A few minutes spare in Tuggeranong

Meant a visit to Salvos. $13 later I left with the following: Sheridan daisy sheet ($5), homemade toy gas station ($8) which I plan to renovate and (hopefully) turn it into a cafe and/ or gallery...

What treasures have you found recently?

Designs on opshops

I have not had many op shop opportunities lately - and the few I have had I have let empty handed. Today I got to venture into Salvos in Phillip (where they had a table of children's clothes for 50 cents.

I added to my sewing pattern collection, purchasing 'designer' for Vogue patterns including one by Tom and Linda Platt.

Also in the stash, a classic Disney Golden Book, a fabric sample, a pair of near new green converse cut-offs (not pictured) and the intriguing vintage Magic Robot game. I will need to test this one - the robot answers your 'encyclopedic' questions.

Also in the mailbox today was an advert for the Wombat Wardrobe, a charity shop for Fusion International in Kambah. The flyer promotes Quality Second Hand Clothing, Books and Manchester.

Details:
Carleton St Shops, Kambah
Tues-Fri 11 am - 5 pm
Sat 9 am - 12 pm

A frosty reception

Reprinted from The Shopping Sherpa

After I scraped the ice off Miss Daisy's windows this morning, we drove through the fog to visit Jamison Trash and Treasure before work:

(I decided scraping the ice off the CDs in order to read the titles wasn't worth the effort and so retired to a nearby cafe where I spent my money on coffee and raisin toast instead)

Going to pot

A long story (involving one of my favorite pots, almost burning the house down, and a discovery that my "classic" pot is no longer in production) leads me to a plea:

If, in your wanderings you happen to spy the Bistro pot on the left, medium sized (17.5 cm across) please snaffle it immediately and let me know...

As we say in my family, I'll be eternally grapefruit!

Fash 'n' Treasure - Canberra Fashion Market

This landed in my inbox yesterday and I thought you might be interested...

"Hi there,

Just a quick email to let you know about a new fashion market in Canberra. I've always loved reading your blog and I'm an avid op-shopper myself .. in fact, I've found my own discarded clothing in op shops more times than I'd like to admit :)

In light of this, I have taken a leap of faith and organised a brand new fashion market where Canberra locals can sell their second-hand clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. The market also has a section for professional fashion sellers - we have a range of vintage traders and local fashion designers signed up already. Our first market is on Saturday the 17th of July at the Old Bus Depot Building, Wentworth Avenue, Kingston (10am - 3pm). We'll have change rooms and a professional DJ for the whole market.

We are still accepting stall bookings for private and business sellers and I wondered if you or your readers would be interested?

You can find more information on our website at http://wwww.fashntreasure.com.au or I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks and best wishes,

Jane
FASH 'N' TREASURE

web: http://www.fashntreasure.com.au
email: info@fashntreasure.com.au
mobile: 0403 268 819"

Alas, when I checked the website this morning it seems to be broken...

If you look long enough ...

They say that if you look for long enough you will find anything at an op shop. On a wet Sunday Taph and I took a trip through the tip shops of Canberra.

We could not believe it when we saw this at Tinys green shed.

Looks like a coffee table, right.

That is want we thought, until we wondered why it would have three pairs of handles and screws on top.

Yep, it’s a coffin. We will add this to our list of things not to buy second hand.

Long Shorts

I had not been to an op-shop, fee or auction for months, but managed a 5 minute quick stop at Salvos in Jamieson a few weeks ago on the way to my daughters soccer match.

They had a heap of brand new children's patterns for 50 cents each. With a daughter who wears nothing but shorts 365 days of the year, it was a good find (now just to find time to get my sewing machine out!).

Cover up

It's been a bit quiet on the op-shopping front Chez Taph and TOF (well there was that one time, at the Lifeline Bookfair $10 a bag sale..., but I digress).

Today I had the opportunity for a lunchtime rummage at Salvos in Phillip.

This is just gorgeous - not at all pretty, or even beautiful, but a gorgeous 1970s home constructed queen-sized bedspread.  Vintage 60s and 70s fabric squares machine sewed together, backed by old sheeting and with a brown skirt.  And mine for $5.

Booked

The Lifeline Bookfair is an institution in this town.  I know many people who take the day off work to attend the first day (Friday) of the fair.  It is, for some of us, a holy day of obligation.

I normally attend for work.  I get there early (8.30am or so) on the Friday morning with my shopping trolley and bags and queue up with everyone else.  Thermoses of coffee are opened, old friends caught up with and new acquaintances made - there's a lovely sense of community and I usually get a fair whack of knitting done.

I couldn't get there on opening day last week, alas, but TSS kept me updated via text and telephone and picked up one or two items for my collection of vintage Patons knitting patterns.

TOF and I were busy all day  Saturday so it wasn't until Sunday afternoon that we managed a visit.  Is it a coincidence that they announced the "everything you can fit into a supermarket green bag" for $10 sale within minutes of us arriving?  I think not.

Amongst the items in my "green bag" were 30 or so Textile Fibre Forum magazines from the 1980s and 1990s, over a dozen community fund-raiser recipe books for the collection at work and these - lovely, lovely, lovely Enid Gilchrist pattern books.


TOF picked up a mixed bag of books and about 30 cds for his $10 (and some novels for me slipped in there as well).  All up, we're a couple of happy little bookworms.

Easter treasures

Reprinted from The Shopping Sherpa

I had today off and high on my list of things to do was finally get my knives and scissors sharpened for the year (a task which is well overdue.)

As usual, I was asked to come back to collect my knives in a couple of hours so there was only one thing to do: continue on to Queanbeyan and check out the op shops there before dropping into Narrabundah and Fyshwick on the way back.

This collection was strongly influenced by Ampersand Duck's fabulous work at the opening of Three Chords and the Truth last night at ANCA Gallery:($3.50 the lot)

D is for daisy. I seemed to find a lot of them today (plus a vintage set of Cuisenaire rods):(Cuisenaire rods: $10, bag of various fridge magnets including the d is for one above: $4, toy badge making set including daisy blanks: $2, white daisy buckle: $1, vintage daisy doily: 50 cents)

Also in the bag of fridge magnets (and the main reason I bought them) was this and a couple of similar vintage wooden magnets, which will be turned into brooches this weekend:Shown on my "new" trans-seasonal coat ($15)

Finally, I found this set of cards in Vinnies Queanbeyan for $1. I guess it's a game of some sort (there are instructions. They're all in Japanese) but I think the cards would look great hung on dolls house walls...
And remember, being Easter weekend most op shops are closed until Tuesday. If you get desperate it's Portobello Road at The Old Bus Depot markets on Sunday. I won't be there: I've spent my frugalling budget for the month...