Early bird gets the worm…

Or in my case, digging around the back of the storeroom may lead to uncovering hidden gems…

Silver owl charm, a gift from my parents when I wanted to start a charm bracelet but never did.

Iggy and Lou Lou bird charm, $59 from Craft Victoria (it’s in the storeroom, not outside in the shop. Sneaky…)

Footloose in Footscray

Yes! Best/worst title ever.

I had a day off today so I decided to do something uncharacteristically adventurous and go to Footscray on my own for a wee op shopping trip. I only had a couple of hours, but managed to do a reasonable sweep of Savers AND eat a jam donut from Olympic donuts (very yummy, especially because they’re hot! Even though the lady takes your money with a sugar and flour encrusted hand that previously held said donut – ew)

Granted it was probably not the best op shop haul I’ve had this year, actually I don’t think anything will ever live up the fabled Glen/Mount Waverley trip earlier this year of the $60 worth of amazing-ness, but I did manage to find some alright stuff like this big picnic basket ($6) which will come in handy next month when R and I roadtrip it down the Great Ocean Road and to Warrnambool to watch the whales swim around. Fun!

It’s pretty big! The size of a small overnight suitcase lined in blue gingham. And in good condition too! It’s got a little latch in the front and you turn a clip over the leather strap so that your crap doesn’t fall out. Here’s the inside:

I think I made the image too blue. Ah well. Photobucket was being a real bitch this afternoon and I think I spent like half an hour trying to upload this image. Anyhow, I got a couple of pairs of Schiaparelli hosiery (score!). They’re a winey red flecked with sparkley bits? That sounds tacky. Uhh.. more like a slight sheen or ‘Satinelle’ to use their term and I bought 2 so that I could wear them at the same time and then they would become opaque.. and also because I didn’t want anyone else to have them. Muahahah!. And they were $2 each, yes!

The crockery section was reaaally good. I saw heaps of cute little dinky floral saucers, geometric cups, and some really nice mugs with dancing (maybe even crumping?) stick men on it which I was tempted to get but they were abit gross looking, like slightly yellowed and icky. In the end I settled on 4 saucers (er, Maxwell Williams’ Hacienda line…) because they’re colourful and I’m a magpie, and 2 cup’n’saucer sets in a chocolatey brown. The stamp on the bottom says ‘Bilton’s Made in England’ so I came home and after some amateur detective work (google), am slightly deflated to learn that no, they are not exquisitely rare ceramics from the early 20th century and that Bilton’s is some upper crust British manufacturer. Instead, Bilton’s was this company that began in 1900 before folding in 1999. I think my set might not be that hold, maybe from 1990-1994 because the stamp on the underside of the saucer reads: “Biltons tableware: Ironstone tableware, Staffordshire England” and in August 1990 Biltons was bought over by Staffordshire tableware before the company sold Biltons in 1998 to the Dubelle Foundation.

And there you have it! I paid $2.30 for the set and it looks like it’s probably worth that too, hehe. But it’s okay, I think the set is very pretty and hopefully I’ll have an occasion to use them even though I don’t drink tea…

Continuing with my amateur sleuthing, I also bought this brass possum brooch, even though it is slightly hideous. The back of it is stamped ‘Possum JJK Australia’. This one took abit longer to uncover, but in the end I found out JJK is this manufacturer of Australiana souveniers, in particular brass renditions of beloved Australian animals like kookaburras, koalas, gumnuts etcetera. Anyhow, this particular possum brooch was not on their stockist’s website, although they did sell a variation of it in keychain form:

And for the princely sum of $13.50! The brooches sell for about $14.50 and I paid $4 for my brooch, which is alright. What creeps me out though is its eyes:

New additions…

Ignore the slightly tranny-ish model. On the way home today (hungover and tousled looking) I went to Zoe Tees, this French shop in the city that stocks Paul&Joe Sister along with its inhouse label, Zoe Tees. Its always been too expensive (think reaaaaal luxurious american apparel) and they sell some nice dresses in addition to a range of basics like tshirts, leggings, jumpers. The usual, but all done in really nice swishy fabrics. So lovely! Anyhow they were having a sale and I bought this dress. It’s alot longer on me (knee length – and looks better too, heheh. It’s true!) and the best thing about it is that it makes the most lovely movement when you’re walking because of all the panels and flaring. It was reduced from $395 to $189 too, yippeeeee.

Not for me, but I bought this for R because he’s been working so hard lately! I was hoping to steal some of them and put them in my diary, but unfortunately he squealed with delight and immediately proclaimed that they would be stuck on his wall in their pristine condition. Shucks. I got mine from work, with a sweet discount. Otherwise they’re $14, from here.

I also got this sweet Iggy and Lou Lou necklace from work too. It was hidden in the stockroom, sneaky! It’s a little green circle (about the size of a 10cent coin) and features a bird holding a grub/twig in its mouth. Totally all “early bird gets the worm” like. I couldn’t find a photo of it, but I’ll probably take a picture soon. Again this was from work so my sweet discount got it for me for $47.20 instead of $59. Score!

Been a big week of spending! So happy. I want to go back to Zoe Tees and get this linen/cotton tshirt dress that looks like a nice investment piece. “It will tie my wardrobe together, for real!” I think this spending is to compensate for working at the commercial gallery. errghhghghhhhh

Alice sale

Antipodium dress, $50 from the Alice Euphemia sale a couple of weekends ago

Agreeably not very impressive, but I wanted something purple in my wardrobe! It’s probably a smidge too tight and I’m still figuring out how to wear it… I managed to get to Alice at 9.10am on Wednesday the day the VIP preview sale opened, but it was crazy packed and everyone was elbow to elbow, and while I did pick out some nice things (including this rad sheer fuschia diagonal-dropwaist dress with embroidery of a CAT’S FACE in the middle) I had to be at work at 9.30am which left me with no time to fight it out and try on my goods… sad face

a Handful

Vicki Ambery-Smith jewellery, if-you-have-to-ask-how-much-you-can’t-afford-it, from here

Zelda Beauchampet ‘handscape’ rings, 35-80 euros, from here

The City Farm and Mr Fox perspex rings, $12 each or $80 for the set, from here

Like a scarf, only better (way better)

Looks like a constant hug, mmmm. I could do with one of those today

100% merino wool scarpione, 80 euros, available here

Tight-illating

Left: Black tights from all over town

Right (top to bottom): Light grey ribbed tights (50c, op shop), patterned grey tights ($5, Target),dove grey tights ($5, Target), fog grey tights ($5, Target), fuschia leggings ($7, The Sock Company), grape leggings ($7, The Sock Company), forest green ribbed tights (25c, op shop), teal tights ($7, Columbine), electric blue leggings (E), bright yellow tights ($7, random asian store), berry tights ($17, Voodoo), red cotton blend tights (50c, op shop), chilli red tights ($9, Columbine), wood brown tights ($5, Target), leopard print leggings which I craftily turned into tights by sewing up the toes ($2.50, Columbine), white and teal houndstooth tights, ($7, Johnathan Aston)

I rearranged them the other day (very bored). I really like buying tights, especially coloured ones. What a kick! Most of the coloured ones are pretty cheap with the exception of the Voodoo tights as I almost exclusively only buy tights on sale. And the Voodoo tights were really free anyway… I had a gift card. My favourite pair at the moment would have to be the grey tights, and then the green ones. Love! I also really like the leopard ones, but so far I’ve only managed to bust them out twice.

Clogging around

Day 9 of my 10 day working stretch. So far I have yet to start a 4,500 word essay that’s due on Tuesday. I realised this as I was going to bed last night, and there was much brow furrowing and playing-with-my-shirt-hem (a habit I do when I am worried/stressed/uncomfortable/bored) aaaackkkkkk

It’s great to be back at my normal job, hurrraaahhh. The commercial gallery was an.. interesting experience. It’s just such a different atmosphere to what I’m used to and what I was expecting. I was mostly in the asian art gallery showing prospective bidders the objects d’art that were part of the auction. Great stuff, there were lots of old pots and daggers and snuff bottles, but really I knew zero about any of the art there which was disheartening as I couldn’t answer any questions. Sample conversation:

Fatcat: HRrrmmmMM how OLD is this pot, do you know?

Me: Er, really old?

Fatcat: ….

The only thing I knew abit about was the set of 6 Japanese paintings depicting the Tale of Ise, but unfortunately no one asked me to show it to them. The other casuals I worked with were all either Masters of Art Curatorship students, and about half of them had something to do with Craft Vic. Small world! Anyway, it was quite an uncomfortable experience as there was lots of standing around and small talk being made, sigh. I’ve also learnt to never work on Sundays, it just feels so wrong to be spending the whole day cooped up in a musty showroom showing fat rich people $10,000 corroded pots and gilt-bronzed statuettes of Buddhist deities and not getting paid a penalty rate.

Anyhow, the next project I am embarking on is re-vamping Clog! It’s the blog extension of CV and right now it’s looking a little dull, just ok but could be a better read. So I put together some ideas, pitched it, and now I get to zhng it (hah!). It’ll be alot of work, but I think it’s going to be fun. Much better than compiling a list of 2009 Funding Opportunties. BORING. I’ve linked it on my blogroll, so do check it from time to time to see it metamorphose. The first step will be updating the links section to include lots of other blogs and makers. The next step is a surprise, but if all goes well, this could be so exciting! Its funny that I’ve volunteered to take this project on when I am a lousy blogger what with my irregular image-heavy posts that I backdate to make it seem like I am a consistent blogger… teehee!

Treasure hunting 004

A few Tuesdays ago Dad and I went down to the west side (crips!): Seddon, Yarraville, Newport, Ascot Vale, Flemington and Moonee Ponds. As usual, I stocked up on scarves and jumpers. No bags this time *sad face* This time I was abit more discerning in where we went, a mildly successful decision… I can’t even remember which shops I got these things from. Sweet pick of the day was a hand mixer for $3. Now I can bake cheesecakes and meringue pies!

Tribal scarf for those wild days when I don’t want to wear a pheasant scarf. $2? $2.50?

A section of THE MOST RAD SCARF EVER. Leopard print with yowling cats. It’s also the size of a small blanket. Fresh. $3.50

Saddle-themed scarf. Actually not that nice but I was compelled. $2

New favourite scarf: rope print! I feel so naughty-cal. I had rope scarf envy after seeing R’s, but this one is clearly better. $2.50

Royal blue jumper that fits well and looks like it was knitted by a nice grandma and thrown out by an ungrateful (petite) person…. $5

Little brown booties, $28

New additions, old loves

Elke Kramer Betsy Blob necklace in lilac, ivory. Not quite charcoal and orange but it’s ok! And it was 20% off.

$70, from Milly Sleeping on Elgin Street, Carlton

Gifts from E, a lady of good taste.

L: Order + Progress brooch, R: Glen Waverley MS Shop brooch.

Unfortunately almost immediately after this photo my duffle fell off and the op shop brooch broke. Shit! At least I have a photo of what it looks like so I will stick it back on and no one will be the wiser…

Yazbukey diamond bracelet, gift, from Order + Progress

When I first got this I was like !!!!?!? but now I am <3 <3 <3 It’s really grown on me. Makes a nice sound too! And lots of comments. I did some sneaking around and found out its real price: $186. EGADS