cute little dresses

i've finally managed to follow a pattern (with great care i might add!) and am happy with the result. cute little dresses good for summer or layering up when it gets chilly! you can even use them as tops when they get to short! xx

what happened to the true spirit of the op shop?

it has been a while since my last post and i don't really have any excuse. yes, i did have a few computer probs but that wasn't the real reason... i guess i have just been slack and feeling a little uninspired. anyway, after today's good op shopping, i'm feeling more cheery (i guess spending always makes me feel a little better... ). i picked up a few bargains, including this cool coloured chair for five bucks!

despite my cheery mood, something really got me thinking today and that was how op shops have changed over the last ten years, not just in price increases but in their true spirit.


i checked out some shirts in savers and was shocked to find that they were $20 each! old plates were also around $20.... gone are the days where you can pick up clothes for 50 cents. i understand a little price rise but some op shops are no longer places to pick up bargains.


i also ventured into a a salvos store where a woman in front of me wanted to buy a pair of pants which were priced at seven dollars. she enquired about the health care card discount and the woman behind the counter replied that it wasn't discount day. the woman was clearly upset, struggling with the decision of whether she could afford the pants. she ended up reluctantly handing over the money. i wanted to buy the pants for her but at the same time didn't want to patronise the woman... i felt that the 'volunteer' (or was she paid??), should have just given the woman the discount or even just given her the pants! i was under the impression that op shops primarily used to be for providing material aid (which has been donated, i might add) to those in need. 


i guess i sound a little contradictory - wanting to pick up a bargain yet wanting op shops to provide for those who really need it (in aid and raising money). perhaps i will need to think about what a happy medium may be.... anyway, that's my rant for the week. X

aaarrrrggghhh crochet

i haven't posted anything lately as i have been trying to make that blanket i spoke about earlier! easier said than done. i now admire that blanket even more. i guess i always thought crochet would be easy given that learning how to crochet a granny square does sound like an easy task. i was wrong! after pulling apart my crochet mess at least one hundred times, i  slowly managed to start the the early beginnings of one square... god knows how long it will take to make my blanket - i'd say at least ten winters... this will not stop me though. i am going to persist until i have at least half mastered the skill of crochet. here is four days worth of work...

i love fuzzy felt

i really love hanging around with my kids. however, i sometimes  find it hard to play games all day! to be honest, i'm not great at playing cars or ball games for super long periods of time. yet, there  something i really can spend time and even some real concentration on and that is good old fashioned fuzzy felt. these 'puzzles' from my childhood seem to have made a come back with the young ones and i'm all for it! here's one i prepared earlier....

op shop gold

i went shopping today to look for some shoes for a wedding i have to go to next week (the final one of three in the last six weeks!). anyway, had no luck, of course... 


on the way i decided to duck into my favourite op shop on the peninsula and i struck gold. i found a rocking horse complete with leather seat and studs, a crochet blanket (ask and you shall receive!!!) and some great material - all for $15. i also found a chair on the side of the road - perfect to go at my sewing table!!! 

also, here is a pic of freya wearing one of her favourite 'love from finn' skirts

new skirts with pockets

here's a new skirt with a pocket - getting high tech now!

first day of autumn

well, the rain has come on this first day of autumn. it is almost as though the melbourne weather gods had been holding the it in all summer and as soon as the date ticked around to 1st march, it burst its seams, relieved.... now that the colder weather is upon us it is time to start doing those wintry things. it is almost exciting to think i can start wearing winter boots and rug up in warm jackets. however, i know this feeling will only last for a week or so and then i'll be wishing for that warm weather again!


my top five things to do during these cold times are:


1. learn how to crochet a blanket like this one

2. or, perhaps more realistically, keep an eye out in op shops for a crochet blanket 


3. pick up my knitting from where i left off last winter


4. cook lamb shanks and mashed potato


5. stop listening to happy summer music and start listening to  sad old folk music


now, i know it has only been half a day of rainy weather but the forecast for this week isn't looking good so i may as well plan my rainy day activities now! X