My recent finds

I've been a very slack poster - I think this is my second, even though almost all my clothes are from op-shops. Finding the time to sit down and post is a bit tricky. Anyway, here are my recent purchases. All practical stuff. I needed new tops, since I've changed shape a bit since my baby was born 11 months ago. The skirt is pure silk and it's really soft and cool to wear. The T'shirts are all comfy and super cheap. This lot was from one shop, and I spent somewhere between 5 and 6 dollars for each item.

And the shop? Bargain Browser, 9 Anderson St, Yarraville +61 3 9687 6307. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-4pm

Merry Christmas for yesterday and happy op-shopping for 2012!

Happy Christmas!

To all my fellow op shoppers, my best wishes for a Happy Christmas, and a safe and healthy New Year, with lots of bargains at your favourite opshops!
I was astounded at the amount of stuff being brought into the Brotherhood shop in Eltham in the weeks leading up until Christmas, and equally amazed at the people who swarmed into the shop every day looking to buy Christmas gifts.  But the older staff members have warned me "you ain't seen nothin' yet".  They said that when we come back mid January to reopen the shop, there will be huge piles of bags waiting for us to sort - all those unwanted gifts....

op shop 'til you drop

This was mentioned in the comments to a previous post but is worth a spotlight all of its own -op shop guide to Frankston (thanks Erica Louise!)

Three Great Op Shops Worth the Drive

This turned up on The Age's website today:

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/about-town/three-great--opshops-worth-the-drive-20111214-1ots3.html

Think I'll start casting my net further afield especially as the Savers stores are so picked over.

BSL Eltham.

I SWEAR I am not buying any more stuff than I would if I was just dropping in and not working there! It is only because I am there for two half days a week, and not just 10 minutes now and then, that I see more stuff arriving and can pounce on it before the customers see it.
Like this Nativity set, sitting on the front counter as I walked in the door at 9 am this morning.   The price was $12.  All the little figurines are perfect, no scratches or chips.  I've been wanting something like this for years, but wasn't prepared to pay $60+.   But $12?  No worries!

Just when my old opshop watch had carked it, I found this in the shop for $5.



Nice summer dress for $4.50.

2007 Collection of Stamps of Taiwan.  It had just come in with some donations, and my manager didn't have any idea what price to put on it.  It is probably worth about $60, but before I could tell her that, she said if you want it you can have it for $5.   I do actually collect stamps, and would have paid a lot more for this, but I wasn't going to argue!!

4 Words.....How Could I Not????

Makes me smile just looking at it!

Tempted to use it as my Christmas Tree this year!

Had to share!  Got to love the 80s!

Chelsea Family Life Op Shop celebrates it's 1st birthday this week, spend $20 and get a $5 voucher back.

Happy Holidays All xxx

media alert!

This is the January/February issue of INSIDE OUT magazine. As well as the best of the London Design Festival and small space secrets from industry experts, there is a NEWS books & blogs section which is where you'll find mention of I op therefore I am. Must be a good magazine!

BSL Eltham Monday.

The donations are pouring in thick and fast as it gets closer to Christmas. People must be feeling a need to empty their homes of old stuff in anticipation of new stuff they are buying, or hope to receive as gifts! I bought a few oddments while I was working this afternoon.
Kitchen paper towel holder, $2. I've been meaning to buy one of these for years! After I'd left the opshop, I was in a shopping mall and saw these exact same holders for $11.95.

Pretty fan, 50 cents.

Beaded necklace, $3. I love the colours in this, it will go with a lot of my clothes.

Plain black skirt, $4. Hooray - I will be able to throw out the last black skirt I bought about 15 years ago!

A Beswick Coronation mug, $15. I have no idea what this might be worth, but I got it for a friend who collects Royalty memorabilia.

Student Sundays at Savers

Found these lovely Novo cream flats at Savers Dandenong this morning.

$10.40 with the 20% student discount that is available EVERY Sunday! :)

Recent oppy bargains.

At our BSL shop I couldn't pass up this cup, saucer and plate set for $5.

This giant cup and saucer (I placed the egg next to it to give you an idea of the size) is actually a pot plant holder! I bought a pot of basil to put in it and gave it to a friend for her birthday. She was delighted!

I grabbed this book for $1 to give to a friend who loves all things British, but found it so interesting, I decided to keep it for a while.

Today I was passing the Salvos store in Ashwood and naturally had to go in to see what they had on offer. An un-used pack of 24 watercolour pencils for $2 is a huge bargain! OK they aren't Derwents, but Mont Marte art stuff is still okay.

Two Homespun magazines for $5.

Packet of old fashioned iron-on transfers, $1.

New socks $2.85. Salvos have a line of new stuff as well as the second hand stuff, and these socks are made of bamboo. I use bamboo wadding in my quilting; it is incredible what people make from this plant!

Length of cotton fabric for $1, ideal for backing a future patchwork project.

Huge roll of lace $3. They had bags of laces there, and I had to stop myself from buying the lot!

Tape measure for $1. I have several tape measures already, but every time my husband borrows one, it ends up down in the garage and I never see it again. So this one will go into hiding in my sewing basket.

Sale at BSL... stuff for $1!!!

Enough said.

Fair@Square fashion show and festival

If you're wondering where I've been, I am putting a fashion show on for Fair@Square festival this Friday so have not had time to get to the op shops! I know it's not exactly op shopping, but I think most of you are eco-minded and might enjoy the show, some of the clothes and accessories are made of second hand things, so there is at least a bit of a link to op shopping!
If you want to buy tickets there are still some available here. The festival is on at Fed Square this weekend and will have all sorts of fair trade and eco-friendly gifts, plus talks and activities. And even if you don't buy anything, if you have old crappy makeup you want to get rid of in a responsible manner, bring it to the festival and the lovely folk at Adorn will help you detox!
Hopefully I'll be back with some op shop posting in the near future when things have calmed down. See you at the festival?

Hey there! 

I went to Spain for a while but am back in Melbourne and hoping to post here more!

These are my little collection of kitchen goods (egg cups and salt & pepper shakers) found at a variety of op shops.

Cheers, Laura

Three opshop visits today.

I had to drive over to Lilydale today, to deliver some craft stuff to the Showgrounds. Driving back through the town along the highway, I noticed two opshops, and having time to spare before I started work at the BSL in Eltham, I decided to check out the opposition! Both shops were large, clean, and had a large variety of lovely stock. At Vinnies, I spent $5 on a skirt (Black Pepper) and $7 on a set of Aussie pubs placemats - what a bargain! They are as good as new.

A few doors up, I spent $6.50 at the Salvos.
One magazine for 50 cents.

A complete box of oil paints, never used by the look of them - $6.

Back at the Brotherhood in Eltham for the afternoon's work, I had a quick look around and found these.
A belt rack hanger for Ken's belts. They are all over the floor at the moment.

Sretch pants (Millers) for $4.50. They are more of a terracotta colour than the red in this photo.

Stunning peacock brooch - $15. I thought this was far too expensive, but the lady who prices the jewellery that comes into our opshop must think she works in an antique shop sometimes; her prices are way too high. But I love peacocks, so I had to have it. I do get a discount though.

A boxed Calligraphy set - $1. Super bargain!! There were extra tubes of inks in it which was why I bought it. I've got more fountain pens than you could poke a stick at, but I had run out of those ink tubes.

Lions Trash and Treasure Sale

Blackburn North Lions Club's next trash and treasure sale will be held on:

Saturday, 19 November 2011 this will be the last sale for the year.

Same time: 8am to 1pm

Same place: 1st Vermont Scout Hall, located near the corner of Canterbury Rd and Mitcham Rd, Vermont.

Hope to see you there.

Salvos Kew

image via

Does everyone already know that there is a Salvos store opening in Kew, in the old Retravision store?

Well, there is. Which will make the op shopping route down High st just that little more brilliant! Yay!

The Brotherhood helps you look luxe – for less

You don’t need to blow your budget to look amazing during this year’s Spring Racing Carnival.

The Brotherhood of St Laurence’s chief stylist has put together a stunning collection of race day looks, using garments and accessories sourced exclusively from the organisation’s 24 Community Stores or “op shops” and Hunter Gatherer vintage fashion outlets. As well as being totally fabulous, every outfit is supremely wallet-friendly.

By ‘liking’ your favourite outfit on the Brotherhood’s Facebook page before 15 November, you’ll get some racy inspiration for your day at the track as well as go into the draw to win a $100 gift voucher to spend at a Brotherhood of St Laurence store.

Stylist and merchandiser Ariella Mata Luque says a Brotherhood store is the perfect place to unearth unique race day attire and accessories.

“If it’s accessories you need, our outlets are great for finding one-of-a-kind bags, hats, fascinators and jewellery – they can lift an existing outfit and really make it pop!”

“The Hunter Gather stores are flooded with vintage and retro items, which are really hot at the moment. You can walk in and walk out looking like a 1950s socialite in no time.”

The image gallery on the Brotherhood’s Facebook page showcases a variety of looks that will appeal to a range of tastes and age groups. They’re not only perfect for the races, but will carry over to many other occasions, such as Christmas parties.

“There is a vintage gold sequined dress which I model in one of the shots,” says Ariella. “I absolutely adore it - it’s fun yet classic, and completely individual. Wearing something like this, you’re guaranteed not to be caught in the same outfit as someone else at the track.”

According to Ariella, op-shopping for your race day outfit is not only good for your hip pocket but also for your conscience.

“You’ll be doing your little bit for the environment by keeping perfectly good quality items out of landfill. And by shopping at a Brotherhood store, you’re helping the organisation fund its programs, services and advocacy which help disadvantaged and vulnerable Australians.”

Visit the Brotherhood’s Facebook page to view the gallery of pre-loved race day clothes and accessories.

I'm still here!

Just read Gina E's post from a little while ago wondering where everyone is... I am still around and have even been op shopping but just have not had time to get pics of my finds and manage a blog post about them! Also, I have discovered the joys of hard rubbish... does that kind of count as op shopping? If you want to see what I scored recently on a kerb crawl (plus one op shop find!), you can have a look here... and I also took part in National Swap Day, which I've posted about here.

High Street Ashburton.

Those of you who know Lyndel from "Vintage Retro and Simply Cute Shopping" may be wondering where she has been lately. I met her for coffee today and she told me she is in line for a new computer, as her old one can't handle lengthy downloads anymore, so reading and writing blogs is out of the question. I'm going to offer the use of my computer for her to use while she is waiting for a new one, so don't give up on her blog just yet!

I was in Lyndel's territory today, and visited three of the opshops over there. I didn't find anything at the Salvos, but at the Community shop I found this little elephant for $7. Ken has a slightly bigger version on our mantelpiece; it was his grandfather's. I put this little one beside Ken's, and when he came home I said "Look! Your black elephant has had a baby!"



Across the road at Vinnies, I found these goodies:
A set of four hand embroidered napkins for $4. I was excited to find these, because I have a card table cloth which matches them perfectly!

This is a tapestry or embroidery frame - $2.50.. I've got a bigger one which I rarely use because it is awkward to hold for any length of time.


Hand embroidered supper cloth - beautifully stitched, for $6.50.


And coincidentally going along with the elephant theme, I found this stunning Thai Silk scarf for $3...

Brotherhood buys, Monday.

I was chuffed to see Mim's comment on the previous post; she came into our opshop last week and bought a rather unusual item that I couldn't make sense of, until she explained it to me!
I filled in this afternoon for one of the regulars, and found these items to bring home.
Cross stitched hand towel. OK I'm not a Mum and I don't have a Mum to give it to, but for $2.50 it is so beautifully stitched...


Little bag in Japanese fabric, 50 cents. I could pull it apart and use it for patchwork, but it is lined nicely, so I can carry my small items of stitching.


Old but unused diary, 50 cents. Delightful little vintage pictures, recipes, etc.


I've always loved the Japanese Hello Kitty products! This was $1 - just couldn't leave it behind. The little Kitty fits inside the big one. How cute is that!

Where is everyone???

A friend told me yesterday that she thought this was MY blog. I assured her that is not the case - I didn't initiate it, and it is open to anyone to post their opshop stories and photos. But when I came on here tonight and noticed I'm the only one who's posted anything since October 12...no wonder she thought it was just me! C'mon you guys - I can't be the only person opshopping in Melbourne! I've seen other blogs where people post about their opshop finds, but it is much better if it is on here where we can all read about them!
In the meantime, I brought these bits and pieces home from the Eltham BSL on Friday:
Stretch cotton Miller slacks in dusty pink (not white like this photo)$4.50.


Two lots of printed Xmas stocking fabric to make up into quilted Xmas stockings $12 for both. These have been lying around our shop for months, so I finally decided to bring them home and make them up for charity groups.



Length of brown fabric which will be useful for a future patchwork project, $3.


Dark blue leather shoes $4 - a perfect fit! A rare find for me:-)