by herself. Doesn't matter that it's the middle of summer here.


Sacred Heart Mission, Chapel Street, Windsor; a couple of dollars.

Books at Boronia in the foothills of The Dandenongs

If Jodie is to be believed it looks like we Foothills gals are on a roll.

I can't wait for the next exciting episode. So, to keep you all interested,

this is a report of Herself's (my daughter's) latest trip to the Salvo Store in Boronia. I really have come to the conclusion that we don't find things - they find us.
You see, Herself is a gal who does judge a book by its cover - as well as its contents.

She loves old books -
she doesn't read much outside the Victorian and Edwardian periods of literature.

And I do try, I really do,
to keep an eye out for stuff that I think she will like but I rarely find anything.
But does she!
And it's not the first time she has found the books she likes at the Salvo Store in Boronia.
To see what she does with the books once they are home at The Trad Pad
then pop over here.

BTW, Herself paid $3.75 a pop for the books.

Map above - Salvos Store, 274 Dorset Road,Boronia Vic 3155

{a road trip}

Sort of.......................well as much of a road as you can have with a three year old in tow!!!

It all started with the lovely Miss Eagle, I actually blame her entirely, you see her gorgeous ramblings about this op-shop forced me into action. So two Saturdays ago I loaded the oldest child (you may remember him as the child who will sit in the corner and play with toys whilst I shop) into the car and we took the long journey from Boronia to Upper Fern Tree Gully (UFTG) via Fern Tree Gully (FTG).

First stop was the Vinnies shop in FTG, you may recall that this was the place where I scored the lovely Mr Imperial for a friend. But before Mr Imperial there was these lovelies:
Be still my beating heart these Dri Glo sheets are to DIE for, they where BRAND new, never been opended before. Most likely a wedding gift from long ago shoved into the back of the linen press only to be dug out and sent out into op shop world.
When I got home and opended them (had to break open the packet) I found TWO double size flat sheets and two pillow cases, all starchy and fresh and I do mean STARCHY!!!!!!

Then there was this lovely LACE, two cards one almost full and unused!!! They are both "Liberty Fabrics of New York Inc" and the stamp on the cream lace one reads "Nov 27 1979", 6 whole yards of such loveliness!!!!

So sheets + lace + Bob the Builder torch (not shown as boy child likes to sleep with it) = $8.50.....yes thats right, the princely sum of $8.50!!!!!

Next stop was the PWP Op Shop in FTG - but story will come in PART TWO - stay tuned folks!!!!

Jodi xx

seattle challenge - week 4

Far and away one of baby bear's favourite books. I'm so proud of her - she chose it herself.

Sacred Heart Mission, St Kilda.

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!

{Mr Imperial 200}

Please allow me to introduce:
Mr Imperial 200 or "baby blue" as I have affectionately nicknamed him:

He is in need of a little clean, but he works so beautifully!

Where: FernTree Gully Vinnies

What: $10

Whom: For a girlfriend who wanted one!

A Sunday Op Shopping opportunity

Just thought some people might like to be aware that next Sunday - 13th July - the Fairfield SPACE Op shop at 88a Station St, Fairfield will be open from 10am - 12 noon (and probably a bit longer if people are around).  

{first post}

I've finally gotten around to writing my first post and it's lovely to be here!
My name is Jodi, 30-something, mother of three: Lochie 3yrs, Josh 2yrs & Cait 10months, (yes those ages are correct), sewer, some-times knitter (i'm learning), wanna-be photographer and scrapbooker (wow that's a lot of titles). I live in Melbourne's outer Eastern Suburbs (Boronia) and I try to op-shop at least once a week.
That's enough of the boring introduction stuff, on Wednesday I went to one of my favourie Op-Shops.......

The Veterans Op Shop in Erica Ave Boroina

Open 10am - 4pm Mon-Fri (I think)

10am - 2pm Sat

Rummagability Factor - HIGH (yes I just made up that word)

Bargain Factor - HIGH

This place is organised chaos at its very best, big pile of toys in the corner, linen shelves overflowing with all sorts of good (and some not so good) linen treasures.

They have the biggest collection of electrical goods I have seen anywhere and quite a lot of furniture seems to make it's way in and out of there as well. All quite keenly priced.

BE WARNED - not everything in this shop has a price tag, I'm quite sure the girls in there make it up as they go along depending on whether or not they like you.

However the lovely ladies in there are so very friendly and if you're quietly browsing you get to listen in to all sorts of fabulous (?) conversations about who is in hospital and who is visiting whom........fascinating stuff!

On Wednesday I scored all those knitting needles, a Golden Hands Book, Stitch by Stitch Book, the big RED book is a dictionary I have been wanting for ages - $4 the LOT!

My son Lochie was with me (I have trained him to sit quietly in the corner playing with the toys whilst I browse - he he) and he had picked out a small toy to take home too, the girls at the shop proceeded to give him a bag and told him to FILL it with some toys.........no charge..........very sweet...............it was a bit much for a 3year old to take, so Mummy helped him pick out a few toys for his sister and brother at home.

I really love going to this place, I love a good rummage and I nearly always leave with something!!!!