Volunteering at a charity store equals amazing bargains!

I volunteered at a charity store today, and totally loved it!

It was a really rewarding experience for me. Volunteering somewhere like a charity store is not only environmentally conscious (encouraging the process of recycling), but giving back to the local and international community through the donations raised by the store.
Not to mention the sheer amount of goodies I got to dig through and find some gems!

See the full story over at Second Hand Jayne!

x

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 twenty eight

shoe cheat!! i'm so guilty! and the camera was out about 30 seconds

after we got off the plane...

it's dress weather in the daytime in japan!! we had an overnight flight, so as soon as we landed i "freshened up" and got changed for the nicer weather :)

sundress and shoes (2nd hand store), white blouse and shrug (my old work).

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 five

five days to go!

denim long shirt and belt (old work), sundress (second hand store),

thongs (hand-me-down).

x

30 for 30 day twenty

although i would have loved to have spent sunday (all day) on the beach, i had a few places to be so it was time to play weekend dress up. appologies for the blurry photo. for some reason my camera seems to have been in a grumpy mood sunday!

shirt and dress (old work), pocket watch necklace (tree of life),

clogs and bangle (second hand store)

x

30 for 30 day six

sun(shine and gelato)day!
the sun was beautiful today but the breeze was icy, so i just sat in the sun all day eating gelato :)
 

sunnies (cotton on), white blouse (old work), cossie top (thrifted), shorts and thongs (hand-me-down).

i've been playing around with the special effects on my camera, can you tell? haha. i think it makes the photos more interesting! and it's fun to play with all the goofy effects.

x

30 for 30 day five :)

it's saturday!!

beach time and playing with my puppy :)

white blouse (my old work, icky!), cossies (thrifted), short shorts and thongs (best friend hand-me-down), jeans (mum's 2nd hand store).

we were at the beach until late in the afternoon, so as the sun went down i changed into my jeans and added my knitted shrug.

jeans (mums 2nd hand store)

knitted shrug (old work, ew)

x

30 for 30 day four

oh my gosh. day four already.
i was actually pretty happy with myself for juggling todays outfit the way i did (can you see how modest i am?). but seriously, i went to a wedding, and then went straight to work, and managed to style an outfit in a way that i only had to change one item to make it kid friendly.

blouse, thick stockings and shoes (mum's 2nd hand store), beige singlet and denim shorts (old work, blah), pocket watch necklace (tree of life), bangle (thrift store), amazing jade ring that you can't really see but there will be a post about soon (mum's 2nd hand store).

and for work, i just swapped the silk blouse for a plain comfy tee (and took off my jewelery).

x

30 for 30 day three

jacket and singlet (my old work- blergh), short shorts (best friend hand-me-down), scarf and moccasins (mums 2nd hand store)

today it has finally hit a temperature which allowed for my beloved short shorts to live in the sun again! pity that my poor little pins haven't seen any of the golden rays all winter! this situation will be rectified soon, i assure you.
it was all about working with the weather today. i wanted to remain comfortable during the middle of the day when it was nice and warm, but be able to layer to keep warm as the sun went down and i was still in a classroom at uni. so i compromised. short shorts as a salute to the first day of spring, but a 3/4 jacket, scarf and loafers/moccasins to keep my toes toasty. worked a treat too, i was comfortable all day, inside and out, by taking on and off bits and pieces depending on the temperature.

x

saturday seconds

today i went op shopping to find a pair of suitable shoes to dress up as a spice girl for my friend's birthday party. instead i found these...

amazing, cute, comfortable (no lies) clogs. $6. also, no lies.
they look a little big in the bottom photo because i was being a bit goofy when i was taking the pictures. they actually are pretty much the perfect size. i've never really been a fan of black, but these have a dark wood (imitation) heel, and the buckle finishes them off nicely.

x

my wonderful mum

works at a 2nd hand store in the city. and she has a brilliant eye for amazing recycled finds.
observe.

perfect fit. i was like cinderella, except in my track pants instead of a ball gown and running around my house instead of a castle. minor details really.
hey, i had the most important bit. the shoes.
check back later for an outfit with these babies. you shouldn't have to wait long.

x

saturday seconds - two amazing reasons to love the cold season!

here is the absolute king of my thrifting finds this week.

oh how i love them! from the lace-up detail to the elegant, vintage heel. they are really comfortable as well, and warm for winter.

 

 

i would put them under a mid-length dress or a midi skirt and with a feminine but clashy top. i'll take photos of the first time i wear them post them up here.
i'm not the biggest fan of boots over jeans, but i'm sure the colder weather will change my mind.

x

treasure chest

today's pre-loved treasure is brought to you from the sunshine coast (where it is still summer, bring on the 28 degree days!)

i used to have a bangle nearly exactly like this (that i of course bought from a second hand store), but i wore it so much that pieces of it fell off! some may think that this makes it sound dodgy, but it was just the fact that i wore it pretty much everywhere... sometimes to bed.

i love the wooden effect, couple that with gold detail and i'm a happily accessorised vintage fashionista.

chuck it with a few other matching bangles, or even just by itself, and it dresses up a plain outfit really nicely (with or without the necklace, i'm just still chuffed with it, so it's in there).

x

saturday seconds! (a day early)

this striking 3/4 jacket is my new autumn love! (courtesy of op shopping of course)

i've worn it with everything since i took these photos (including the necklace i put together a few weeks ago).

one outfit that i've yet to try out (that i'm waiting for a lovely evening outing to dress up for) involves a cute but sexy black dress and the jacket. a long necklace to accessorise, and a cute but sexy pair of chocolate heels to match.

x

hands up for hand-me-downs

when my best friends have throw outs, my life gets brighter. especially when said best friend has a wicked fashion sense! (see here for her awesome blog all about her fashion, life and travel adventures)
plus it's a perfect way to reuse old clothes and reduce your environmental impact, with the bonus of knowing where the clothes are coming from.

today's addition to my wardrobe is this cute little denim dress. to make it a little more interesting i added a bit of pattern with the boob tube, and accessorised with a belt from my mum's wardrobe plus the necklace i made last week.
i was also planning a winter outfit in my head, involving thick socks, ankle boots and a snuggly scarf.

if there's one thing that makes winter fun, it's all the accessory options that open up because you can be as creative as your heart desires with layering. have fun!

x

saturday seconds

as i mentioned yesterday, i am a lover of second hand goodies. couple this with the fact that my best friend and i have a weekend tradition of browsing second hand shops for treasures (in reality we're more like kids waiting at a lolly store door with their allowance, waiting for it to open so we can rush in and clear the shelves as quickly as possible, so really if i wanted to be honest, i should say 'raid' here instead of 'browse'), and we have the second addition to my envisioned list of regular blog updates.

and i have dubbed it 'saturday seconds'! (as you can see)
so if you are interested in second hand shopping (which is also referred to as op shopping for future kim-slang reference), then this is the post for you.

Today's reason for excitement is:

pretty vintage, floral print blouse!!
(excuse the excessive punctuation use but i really am that excited)

i'm starting to collect goodies for my winter wardrobe, and i am also a lover of earthy colours, floral prints and flowy, feminine cuts. and vintage style. so this top is a winner all round.
it can go both ways season-wise. with shorts for an cute autumn throw on.

or with tights, boots and a plain or matched jacket for a full winter out fit.

plus a little bit of dress up fun :)

love x