thrifted thursdays: restyle2013's photo-a-day opshop challenge, part 2

last week there was part 1, this week I have roughly another 10 parts to recap from my attempt at last year's opshop challenge. great fun!

i missed prompt 11, which was colour block - more on account of the fact i wasn't home to get the colour-blocked things... that's my excuse.

12. floral - bracelet and flower-shaped pin from whistler, floral long-sleeved shirt $4 at lifeline, and the most gorgeous crochet clutch, $4 from lifeline, armidale.

13. tying the know- purple plastic beads from who knows where, dior tie around the wrist from reuseit, whistler, and belt, savers in brunswick for a few hot dollars.

14. wool - cardigan from savers, brunswick. i used to get so much wear out of this in melbourne winters, and it got left in a bag when i moved to canada... thankfully the moths did not make a meal of it, and now i can love it once more.

15. leather - belt from lifeline, $6

16. opshop love - this is all my favourite things from opshops, set off nicely by cherry blossoms.

17. neon - the best i could do. a badge i picked up at work one day at reuseit, whistler.

18. less than $10 - these shirts were $4 each from an opshop of forgotten name in strawberry hills, sydney.

19. black and white - all the things were from reuseit, whistler. the best place to work is oftentimes an opshop. although there are trying days... but mostly there is just treasure.

20 was 'cocktail' and there was just nothing in my wardrobe. again, i have remedied this situation... never fear.

more treasures to be seen next thursday... stay tuned.

thrifted thursdays: restyle2013's photo-a-day opshop challenge, part 1

The challenge, should you choose to accept it: each day of August, wear something from an opshop that matches with the day's prompt. While August 2013 was quite some time ago, I always intended to share with you my varying degrees of success at this monthly challenge - it's the only challenge I've nearly completed.

The prompts.

1. Pink lace skirt from Lifeline. $4.

2. Polka dot scarf. Borrowed thrifted from a friend.

3. White shirt with double breast and peter pan collar, $3 at church opshop in Brunswick, Glenlyon St.

4. mixed prints - patterned white and japanese and anchor, from various places

5. accessorize - sunglasses gleaned for $6 from savers, brunswick plus awesome italian wool infinity scarf from reuseit, whistler

 on Day 7 (customized) there was nothing. but don't worry, I've customized some things in time for the 2014 challenge...

8. scarf - gloriously impractical (for new england in winter) purple and pink silk scarf from reuseit, whistler. plus my lovely friend kate, who also partook in the challenge... it was she who passed this challenge on to me, incidentally.

9. bag - this one was going to go into the bin at the reuseit centre in whistler, where I worked - i saved it and shipped it back to Australia, and i have no regrets. prettied up with a 50c scarf from vinnes, armidale.

10. blazer - $6 at vinnies, armidale. it has a few moth holes and fake pockets, but i love it anyway.

 stay tuned for another 10, in good time. i'm just warning you that when we get to the end, i'm going to make a strong suggestion that you play along too, when it comes time. you have til august.

thrifted thursday: beating the back-to-work blues

I don't know about you all, but I found it pretty hard to come back to work last week after 3 weeks of setting my own schedule, drinking during the day and having favourite friends just hanging about simply waiting for fun and activities.

I wore some pretty holiday things during those 3 weeks, too - a beautiful dress to a beautiful wedding, all my summery shifts and frocks including a wonderful maxi dress which I completely associate with holidays and sandy beach time.

I use clothes to put me in a good mood, and so I'm wearing my way through the work-appropriate side of my extensive wardrobe, throwing in some colour and thrifted glory to get me through my working week.

Last week it was hot. Hot for Armidale, anyway- mid 30s. On Tuesday, I wore this combo:

Earrings: $2- Re-Use-It Centre, Whistler
Dress: $8 - Lifeline, Armidale
Slip: $4 - Lifeline, Armidale
Belt: $1 - Re-Use-It Centre, Whistler 
Shoes: $10 - Kmart (2013)

The dress is a sort of cotton t-shirt material, which breathes well in hot weather. The slip was mainly so Important University People didn't see my underwear underneath. This dress is not colours I would normally wear, plus it has a zip in the front which I find odd, but the collar aspect and the length of the dress really grabbed me, and I do not regret my decision. Also, there are pockets. Plus, it has enough colours in it to accessorise to my heart's content, so orange earrings could easily be worn with blue belt and shoes.

On Wednesday, I had a job interview. I went to Big W and bought a super boring interview costume. I went home, looked at it and felt sad. I decided I wanted to be myself in my interview, so I went with this outfit instead:

Dress: Vintage, on extended loan from my friend Tash (maker of amazing things, more to come)
Belt: $10 - Lifeline, Armidale
Cardigan: $9 - Big W (2013)
Shoes: $4 - Lifeline, Armidale

I got the job, so obviously, it was the right outfit! I felt like a sophisticated and extremely employable version of myself. The green belt is one of my absolute favourite scores from Lifeline. Green leather, with enough length to wear it around my hips too. It goes with almost everything. My super boring costume will be returned to Big W and exchanged for underwear, I suspect. All my bras have died at once... maybe a murder-suicide pact.

On Tuesday this week, I wanted to celebrate my new job good news! I wore this:

 Dress: $8 - St Vinnies, Armidale
Belt: $2 - Re-Use-It Centre, Whistler
Necklace: $12 - The Eclective, Armidale (my awesome friend Anna)
Shoes: $5 - Big W (2014)

I love the cut of these sorts of dresses - conservative enough for work, but colourful enough to be a happy vegemite! I also wear a slip underneath this one as sometimes there's static to contend with otherwise. I like wearing belts around my waist with these kinds of dresses - all kinds, really.

Which brings me to Wednesday's outfit:

 Dress (& belt): $25 - Vintage on Hill, Uralla
Shoes: Gifted (didn't fit my friend Ellie) - Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Gifted owl/ $5 leaf & chain - Diva

I scored this dress on the weekend from "Vintage on Hill", an amazing shop in Uralla, NSW. I have found a few of my favourite dresses there, so I always go in with something of an expectation. I was not disappointed - I don't have anything in this colour yet, and there's lovely cutaway detail on the front, plus the matching belt! I have been an Etsy vintage shopper in the past, but increasingly I prefer buying them locally as I get to run the fabric through my fingers, plus eye the dress off for size, try it on, etc. Some things look weird on the rack but awesome when you put them on, I find.

Thanks go to Ellie, my lovely housemate, who took photos of me being silly for this post. 

Stay tuned for more thrifted Thursdays, as I attempted to gradually get at least one wear out of all the clothing I own!

30pictureschallenge: Day 5

i've had a lot of very lovely onesie-based memories in the past few years. annabel crabb wrote this article a while ago about how the onesie is symptomatic of gen Y's extended childhood, and it gave me something to think about, but i also think that unless you are gen Y and you are wearing a onesie, you probably aren't quite sure what the appeal is.

they're fun. they're silly. despite how prevalent the onesie has become, it still feels like you're breaking the rules when you wear one in public. it sort of says 'meh, fuck it' about appropriate dress codes and codes of conduct. any kind of code really.

in whistler, the onesie deal was all about getting retro on the mountain. which many people did, regularly. i had the convenient position of working at the thrift store, which meant i was basically the go-to girl for onesies. and i did hook some people up with some awesome onesies - like these ones:

Bottom right modeled by the lovely Karin

i wrote a blog about a cool onesie-based experience i had working in the store which you can read here (it's a good'un). my joy was selling these onesies in the store, the joy on the faces of those who had found their perfect onesie, and then seeing them out on the hill in the following weeks.

dressing up and getting up the mountain was a pretty fun and awesome exercise. normally, there was beer and double Caesars involved.

for me, the onesie is synonymous with friendship and fun, with being truly young and filled with joy. with having the weight lifted from your shoulders. i guess truthfully, the onesie is what whistler was for me - a place to breathe and simply be alive.

i wrote about my first halloween in whistler in this post, and i reminisced about this particular evening at my brother's 21st, for it truly was ridiculous, and worthy of your attention.

there is something warm and secure about zipping or buttoning oneself into a onesie. it's a type of safety that is hard to imagine unless you've felt it firsthand, and with that, i encourage you all to own a onesie at some point in your life.

that is all.

#30daychallenge Day 15: your favourite blogs*

*i've amended this - it called for my favourite tumblr sites, but i am new to tumblr and really haven't put much energy into it yet. it's like twitter for me - can see why it could be cool, but haven't gotten there quite yet. it's not like i don't have plenty of social media in my life already... what with all the facebookin, pinterestin, instagrammin, bloggin etc.

Let me start off by observing that I'm relatively new to being a reader of blogs, despite having written blogs for about 3 years. In Whistler it was all I could do to find the time to write something, whack a picture with it and hit 'publish'. Now, I'm studying and working full time and I still have that feeling slightly. However I get around this by following my favourite blogs on Facebook (this is why I have started my own Facebook page for my blog) and so I can see what all these folk are writing and when a title of interest pops up on my newsfeed, I can check it out. Alternatively, Z of 'Sometimes Z takes pictures' has this article with helpful suggestions.

But I will share a few blogs that I follow on the regular, just so you get an idea of what sort of stuff is inspiring me these days:

1. Her Library Adventures: this blog, written by Sophie for the past few years, was something I found while researching thrift blogs before starting on something for Re-Use-It Centre/ Whistler Is Awesome (FYI: this is my favourite blog from that time in my life). Sophie is now based in QLD, but has a lovely thrift/vintage/crafty vibe to her blog, with a bit of depth and careful thought. Recently, there's a lot of baby-themed things going on, but that's because she's due in less than a month, so I can forgive her, mainly because it's just so lovely and she's just so happy about it. Her 'Mid-Week Thrifting' section from a while back when she lived in VIC was always one of my favourites... it got my thrifting cravings going!

2. Another lifestyle blog I can't resist is Pip Lincolne's Meet Me At Mikes, which I've organised to come straight to my inbox, because I like to read it off my iPad in the morning when I have breakfast. Pip tends to offer commentary on all kinds of things (life & politics & culture & DIY & general awesomeness happening around the place), but not in a particularly pushy way, which is just the right vibe for breakfast time. She is also the author of several very lovely craft and project type books, and used to run the store called Meet Me at Mikes on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, which I discovered once and promptly forgot about (fail). Go and have an explore of her site - you won't regret it! 

3. Fiending for Hope is more on the feminist side of the spectrum; Britni is extremely eloquent on her opinions on things that I haven't figured out yet, which I find to be helpful whether or not I actually agree with her (because I'm a mature adult and don't get freaked out by ideas different from my own). Go here for discussions on everything from why Miley Cyrus's new song is not ok to the work she's doing with Hollaback! Boston (another cool blog/organisation to get into). Be warned though, Britni does tend to discuss things that aren't always so nice to read about, like rape, and this blog does actually come with a trigger warning, which is a kind way of letting us know this.

4. I may possibly have mentioned how I feel about Tavi Gevinson (I'm working on a loved-up blog about her talk at the Opera House earlier this month) but you really should check out her online magazine, Rookie. Just awesomeness. I wish I'd had this blog at my disposal when I was a teenager. Lucky I had Radiohead, that's all I'll say. Favourite posts I've read lately include decorating your room like a tv show or movie and this one about reunions and a lot lot lot more. One of my favourite parts of this website is the random tags section in the bottom righthand corner... there's so much content on this website that it can keep you occupied for hours. I just read this one about body acceptance today, and it's making me want to write a post of my own. In conclusion: rookie.

5. I've been partaking in a 30 day thrifting challenge this month, and while I'm waiting to the end of the month to do my write-up, Modern Girls in Vintage Pearls have been covering each day. It's great, and weirdly addictive, and I think I have spent more money on thrift stores this month than many other months combined, all in the name of this challenge (also, summer is nearly here! and thrifting is cheaper than regular shopping! and other such excuses!). I love her Op-Shop love post best so far.

That's enough for now, but I'm always looking for more things to read (while trying desperately not to get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of words out there in the world). If you, dear readers, come across anything you think I might like, by all means, send it my way!

photo: tuesday 28

I bought this vintage dress online. It was a gamble that I like to think has paid off.

treasure: Halloween onesie times

so mega thrift store score today...

halloween is upcoming, and i was all set on going as a zombie, until this sweeeeet poofy skirt came in, then before i knew it BAM! angel wings and matching angel halo headband.

but then... a bottle of fake blood.

so now i'm all confused. but i think the girly sparkly angel option might be fun. last year i was a dinosaur. times of fun, times of absolute brilliance: hugh in his emo spiderman onesie, me in my amazing dinosaur onesie.

we were both feeling really half-assed about the whole halloween concept, on account of being ri-donk-ulously hungover from the night before. we both sat on the couch mumbling about it for a few hours, along the lines of "we got the costumes" "yeah but i feel like shit" "yeah me too" ... then silence, then one of us would get a text message about a pre-drinking occasion at a friend's place, which we would debate the various merits of before making a non-decision. this silence would be interrupted by another text... we were invited to pre-drink with 4 different groups of people but we neglected committing to anything.

then 8.30 rolled 'round, at which time hugh managed the motivation to grab the bottle of fireball (we had agreed at our house there was to be fireball available at all times. also, chocolate milk). we downed beers and shots while getting ready, giggling more and more as the fireball kicked in. we had one bus option before all public transport stopped for an hour (it does that in dead season for some stupid reason). when we got to the bus stop hugh realised he had forgotten his spiderman gloves... NOT THE GLOVES!

he raced back up the hill, up 3 flights of stairs and back in under 5 minutes. he was running down the hill as the bus came round the corner.

picture, if you will (as an imaginary bus passenger): a guy dressed in a pretty much skintight spiderman suit with mask, gloves etc, running at top speed down an icy hill, with a girl in a bright green dinosaur onesie, complete with dinosaur head, alternately laughing hysterically and yelling "go spiderman go!!!" at the top of her lungs.

needless to say we got a huge cheer when we got on the bus... i haven't yelled that loud in public since then.

fucking good times.

on a Friday: best and worst customer awards

best customer:

shallow, but this cute guy who i know from SOMEWHERE... who knows where, he probably sells me my coffee every day or something, anyway, he made a big donation of clothes and we swapped clever flirty banter each time he brought another bag in. it's the little things that make the day good.

fail = not finding out where he works or if he's leaving town, or staying here to buy me a drink sometime.

worst customer:

this dude came with 2 couches loaded onto a trailer. first of all i was busy helping someone else and he pretty much stopped me in what i was doing and demanded i help him right away. then one of the couches had a huge tear in it. the other smaller one was sellable. so i says to him i says, "we can take the smaller one, but i'm sorry, with a tear the bigger one won't sell, so i'll have to say no to it". and he says "well i'm taking them both to the dump then", gets in his car and drives off.

fail= he obviously got to the dump and didn't want to pay the dumping fees, so he left the smaller couch with us after all. his fail, not mine.
my fail was not being there when he brought the smaller couch back to give him a smug smile.

a very small rant about my job, and people, and community service

so i've had a few interactions with "customers" in the past week or so that have left me a little grumpy. probably annoyingly self-righteous too.

i work for community services, at their thrift store. the thrift store is responsible for over 80% of the funding for over 30 programs running in our area. these are programs such as youth outreach, food bank, the greenhouse project, kidsport, support networks for senior citizens, whistler survival guide... those are the big ones. we support more than 15 families in the area, helping them with rent, food, education, clothing... www.mywcss.org

our store runs on donations made by the community. we sort and price everything and it goes for sale. sure, i get paid, but there are a lot of volunteers putting in hours too, cleaning, sorting and organizing. 2 times a year myself and my manager drive to vancouver to compare the prices of other thrift stores with our store. some of the salvation army stores charge up to $400 for a bed. we charge $40 for the same set-up. likewise for books, clothes, linen.

so when a customer asks me to the furniture section for a price, then reacts by saying to their friend, "see, i told you this place screws you", when i have just asked for $30 for a $200 table, when the money is not going into my pocket but into the hands of people who need it, well, that's when i have to bite my tongue. which of course i do, because i am good at my job.

i guess what i mean is, people, not to be all touchy-feely, but love each other. help each other out.

please.