Wednesday 30 March 2011

You win some...

I remember the exact moment I fell in love with thrifting. I was at a friend's house and she pulled out a navy blue Chanel cropped blazer from her closet and my heart skipped a beat. It possibly stopped working when she told me she found it for 20 bucks in a Salvo's bargain bin. I've moved states since then and lost touch with her but the image of that blazer is mine forever.

I haven't been so lucky yet but I have collected a few fashion finds over the last few months. Clothes are tricky to sort through and I usually make for the books/ bric-a-brac sections but these beauties caught my attention.


A chocolate brown (in this dodgy pic it looks kind of khaki) tailored blazer still with tags! From the Fletcher Jones female 'Prophecy' collection it was just my size and sits nicely on top of my jeans so not quite cropped :) There's some subtle ruching at the shoulders which I love. RRP $269 (says the tag) but I took it home @ $14.95, Salvo's Coburg. WIN


When I saw these skinny leg jeans I had to stuff my fist in my mouth to stop myself from swearing. Bettina Liano Jeans are usually in the $150+ price range and these were in great condition. I was sold @ $10!!! Vinnies, Epping.


My best find of the month, Steve Madden black flats for a massive $5.99 @ Mill Park Savers. These are amazing. What's more amazing is that this whole outfit cost me less than a birthday cake (try doubling that @ Brunetti's, the things we do for chocolate mmm? :) Puts things into perspective doesn't it?

Sunday 27 March 2011

Noob :D

Hello op shoppers, I'm a noob to this blog and am quite excited to be contributing. Lately I've been on a winning streak, finding my winter wardrobe has been a breeze this year and I dont think i'm going to stop anytime soon.

Here are some of my pride and joys over March.

I scored big time at the new savers in Mill Park. Its fantastic there! all dresses $7 even the floral ones!


A lovely floral number that needed no alterations! hurray! and a super trendy jump suit with lovely detailing on the collar. both $7


some nice oxfords and a lovely long flowing skirt that's amazing on sunny picnic days. both $7 again

also at savers attached to a very ugly dress was this lovely broach. So I bought the dress for $4 as it was half price day, took the broach off and will send the dress back to the op shop circuit :D

meanwhile camberwell salvos has given me my new favourite skirt - $9


at Watsonia's Red cross I found a skirt that i cant decide to take up or not for $8 and as there effpos limit was $10 I scouered the shop for something else to bring my total up and found this lovely straw handbag for $4.

And lastly Geelong's Mill Market. wooooooweee what an amazing place! my boyfriend and I got there at 5pm and it shut at 6pm but I had only done half the place!!!! I know its not quite an op shop but I'm in love all the same. I found a nice Tin set for $6 and a dress $20. I'm heading up to Dalesford next weekend, theres one there also so i'll set aside a large portion of the day to suss it out.

Thanks for reading!

lions for sale

Ha ha, not really. This is an early warning for the next Lions sale:

Date: Saturday, 30 April 2010
Usual Time: 8 am to 1 pm
Usual Place: 1st Vermont Scout hall near the corner of Canterbury Rd and Mitcham Rd in Vermont.

Hope to see you there.

Saturday 26 March 2011

Savers Savers Savers

Hello lovely op-shoppers. I LOVE this blog and am so excited to be a part of it! I'm a huge fan of pre-loved treasures and am an avid collector of tins, bags and more recently board games. The really old vintage board games are hilarious.

Here are some gorgeous tins I've recently found in Savers.

A litte international flavour for my desk. I especially love the double decker which now holds my jewellery and lip balm @ 99c Greensborough Savers. I use the Saks 5th Avenue tin to keep all my bobby pins safe (they are always disappearing!) @ $1.99 Brunswick Savers.


This is one of my favourite tins. Its tiny at 6cm high. I keep my wooden tacks inside. Too Cute @ $2.99 Mill Park Savers.

Visit me to see my other favs!

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Singer sought for op shop in Cranbourne

An interesting idea for marketing. Anyone near Cranbourne?

Singer needed for op shop

Postcard heaven


One of the things I look for in op shops are postcards, which I collect and swap. I do not mind if they have been preloved and written on. I recently bought a box of over 300 (mostly written on) from an op shop in Diamond Creek for $12.50 (they had a sign for 10 cents each) but I asked for a bulk price. (we did not count them prior. I would say they had all been the one family donation and I was so pleased that they had not been thrown out. Someone had gone to the trouble to cross out the names and address with a black marker - but I could read it anyway. Henceforth this collection will be known to me as my O'Meara sub collection. The earliest dated one I found was 1969.

I had to really contain my exitement as I left the shop.

So today another little coup at Savers Greensborough. They have now exteneded their wall system space - which they have gone into big time at Mill Park. I look for the stationery type bundles. The catch is - you do not always know exactly what you are going to get without undoing the 20 staples of the plastic bag it is all tied together with - but today for $3.99 I took the risk. Spied what I thought was at least one postcard in the bag - and the rest to me is a bonus/surprise when I get home. I have not photographed the 3 packets of textas (kept though) and other odds and ends I will recycle. I am ove the moon - over 14 beautiful art cards you would pay at least $2 each for at National Gallery and then about 10 similiar greeting cards (no envelopes) in perfect condition.

Looking for postcards invariably leads me to greeting cards but that is fine too.

Sorry for long winded post.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Temcare Op Shop bursting with great buys!

Came across the Temcare Op Shop in Station Street, Oakleigh today.
I haven't been there for a number of years as the price tags were quite steep.
But imagine my surprise to find that not only the prices have shrunk but the oodles of goodies waiting to be snaffled up!
When did this happen and why didn't I get the memo?!

Stacks of craft stuffs, china, pottery, silverware, clothing, the works - and all very reasonably priced.
I got my son some childrens classic books for 50 cents each, stencils and souvenir tea spoons, again all for 50 cents.

For those whose fingers are getting itching to start knitting/crocheting there is a big basket full of lovely yarns and a container full of needles, there are a lot of bags of stamps behind the counter for stamp collectors, some fab books and plenty of great donated vintage pieces to have a gander at, while there were some fab dolls on the counter - something for everyone!

Sunday 20 March 2011

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.

Thursday 17 March 2011

Melbourne SUN newspaper today . . . Op Shop Feature ..

Check out today's Op Shop feature in the Sun.
Sorry left mine at a friends house, think it was page 67....

Tuesday 15 March 2011

another ALL DAY SATURDAY op shop ... yay!

Ashburton Support Services Opportunity Shop at 285b High St, Ashburton have changed their hours (Moderators please note and change the info in the link to the right>>>)  thanks

The Shop is now open 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.


So lots more time to shop at this querky little shop, which is just alongside the railway line near Ashburton Station.  
Their Retro Clothing rack had quite a few nice items when I checked it out today.   They will be having a summer clothing sale soon too, keep an eye out!!

Monday 14 March 2011

Recent finds

A Barbie tin for 49 cents (seriously? when we don't have 1 cent pieces anymore?) from Oakleigh Salvos.
I plan to install a mini collection in it after de-Barbifying it.

$2.99, also from Oakleigh Salvos. It is almost complete, only two pages with the boxes pressed out. Pretty!

A blank book handmade from plant fibre in Mexico, found in the Red Cross oppy in Oakleigh for $3. The next shot includes the little blurb describing it, plus the original price sticker - a whopping $58 dollars (I'm
assuming US$)!
A trio of linen panels featuring butterflies/moths, a dollar for all three (!) from St Vinnies at Pinewood.



And finally a silk scarf, also from St Vinnies at Pinewood, also a dollar. At the same shop, I also got a Harry Potter video and a Lost Boys video for a dollar each. Score!

Sunday 13 March 2011

Op Shop Manager postions advertised

Op Shop Manager postions with the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria in Blackburn and Parkdale.

Details at Seek

Thursday 10 March 2011

Wednesday 9 March 2011

A Collection of Clocks ?

I wanted to share with you my Master Five's collection of alarm clocks that he has been accumulating on our regular Op Shop visits.

The first one was purchased at the Salvos in Balwyn. It is a cow alarm clock and moos when the alarm goes off - not great at 2am!

The second clock was bought at an Op Shop in Kew. It is a very cute looking frog that croaks 'How Much is that Doggy (or should it be Froggy?) in the Window?' followed by 'Wake Up, Wake Up'.


His third clock is a Madagascar clock purchased at the Sacred Heart op shop in South Melbourne. This one just rings like any normal alarm clock.


His alarm clock 'collection' made me wonder - what else do fellow op shoppers collect ?

Op Shop tours as part of the Comedy Festival

Has anyone been on a bus op shop tour and are they good value?

Apparently there are Op Shop tours being arranged as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival (!) in April.

Further details and booking at TryBooking.com

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Savers.. and Salvos.. and Vinnies.. AND Uniting Care..

Did anyone else go to the Savers 50% off (clothing) sale yesterday? As usual at their sales, I hardly bought anything, but I did get this glass painting of a tiger for $12.99. Tacky, but cool. 
I also got a skirt there for only $2.50 thanks to the sale, but it's pretty formfitting and without a person in it you can't tell what it looks like, so if you're dying to know, head to my blog in the next few days as I will eventually put an outfit shot up.
It actually took me a while to get to Savers because I hit the three other big op shops in Dandenong beforehand and really took my time in there. I used to have to rush my visits there as I went on my lunch break, but no longer being employed at my former workplace, and having just completed a huge translating job, I was in the mood to spend, spend, spend. And I did! Here you see most of my purchases:
I won't go into detail about the clothes as I will do outfit posts on my own blog at some point, suffice to say I found an AMAZING long pink wool skirt for $8 at Uniting Care which you can just see under everything else, plus a brand new blue cardigan made of 100% merino wool for $8. Also at UC I got this tray thing for $4. The guy working there told me it was for threshing rice, but it's too heavy and awkward for that. Any idea what it could be?
 
Maybe just something ethnic looking that was made in China and sold at one of those interior stores, but I have a feeling it was used for something agricultural/culinary. I might use it for a tabletop.
I also got this cool black leather handbag at UC for $6. 
Also Le Specs "Roller Disco" sunnies for $2!! (Quite happy about that, although if I were being picky I would have said I preferred red ones).
At Vinnies I got two batik hankies for $1 (I looooove batik), a voile scarf for $1, and some books for $1-$2 each. Also a linen jacket for $8 and a dress which was free because there was a deal on summer clothes (two for one, or something like that, I didn't pay attention so it was a nice surprise when I got to the counter).
At the Salvos I got some jewellery for a few dollars and also found a black ceramic cat for $1.99. I already had two but got this one anyway, and now it's like my cat couple have a kitten. Aww. (I actually saw another set of these cats at Savers later, but they were more like $5 each and not in such great condition).
 
So all in all a very successful and exciting day, although now I have to actually work out where all this is going to fit in the house!

KEW..

TOOK a trip over to Kew today, visited the usual shops.. **one in the Church Grounds, one down near the Senior Citz. across the road and up a bit there's another, then the one in the Harp Shopping Center, and down to the large Vinnies (?)

well surprise, surprise, the M.S. have opened a new shop in High St Kew, directly opposite the one in the Church Grounds. new shop, not much stock but maybe one to watch out for in coming months?




** sorry I dont really know the names of these shops, I tend to just follow my usual route and not check out the shop names, must stop that if I want to report here.


Anyway I found a nice stash of knitting patterns, some embroidery books and a nice cloth to embroider... not a lost day after all..

Pocket guide to Op Shops in Geelong

A new book has been published on Op Shops in Geelong

Keen to share the joy of Op shopping, Heidi Wane has compiled this comprehensive guide which will be the key to unlocking bargain priced vintage fashion, homewares, books, modern fashion, furniture, Manchester, linen, tableware, footwear, accessories, jewellery and fine china. This book describes Op Shops in and around Geelong, the Surfcoast, the Bellarine Peninsula and selected areas in the Western District of Victoria.

It is only $8 and can be purchased online (or in their City store) from the Information Victoria Bookshop

Monday 7 March 2011

Hoppers Crossing Op Shop Closing Down

Factory 6 371 Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing. 10-5pm Everyday.

All Second Hand Clothing $1
New Clothing 50% Off
Shoes $2
Videos $1
Furniture, Make an offer
Books 50c
Toys, Make an offer
Jewellery 50% Off

+ many more rock bottom prices.

SALE 4th March- 16th March.

More details here

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Holy Trinity Anglican Church Op Shop Mad March Car Park Sale

Holy Trinity Anglican Church Op Shop
Church Street, Hastings, Vic
Saturday 19th March
Details here

I cannot make it, so hope a reader can go and report back to us.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Lovely Pyrex from CROWN .. red and blue

Went out shopping thru Blackburn and Brentford Square today. Found some lovely items for myself and for friends.
Favourites were these eight Crown Pyrex ramekins
four with red/orange flower design ...
 and four with blue floral..... 

You don't have to use bowls like these for ovenware, they make a really sweet little bowl for deserts, muesli with yoghurt, strawberries and cream.... mmmmm think I 'll use a couple this evening for stewed peaches and custard.♥