Flea Market Finds…

 

More here!

Stuff, baby.

Oh how I love thee! So much so that I am always more than a little suspicious of those who don’t love you so much, or don’t have so much… how do they get their addictive flashes of nostalgia, or that warm fuzzy feeling that only a cute birdie egg cup can give…?!

My favourite & my best find this week came in the form of a GORGEOUS, DEVINE, ABSOLOUTELY AMAZING, vintage Virgo coat, picked up at an oppy after Gymbaroo for a ridiculous $3. Yep. $3. Even The Boy was impressed with this find. It’s a wee bit too small for my ginormous & ever growing girth, but I am keeping it out, on display almost, as my ‘after bubba goal coat’…. waaaaaaaaaaaaaay after…

Even though there were heaps upon heaps of garage sales yesterday I didn’t hold out a whole lot of hope – I felt I’d had my glorious find of the week & none of the gazillions of listed garage sales sounded all that great to me on paper, so we went, The Punk and I, but grudgingly, and shivering as it was DAMN COLD yesterday morning…!

Just as I suspected, there wasn’t much of anything, although Punky managed to find herself a little sumpin sumpin at virtually every stop.

But then.

There was this;

And these;

Bringing my stuff quota up for the week & making me marvellously happy.

For more Flea market finds visit the ever lovely Miss Sophie… I know I will!

Now or never.

…that is, if I don’t show you these awesome blocks I got at the oppy the week before last I never bloody will. I didn’t share straight away because I had to take pictures of all the different sides…

$2.

The best blocks I have EVER SEEN (and they’re MINE. Not Punk’s, oh no. MINE!).

Rock and/or roll.

Yesterday there was an absolute plethora of Garage Sales around these parts and Miss Punk and I took full advantage.

It was more of a “Garage Sale Gifts” day, though, as opposed to a “Lots of goodies for Vic” day… having said that I did get a whole bunch of sewing patterns for $4, and, all for under $50; talking family guy figures for my aunt, a frikkin POOL TABLE for the boy, toys, clothes, an Alice in Wonderland DVD and (my favourite) some FANTASTIC pictures for The Punk.

I had actually admired one of these pictures on someone’s blog a while back, and when I saw them on the table yesterday I was thrilled – and they looked even better in person. The lady told Punky that she had them in her room when she was a little girl (and she still had them… isn’t that great?!). A whole $5 was shelled out for the lot, and they’re already pride of place above Punkster’s mantle-piece.

For more flea market finds, you know where to go….

Are you ready boots?

Yesterday was a good day. The sun was out, The Punk was in a good mood, I had new boots to wear; all was right with the world.

The “new” boots of which I speak are my oppy find of the week for Sophie’s Flea Market Finds – oh how I love them, and how they were so obviously meant for me…

On Wednesday I was very tempted to break my Ethical Clothing Pledge with a pair of $25 boots from Rivers, they were cute damnit, and cheap, but, luckily for me & my weak will, I could nae get the pair I wanted onto my elephantine feet so left grumpily yet morally sound.

Thursday, after Gymbaroo, a spot of opping was called for & the second I glimpsed these lovelies my heart skipped a beat. They were EXACTLY what I have been after, trawling Etsy for in the hopes of finding a cheap pair of with free shipping or something… and they were right in front of me. I picked them up – Size 8. ‘Aren’t I a Men’s 9?’ I wondered (I am in cons – I mistakenly thought these were American), but I thought I better try them on anywho – they looked about right – and oh they were! They are comfortable and tough and waterproof – which is somewhat of a novelty to me with my previous experience of cheap, cruddy boots. I could go on about their awesomeness, I could, but I shall content myself with smiling to myself when I see them and being rather chuffed. Oh – and they were $25, precisely, and about a thousand times better than the tat I wanted to buy the day before.

Auction Awesome….

Yesterday I trundled off, an hour late, to my second ever auction. Luckily for me, it was so big that I’d hardly missed anything & there was still a whole lot of auction awesome to be had….

Scoot on over to Sophie’s for some more nifty thrifty finds!

Pleasure & Pain.

Pleasure:

Massive vintage trunks, $3 ea.

HUGE dollhouse, $5 (You should have seen me wrestling it into the car…)

Kitchy cute figurines & planters, 50 cents ea.

Enamelware & cake tins, $3 the lot.

Old mirror, matching teapot to last week’s tan one in orange, potholders…. $2.50

More potholders & pyrex $2.

Pain:

Being THIRTY SECONDS LATE for a vintage picnic set in a briefcase, marked $10 but sold to the (#$%^@!$) picky woman for $5 because “…it’s not a complete set.”

I could have cried.

I almost did.

If you ever come acrosS one kids, think of me won’t you, if you’re not the vintage picnic set in a briefcase type? I’ll love you forever!

L'Amour Chair - Recon.

(I've called it the L'Amour Chair (Not to be confused with a love seat - don't think you'd get two people on here!) because the fabric I used for the seat is from a pack of Moda L'Amour I picked up from the Craft Hope for Haiti shop.... Excuse the terrible photos - paint dried overnight & my pics this morn could have used A LOT more light...)

Before: $10 from Le Oppy. (A bit expensive but I liked it because it wasn't your usual telephone table...)

After: A splash of enamel paint & a some new fabric for the cushion.

Fresh Hunting Grounds

As I have mentioned a couple of times, Miss Punk is a new Gymbaroo goer. As there is no such kindy gym type place here, we have to trek into a much bigger town once a week… it just so happens, as I discovered yesterday, that right by the Gym there are three lovely oppies…..

I didn’t leave any empty handed.

Supercute Sunjoy (What IS Sunjoy… sounds familiar but I don’t know why…?) zip up briefcase, $1. It fit almost all my treasures in it too…! Little enamel teapot $2.

Vintage lovely: Above – Tom & Jerry & Deputy Dawg “TV Favourites” jigsaw puzzles - $1 each.

Below – A Superbook for girls, $2 & old “Leatherette Craft” kit, made in England, still with all the bits & pieces, $1.

Cute red thermos for my kitschy kitchen. $1.50.

…and. My very first vase. Really. I’m not saying I’ve never used other things as vases – glasses, bottles, jugs, teapots… but this is the very first vase (and I have seen A LOT of oppy vases) that I have liked enough to buy. It’s beautiful! Not sure how much it was… $2 I think.

How To Opshop; Opshopping Hints & Tips.

(Today's opshop finds; brand new red photo frame $1, brand new watercolour paint set for Punk 50 cents, crocheted postcard basket $3, wooden stepping stool $2, BH&G magazines 50 cents each, vintage children's picture dictionary $2, vintage Pyrex bowl $2, vintage Christmas table cloth for a swap $1, funky book "Presents - making them for other people" 10 cents, cute yellow letter holder for Le Punks bedside reads $1.)

Jacqui posted last week about her lack of "thrifting" luck & my reply to her has prompted this post.

Basically, I started off by saying "There are no hard & fast rules to opshopping..." & then proceeded to tell her some rules I live by... so I guess there are some rules... or guidelines at the very least, that make for a happy opshopping experience, I just never really thought of it like that because it's just what I do.

I've also heard lately that I am "...so lucky!" with my oppy finds, but I don't think I am a particularly lucky thrift shopper - just persistent. There are days I go into an opshop & leave with nothing, whereas other days I can barely open the door to go out so laden am I with happy treasures... the thing is though, I enjoy the empty handed days just as much as the days when I find things - I save money for one - but I enjoy the browsing in & of itself.

So, my "Hints & Tips" for opping;

• Go often & stay long....! I probably visit my local oppies at least twice a week and stay until I've rummaged around in all the nooks & crannies. It helps that I sometimes use it as "me" time too & enjoy the entire process immensely, even if I don't find anything.If you go in often enough, or *shock* ask, you'll find out when "new" stock comes in so you can be there for all the good pickings...!

• I hardly ever go looking for something in particular, I go in with no expectations & am usually pleasantly surprised. If I am looking for something in particular not only am I disappointed when I don't find it, but I skim over other goodies because they're not my "focus".

• See a trip to the oppy as a pleasant distraction instead of a desperate shopping expedition & enjoy browsing through everything, racks you would normally breeze by, boxes you would usually ignore, could hold a gem that has been waiting for you!

• Where to go... that is trial & error unfortunately! City stores vary from full of retro goodness priced sky high to sparsely stocked monoliths with things even the needy would reject. Country stores are generally cheaper, but you'll find some crazy pricing wherever you go - there is a set of old (...and grotty) kitchen canisters in an oppy here that are priced at $50 - you could get some in the same condition cheaper at a secondhand dealer, and anyone who would even consider paying that much for a set would know that, so they have been sitting there for MONTHS. I hear volunteers pricing things sometimes & the mind boggles at their reasoning!I have found however, after years of opping with great success, that the "weird" little oppies are often filled to the brim with treasures, if you're just willing to unearth them! You know the ones, "The Cat Society Thift Shop" or the "Christian Mission Opportunity Shop" or something, I think it has something to do with how they are run, the bigger ones like vinnies have a distribution centre that, well, distributes the goodies amongst it's stores, whereas those ones almost hoard their donations, which is good news for us!

• If you ARE looking for something in particular, don't be afraid to ask. I have heard people asking for all sorts of weird & wonderful things with varying degrees of success; they may take your name & call you if what you are after comes in (if this is offered to you though I would still go in & check occasionally, in case the promise is forgotten) or they may have something out the back that they are yet to put out.

• If you have kids, LEAVE THEM AT HOME! It is soooooooo much easier to potter about for ages if you don't have to worry about little hands playing with inappropriate vintage china, but, if, like me, you are rarely child free, you must soldier on!

• Look EVERYWHERE. I cannot stress this enough. You may not want any books on "Microwave Cooking" (...a subject, it seems, on which many books have been written but not all that many are kept) but if you don't give that shelf a quick once over you can pretty much guarantee that is where your dream book on vintage softies will be nestled. Sometimes volunteers put things in weird places, sometimes kids do a little rearranging & sometimes shoppers with ulterior motives "hide" things they've found for later. Many times I have found delicious vintage jackets turfed in with "Fancy Dress" (how dare they?!).

• Try. It. On. Unless you plan on a whole lot of refashioning or re-purposing, try on anything you intend to wear. Even $2 is too much to pay for something you can't wear.

• Don't take big notes - this isn't really a rule but it's a good idea, especially if you've found an awesome something for 50 cents at the afore mentioned Cat Protection Society oppy - do you think they've done enough trade to change that $50 for you? Chances are they could do it, but it's better safe than sorry.

• Look for potential. I would have never have bought this or this if I didn't think I could make them look much better & make them "mine".

• Take a bag or 7... they always have plastic bags, but we all know that's a no no in this day & age, even if you aren't environmentally aware, the bags they have are usually donated secondhand bags themselves & are not always pristine - you don't want to loose your funky new bracelet on the way home because your cruddy supermarket plastic bag had a hole in it.

• And finally... don't get discouraged! Go & go again, browse & browse some more!

Happy opping!!

Gnomes, Gnomes, Gnomes!!

I woke up this morning & decided I was going to paint.

Instead, I went shopping.

I had to go grocery shopping (yuck), but before that I got to go op shopping (yay). I am, officially, a greedy op shopper. Something happens to me when I enter one of these dens of musty, eccentric, second hand goodness, my heartbeat quickens, my eyes dart furtively about & I will every other shopper out of the store. I don't like lots of people around when I'm op shopping. Other stores, sure, no problem, the more the merrier, but op shopping is an entirely different story. There is a finite number of precious things for the finding in any given op shop & I want to be the one to find them. In a "regular" store, if you see someone trudging by with something you just have to have, you can generally be assured that there is more to be had, but not in an oppy. Unfortunately my Jedi mind skills are sorely lacking & everyone just keeps on shopping, no matter how much I wish otherwise, so I have to get stuck straight in to the business at hand; fossicking. I zone out - I don't look up from whichever rack, shelf or basket I am perusing, for fear of seeing someone picking up some grand vintage find that would ignite insane jealousy.... what I don't know, can't hurt me.

Today, I had a great score..... Gnomes!!

If you're getting old, like me ;) You may remember these books, first published in the mid 80s, then the 90s. There are heaps of them, perhaps someone could enlighten me to just how many exactly, but today I had the good fortune to find the "Around The World with the Gnomes" set. I already had a couple of odd ones at home but couldn't remember which, so I just bought them all, at the hefty price of 10 cents each.

Finding these today reminded me about some paintings I finished a few weeks ago, a Gnome triptych, they've just been sitting out in my craft area, gathering dust. I thought I'd dig them out & show them some love, since I don't rightly know at the moment exactly what it is I'm going to do with them.

They are mixed media (acrylic, water colour pencil & permanent ink) on stretched canvas.