Dreaming of Vintage Treasures

 Happy New Year!  2020. It has already been deemed one hell of a year. For my family and I, it started with lots of terror as we rushed to escape the New South Wales bush fires . That was truly traumatic and I can't even begin to imagine how people who lost their homes or loved ones feel. Then by February, we were all too aware of corona virus and it's restrictions on our lives. Many people suffered in various ways, whether it be financially, socially, emotionally. Having a family member catch coronavirus was really scary and stressful but thank goodness he is alive and well. So many have died due to this pandemic and the numbers are truly shocking. After two lockdowns in Melbourne, I am glad that restrictions have now drastically eased. To all those in lockdown overseas, please have hope that if you stay home and keep doing the right thing, restrictions will eventually be eased. For the most part, I have tried to remain optimistic and hopeful. If certain plans were interrupte...

 Bakelite and I have a long love affair. I love to find it and it likes to come home with me!  Wearing bakelite in 2018. Wearing bakelite bangles in March 2019.   Yellow sunshine.   The far left bangle on my left hand is bakelite as is the two far right bangles on my right hand.   The rest are other types of plastic.   Bakelite goes with everything, even Christmas outfits! No really, I do love bakelite! Ever since I learnt about it through reading vintage style blogs many years ago, it has fascinated me. I remember talking to an elderly lady who regularly sells at my favourite secondhand market. She was selling a whole box of bakelite bangles that she had collected since the 1950s and 1960s. All of the different styles, colours and carved pieces dazzled me but at $60-$100 a piece, I did not take any home with me. As this type of plastic is not made anymore, it has become quite collectable amongst vintage collectors and jewellery enthusiasts. Here's my bel...

 Last week was my final week of work for 2020 and boy was it a race to the finish line! I was feeling very stressed and completely frazzled and am very glad to now be on work holidays. Well done to all the teachers and families out there! We truly did an extraordinary job supporting students' learning in unprecedented times this year.   I had to celebrate with a trip to the local op shop. Look at all my finds! The vintage nighties were $5 each. The vintage scarves were made in Italy and cost me $3 and $2 apiece. The bakelite (!!!) bangles were $1.50 each and I bought the DVDs for $2 each. All this for $22, I was happy with that. And I can't believe I found more bakelite bangles after finding one just a few weeks ago .   Source I recently watched 'Titanic' (1997) for the first time in years and discovered just how much I love this film! My gosh, it must be THE most romantic and devastating movie that I know of. I am now seriously considering henna-ing my hair orange ...

 As always, I've been busy, busy, busy this week. Yes it is worth writing three times, but then again the end of year is a busy time for many people. Christmas shopping and celebrating, catching up with loved ones, racing to the end of the work year. Yesterday was spent visiting family friends which was nice. This morning I had brunch with a couple of friends from high school. It's always good to catch up on each other's lives and while away hours chatting. Some other dear family friends visited this afternoon and now I've got the last few hours of the weekend to myself. Before I get to relaxing, I wanted to share some Christmas-y photos with you. This is my family's beloved Christmas tree that goes up every October 31st (I know that sounds super early and crazy but we don't care). This year we thought we needed some extra Christmas cheer so October 31st couldn't come around fast enough. Mum has been collecting a few decorations each year since my sister and...

Today was a special day. My favourite secondhand market finally reopened! I haven't been there since February and there have been quite a few times this year where I have really missed it. Masks on and sanitisers available at most of the stalls, mum and I set about treasure hunting.    With a reduced amount of stalls, mum was a bit disappointed that she only came away with a few small items. Me on the other hand, I found enough for both of us! I don't usually find this many things at once when shopping secondhand (it's a bit hit and miss) but I scored quite a few bargains today. Let me share them with you... Vintage deer bookend - $5. These can be quite pricey so I pounced on this. It's a nice addition to my collection. Elvis and Judy Garland DVDs: $5 and $2 respectively.  Handmade soap: $5 for five. I use this soap on my hair and my stash is frighteningly low so I thought I'd better stock up. Bangles: 50 cents each. Notebook still in the packet - $4. And my lucky l...