Kitchen bric a brac going cheap!

We are having our kitchen renovated, and everything is being pulled out this coming Saturday.  So I have to packed all the contents of the cupboards up and stash them elsewhere in the house.  I started packing today (and only stopped when I ran out of boxes!), and this is what I've put aside to take to our opshop in the coming weeks:

Two teapots, sandwich trays, various plates and bowls, glass salad bowls, Tupperware jelly moulds, and more to come!  I'm so relieved that I won't have to find places for all this in the new kitchen!

Op Shopping in Heathmont

Isn't it fantastic that you can pop into op shops you visit regularly and still come away with treasures?  That's what happened to me this weekend when I decided to pay a visit to the two Op Shops in Heathmont.  Here's what I found at the Heathmont Inter Church Help Op Shop (hidden away at the end of a little corridor) and the Villa Maria Op Shop:

Old knitting patterns, of course!  As a bonus, I happened to find the perfect pattern for a vest in 8 ply wool - something I've been searching for in vain until now.  It was such a perfect find for me.

I've branched out into sewing lately, so now I'm on the lookout for old sewing patterns I can alter (once I learn how).  A dollar per pattern is a much better price than the $20 you'll pay at Spotlight!

A couple of these have never been used, but the ones that have been cut out only ever came in the one size, so it doesn't actually matter that much.

I also picked up a couple of things to take with me on my sewing adventures.

I can't wait to try the self cover buttons!  The design on this packet is nowhere near as cute as the packet I bought at a market the other week (click here for a photo), but they all do the same job.

Finally, I almost squeed when I uncovered this trio at the Villa Maria Op Shop:

I love, love, love patterns from this era!  These books are in great condition, too.

I hope you've all been enjoying similar successes in your op shopping lately.

BSL Eltham last Friday.

I was feeling like death warmed up last week, but didn't want to miss any bargains on my shift...not really the case.  There was only one other volunteer working on Friday afternoon, and if I hadn't been there, she would have had to shut the shop, as one person cannot manage the till and sort the donations at the same time.  I suspected my 'illness' was just extreme tiredness, as I wasn't sick or coughing.  Anyway, it was a worthwhile afternoon.
Three beautiful little ceramic plates for $1 each.

This cute little container with hen on top - $1

More cuteness in the form of a hand made tea cosy with gumnut babies peeping over the top! $2.50

John O'Grady wrote "They're a Weird Mob" a thousand years ago (well it seems that long to me) and it is still one of my favourite funny books, so when I spied this on the shelf for 60c I had to have it - needed something to make me smile, the way I was feeling!

Ringwood East Bargain Browser & Tecoma Salvos

Yesterday, we just happened to work a couple of op shops into completely unrelated activities.  This is the only way to do things, right?  Firstly, my concert band happened to be playing at the Ringwood East Community Market, so once we were done, I got sucked into the 'Bargain Browser' op shop while my husband went and bought me a coffee (presumably as a reward for not missing all of my cues while playing).

The Bargain Browser is full of treasures... possibly too full.  It was very difficult to get around and there were a lot of people in there as a result of the market just across the road.  I did manage to find these treats, though.

I recently decided I needed to start sewing, so now I'm on the lookout for vintage and retro sewing patterns to add to my knitting and crochet ones.

Looking closer at the Style pattern, I noticed a couple of things...

1. It somehow made the journey all the way from Maryborough to Ringwood East.
2. It originally cost $1.80.  To buy an equivalent pattern nowadays, you'd need to add another zero to that price.

Later in the day, we found ourselves in Tecoma, so we checked out the new Salvos there.  I rarely find exciting things in Salvos stores, but I did find a dress that had the strangest fit on the bodice.  I loved the material and the skirt, though, and was about to put it back when I realised I could just cut the top off and turn it into an actual skirt.

I just couldn't resist that flying bird print!

It cost $12.50, but there's a lot of fabric in that skirt.  Plus, most of the work is already done for me - all I need to do is take the top off, remove the side zip and add some elastic for a waistband.  Although, given that my last experience of altering an op shop buy was to remove an attached belt and belt loops, this could be a little adventurous.  Still, I should learn something new along the way, with any luck.