a day at the market

I found a couple more dust collectors at the market today. 

I promise the little elephant is alot cuter in person. Anything to stop JD dumping coins everywhere around the house is a bonus. Seriously, how cool is the letter holder? Ships ahoy!!!

They now live on the beaten up green chest of drawers I bought from ebay over a year ago. I remember begging JD to come to collect it with me from the scary neighbourhood. Arh, the things you do..

The lady had actually painted it green and changed the handles - the handles, I'm not totally in love with. The wall is a work in progress, I think this is where I'll eventually hang my vintage paintings.

to market

Leather pumps $1.50 : Small leather bag $1- : Scientific German glass beaker $4- : Three potted kitchen herbs $5-

Got up early today and waited 10 minutes in a car park queue to get into the sunday market - that's commitment! The things we do..

I went visited my brothers girlfriend who was having a stall at the Round She Goes Vintage Market, whilst there were some cute things about, nothing really tickled my fancy.

Hope you had a great weekend!

the weekend so far..

Last night, friends and I had dinner and drinks at Movida. Yuuum. Completely over ordered and still managed to squeeze in churros and a citrus custard for dessert. Oh my, deeelicous.

Afterwards we saw Sarah Blasko at the forum. What can I say, she was spectacularly ethereal.

Today JD and I worked a little more on the kitchen (kitchen? what kitchen...?) On the way to Bunnings, I stopped off and checked out a school trash n treasure market. I bought this "It's love that makes a house a home" cross stitch for $2. It's strategically placed amongst the crumbling bricks and mess in the kitchen.. I spose a little cheesiness never hurt nobody.

Going to see a movie tonight with the boy.

op-shop finds

I feel like ranting about some of my op-shop finds, so bare with me..

This check smock shirt, I bought a few months ago in Philip Island. I love the big pockets cut on the diagonal. It reminds me of kindergarden art smocks or like some thing out of the Toast catalogue. Oooh I feel like going camping or finding a log cabin hideaway.

This week I uncovered three op-shops near work.

Paid $3 for these Italian woven navy flats. Shame they're half a size too big and are in serious need of topy shoe sole grip. So I found out the hard way: I had a magnificent stack down the stairs in our apartment foyer. Was on my sore bottom picking up all my handbag contents! Lucky no neighbors were around to see it. Bargain? Perhaps not.

little buds of spring

The warm sunshine over the weekend has inspired me to get out some of the my frocks out of the wardrobe, sans opaque tights.

Here's one of the dresses I bought in Phillip Island. I think the white flower buds are rather sweet, however, I will need to take the hemline up..

hello weekend, goodbye lamp..

In a bid rid our place of the zillion lamps I have lying around, I've decided to give this ornate black one away. It's going to a good home, recently engaged friends with little bubba on the way.. Not a very romantic gift but very suited to their style and practical. Another Camberwell Market purchase.

In my kitchen

Previously an old factory 'A' frame ladder...

Transformed into a home for my jars of herbs, spices, baking trays, platters, pots, and pans.

I have a thing for apothecary bottles..

Another Camberwell Market purchase from a few years ago. JD constructed the timber planks for extra shelving. This has been super handy but not sure if it should stay in the kitchen or be ebayed away?

I still love it, as it was the one of the first pieces of 'make shift' furniture we bought for our flat and I really don't want to part with it, just yet... Oh, I don't think I'll ever have a 'grown up' home!!

Phillip Island treasures

Phillip Island was really nice and relaxing. Surprisingly the sun did make an appearance. Running out of town amidst a ripped up kitchen is not the smartest idea but JD's bosses organized a weekend getaway to treat the employees, and their partners & children. Very thoughtful and generous.

As always I took the opportunity to scourer the op shops and found a fabulous antique store and nabbed some great things:

This thick woolly yellow houndstooth fabric which goes cheerfully with the Ink & Spindle fabric I got from the Melbourne Design Market a couple weekends go.

We also stopped off at the local trash n treasure market where I found this cute milk glass bud vase, which JD thought was hideous. However I paid the stall vendor when he had his back turned, and laughed pretty hard when he discovered it had made its way home with us, "Arrrgh, you bought the ugly pimply vase?!"

I also got some pretty vintage dresses and super cute wee sized kiddie chairs, which I'll eventually photograph and post.

Hoorah to some colour...

Lovely vintage light weight dress made of 100% Thai cotton but well lined. I had to hand sew the hemline up, but went a wee shorter than I had intended.. Tsk, tsk, tsk, oh when will I ever learn?

Well then good bye for now, see you again in Summer..

Collecting: Vintage paintings

Catherine of Little Glowing Lights reminded me of my abandoned project of collecting vintage oil paintings. Well, maybe not abandoned, but put on hold until all my walls have been painted. Here's the two I found at various op shops..

Still not too sure about this one but I think it may suit my eventual white subway tiled kitchen.

Perhaps sitting above a nesting of white ceramics and nearby some old french bread boards?

Image source unknown

Scanned from Vogue Living

Not sure where this one will go.. Perhaps in the hall when I find some more friends for it to reside with.

Scanned from Real Living Magazine

Home of Lyn Gardener

I love the beautiful simplicity of this one.. Home of Nicole Bonython-Hines, fashion editor of Madison Magazine.

Scanned from Madison Magazine

Grey pleat skirt

On occasion my op shop purchases will require a little bit of work shopping ie. hemline to be taken up or re-sizing and to be taken in. They currently sit in my wardrobe and are added to my never ending to do list..

So with winter here and hibernation in mind, little niggling projects can now be taken care of. Lets say I aim to alter one piece a week I should have a new wardrobe by Spring.
Here's one I did this week..

Before: Long length skirt

Grey pleated checks

Now: High waist & knee length..

Our bedroom

I tidied up for you...

During the week it gets quite messy, clothes thrown in frustration each morning, my magazines left lying around...

Our side tables are old milking stools. JD's stool is where the ugly tech stuff is kept eg. alarm clock, mobile phones etc.

This room goes through re-incarnations every time I change quilt covers. I bought this quilt cover from ebay for only $40!! It's a light musky pink colour & has a lovely subtle white floral paisley/floral print. I love it!. See it up close & buy here - The seller has more!

My op shop dresser & lamp

I'm thinking of changing the wardrobe door handles

Maybe something like this:

Image via This is Glamorous

I'm watching some brushed stainless steel ones on ebay at the moment but not sure if they'll have the same effect.

We're getting new white wooden venetian blinds this week! After 7 years, we can get rid of the crappy, dirty beige & bent, clunky aluminium blinds!! Yay!

This lil chicken went to market..

After a self imposed ban, I succumbed and made my way to the Camberwell trash & treasure market today.

Vintage white cotton shirt $2

Fresh flowers $4.50 a bunch

Cannery knited jumper $2

Vintage Mustard Pumps - $4

Petite Vintage Suitcases $5 + $8.

Vintage leather flats $5

Victorian Lace Collar/Neck Piece $8

Vintage black t-bar brogues $10

The square black & white houndstooth suitcase I purchased from an Antique store in Hobart last easter holidays.

Total $53 Not bad, not bad at all..

Winter woolies

This week I bought...

These yummy knits from a special sample and seconds sale held by The Bowerbird for family and friends. They are the fashion agents for new Melbourne knitwear label Braide and cheap and cheery label Mink Pink. Love a bargain!

He, he, he my seed-esque styling

The stripe knit & waffle knit by Braide

& the long cardi was Mink Pink sample

I also bought these new vintage brown Robin school shoes from an op-shop, not as nice as the ebay ones but not bad for $5. Hmmm, is it daggy for a grown person to be wearing school shoes?

Big green bottles

Image via Seed Femme

Image via Seed Femme

Image via Toast

I bought one of these big vintage glass bottles for $5 from an op shop. Actually, I spotted it. Left. Drove home. Mulled over it. Went back with JD the following weekend. He agreed it was cool. Then it was ours.

Does anyone know what they were used for?

It stands 50cm tall & 30cm in diameter and yet as most things, we have no purpose for it, but hope to find a pretty spot for it.

Have you been into the new Seed Femme stores? They recently opened stores in High St Armadale, in Melbourne & Oxford St, Sydney. If not, you should check out their website to view the beautiful instore styling. It's very beachy, Cape Cod, Hamptons-ish.

I especially love the the white timber racks, kinda like the bakers racks or shoe trolleys I've been obsessing over. Oh and the coffee table with industrial metal legs (oh my, who would have guess?)

There's lovely little vignettes everywhere, bird cages, ladders, vintage hardbacks, old glass bottles etc.. The clothing is abit meh, but definately will be dropping in again just to admire the space.

What to do? To paint or not to paint?

So here's the dresser I had been eying off at the local op-shop nearby work. On my super successful day of op-shopping I decided for only $50 it surely had to be mine. The several elderly gentlemen at this particular Salvo's were super cute and ridiculously helpful in carrying it into my already jam packed car.

Originally it had a mirror attached but I want to use it as a sideboard so I unscrewed it off quite easily and gave it to my sister, which she was wrapped about.

I'm now debating as to whether I should leave it as is, or paint it a very light gray which is what I had originally intended to do.. I've been a bit of a fence sitter on the debated comments on painting furniture on Design Sponge so it doesn't surprise me that I am umming & ahhing over this.

It does have some minor white heat marks on the top but that doesn't overly phase me. It's more so that it's a very warm orangey colour..

Our home is full of mix mosh furniture and as they say maybe it "just comes together", then again I am trying to make an asserted effort to cull and make our home more "polished" and not so "looked what I dragged in today" which is JD's sentiments occasionally.

Hmm, any suggestions?

Here's the lovely wooden letters I got off ebay (shipped from the US) a few of years ago. The letter "d" is of sentiment as it is our surname initial but the others I just liked and got a wee abit carried away and just had to have them.

Confessions of a op-shoppaholic

Ever squealed silently (or out loud) as you've just uncovered an absolute op-shop gem?

What a dream.. just in time for winter, perfect with ribbed tights!!

This is an oldie - all the way from St Vinnies in Wangaratta

Or bought something (even though it's not your exact style) but you just couldn't bare to leave it behind because:

a) some one you know would definitely dig it?

A beautiful mustard colour with a stunning golden bronze shimmer

b) because of its absolutely stunning embroidery detail... Even though it's only 1 curtain and not quite wide enough to fit your window?

For $7.50 who would complain??

c) because it's vintage Bally for $5!!

BUT ALTERNATIVELY, you may:

a) Have it hanging around for a year only to:
b) Assume someone would pay squillions for it on ebay and delude yourself that you could make a good profit
c) But then no one does, and you're a doofus and ya can't even give it away for free!
d) End up giving it back to charity
e) Ask yourself what on earth was I thinking?? And think oh well, at least the money has gone to a good cause.
f) All of the above

With some luck you may cherish it for years, use it constantly, adore wearing it, or smile proudly as walk you past it it your home.

PS Ummm, I was suppose to be on my way to buy paint from the hardware store for our bedroom. As you can see I got a tad side tracked... Oh well, try again tomorrow (ha, op-shops don't open on Sundays)