Thrift Love: Recent Finds

I truly had the intention of posting these goodies a few days ago, but time seems to be slipping away from me ridiculously quickly. It was Valentines Day, I blinked, and now it's Wednesday the next week. What? When? How?

Once all the chaos that is currently overtaking my life (good chaos, I have a crazy amount of commitments right now and I love it) I endeavour to get posting a bit more regularly. However, I am turning 21 next week, so sorry if I completely fall out of cyberspace for awhile!

Here is a few op-shop finds that have entered our household recently:

Chris scored this Snoopy comic book last week. I personally don't find the Peanuts series overly amusing, but I am a fan of comic style artwork. But this book is not for reading: I actually have crafted this up (whaaaat?) into some decorations for Chris and my 21st this coming weekend. I'll be sure to share my creation next week!

And Chris hit a goldmine again. This time with a massive copy of Grimm Fairy Tales. He admits it was an impulse buy. We don't really need this giant book, but it was too awesome not to buy.

Finally, I actually bought something. I have already raved about this baby over on instagram. But oh my gosh. This, this is true thrift love. And at $2, how could I go wrong?

Have you scored anything awesome out thrifting lately?

Reanna.

Thrift Love: Melbourne Winter is Never Ending

I am no fashionista be any means. But recently too many fantastic items of thrifted clothing have come my way that I felt inspired to share them, and how I often seem to incorporate thrifted clothes into 98% of my daily outfits.

Unless I am at work. Work ruins everything.

I wore this outfit last night when I ventured out to the Noodle Market in Alexander Gardens with some friends. Honestly, it was 30 odd degrees the other day in Melbourne, yet last night I was reaching for jeans and this oversized cardigan. Also, please excuse my awkwardness.

I absolutely adore vintage prints, and this shirt I am wearing is no exception. As for oversized cardigans, there is just something so comforting about them. Does anyone else get that? I feel like drinking tea and reading books on the couch whenever I wear one.

Do you have any favourite thrifted bits and pieces? 

Reanna.

Jeans // thrifted, cardigan and shirt // Retro Star vintage, shoes // some cheap ones that will inevitably disintegrate in the coming weeks.

Thrifting in Melbourne

The more I think about it, the more I realise how many of my clothes have been accumulated from op-shops and vintage warehouse sales. Either that, or they come from the sale rack. My cheapskate-ness aside, I thoroughly enjoy thrifting. As tedious and confusing as it sometimes can be (some op-shops look like they really have been hit by a bomb), finding that one awesome shirt, or that perfect pair of jeans is a great feeling of success. The little bits and pieces that decorate my little Melbourne apartment are also thrift finds, ranging from an antique spice rack, a Dracula romance movie poster, to an old cookie jar. I also love the sustainable side of the practice of thrifting - giving life to an old object that was otherwise on the way to landfill is an added bonus to the uniqueness of some of these gems.

Today, I thought I would share some of my favourite thrifty haunts around Melbourne:

Savers (various locations)

If you can manage to wade your way through the millions of disorganised clothes, odd bits of homewares and books, it's likely you'll find a gem in this place. It is a bit chaotic, and is often quite busy (I had to line up for 10 minutes to use the change rooms), but worth a look if you have time to spare. 

Retro Star (1st Floor, Nicholas building/37 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000)
Beware of hipsters. Retro Star is fantastic to look at  - so many fantastic vintage dresses, shoes, and bags - but I normally shy away from buying much due to the hefty price tags. However, keep an eye out for a flyer in regards to one of their warehouse sales. It seems that they have a ridiculous amount of clothing and need to get rid of it occasionally. Located in a warehouse hidden away in Brunswick, these are goldmines. Everything is usually $5 - $10, and I have picked up some fantastic finds here. 

Brotherhood of St Laurence (various locations)
I had never heard of these guys before, but Chris and I chanced upon one of their stores up at Moonee Ponds. Our fabulous old wooden desk was a mere $20 from here, and we somehow managed to transport it home in my minuscule car (have you see a two-door Hyundai Getz?) despite the critical looks of the cashier. My favourite pair of jeans and a great vegetarian cookbook in our collection have also hailed from here.

Chapel Street Bazaar (217 Chapel St, Prahran VIC 3181)
I'll admit that I have only ever bought something from here once, but I could honestly spend hours wondering this store. With a ridiculous amount of nooks, cupboards and corners, this store is literally bursting with vintage goodness. While offering less clothes then other shops, the bazaar seems to have every possible item from the last century. I'm talking record players, every conceivable PEZ dispenser, gum ball machines and polaroid cameras. Again, this place has a slightly hefty price tag, but sometimes you can't just leave that one little thing behind. Plus, chances are you will forget where you even found it in this maze.

Apart from these, I also wander into most little op-shops I wander past when I have time at hand. Chris and I have been known to go out for a walk and come back with an ancient Trivial Pursuit. You never know what you will find.
Do you love thrifting? What are your favourite thrifty haunts?
Reanna.

Thrift Love

I'm not quite sure how I got into op-shopping. My mum occasionally would drop into one, and I would tag along with minimal interest. But as I've got older I have come to absolute adore them. Last year, when I took a year off after finishing Year 12, I even volunteered once a week at the local Vinnies in my home town. My apartment in the city is now full of lots of thrifty bits and pieces, and don't even get me started on how much of my wardrobe is second hand! Some people I know are freaked out by the idea of wearing someone else's clothes, but I love the uniqueness and quirkiness of some of the things you can discover.

The other day, Chris and I wandered through two of our local op-shops, and came home with several great finds! (Let's just ignore the bad photo quality!)

We scored this ancient edition edition of Trivial Pursuit! Most of the pieces seem to be there, and it seems to be relatively intact overall. However, it is from 1981 - a good twelve years before I was even born - so god knows how well we will go at answering the questions!

We are pretty big fans of cooking up Asian dishes around here. Chris has been wanting spoons like these for awhile now, so we were quick to snatch up these.

 Salad servers have been something we have desperately needed for awhile. While these aren't the prettiest, they were only 80 cents for the pair. And upon arriving home, I discovered they were Tupperware, and as good as new. Score!

And possibly our favourite score of the day, this beautiful old spice rack! It's missing a couple of bottles, and the lids are a tad old, but for decorative purposes we couldn't say no to this. And for three dollars! I'm not 100% sure what I want to do with this yet, perhaps fill the vases with flowers, or paint them. Any ideas?

Sometimes you can wander through an op-shop and find absolutely nothing, other times you can come out with a bagful of thrifty gems. Do you love thrifting? What are some of your favourite finds?

Reanna.