Lots and Lots [and Lots] of Op Shopping week

 Where do I start? just about every shop I dropped into this week, and in the days just before Easter had something that I 'wanted or needed'.
first up lots of lovely Tea Towels, and a pair of retro fabric pillowcases and some leather gloves, one pair with cut out embroidery and one long pair to the elbow (missing one pearl button).  Of the Tea towels I think I love the linen one best showing the 'perfect family' at the dinner table with Mother delivering yet another perfect meal♥

then there was this cute gingham check table cloth. Not so very very old, the lace around the edges is nylon, as are the ribbons making up the corner decorations, but I thought it was sweet.

And speaking of ribbons, I found a small box with some lovely old velvet and gross-grain ribbons in it, and a tiny bridal horseshoe.
Then there was this nice old English dress .. somehow I just had to have it. Of course it will not fit ME, but I'm sure someone at the North Melbourne Market will love it...

Then one of my weirder finds.... a doll head, arms and legs, nicely made and beautifully painted, obviously made at a Class of some kind, and never completed. She even has her finger and toe nails painted in pale pink.

She's definitely a candidate for eBaying.

a couple of meters of a nice rose floral fabric.

 - - - and for good measure a half a dozen copies of STITCHCRAFT.

Gee there was more in that basket in the boot of the car than I realized!
Yes it has been a good week, and I'll have to keep hunting, as I just cannot bear to go a whole week with no 'finds'.

---taa daaaaa !

I knew telling you all about it would make me do it !... see
thanks you do all inspire me as you are such great crafters, finders and keepers.
Was originally going to do 14 pockets, one for each size, but decided to go for 2 sizes per pocket for the majority of needles to give me a bit more room in the pocket to keep up to 2 pair or so of each size.  The delightful woven tape with orange painted spots was a find last week at the Kikki.k shop, and a laundry fine tip pen for the sizes. I even tied my trusty needle gauge to the last loop to make it easier to find.

Now I realize that I have tons of the smaller size needles but very few pair of the 7, 8, 9 sizes. so I'll hunt through a few more bags of needles and see what I can come up with, and take the shopping list of missing sizes with me when I go op shopping.

For now I am happy with my afternoon's messing about, and will have to look about the 'decluttering' of the bags of unwanteds.  I have already made up a few tied together into pairs to take to the local Op Shop next week.

problem solving .. .. .. decluttering

I have recently started knitting again.  There were several years where I did no knitting at all, or very little, but I still cannot leave a bunch / bag / box of knitting needles at a Garage Sale. Oh no.. I must take them all home, just in case.

Well I have hundreds of the things, I am sure they multiply in the bottom of the wardrobe too. So during the holidays I decided to get serious and just keep 2 pair of each size I use, or may use. I gave some to granddaughter to take home and I sorted some tortoise shell ones to sell on eBay and I'm not sure what I'll do with the rest ! but for now when I want to knit something I'll be able to find a pair of needles.

I recently found this lovely pale green 'pouch' with hand embroidery at a GS, lady said her mum made it to keep pyjamas in.  It is just the size for my new project...
Today I will get out my sewing matching and some lovely linen tape I purchased from Kikki-k and make myself a Needle Holder...

well that is the plan... stay tuned for more updates.

I figured that if I wrote about it .. I would have to go ahead and do it.

[OK so I promise I will also take up the hem on a pair of Vic's at home track suit pants that have been sitting on a chair for several weeks!!]

My flea Free Market finds ~~ bloomin' lovely

Had a busy week with grand daughter here, and she left for her 'Road Trip' home with her Mum driving this weekend.  While she was here we did quite a bit of Op shopping, mostly looking for things for her, wool and knitting needles, embroidery threads, Aida cloth for Cross Stitching etc.. oh and Advertising Money Boxes, another of her favourite collectables.

She found a few, did a load of photography and her own blogging and totally enjoyed herself.

I still have not unpacked / sorted or even looked at the few things I found whilst Op Shopping, once I get the spare room back into my eBay / Market Stall Room and not LJ's bedroom, I will show you all what I found.
However, we went for a walk on Friday and this is what we found outside a house a few streets away.  Now who could resist the temptation to plant a heap of Iris' ? not me... I love them and do not have a lot around the house, so this morning this little lot went into the ground.  I' ll post pics eventually when they bloom, promise!
I hope I remember which house it was, I really should drop them a thank you note, but I was so excited to find them I don't know if I 'll recognise it again.

I can't have a Sunday without a post on Sophie's  Flea Market Finds, so this will have to do for today.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

My first Suitcase . . . .

This has been a busy week for me, with Gr-daughter here, hubby not well AND the North Melbourne Market stall.  LJ and I did manage to visit a few Op Shops, and I did find a few things but mostly it was things for her, including $2 worth of wool she managed to turn into a scarf within 24hours  ~~ so not many exciting finds for me.

Today, we popped in to visit a friend at their place of work (my old work place), and look what I spied in the rubbish skip ! .. a great old suitcase, that made its way from Southhampton England to Australia in 1963.  One lock is broken, and the hinges are partly broken at the back, but with a bit of a quick scrub with a damp cloth, it looks lovely already, and inside is a pretty pink paper lining.

this will be the first of my 'new' collection of cases to stack and keep fabric and other crafty bits in.  Watch this space for my next one, for I know once I have one.... I will have to have more.   Unfortunately some of the old travel stickers have been partially removed, but there are still enough there to add some 'character' to this old case.

So I will enter this on Sophie's  FLEA MARKET FINDS blog, even tho it is really a 'dumpster diver find'.

now I am Kreative too ♥

thanks to dear Tamara over at A Treasured Past, I too have been given a Kreativ Blogger Award, thanks Tam ! but do I really have to tell you TEN things about myself ? oh dear.

1. I'm probably the oldest blogger I know, and had to get my 11 year old granddaughter to set up my first blog.

2. In my working life I was a Secretary, a Stamp and Coin Dealer and a Real Estate Agent.

3. In my retired life I'm an eBayer and a Market Stall Holder.

4. I have, during the last 43 years I have lived on 3 Continents.

5. I love all things vintage, china, linen, everything!~

6. I collect Inkwells (but most of you know that from my other blog)

7. I have recently rekindled my love of knitting, and WILL master the art of crochet one day.

8. I have my adorable granddaughter come to stay every School Term Holidays.

9. My computer and my mobile phone are both vintage!!!!!! (gr'daughter added this one)

10. Op Shop Shopping is an absolute MUST for me, I never go for more than a week without op shopping.


Now I will pass this on to some of my favourite bloggers,
. Waste Not Do Want  ~ for being such a great recycler.
. Grrl+dog for all her inspiration, and for introducing me to Yarn Bombing
. Her Library Adventures for her wonderful Flea Market Finds
. Make Mine Mid Century because she fits so much into every 24hours
. Original Mischief ~ because she is Original ♥
. Rolling in Fabric  ~ so inspirational
. Teacups and Graffiti ~ because I just love her photos every day
. Twilight Taggers ~ such urban yarn-bombing fun
. Dabbling All Day ~ for keeping up my enthusiasm for Crafting
. Freebies for Crafters  ~ for great ideas


wow, there are so many more I could add.....

another North Melbourne Market this weekend.... Sunday 17 april

Yes, this Sunday is Market Day again. Held at the Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne, 10am to 3pm ~~ no worries if its hot or cold, wet or dry, we 'll all be tucked up safe and sound indoors.
There will be so many market stalls to choose from, fine fabrics, stationery, hand made jewellery, vintage jewellery, knitted fancies, accessories, vintage clothing, laces, doilies, aprons, knitting patterns, vintage knitting needles, cupcakes and macaroons, and of course their fab coffee.!! ~  there is sure to be something for everyone, and a chance to pick up a little something for someone special for Easter.♥


I've been busy all month organizing some fabrics and doilies and vintage bits and pieces, as well as sourcing a few lovely vintage jackets and jumpers.  Here's my able assistant modelling one of the fab jackets we' ll have for sale.  Unfortunately for her (good for me), it is a little too large for her, but she assures me it is so very toasty warm!

We have finished the cleaning, pressing, tagging and hanging, packed the crates and are almost all ready to go.  Here's a sneak-peek at what we will have on Stall No. 10 in the Ballroom ~  hope you can come along and visit us.

My Weekly Finds, .. rather weak than weekly

Had a rather busy week this week so did not get out to visit a lot of Op Shops.
Some hospital visits with Hubby, and getting my spare room converted back to little Miss LJ's room (granddaughter coming to stay again during the school hols), meant I didn't get out to as many shops as I would have liked to.
However, I did have one good Habby-Haul .. lots of self cover button kits, some bias binding (including wide Hemming Tape),  needle gauge, embroidery floss, rug making tool, sequined something,  tortoiseshell knitting needles, some cards of Beutron Buttons and some hooks and eyes.. all in one little grubby plastic bag !  Hooray

Next Sunday I'm off to the North Melbourne Market again, with LJ as my able assistant (she'll love that). I'll be in the Ball Room on table #10 if you are in the area.

Over to Sophie's to check out her Flea Market Finds for the week, last week there was a lot of great finds, hope to see more this week.

Lady in a Hat

I picked this lovely lady up in an Op shop recently, and just popped her in a bowl in the study, full of 'this and that'.  [amazing what I find in there sometimes]

Today I was doing a bit of a tidy up, and had a closer look at her. OK she's only a black plastic brooch, but her hat and dress are chips of NZ Paua Shell which certainly make her shine, with other crushed stone to make the white of her skin and the 'diamonds' around her neck and hatband. All done in the cloisonne style, with gold wire making up the little 'fields'
All this on a cheap plastic brooch approx. 5cm long?

It is just so pretty.

The Liberty Scarf ~ timeless elegance

I just love LIBERTY Scarves, and I know a lot of you do too.
A few weeks ago I came across this lovely little 20 page booklet from Liberty, with hints and diagrams about how to wear your Liberty Scarf.
Here's what the introduction to the booklet says...
From the late 19th Century, when Liberty squares were first printed, scarves and shawls have been synonymous with the name of Liberty.
Throughout the decades since, Liberty squares have continued to be coveted and worn as stylish and colourful accessories.
Today, despite the relaxed dictates of fashion, scarves and shawls remain indispensable fashion accessories, maintaining their traditional popularity whilst enjoying new expressions through the inventiveness of the wearer.
These pages illustrate a few ideas for you to try yourself. They are east to follow, pleasing to wear and complement most fashion styles.
Adapt them to suit your own personal style, or experiment and follow your own inspirations.
Above all enjoy the versatility of Liberty Scarves and Shawls which are never out of fashion.

some of the scarves illustrated are named (e.g. the Tree of Life on the front cover), unfortunately some are not.
There was no date on the booklet but the London telephone number was 01-870 7631, which would put it in the 1980s I think. They quote a telex and fax number but not an email or website!

Hope you enjoy taking a peek inside this booklet.

a weekend in the country ~~

Hubby and I had a weekend away this weekend. We visited the lovely goldfields town of Bendigo in Victoria.  It was the Australian National Antique Bottle & Collectables Show, and we exhibited our Inkwells.  I will post a few photos of our exhibits over on my other blog later this week, please do take a peek.

I did manage to visit One op shop during the weekend, and the Bendigo Sunday Market, as well as the National Show itself.  Picked up a few knitting patterns, 3 boxes of stockings, some buttons, an embroidery hoop, and a very sweet box,  lined in satin with a satin handle. The lid just says LOURNAY, the base states Lournay to be a Registered  brand of Colgate-Palmolive P/L.

Isn't it sweet?
It is getting late, we haven't unpacked yet and all that driving has really made me tired, so I may get an early night, although I am keen to do some reading of blogs as I haven't seen a computer since Friday morning.

I'll pop these finds over at Sophies Flea Market Finds too.