Queanbeyan Opshopping (Again!)

Last weekend, I decided to introduce a friend to the wonderful world of Q-beyan opshops. I found out some sad news - my favourite opshop, 'Little Salvos' which is run by 2 super cute little old ladies is closing down at the end of this month. This is sad because it's the cheapest op shop in Queanbeyan and most like an old fashioned, country town shop. Unfortunately it is the only opshop in Queanbeyan that hasn't cottoned on to the "retro is cool, so we'll up the prices" trend.

There was some nice vintage linen at Big Salvos, but at $7-$10 a pop (when all other linen is $1-$2) I couldn't justify it. Obviously someone retro-savvy did the pricing. I did pick up this gorgeous tablecloth at Little Salvos for $2, definitely my favourite find of the day:

This vintage blouse from Big Salvos was on sale, so was a steal at $1.75:

 

I'm not sure about this Friends of Couture cardi, it depends whether it looks tidier after ironing. At $4, I decided to buy it anyway:

And finally, some cute little shorts for $3 (at 50% off) from Vinnies:

As usual, linking up with Sophie's Flea Market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl.

I also bought a stack of tinsel and Christmas decorations and candy from Sam's Warehouse, and some baskets from various opshops. I am making Christmas treat hampers for people who are too difficult to buy anything else for.
 
I made most of my Christmas cards this year too, even though most of my scrapbooking supplies are stored at my parents house in Perth. My end products always look like a child's artwork but I find it enjoyable and relaxing, and I think people appreciate the effort I put in :-)

Amazing Op Shop Haul: A Nicer End to a Not Nice Week

It has been a particularly challenging week. I have completely lacked motivation to do anything, I have had constant headaches (hormone related, happens when I go off the pill), my Grandma has fallen ill and we have been on a roller coaster ride - preparing for the funeral, and then she suddenly her condition stabilises, and so on.  I have totally fallen off the diet bandwagon, having binged all week on chocolate, lollies and greasy foods. I have another naughty night planned on Saturday, but apart from that the plan is to start eating healthily again, and get motivated to at least go for some long walks (since the jogging thing has not happened).

It's a long weekend and no matter how much I try to be positive, I wish I was leaving Canberra and 'going home' like almost everyone else here that I know. A holiday to somewhere tropical where I could lie in the sun, have massages and sip on cocktails would also be welcome!

I woke up this morning with a headache and I didn't want to move, but I forced myself out of bed and geared up for a day of op shopping. I'm so glad I did, because I got some fabulous buys, and I am feeling a lot happier now :-)

Firstly, a photo of the amazing haul:

The first stop was the 'Little Salvos' in Queanbeyan. I noticed a lot of stuff that was there when I visited last month, especially crockery. There wasn't much new stock unfortunately, but I did manage to find this lovely Witchery blouse. It looks like a knit but is actually a 55% silk, 45% cotton mix and it feels divine. It cost $5:

Next stop was 'Big Salvos'. They had some super cute vintage sheets, so if anyone lives nearby and collects these, at $1.50 a pop they're a bargain. I don't collect vintage sheets so left them for the taking! Again I found nothing much, the crockery was overpriced... I only found this non vintage high waisted skirt by Brown Sugar, perfect condition and with a lovely shimmer, for $7:

 Oh, and a retro mug for 50c (the one on the right):

Just when I was beginning to despair about the day's luck, I hit the jackpot at Anglicare. It was a little annoying because as I left, I realised that there was 30% off all retro stock, although they didn't apply this discount for me! I would have saved about $5, but oh well. Anyway, this retro blouse which cost $8 is new with tags, 'Made in Australia' and missing a button on one of the sleeves but otherwise fabulous:

These leather wedges are in almost new condition. They are "MG" brand, and cost $10:

Then these vintage gems, which were $6... They are in better condition than the photo suggests (as the flash makes the stains look worse than they are), 100% leather and do not need re-heeling or re-soling which is always a bonus:

My final Queanbeyan stop was Lifeline, where they had 50% off skirts. I found this retro midi number which came down to $3. I am not sure whether I'll shorten it, as this length of skirt is 'in' this season:

Feeling energised, I headed into Kingston for some final thrifting. The first stop was Y's Buys. It was fast turning into a lucky shoe day, these ones are brand new and cost $7:

And blouse by Basque city, $3. It has bright gold buttons which I love. This looked fantastic over the 3/4 sleeve maroon/red shirt I was wearing, with jeans and white brogues:

And finally for $3, I could not resist this bag. I generally don't like any bags that have faux leather, but this is only really the trims and it's cute for summer. The clasps are labelled 'White House Black Market' which I had not heard of before, and a google search revealed is a US brand with over 600 boutiques:

My final stop for the day was the Salvos in Fyshwick. This funky jacket/tunic/top by George was $5. I love the print:

 I was waiting and waiting in line for the change rooms but a whole family was in front of me with armfulls of clothing each. I eventually got frustrated after 10 minutes had passed and only one family member had finished, so I went to the shoe section which has a mirror and decided to just try things on over my clothes. This ended up being a good move, because I found these Lipstick heels which were tucked away behind other shoes... they cost $6 and are SO comfortable:

And then onto crockery, this cute chubby girl mug says 'Japan' on it, and was 50c:

These large soup mugs were 50c each. They say 'Stonecrest Autumn Glory 307 Korea' on the underside:

And that sums up a super duper successful and enjoyable day. The grand total spend was higher than usual at $69 (Woah, small amounts really add up!) but I love my haul :-)

Queanbeyan Op Shopping

I was going to share my final Perth op shopping haul today, but I forgot to upload the photos - so that will wait. Instead, I will share my op shopping finds from today. I decided to take a trip out to Queanbeyan. It's in NSW, but about 20 minutes from Canberra city. If you missed the 'Welcome to NSW' sign, you wouldn't even realise that you'd left the ACT... According to Unencyclopedia: 

Queanbeyan is a small town on the outskirts of Canberra which fortunately for Australian Capital Territorians is officially located in New South Wales, making it New South Wales' problem... Also known as "Hell on Earth", and "That Craphole", Queanbeyan is home to many of the ugliest bogans on earth... Queanbeyan is known as the Home Of Landfilling Excellence (abbreviated HOLE)due to the native bogans stealing dirt and trash from neighbouring areas. The Queanbeyan city council received the landfiller's choice award in 2009 and it is still what they talk about everyday.

So as you can see, Queanbeyan is a bit of an in house joke. To me, it looks a lot like a big country town, and I find it quite quaint with the old buildings, concentrated main street, flower filled round-a-bouts and signs boasting "free parking", which are redundant because all parking in Queanbeyan seems to be free.

The best thing about Queanbeyan is the fact that there are 4 op shops, all within walking distance of each other, and all open most of Saturday. I have been told that the best op shopping in Canberra is in Queanbeyan (which is not Canberra), so I decided to check it out this morning. I have to agree, the op shopping there is good. Definitely comparable to Perth op shopping, so I'm a happy camper :-) I had a very successful day.

Firstly for the non-vintage, this cute Maxwell Williams teapot from the 'Crazy Horse' range, $4:

Soft bird scarf, with screen printed birds (and artist signature), $1:

Kelly Lane cardigan, $5. I wasn't sure about the bling on this one, but when I saw that it is 100% merino wool (and in perfect condition), I couldn't resist. Merino wool is a great all season fabric, so this will be the perfect spring cardigan:

Zero idea why this is showing up sideways- sometimes computers just don't make sense. I rotated and saved the picture, and it's the right way up on my computer. I rotated and saved one of the photos below too, and that one is showing up the right way... Technology and I don't mix a lot of the time.

 And now for the vintage! This tea set (5 cups, 5 saucers and a teapot) for $6 the lot. It only says "Made in China" on it so isn't anything expensive, but I like the pattern:

This beautiful vintage little girl's dress was $2. I couldn't resist, even though it won't fit Bub. The pattern is darling:

And finally, a vintage cardigan for myself, $6. I have too many oversized vintage jumpers and cardigans that I don't wear, but this looked good even with what I was wearing today so I couldn't resist:

Does anyone know why 2 of my photos are showing up sideways, and a third that I also rotated is showing up the right way?! Seriously annoying, and I don't understand it!

I spent the whole morning shopping, enjoyed myself immensely and spent a grand total of $24. And that is why I love op shopping :-)

I hope you're also having a lovely weekend!