Friday's Finds: My favourite recently thrifted goods

Well, it has been absolutely ages since I have done a Friday's Finds post but now that I'm back into the swing of weekly op shopping jaunts, I thought I'd post a little catch up of my favourite thrifty finds of the last few months before I start with the (almost) weekly feature again.

First off, I finally found some cute vintage linen! Yay! I think I'm going to turn both sheets into clothes of some sort, but the pillowcases will probably make it onto the bed.

I am now determined to find purple stripey fabric like this after seeing this dress pattern. Probably not for use on this actual dress, but I still like both the fabric and the pattern.

This little glass bottle is so cute! I'm actually thinking of putting some kind of liquid in it before I put it on display. Perhaps some kind of oil or something? I really want to actually use it!

Pyrex! I don't love this piece (not a fan of the brown) but I have never seen this farm scene on Pyrex before, so I nabbed it.

Fabric! I'm not sure what I'll turn it into yet, but it is a massive piece and I couldn't pass it up for $2

 Last but not least, my absolute favourite find and a steal at only $5, this Corningware teapot!

Isn't it cute? I'm absolutely in love with it and it's in as new condition. I think it might replace my Willow one as my everyday teapot. It seems much more sturdy and I love that it has a little hanging cage for your tea leaves that hooks into the lid and that the lid locks into place so you don't have to keep one hand on it as you pour. 

Have you had any brilliant finds lately? I love having a sticky at the things people pick up from op shops and garage sales, don't you?

The Great Arcopal Haul of 2013!

Well, this post has certainly proved itself a struggle to write, hasn't it? I've had so much trouble with Blogger, first refusing to upload my pictures and then decided that it didn't want to save my draft, but finally, here it is! The Great Arcopal Haul of 2013!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter will have seen my sneak peeks of today's haul, or perhaps just heard my whispers. Indeed, I got very excited last week when I headed out to a couple of op shops in my hometown and was met with the glorious sight of milk glass!

For those of you with no clue what Arcopal is (and here I must admit that a little over a week ago, I would have been one of you) I give you the following. Those of you who do know what Arcopal is, feel free to skip this next couple of paragraphs. I won't blame you :)

Arcopal France is one of the first brand names that had been launched by ARC International and has now been discontinued. The company is famous for other glass and dinnerware brands worldwide like the moderately priced Luminarc, the exclusive Cris d’Arques and prestigious Mikasa. Here is a little picture of the brands which ARC International represent today, off their website.

The Arcopal France dinnerware is a white opal, break proof, tempered glass which has a fire glazed finish. This material is 100% non-porous and is fully tempered to resist thermal pressure and breakage. The Arcopal France dinnerware is five times stronger than china. It is fully tempered break and chip resistant glass. The glass can resist thermal shock as well as impact and is completely microwave-safe, dishwasher safe and break and chip resistant. 

So basically, from what I can gather, Arcopal's milk glass is just the French version of Pyrex. Is is collectible? Well, yes, if you look on Etsy, apparently so. Is it pretty? See for yourself! I have somehow managed to pick up 6 different patterns, with one in three different colourways in the one trip to the op shop! All together, 59 pieces! Plus one piece of actual Pyrex, which I've lobbed onto the end of this post :)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find names for the patterns which I have come into contact with, however I do know that some Arcopal patterns do have special titles. If any of you know the names of any of the patterns I have down below, please do let me know!

The patterns above and below are, on close inspection, actually different. There are 7 of those pretty bread-and-butter plates altogether, but curiously, only one bowl. I have no idea where the tea cup's saucers are!

These little daffodil tea cups are just so delightfully 70's! I love them! Again, they are missing saucers though!

This next pattern is again, delightfully 70's! Nothing says 70's, really, quite like the combination of brown, orange and floral!

The "Country Scene" pattern, as it is mostly referred to on the internet, is my favourite! I can just imagine a little girl sipping tea out of this cup at Grandma's, delighted that she was allowed to take part in such an adult activity, and feeling ever so grown-up!

And now we come to the pattern I have collected the most of, in three colour ways. Of the brown colour way, I have two tea cups, five bread-and-butter plates, two dinner plates, and seven bowls. Of the blue, I have three tea cups and saucers, and two bread-and-butter plates. Of the gold, I have just the one, lonely tea cup. I quite like the simplicity of this pattern.

Last but not least, I give you the Pyrex, which I have also been unable to identify the pattern of. It is marked PYREX (TM) Ovenware on the bottom, and again, any help identifying it would be greatly appreciated!

Well, there you have it! An Arcopal haul of epic proportions. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it all! Some will go straight into my cupboards, of course, even if I do feel guilty replacing brand new crockery with stuff thats about 40 years old! The rest, I'm not sure what I will do with. I mean, I hardly need 23 milk glass tea cups in my already overcrowded cupboard full of china! I just couldn't bear to leave any of this lovely milk glass behind! When I saw it, it unleashed a greedy, vintage-loving monster!

Pyrex and Arcopal spread over my floor while I decide what to do with it. 

What I Wore

On Friday, I was feeling pretty down. I had a uni assignment due which I hadn't even started, I was all sniffly (still) and my knee was killing me. I knew I wouldn't be doing anything special for the day and my only outing would be to the doctors, but I decided I wanted to get dressed properly anyway.

It is absolutely amazing what a nice outfit and a bit of make up can do for your mood. Instant uplift! Plus, I was wearing my new op shop blouse and new eyeshadow and lipstick which always makes a girl feel good!

What do you think of this outfit? I felt so fresh and pretty in it all day :)

Wearing:

Blouse - op shop (late 80's to early 90's Katie's)

Skirt - ICE

Shoes - k-mart

Wallet - Colette

Jewellery - all my gifted everyday stuff

Friday's Finds: Tugun Vinnies and a Little Question

I FINALLY got a decent op-shopping adventure done this week! Seriously, I thought the day would never come when the Gold Coast op-shop fairies gave me a decent haul! I have been here two months with nothing but the slimmest of pickings at the op-shops I was able to visit on my way home from uni on the bus, but this week, with the help of my new car, I was finally able to try somewhere new and boy did it pay off!

I was amazed at how clean and beautiful the displays at Tugun Vinnies were when I walked in the door. A lot of effort goes into the presentation of their wares - that much is for sure! There was quite a lot of good stuff in there, including some mid-century furniture, a big pine dresser and a heap of good quality clothes and homewares. The only downside I could find to this beautiful Vinnies was the prices. 

Absolute rip-off central.

One of the things I hate about op shops these days is how much they are able to charge for anything they think hipsters, or stupid people as I like to call them, will pay for anything old. And half the time they get it wrong anyway and the stuff they think is crap is actually the stuff I would pay good money for. And that drives me mad! It drives me so mad, in fact, that I started making a vlog about it today. I obviously haven't posted it though because a) I hate seeing/hearing myself on screen and b) I am a total pussy and have no idea whether you guys would actually like to see my mug on your screen talking crap about op shops and how hipsters are taking over the world. Although my video isn't nearly as exciting as I just made out it was. Crap. Back to the stuff I bought?

Okay, so the belt and books were just little tie bits I paid way too much for and didn't really need, but this sewing pattern is absolutely to. die. for. and was only $1. I haven't checked all the pieces yet, but even if they aren't all there,  love the picture on the front and am sure I can find a use for it anyway ;)

The "Dolly Dolly" jacket is absolutely gorgeous! I'm about 90% sure that it's vintage and I love the way it fits, with the shoulder pads and the flared peplum-like waist! It's going to look amazing with jeans this winter :)

The darling Katies blouse is almost definitely 80's, judging by the ginormous shoulder pads and the fit of the sleeves! I love the detail on the collar and shoulders and wil definitely be wearing this a lot tucked into skirts, high waisted pants and untucked with jeans.

Have you had any op shop buys lately?
And would you be interested in seeing me do a vlog? I'd love to hear your opinions and ideas of what I could post about!

Friday's Finds: Do you like... cheese?

Okay, so I might be a little too obsessed with Channing Tatum right now, eagerly awaiting GI Joe 2 to hit the screens in Australia, so everything is turning into a quote from one of his movies for me right now, including the title of this post!

Anyway, how great is this cheese platter I found at the Salvos yesterday?

It's been slim pickings for the last few weeks at the two op shops I am able to visit at the bus changeover on my way home from uni, so I was stoked to walk in there yesterday and see this little beaut. He will look great out on the table if I ever make enough friends to invite them round for fondue/dinner/anything-but-wine and cheese.

I also saw some great pieces of furniture which I would have taken home in a heart beat if I wasn't catching the bus home to my tiny little apartment. One particular thing which caught my eye was an antique bar cart with fold down table top which opened up to a really nice size. It was gorgeous, but I had to just settle on the cheese platter for now, since there are other pieces of furniture that I need to put in the limited space in our house. 

Another thing that caught my eye was a set of blue willow mugs which I would have loved to add to my collection, but they weren't vintage and Lifeline had them priced at $5 each! My whole damn teapot was only $14! I kindly let the man behind the counter know that those pieces were overpriced, but I doubt the problem will be rectified. Lifeline seem to like overcharging for anything remotely decent, in my opinion. 

Have you had any luck thrifting lately? Any pieces like my bar cart which you had to leave behind? It's a total heart-breaker when that happens, isn't it?

Friday's Finds

I spent this week staying at mum and dad's place to get my back fixed, and while I was there I took a trip to Lismore with my good friend Alisha and her mum to hit up the op shops and have a little catch up. I must say, I am impressed with this haul, and equally impressed with the whopping $17 total that these items (including the double bedspread which I used as a backdrop) came to.

The floral mugs are bone china and were only 50c each, as were the Noritake tea cups. Anyone who knows me will know I am a total tea snob - very particular about the tea I drink, the way it's made and what it's served in. I won't drink tea out of anything that isn't bone china and these mugs are the perfect, pretty way to consume large amounts of tea in the winter months (which I am starting to sorely anticipate). The bed spread is currently covering my ugly lounge, until I either find a chenille spread for it, or get a new one. It brightens the room up nicely, having cream on the lounge. I love it. 

The divided dish was a practical find which will get tonnes of use, and the other dish is marked "Fire King" and I absolutely love it! Not sure if it will stay in the kitchen or find it's way as storage in the sewing room yet, but the pattern in beautiful. I realised today that none of my "pyrex" is actually pyrex, but I totally don't care because they're so pretty and practical. 

While I was at my parents' place, mum cleaned out her cupboards and gave me a tonne of antique serving ware and other tidbits that she doesn't want anymore. I swear it was better than Christmas, and I'll post a bit about it when it's all unpacked, because it's just so awesome! So many beautiful things which were totally off-limits when I was a little girl are finally mine, and I'm so excited to have visitors over and pull it all out. She even gave me two small Doulton plates, which is a big deal for mum, because she collects it and my dad bought her these plates when they lived in Toowoomba, which basically kick-started her collection. I feel so lucky to have grown up in a house which was filled with antiques, because it has really fostered my love for it all. I think it can go either way when you grow up in a house like ours - you either love and embrace it, or hate and shun it. I'm so glad that I fell in love with it, and I attribute my passion for history to this antique-filled upbringing. I always loved hearing the stories behind the things mum and dad found and collected, and I think that was my first real exposure to "history". 

Have you had any recent thrifty finds that blew your mind? Or perhaps some exciting hand-me-downs, like I received from mum?

Friday's Finds: Burleigh Haul

Yesterday I took the bus up to my Uni for a meeting with the student success adviser. It was my first time catching the bus all that way and the first time I'd had to make a transfer (in a suburb I didn't know, to top it off). I was extremely nervous about making that cross over and getting to the meeting on time. As my first engagement with the University, I thought it was incredibly important that I be there on time. Fortunately, my plan to get there 15 minutes early was the best forward-thinking I have ever done, because it saved my butt when my first bus was running late and made me miss my second bus and have to wait around for a further 10 minutes for another. 

The meeting was incredibly helpful, and I feel much more confident about starting this new chapter of study now I have met with the success adviser and learned more about what my first year in the School of Humanities is going to be like, what resources are available to me and where I can go if I ever need help with anything. 

I was much more relaxed on the trip back, having made my deadline and learned a lot of helpful stuff, and so I decided to take the bus I was on all the way to Burleigh Heads before changing, rather than changing at the designated stop. Boy am I glad of this little brainwave, because opposite the bus stop is a great Salvos store, and look what I found!

My first ever pieces of vintage Pyrex! Ooh, it is a happy day for this little blogger where I could tick "Pyrex" of my "to find" list at $2 a piece!

These books are what the TV series Bones is loosely based around. The writer is a forensic anthropologist and all the science is real, as in the show (which she produces). The books are basically a reflection of Kathy's life, and I can't wait to read them! If you're a Bones nut like me, you will be interested to note that the author's name "Kathy Reichs" is the name of the character in Brennan's book on the show! How is that for a cool Bones nerd fact?

I just love the chipper patterns on my pyrex! They're very "me".

I almost didn't buy this dress, because it was $6 and not something I would usually wear, but I kinda love the tie up front and am starting to crush on the khaki trend wayyy much lately, so bought it anyway. I think it would look great with a cute, lacy cami peeking through the ties, and will layer great for autumn and winter here in Australia. 

Have you had any simply amazing thrift store finds recently? I'm so glad I stopped at Burleigh on my way home. The fact that I now own vintage Pyrex has me absolutely bouncing with joy!

(Late) Friday's Finds

Okay guys, I know it is now Sunday, but sometimes lif gets in the way of things, and this little blogger has to take a random trip to Coolangatta to inspect potential apartments (keep your fingers and toes crossed for me that we get one of them, please?) instead of writing posts. I promise once we have moved, I will be all set up to get to a regular and more consitent blogging pattern, but for now you'll all just have to grin and bear it the way it is :)

I had a great week at the op shops this week! Jake and I scored this dining table for $65. It's solid pine and needs a lot of work done to it (total sandback and recoat plus reupholstering) but I should get out of it for about $90 total, and that is wayyyy cheaper than what you'd buy such a well built, solid table for new!

 

 

This little pine hall table also needs some TLC, but mum bought it for me for $20, so I'm not complaining :) Besides, it will match the dining table!

 

And finally, my present to Chrissy of My Dear Watson for the Very Thrifty Christmas Gift Exchange which Lara's Vintage hosted! I was unfortunate enough to never recieve my e-mail giving me Chrissy's detail's, so I'm sending off her pressie a tad late, but I hope she understands! I think the email went to junk mail, and because I didn't check my e-mails on the computer for about a week, it was automatically deleted. Oh well, Chrissy will get her little package eventually and I sure hope she likes what I picked out for her!

Chrissy and I have slightly different vintage styles, but after scrolling through her blog for hours on end, I think I made a wise choice by buying this Noritake cup and saucer set when I saw it! The pattern on it is s beautiful! I'm more of a floral person myself, but I can see the beauty in this piece and am kind of sad to not be keeping it for myself ;)

Chrissy commented on my last Friday's Finds post that she liked these pink and gold beads I picked up, so I threw that in for her too. I did originally want to keep them to start my own vintage jewellery collection, but I don't think I'd wear it much anyway, so I'm glad it see it go to a good home. Chrissy also mentioned she would like something which represents where her gift giver is from, and due to my obsession with these souvenier spoons, I couldn't walk past this Airlie Beach one! The Great Barrier Reef, while not actually local to me, is an Australian icon, and the spoon itself is quite gorgeous! (sorry for the terrible photo though!)

Friday's finds...

Finally I have gotten off my lazy butt and gone op shopping and here is what I have to share with all of you:

A good haul, I must say. I'm especially stoked about the sewing pattern. It's in great condition, has all the pieces and I am already looking for the perfect fabric to make myself a dress :)

No, I'm not pregnant, nor am I planning to be just yet - the knitted baby cardigan is for Jake's sister who will be having her baby in March :) They decided not to find out the gender of the baby and it's absolutely killing me having to shop gender-neutral for it! We think it's a boy, but no guarantees there, just combined intuition!

I also bought some picture frames, but they're not quite ready for you to see yet ;)
What have you found on your recent op shopping expeditions? Anything special?


Disclaimer: This post is a day late because I accidentally scheduled it for today instead of yesterday (duh, Sunae!)