Saturday garb and thoughts of blue

Phew, I have been quite busy this week with various Christmas events and work farewells.  It is the season for socialising.  I did manage a quick trip to Toffs and have a new Osti dress to add to my collection (its pink!).  Today I did some chores around the house and then took my daughter shopping.  When we got home the sun came out and so I thought I take a snap of what I have been wearing:

My favourite garb in the weekend is often jeans and teeshirt.  Black tee-shirt (unworn and probably brand new) from Hospice Shop $4 worn with Just Jeans jeans (unworn and probably brand new) from Toffs $2

I had a blue moment on Friday - wore a vintage blue polyester shirt with a favourite combo of maxi skirt and vest.  

Although it is now Spring (although not very dry or warm) I could not pass up this vintage home-made winter woollen dress last week - also blue - found languishing on the retro rack at the Presbyterian Support Yellow Shop.  I bought the blue shirt in the photo above at the same time.  

Alas, I just got a message that I have run out of photo space...has this happened to anyone else?  I was going to upload a couple of photos of other $2 bargain buys from Toffs.  But never mind, they will have to wait for another post, and in the meanwhile I will do some photo storage research.  
Hope you are all having a great weekend, 

The "New" Hospice Shop, Jetty Street, Dunedin

Hi everyone, I want to tell you all about a new charity op shop which has opened in Dunedin: Hospice Op Shop on Jetty Street.  Earlier this week I received a notification from the Hospice via Facebook telling me that a new shop was opening - selling furniture and household items.  Imagine my excitement!!!!  So on Thursday lunchtime I made my inaugural visit to the new store.  

Jetty Street is in a different part of town from where I work and a wee bit too far to walk in a lunch hour (and allow enough time for enjoying the shopping) and I had to take the car.  Anyway, its a historical part of town with lots of lovely old buildings and warehouses.  Jetty Street used to be the waterfront before large amounts of land were reclaimed from the harbour.  Here is an external shot of the store - you can just seem me reflected in the window:

The store is really wide and open with lots and lots of natural light due to to the huge windows which is amazing.  Being the first day that it opened it was very tidy and in some areas stock was still being put on display. 

It took only a couple of minutes - or maybe less - for me to find something I really wanted: 

The cannister on the far right with the lady on it - only $8!!!! I was thinking about all my blogging buddies who lust after who have amazing kitchenware like Vintage Bird Girl and OP Shop Mama for example.  At these prices, anyone could just start a collection on the spot.  

For all the collectors of beautiful table linens and textiles there was a beautiful display using a rimu cabinet (I thought the cabinet would be perfect for displaying scarves and handbags as well).  

To my surprise and delight there were about 4 racks of clothes including some items made from vintage fabrics - such as aprons, skirts and tops.  The Hospice charity has clearly done some homework and realised that there is a niche market for clothing made from beautiful fabric that is not mass produced, made in China, etc you know what I mean.  Alas my photos of the clothing was rubbish.  The prices however were great - a little more expensive than the Butterflies Hospice store in town - dresses were $8, tops $4 and shoes around $8-10.  There was very little modern clothing (good) and because the store had just opened the racks were not crammed full so it was easy to look at each item (excellent).  

One thing that caught my eye and made me think of Sarah Misfit was this pair of dungarees......

You all know how how much I love cute Bambi's, so I was on the look-out for animal ornaments.  Alas no Bambi, but a family of poodles - possibly not all related - and a rabbit and cat couple resplendent with furry tails:

Yes, dear readers I did make a purchase - when I was on my final look around I made my way towards the counter and looked at the jewelry. To my delight a large pinky and orangey necklace for the princely sum of $3.  I made sure I purchased some of the Hospice chocolate too, which is a lovely Belgian style and quite different to the Dunedin famous Cadbury.  Here is the necklace: 

Oh, I can almost hear my readers saying to themselves, or aloud, "Penny-Rose, what's that other item, underneath?".  Well my friends, it is fabulous house coat.  The photo taken in the car, with the coat all scrunched up does not do it justice.  Neither does this one of it hanging in my bedroom: 

What happened is this: I was just about to pay for the necklace and the chocolate when I saw something hanging up behind the counter (like about 3 metres away) and I said to the nice lady "OOooooh thats lovely fabric, what is it?" It is a vintage 1950s house coat.  Not bothering to try it on, and realising that it was genuine vintage by the sewing and inside construction, I said "I'll have it" without asking the price!  

The colours are just gorgeous - the photo above captures the freshness of the design really well.  Its made of polished cotton and has a slanted front pocket and to my surprise matches the necklace perfectly.  I hope - or rather I should say I intend - to convert it to a dress.  How much was it??  $12.  

In summary I can say that I had a fine time visiting this new store - it was well laid out, bright and light, clean and tidy and had some awesome things.  The prices were slightly higher than the other store, but fair, due to the quality of the items.  I will definitely be visiting again.  

Windswept and Interesting
with blue beads from Sally Army and
vintage earrings from early 1980s

1980s dress - St V de P approx $6
Vintage leather belt - Recycled Boutique
Neon blue shoes - retail 

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

...but that didn't stop me from wearing a new frock today!

Home-made dress originally a maxi dress found at

the St Vincent de Paul shop for $7, worn with 

waistcoat retail $5, Leather flower brooch gift, 

Orange bead necklace Trademe and 

selection of bangles - all thrifted!

Neon bright flat shoes bought retail $12.50 

In real life they are much brighter than this photo.

I just love the flower pattern on this fabric. 

The sleeves on this dress are so dreamy and airy - I felt like a bird floating around the office today.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

A thing of beauty is a joy forever....

This is one of the 15 or so flowers on my tree peony - paeonia rockii.  Each flower is about as big as a latte bowl and the scent is heavenly.  When we move to our new house, I will be taking this plant with me - it is about 120cm tall (not really a tree I know) and I have had it for about 12 years.  Despite all my grumblings about the wet Spring, this is most definitely the best flowering yet.  I just wanted to share it with you!

Mid Season Madness - bare legs, thick tights and a skirt

Well, I have to say, so far November has been very fickle.  One day it is warm, the next day cold, then very hot, then cold.  One day I have bare legs, the next I am wearing thick tights again.  

One warm day, I wore a previously un-worn and un-blogged-about vintage St Michael white polyester dress with green dots from the Butterflies Hospice Shop.  It began life with an ugly off-centre front pleat and was "extra long".  Thus it languished in the "sewing to do" pile residing on the back of the couch for some time.  Then it was banished back to the wardrobe.  One damp late October afternoon I got out my trusty Husky and sewed up the pleat and took a few centimetres off the hem.  The results....

green spotty dress ($4) and blue stretchy bracelet ($2) Dunedin Butterflies Hospice Shop
Blue hush puppies ($10) and blue bangles ($1 each) Mosgiel Butterflies Hospice Shop

The day I wore the dress I teamed it up with blue accessories: blue bangles and blue mary-jane hush puppies from the Mosgiel Butterflies Hospice Shop and a stretchy blue bracelet from the Dunedin shop.  

Having done quite well in "Buy Nothing New October" I did make a retail purchase in early November - a much coveted giant pearl necklace from the store Lovisa.  I have wanted one of these for months and months.  I once saw one at the Salvation Army store in Princes Street but it was part of a "lucky customer" prize draw and suffice to say, I was not the right customer that day.  However, the first wearing of the giant pearl necklace is here:

Purple midi skirt reincarnated from evening dress Toffs $2
Homemade cotton top
Giant pearl necklace from Lovisa $17
Red cardigan from Butterflies $4
Black shoes from SaveMart $7
Tights - retail 

Clearly the late afternoon searing sun was in my eyes and also the raging southerly wind scooting up the harbour, but you get the idea - thick tights, long skirt (previously an evening dress from the $2 section of Toffs) a home-made top and a midi-sleeved cardigan. 

Readers I have to tell you a story about this skirt:

I first encountered this skirt at Toffs, in the priced section (i.e. not the $2 section).  I think it was $44 or something like that.  Whatever it was, it was a price I could not justify.  It has an underskirt made out of heavy taffeta satin material.  The top layer is embroidered with gold thread.  I longed for this skirt.  Every time I went to Toffs I looked at it.  I held it against me and twirled around.  I thought long and hard about what I had last bought that cost so much money.  One day I went to Toffs and it was gone.  I did not mourn it as that was probably a day I scored a heap of stuff from the $2 section and said to myself, "Oh well, it was not meant to be, so move on."

Then, one work day when I was naughtily on Facebook, I got a message from Restore proclaiming "Half price sale today and tomorrow."  Right, I said to myself, I am going today.  Well, sometimes I go into Restore and I get information overload - there is so much stuff - kitchenware, wicker basket and cane and wood, metal wear and kitsch stuff, hundreds of books, and records, old electrical appliances and a selection of clothes.  Sometimes I go into restore and a beam of light just falls on an item as I walk in.  On that day, the magical beam of light fell on this skirt.  Yes, dear Readers, this skirt was in Restore, in exactly the same condition I had last seen it and sporting a tag which stated $7.  It was meant to be, and at $3.50 it was a very special purchase.  

Has anything like that ever happened to you?
I think it is second hand karma.  Share the love everyone keep buying second hand and don't forget to donate back to the community.  

I am taking the Shop Secondhand First pledge

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