More Opshop Goodness and a Hat Refashion

Went to the opshops twice last week-once after my dental checkup (a follow up root canal treatment), and last Saturday. Saturdays are the only time I get to go out to the shops alone-Little Wyld Man stays with his daddy at home. And since I've started him on solids, he is a teeny weeny less dependant on me as Wyld Man can feed him something if he's hungry. As much as I enjoy my little man's company, I do miss my opshopping jaunts, which I used to do before he was born. So Saturdays are reserved for grocery shopping, opshopping, and an occasional visit to the library. Anyways, last Wednesday, I dropped into the Salvos on Smart Road.

For the benefit of my Malaysian readers back home, Salvos stands for Salvation Army, a charitable institution who franchises their charity opshops into what is now a huge opshop chain. Vinnies is another opshop set-up, short for St Vincent de Paul, a Catholic run organisation. These two are the main opshop operations in South Australia, but there are other numerous opshops around. People donate things they want to get rid off which are in usable condition, and the opshop volunteers clean them and price them. People come in and buy an item, and the money goes to fund a charitable cause. In recent times however, it has become fashionable and trendy to opshop, as people go 'green', tightening spending during recession times, and as 'vintage' becoming the by-word in fashion. As a result, prices in opshops are getting steeper and steeper, which goes against the whole ethos of opshopping. On this trip, I saw a beautiful checked coat, rather old, with a stained and ripped lining selling for AUD25 at Salvos! I can get a brand new Target one for AUD30! And Wyld Man once saw an old army issue wool coat, probably made during the Vietnam war, selling for AUD90 at a Victor HArbour  Salvos opshop. It wasn't old enough to be a collector's item, nor in a good condition enough to warrant that price, which was outrageous in an opshop. I saw a wool men's overcoat at Peter Shearer's brand new for only AUD 124.  In the one year I have been here, I've seen prices increase quite substantially. And Vinnies is the same. I'd like to support Vinnies more, being a Catholic-run organisation, but at those prices, I'd think again and let the prices decide.

Anyways, during my Wednesday jaunt, I picked this up.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Summer knit dress"][/caption]

It is in extremely good condition, almost brand new, in a size 8. It was a teeny weensy bit tight, but, hey, it was only AUD7, so what the heck. I tried it on and couldn't resist, the print was so pretty. And pink! I don't know what the deal is with the straps though. I'll cut it off sometime.

I recently taken to wearing hats to church, instead of veils, and have been keeping a lookout for nice hats in opshops. I've got two already, but wanted something to match my brown winter coat. And I came across this.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Brown hat with turned down rim"][/caption]

It is very similar to my navy blue hat.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Navy Blue Hat"][/caption]

I love this hat. It goes with almost everything. I had made a mental note to myself to buy one in brown if I ever see one with that turned down rim design. Lots of op shops carry brown straw hats but with a flat brim. I've never liked those. This design however looks leagues better.

The brown hat however has loads of this.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Plastic flowers"][/caption]

It looks ok in the pictures, but there's too many of them, and they're old and dusty. The kiss of death for hats. And I know that I'd never wear it to church as they are. And not in winter-they were a bit too spring-y. So, I ripped them off.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Naked hat."][/caption]

You can still see the price tag on the hat-AUD4.

So I did a refashion.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Hat refashion"][/caption]

I based it on my blue hat, and used brown satin that I had lying around, with the insides fused with interfacing for some weight and substance.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="New and improved."][/caption]

I would definitely wear this version. I had planned to wear the bow at the back, like the blue hat, but I think the bow looks better in front on this one.

Aside from those buys, I also snagged 2 jumpers at Vinnies on Saturday.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="White oversized chenille acrylic jumper"][/caption]

I love the oversized look-big top and a narrow bottom. The narrow waist band and the cuffs gives it shape and makes the oversized look look like it was done on purpose. Here's another view.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="View B"][/caption]

Here's the second white jumper I bought at Vinnies.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Cable knit white jumper"][/caption]

I loove loove cable knits. Wyld Man asked me why I needed so many white ones. Because. I. Need. It. And. Want. It. And. It. Was. Cheap. AUD 13 for the two of them. And I think those are REALLY good reasons.

Here's a picture I took of the Little Wyld Man this morning.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="William in a bonnet"][/caption]

All rugged up for winter. He will be 16 weeks old this Friday, and 4 months old on the 19th of June.