saturday seconds - vintage leather boots

the first thing i did when i got home (once i had had a good cuddle session with my kitty, my puppy and my mum... and then a shower) was go second hand shopping with my mum. seems a little odd, but i'd been hanging out for a good thrift since i came across some vintage stores in a marketplace in japan (and let's be honest, i'm totally addicted to second hand stores... it's like treasure hunting!), so it was extra satisfying to start browsing the shelves of pre-loved goodies in the thrift stores i visited.
today however, i made a vintage thrifting find that i am really extra chuffed with. a lot of the time, i just go to charity stores, so the goodies i get, while being second hand, usually aren't that old. this time, however, i took myself to a vintage store near my house which is totally reasonably priced! (considering that the 'v' word is like saying the 'w' word... once it's 'vintage', or for a 'wedding', the price tags skyrocket).

and i found these babies...

 

vintage leather calf height boots! oh how i love them!!
i love the pocket detail and the buckle at the top of the back seam. and what made it so sweet was that they cost me $25...
what is amazing is that they are in perfect condition, all i had to do was put in a pair of insoles.

 **UPDATE!**

the boots first outing :)

x

30 for 30 day thirty!!!

oh my gosh!! last day of my challenge! and by way of fortune (or compulsory dress regulations) i had to wear a special shirt that was embroidered for the trip, as we met the mayor of the japanese city we are staying in, and toured the city.
i stuck to the rules for the rest of my outfit!

shoes (second hand store), jeans (mum's second hand store),

invisible belt (mum's wardrobe).

but check out the traditional japanese gardens we were walking through! such amazing scenery!

x

30 for 30 day twenty nine

training in japan!!! 

(jeans, slightly invisible belt and scarf - mum's 2nd hand store, singlet - old work)

first traditional japanese meal
 

i am having the most amazing time over in japan!! as i'm over here for a martial arts based holiday (i train in karate and kobudo, which is traditional japanese weaponry) i've trained at several different dojos over here, which all focus in different styles of martial arts, it's been amazing!! anyway, back to the main point of this post (day 29) this photo is after an hour and a half of training, so i'm looking the best, and i'm slightly not yet fully dressed after getting out of my karate gear, so add a jacket (second hand store) and thongs (hand-me-down) and that was day 29!

x

30 for 30 day twenty seven

best photo ever

in the limo on the way down to the airport :)

i had to make an outfit that was going to to comfy for ten hours on a plane, but still look half decent. so i chose....

a singlet top with a white blouse (both from my old work) over the top, over black tights (mum's 2nd hand store) with thongs (hand-me-down) for shoes, for comfort. and i finished it off with my knitted shrug because it's really cute and i love it, and a scarf for some colour (both also from my old work).

and i took my karate hoodie (cotton on) to wear if it got really cold on the plane.

x

30 for 30 day twenty six

silk blouse, clogs, and necklace-gone-bracelet (second hand store),

belt (mum's wardrobe), jeans (mum's second hand store),

singlet (old work)

so i am flying out tomorrow! i will continue my 30 for 30 (for the last 3 days), but i won't have internet to share it with you until i get back after 2 weeks! however, i will be bringing loads of beautiful photos and stories to share :)

have a lovely 2 weeks everyone!

x

30 for 30 day twenty four

denim shirt jacket and waist belt (old work), playsuit (mum's 2nd hand store),

thongs (hand-me-down), assorted bangles (collected over the years),

sunnies (cotton on).

check out the atti-tood... little bit of a dorky poser :P

x

30 for 30 day twenty three

knitted shrug (old work), cossie top (target),

shorts and thongs (hand-me-down)

it was supposed to be a really warm day today (it turned out to be mild), but in preparedness for the upcoming warmth i chose to wear my bikini top under the shrug (and that's all, woowoo!) so at lunch time i could lay in the sun. it was still a good idea in the end. it wasn't boiling, so i just whipped the shrug off (i was at a friends house, not just a random strip in public!) and lay in the sun for 30 minutes. it was lush!!

and for all you clever bunnies out there, i realise i am missing two days. i don't like doing jigsaw outfits and i didn't get a photo of monday or tuesday. i promise to play dress up before i leave for the holidays on sunday and catch up!

x

30 for 30 day eighteen

jacket (second hand store), white shirt (old work),

shorts and thongs (hand-me-down), pearl necklace-gone-bracelet (stolen from best friend :D)

i still love this jacket months and months after i bought it. i think it is so cute and unique! it really picks up a relatively boring outfit when combined with my totally stylish sunnies (haha) and the pearl necklace. however, i'll be totally honest, it was too hot to wear it most of the day but it looks good in the photo!

x

30 for 30 day seventeen

today is brought to you by the sweet and warm spring weather. dresses and 3/4 knitted shrugs, oh the femininity of it all! i felt so pretty today in this floral sun dress from one of my second hand shopping saturdays earlier this year. it's light and comfortable, while still looking lovely.

shrug and belt (old work), sun dress (second hand store),

thongs (hand-me-down)

and apparently it's going to get even warmer for the weekend. woohoo!!!

x

30 for 30 day sixteen

apologies for being a day late! but for your wait you get a double dose of dorky poses! (come on, you know that's worth waiting for :P)

white shirt (old work), playsuit (mum's 2nd hand store), 

thongs (hand-me-down)

also sorry about the dodgy photography. however i tried to make up for it with the pose :P

x

30 for 30 day fifteen

halfway, woohoo! wow, time goes fast!
it was so lovely and warm today, once the morning chill wore off. i'm still in my shorts now, and the sun has nearly completely set. bring on the warm nights!

scarf (mum's), beige singlet (old work), denim look t-shirt (2nd hand store), 

shorts and thongs (hand-me-down).

x

30 for 30 day fourteen

beige singlet tops (i double layered again - old work), jeans (mum's 2nd hand store), belt (mum's wardrobe), thongs (hand-me-down).

there were a few photos taken for todays post, and out of all of them, the one in which i was just goofing off looks the best (what does that say about the rest??) haha :)

x

is that an old singlet top? no, it's a shopping bag!

so, how do you make an upcycled shopping bag from an old singlet top? (i found the original idea here, at itty bitty impact). i've modified the plan a little to suit the singlet, and the style of bag i wanted.

so, to begin! i turned the singlet inside out and cut off the bottom hem.

i then turned the singlet back the right way (with the design on the outside) and folded the now un-hemmed bottom of the singlet back on itself two times.

to hold it all in place while i sewed it together, i pinned it.

i took a break mid-way, when help arrived. 

i wanted a kind of rocky/grungy feel to the bag, so i hand stitched the bottom and had the stitching on the outside. this photo doesn't really show it too well, but to start, so the end of the thread wasn't totally obvious, i pulled back the second fold then poked the needle through only one layer, just to start off.

and pull the needle through.

to keep with my theme, i wanted the stitching to be cute but rough, so i went with looping stitching.

i got excited as it started to look how i wanted it to :)

i finished the stitching the same way i started, with the end in between the two folds of the new bottom hem.

to add a bit of reinforcement to the stitching, i added a second row.

and finished it off with a few repeated loops at each end.

finished! :)

singlet bags first shopping trip!

x

30 for 30 day eleven

OH MY GOSH. it was so cold today! it started out at 14.5 degrees at 7:30 am, and by 12pm it was down to 12 degrees! this is starting to sound like a weather report blog with all the temperature updates, but it's the most relevant thing to my wardrobe choice of each day. i liked today's outfit quite a lot, and it's one that i will do again, post 30 for 30 days. i like the colour combination of the light and dark denim with neutral black and the eye grabbing cheetah print scarf. a few other touches of colour (the belt and thongs) and a pretty plain outfit that worked as meeting, uni and afternoon tea attire quite nicely :)

 denim jacket, singlet and scarf (old work), belt (mum's), jeans (lee), thongs (hand-me-down)

one thing i did wish i'd remembered was a big jacket to pull over the whole outfit to stay warm!

x

30 for 30 day ten (double figures, woohoo!)

little bit grey, little bit chilly today, so i snuggled back into my jeans and a 3/4 jacket to keep away the goosebumps.

jacket and singlet (old work), jeans (mums 2nd hand store), thongs (hand-me-down).

x

30 for 30 day nine

another jigsaw day, but for a totally valid (and funny) reason
i was on my way home, and eating an orange in the car when it EXPLODED all over me. orange everywhere, over everything. me. my clothes. the steering wheel. the inside of the windshield.
needless to say, everything is in the wash now, and noticeably unphotographed. sorry, again! :(

singlets (old work), shorts & thongs (hand-me-down), tights (mums 2nd hand store), jacket (second hand store)

it was meant to rain all day today. instead it was sunny and warm. i'm glad i spring layered. i wore the beige spaghetti strap singlet (which is now beige and orange) under the cream singlet for a bit of extra warmth (for the supposed cold??) and the tights under my shorts for the same reason, the tights came off around midday anyway because it got too hot! as i was around kids all day, it was a comfort and practicality outfit, but i threw the jacket in as an attempt at some style.




x