Help from The Hive Mind?

Today we received an email from a reader asking for assistance:

'I was just wondering if you could advise which Op Shop is best for furniture in Canberra?

I would ideally like one that does home deliveries (for a fee of course)


I need a bed; couch, kitchen table & chairs etc, fridge, washing machine, the whole lot!

Any help appreciated,

kind regards,

Liz B'

Can you give Liz some guidance?

My ways of mending

One of my secret pleasures is hand mending and its friend unpicking.  I love the feeling that using a skill like sewing on a button and making small repairs without resorting to a noisy machine gives.  There is an immense feeling of satisfaction to be derived from hand-hemming.*

I'm not so fussed on sewing in the ends of my knitting, but that's a whole other story.

Unpicking garments to recut or reuse the fabric is something I learned from my mother and her mother, as  was unravelling knits to resue the wool.

This little hand made sewing caddy was $4 at Salvos Fyshwick this morning.

I love that someone made the little wooden rocking chair with orange corduroy upholstered seat/pincushion for a sewer.  It has the feel of a school woodwork project.

I also appreciate that it holds all the basic threads I use for hand mending, a thimble, some pins, sewing needles and the tools of the unpicker's trade, a quick-unpick, small sharp scissors and a fine gauge double pointed knitting needle.

*Yes, I will do hand sewing for other people.  And yes, I will charge in cash or kind.

Cross posted from Unravelled.

Thursday Thrifting Finds: Vinnies Woden

(Reposted from Fotofraulein)

A few weeks ago I headed to the south side of Canberra. I checked out the Salvo’s and Vinnies in Woden, but only came away with goodies from Vinnies. 

The score of the day had to be this Heartbreaker dress for $12. It's got a tie around the waist which I had thought of cutting off and replacing with a proper belt. What do you think? Keep it? Or lose it?

In case I decide to cut it off, I also bought a nice white wide belt for $5.

Still not sure if I prefer the tie or belt.

Maggie T jeans for $3.50 (all orange tags were half price, I would’ve paid $7 regardless). They fit well and are a great length. Total bargain!

I am not much of a glitzy girl, but for some reason I kept coming back to this shiny red bag. Perhaps it was my inner magpie coming out. I decided to part with my $7. I used it at my work Christmas party, much better than a Santa t-shirt or jingle bell earrings!

 

And lastly, for $3, an SBS documentary on Australian fashion designers. Something I will watch, get some inspiration, great ideas and thoughts on fashion, then, like a good book, forward onto a friend. Here is an excerpt from the section on Willow.

Heartbreaker Dress - $12

Maggie T Jeans - $3.50

White Belt - $5

Red Glittery Bag - $7

DVD - $3

Total amount spent: $30.50

Vinnies Mitchell Monster Sale

(Reposted from FotoFraulein)

I have a bit of an op shop addiction. But I like to think I have it somewhat under control. Somewhat, but not totally. Where does this obsession come from? Thrill of the chase? The hunt for a bargain? Being a poor university student for so long, which has seeped into adult life? For me, I see it as all of the above, plus I am giving to charity, rather than large multinational corporations. So, as I love op shopping and thrift stores so much, I'm going to do posts on my blog on Thursdays of my thrifting finds and anything ACT related I will repost on I Op Therefore I Am - ACT.

Towards the end of November 2013, the St Vincent de Paul in Mitchell had their monster sale. It started on a Friday, one of the great things about working in Mitchell, a visit fitted perfectly in my lunch break! 

The Vinnies warehouse, where the magic happens twice a year!

I spent $16 and what did I get?

Grace Hill Dress - $6

Capture Black Bolero Jacket - $3

The fabric in this dress has a real 1950s feel, with a satin waistband and neckline. I love pink and gray together and thought it would be great for Summer Christmas parties.

For work, I got this Suzanne Grae short sleeve top for $3. I loved the pattern and I find these tops a great alternative to t-shirts.

Both of the tops I bought have the art deco style sunrise motif. I do love art deco and when it's on fabric,  even better! Also for work and a casual Summer look, I picked up an Epilogue long sleeve top for $4. It is slightly hi-lo at the back, made of light weight polyester, quick drying, no ironing. I wear a lot of white, black and gray, so it goes with many things in my wardrobe.

So all up, a sensible shop, with quite a few good purchases. Have you been op shopping of late? What bargains have you picked up?