My Sass & Bide Op Shop Find

Hi all, apologies again for it being a little quiet on the blog front this week!  I thought I would do a quick post tonight on my fabulous op shop find yesterday.  I timed my visit to Vinnies perfectly yesterday-they have a Designer rack that only comes out when they have sufficient stock to fill it - this could mean it is months in between.  I knew yesterday that that delightful rack had not been out long when I spied in my size, Sass & Bide The New Grace jeans-unfortunately it is hard to find an image as they were from the SS2009 range - I intend on wearing them tomorrow night so I will be sure to post a pic!  And did I mention the cost - yes $20 and so worth every one of those 20!!!
When I find such pieces as these I often think who would donate these in the first place - my friend came up with a great story for these - the boyfriend was cleaning out his ex's clothes - and I am so glad he did.

For those of you who love S & B as much as I do take a peek below at Heidi Middletons house - AMAZING!

http://talesofendearment.com/a-colorful-history/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150932274874116_22510255_10150973674059116#f1c6847d53662c

See you all soon - I promise to pick up the blogging game next week!

Mel xx

PS I hope you are all seated - I FINALLY have come of age and got a smart phone (with much guidance from my husband).  Look out Twitter, Instagram I will be all over you-just need to learn how!!!!!!

Girls Roadie Weekend

As some of you already know, yesterday was my dear sisters 40th birthday and her bestie started planning for this milestone months ago.  I can honestly say it was one of the best weekends I have ever had and not because of all the bells and whistles but because of the simplest and best things in life - WONDERFUL FRIENDS!  As it was mentioned many times over the weekend (interspersed with ample sledging) it does not matter where you are or what you are doing, but who you are with.  I thought I would share the weekend that was with you all!! 

It started with us all (6 girls in total) meeting at my sisters at 10 - and yes I had the job of packing the bag!  Thanks Kate for reminding me we were limited to time - I was busy trying to coordinate a couple of outfits - which I clearly failed at, more about that later!!!  Packing the underwear was a challenge-I was set up big time and I think I shut down at that point when I opened the top drawer - I can still see one of the girls rolling on the bed in fits of laughter.
Bag packed we headed for the soccer ground where my sister was watching her son play soccer.  I knew Lis didn't have any idea about the planned weekend, and this was confirmed with her reaction when her bestie just sidled up next to her - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!  When she realised we were all there and dressed appropriately for a lovely afternoon - she said something that only everyone would expect to come out of my mouth, "I WANT TO GO HOME AND GET CHANGED" really though Lis that polarfleece was fine LOL
We hit the road and Lis just went with it - polarfleece and all. 

Party Bus - and no I am not making a fashion statement with the lopsided hat!

 Yep this is the reaction when she saw us!

As all Hobart people know, no trip to Launceston is complete without the halfway stop at Zeps in Campbell Town.

We arrived in Launceston mid afternoon and we were able to check in to our extremely busy hotel as soon as we arrived.  Our first view of the hotel was the Mortgagee For Sale Sign-but hey lets not judge a book by its cover.  Here is us checking in for our doctors appointment, um sorry our nights stay!

and as we suspected - computer is just for looks

I can honestly say though, I would stay here again - this place has so much character, it really was like staying in someones lounge room, and as I said before it really does not matter where you are but who you are with!  Also if we had of stayed in a flash Penthouse as originally planned we would have missed out on all the laughs at this old beauties expense!

This is where we discovered my epic fail at packing Lis bag - I think I lost my focus after I opened the underwear drawer. 

Quick stop at the Mart - and let it be known I can do a quick shop - 7 mins to be precise - mission accomplished!  Unfortunately the polarfleece didn't quite cut it for our next stop!

This was our ladylike part of the day - High Tea at the Grand Chancellor, gee it was good - and yes shock horror I had a champa's!

The highlight of the weekend for me was Saturday night - we  stayed in and watched Bridesmaids, ate, drank, ate, ate and ate some more all snuggled up in our retro apartment - I can honestly say I have never laughed so much-the sledging was brilliant!

Sunday morning we were booked in for breakfast at the Casino, flowers and balloons waiting for Lis on the table from her gorgeous bestie.  But really Kate did you need to have that much pepper on your scrambled eggs?

Yes it was these simple things that had us in fits of laughter.

We headed home late morning - this is where Lis got a little emotional - all our families were at her house for lunch/afternoon tea to celebrate this beautiful girls actual birthday.

My dear sister you deserved every minute of this wonderful weekend, I am so blessed to have you as my sister and to the other 4 girls, I treasure your friendship very much,  now who's birthday is next????

Hope you all had as great a weekend as I did.

Mel xx

What I Wore and Day 8 Jewellery Challenge

Well I am proud to say that over half of todays outfit is from the op shops.  I will start with the jeans which were actually bought for my husband. As part of his job he had a day planned up at Russell Falls stripping fish-very messy job to which he didn't want to wear his own clothes.  I stumbled across these Mavi's at Lifeline in the City and he managed to pour himself into them for the day - fortunately after a good wash they smell like new so I decided to do my own version of a ripped boyfriend jean.  The rips aren't that prominant at the moment but I know over time and with me playing with them I will get the desired effect.  In my opinion the boyfriend jean really needs to be worn with a heel, introducing my Ash boots which I love to bits - you can find them here, and did I mention they are so so comfy!
The jacket is from Sportsgirl which I picked up at the op shop last year still with the $140.00 price tag attached-it did have a few buttons missing so my dear mum took them all off and replaced them with simple black ones-I love the structure of this jacket and the military style.  Under the jacket I just wore my trusty Country Road singlet and Dotti long sleeve top-I could have actually done with more layers today, it was freezing!

Day 8 Jewellery Challenge

Today I wore my new gold slim choker (as above) I received as a gift - I think I love it even more than the silver one I have, you can find them here. 





I can tick quite a few off my jewellery list today after this effort, they are as follows:

• watch - kmart $19, it is nice and loose which I love and being a combo of both gold and silver I can wear it with all my jewellery
• closest to the watch is a diva bangle which has tiny elephants around it
• the link bracelet is a cheapie from the op shop
• next is another 30th bday present - solid gold I will wear this one forever - it layers so well
• last is a Lucy Folk Taco friendship bracelet - the gold taco shell really makes this - you can find her pieces here

How you can help me
When talking with some friends today we were discussing possible blog content, I was thinking of dedicating some posts to my strategy for op shopping and also where I shop exactly - as these are probably the most asked questions I get.  Also in the future I was thinking I could do a My Edit - pieces that I find and love and put them up for sale-I would also show how I would style them, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK - and if there is anything you would like me to write a post about please let me know!

Mel XX

PS Thank you so much beautiful Alinta for my pics today.

What Has Made me Smile Today!

So sorry for me being MIA the last couple of days - wish I had some fabulous excuse as to why but I am really not sure where the time has gone!  I will back tonight with What I Wore and JC 8 and also to put out there an idea I have had!  But for now here is a quickie with what has made me smile today!

Two lines in my gorgeous blogging book!

The egg has finally hatched!  I nearly gave up on this, P1 bought this from the Australian Geographic Shop nearly 2 weeks ago - instructions state it should hatch in 12-24 hrs - not sure what happened but I was so thrilled this morning when I noticed - yes it is the small things!!

See you tonight
Mel xx

Upcycled Necklace, Mint Loves & Midi Rings

Monday and Tuesday are my work days and as I wear corporate wardrobe I feel it is not the place to accessorise with costume jewellery so today was just plain studs day.  In keeping with my jewellery challenge I thought I would share with you a necklace I bought at the Sorell Market yesterday for $5 and the small change I made to it to turn it into a statement piece.  Let me know what you think!

Silly me forgot to take a before pic - the bib part has remained untouched but the neck tie was originally 2 strands of ugly beads on each side - I just removed those and used a silk belt to thread through each side which allows for it to be adjustable around the neck.

And this is how I think I will wear it once the weather warms up - this combination reminds me of something from Sass & Bide-do you agree?

In case you are wondering the feather wrap is one of my all time favourite pieces in my robe - it is from here I think I love it even more now than when I first bought it - thanks Terri!

Mint Loves

I posted here about my wonderful friend giving me a blogging book - well last week my local vinnies supplied me with a gorgeous home for it - very happy with the $4 spend.

As you can see I am embracing the mint trend with my nails also - this was another freebie from the oppie last week - admittedly not the best quality polish but a few coats and it comes up a treat.  I am also trying out the midi ring trend in this photo-you can see some of my inspiration here - after trying this out this afternoon I think I will have to agree with Jane - who posted a comment on pinterest "that would drive me crazy"

Added bonus this gorgeous Book Bag is a Fair Trade piece made in Bangladesh for The Dharma Door! 

See you tomorrow

Mel xx











Day 6 & 7 Jewellery Challenge & What I Wore 

Hi peeps, Day 6 JC saw me taking 4 children to the free Magic Show in the city-the kids loved it, it really was rabbit out of the hat magic, and all for free which is a bonus.
Yestersay I also did a trade with my BIL (brother in law), I took their 2 children and in return he did some photos for me.  The following photos will be the first post in a series of What I Wore - showing you in particular pieces I have met and liked from the op shops!!

Day 6 JC - Angi Mac chunky silver bracelet, you can find similar here beaded bracelet one of my latest op purchases/freebie actually!!

What I Wore: Tie-dyed singlet and Politix mens shirt both oppie purchases, Nobody Jeans purchased on sale from Sodium for a bargain $45, you could find similar here

Walnut shoes from Op Shop (were brand new - to be honest  I probably wouldn't buy otherwise!)  you can find different colours here or Bensimon do a great pair also here

Bag is another op purchase - it is large and slouchy and has lots of pockets/compartments - it is Louenhide Switch which you can buy here - considering the price I think the $4 I paid was a good buy and did I mention it was near new also!

Day 7 JC has seen me now separating my jewels in to 2 sections, what I have already worn and what is yet to be worn - to be honest I still gravitate to the what I have already worn side - anyway here are todays wears

Earrings a recent purchase from Lovisa, sterling silver bracelet a few years old now from Luxe and beaded bracelet a new piece for my bday from a gorgeous friend!

And that is bye from me for now - have a fabulous weekend!
PS  A big thank you to BIL for the photos - Have a look here at his wonderful gallery and very reasonable prices.

Day 4 & 5 Jewellery Challenge - Earthy & Pearls  13.06.2012

Day 4 JC was simple due to me being at work - funny enough as silly as it sounds, it was the little things like wearing my good jewellery that I was looking forward to going back to work for.  This is pretty much the only time I choose my good jewellery over my costume pieces.

My husband bought me this gorgeous leather and pearl necklace for my 30th - it will be one of those pieces I will wear forever - very timeless.  Just wore it with simple pearl studs.

Day 5 JC was a total contrast to yesterday - today was garden day - and all in the name of a challenge I picked my pieces accordingly - as a good friend suggested - earthy pieces!

Faux leather is a winner for the garden - easily wiped down if need be.  The large black cuff is a recent addition from a good friend for my bday, the others are cheapies from Cotton on sold in a pack of 3 for $2 Bargain!!!

I thought I would include a pic of the garden team in action - you will notice princess 2 sitting up the back on the letterbox - I did ask her to join us to which she replied she couldn't as she had blisters - I said go and change your shoes then, to which she told me she couldn't as those were the only ones that matched her outfit - oh goodness what have I created!!!!!!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents who drop everything to come and help me in the mammoth task of weeding and trimming back the bank!!!

See you tomorrow
Mel xx

Day 3 Jewellery Challenge - Simple Silver & Skulls  11.06.2012

Well after 2 days of it being all about the neck attire I changed it up today and my arm had a little party - as you can see I struggle to keep it to just one piece!

The back silver piece is an oldie but a goodie - it is a thin bangle with cubic zirconia's (I could tell you they are diamonds), the other silver bangle means alot to me - it was given to me last year by a good friend who had it engraved with always be true to yourself.  The skull bracelet is a favourite at the moment - I bought it recently from a gorgeous shop in Newtown called Stuff & Co - it is a secondhand store full of gorgeousness!  The turquoise and silver is another older piece from Angie Mac!

I just had to share with you this divine cushion I was given as a birthday present-as you can see I am really into skulls at the moment (this I think has horrified many friends!!!).  This cushion takes centre stage on our living room couch, this is an Etsy piece you can find herehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/beetrootshed

Hope you have all had a fabulous long weekend - yippee even a shorter week for me this week - will I be able to manage 1 day?????

Mel
xx

Day 2 Jewellery Challenge - Tribal & Gold 10.06.2012

I have certainly been very spoilt this weekend - out for lunch and dinner yesterday and then out for lunch again today to celebrate a friends 50th.  I decided on my favourite Tribal neckpiece and simple gold studs and bangles.

Twigge the maker of the necklace can be found here http://www.facebook.com/#!/twiggedesigns

I love these little Juicy Couture studs so much - simple but with a edge.  The bangles I found at a Salvos store.

I just had to share the amazing birthday cake for today with you - yes that is a bottle of Moet!  Made by the very clever http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Queen-of-Tarts/235605273162844

The beautiful lunch setup for today!

Hope you are all having a wonderful long weekend - I have well and truly eaten my way through the last two days.

Mel xx

Day 1 Jewellery Challenge - Star & Neon  09.06.2012

Day 1 of the challenge saw me wearing 2 of my favourites pieces currently on high rotation.  I discovered the crystal necklace off a blog last year which consequently had me waiting a couple of months for it due to the high demand - well worth the wait though I still love it.  The star is a recent addition from Sass & Bide-I justified this purchase by the fact all profits are donated to Make-a-Wish, such a wonderful cause!  You may still be able to get them here http://www.sassandbide.com/make-a-wish-4.html

I had my new Shop magazine waiting in my mailbox yesterday and it was a little article advising how you can wear more than one necklace at a time.  According to Shop you arrange your necklaces according to weight - with the heavier rocks at the bottom of the bunch.  If you prefer dainty jewellery, pick a few delicate chains in different coloured chains in different colour metals.  Put the smallest pendants on the shortest chains to keep things balanced.  For extra style points, drape your chains around a buttoned-up collar.

See you tomorrow
Mel xx

PS No I am not doing the chicken dance - I had a little 4 year old on my back desperate to try and get in the shot!

My Name is Melita and I am a Jewelaholic  08.06.12

There we are I have said it! 

As  you will see from the photos below I do have a weakness for jewellery and in particular costume jewellery.  I find myself generally just picking the top few items on the stack and wearing those religiously.  So in my quest to rediscover all my jewels and possibly uncover new combinations I have set myself a challenge - I will share with you each day what I jewellery I wore.

If you are wondering at all about the clear canisters at the back - they are the stash range at Freedom - I am planning to add many more.  Great news also they are presently on sale!http://www.freedom.com.au/productsearch.aspx?SearchText=stash

Watch out tomorrow for Day 1 post!
Mel
xx

PS Look at what I might have found at the op shop today
http://toteshop.net/goods-583-Coach-15275-Op-Art-Alexandra-Khaki.html
I will do a separate post for this - I think it deserves it!

OP SHOP DIY'S   03.06.12

I love the idea of recycling/upcyclying pieces I find, but unfortunately lack in the creativity stakes.  I have however done a few simple things that I am happy with the end result!

I made the scalloped bunting out of coasters I found at a Church Op Shop.  For my .50 outlay I am quite happy with the result - a simple fold with some glue and you are done!

This is probably the hardest DIY I have done purely for the prep work.  I handed over $4 for this little table at the Salvos and knew exactly what I wanted to do but didn't quite anticipate how much time it would take to prime it all and then paint it - making sure to do the inside as well.  Love the colour which is http://www.porterspaints.com/world-of-colours/porters-colours/reds--pinks - Mulberry Stain - it is an eggshell paint which is matt and fortunately only needed 2 coats.  It is a pity I cannot find the before shot of this table to show you.

My first DIY and I have to admit I only sourced the mirror and outsourced the painting to my dear dad.  Just a plain old cane mirror I found at a garage sale a few years back - I still love how it looks now!

The next is a DIY I would really love to do but not sure if my sewing skills are up to it - well I can dream atleast!  Check it out below - Denim Acne Scully Skirt under DIY category!
http://www.afterdrk.com/

Thanks for stopping by.
Mel xx