Biting bullet, biting the clouds

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 last find was this sterling silver turquoise cuff! I've been enamoured with turquoise for years and at $25, I couldn't hand over my money fast enough! I've seen these sort of pieces sell for $80+ online so it was a good find.


When I got home, I decided to test my red bangle with baking soda because I suspected that it might be bakelite.  What are the chances that this bangle is bakelite when it was being sold amongst tatty and tangled costume jewellery? I wondered. As it turns out, it's bakelite! Woohoo, I had to let out a happy shout! Bakelite for 50 cents! What is better than that?

 

I'm actually wearing my orange bakelite bangle in these outfit photos. I was feeling positively sassy and Christmas-y when wearing this red dress earlier this week.

 Some other things that have been bringing me much delight...


My sunflowers that are still making an appearance in the backyard.

 

Banana puddings that I've been making most weekends. So yum!

 

Source

TV - My family and I were glued to the TV as we watched The Undoing (with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant) on Friday and Saturday. Oh my goodness, that show had me on edge and positively spooked.

 

What have you been up to lately?

X

 

Title: Biting Bullets by INXS.

 (Just another song that's been stuck in my head this week)


Comments

  1. Vix08 December, 2020

    How lovely for you to get back top some kind of normality and go treasure hunting again!
    How pretty you look in that strappy red sundress, I'm wearing a woolly hat and mittens in the house! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 13 December, 2020

      Thanks Vix. It was very nice (and strange) to be treasure hunting again.
      Hope it's not too, too cold in the UK. Although I bet it is freezing as you're in winter. X

      Delete
  2. Polyester Princess08 December, 2020

    Oh, I am so envious of your treasure hunt. How I would love a rummage at a flea market. I haven't been to one since early March and miss them dearly. Wonderful finds, the bracelets and Bambi ornament in particular. And I could murder some of that banana pudding! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 13 December, 2020

      Thank you dear Ann. I am THRILLED with my bakelite bangle. It's sure to pop up in my next blog post. Anytime you're in Melbourne, come over for some banana pudding. X

      Delete
  3. Sheila08 December, 2020

    You look stunning in that red dress, Jess - it's definitely your colour! I'm so envious of the vintage shopping. What is your baking soda test for Bakelite? I was under the impression that there wasn't a reliable test for it without having to remove a bit of material for sampling. I have a few pieces that I've never been sure of, and would like to know.

    Your banana pudding looks amazing. My mouth is watering!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 13 December, 2020

      Thank you so much, lovely Shiela. I do love wearing red.

      There's quite a few different ways to test bakelite which I've learnt through google. I find the baking powder test to be most convenient to me. What I do is, I wet an ear bud and dip it in some baking powder. Then I rub the powder on the inner side of a bangle. I've tested all my plastic bangles out of curiosity and if they are bakelite the ear bud will turn a yellow colour. If it is some other plastic, then the ear bud will just stay white. Hope this helps and that you discover some bakelite in your collection. X

      Delete
  4. Sheila08 December, 2020

    Oh, and the '68 Comeback Special is AWESOME. Peak Elvis.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lulu09 December, 2020

    What a beautiful red dress and how exciting that you could visit your favourite secondhand market. I am off to a couple of Falmouth chazzas tomorrow (hit a couple of Penryn ones last week). The vintage deer is so sweet. We are big Elvis fans in our house. I’ve never heard of a baking soda Bakelite test – will have to look that up. Those puddings look glorious! Have a great week Jess. Lulu x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 13 December, 2020

      Thanks Lulu! Oh, you're an Elvis fan too!

      I use baking powder to test bakelite. Sorry I may have confused the two in my post. X

      Delete
  6. The Small Fabric Of My Life11 December, 2020

    What great finds. Well done.
    It always seems strange to me to see summer frocks at Christmas.
    I have been busy teaching yoga and getting all my presents done ready for Christmas so I have lots of time to train our new puppy. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 13 December, 2020

      Oh you have a new puppy! How cute. I will aww and ahh over your puppy in your latest post, no doubt.

      Yes it is summer here in Australia. Pefect for a Christmas BBQ. X

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Promised you a miracle

Image
 Where do you buy your clothing from? Opshops? Online shops? Retail stores? For a while, I hadn't been buying much clothing as my wardrobe is absolutely full! From time to time, I sell pieces from my wardrobe on eBay to slowly thin out my collection. Although recently I fell into an eBay rabbit hole and have purchased quite a few nice dresses.  I bought this  Tree Of Life  dress on eBay after admiring the exact same one my mum has. I tried on her dress, so knew which size to buy. It popped up immediately when I looked it up online, and for less than $30 including postage, it was mine ! Leopard is always fabulous, I think. I enjoyed wearing it for a get-together with family friends at my uncle Arthur's house a little while ago. This cotton, brown and cream kaftan was also from Tree of Life. I wore it recently when going to see Simple Minds play at the Red Hot Summer Tour. And boy was it hot, at 35 °C     we were so sweaty, people were fainting around us. Luckily we sat under a t
Read more

Volare oh, oh, Cantare oh, oh

Image
After 11 weeks of term 2, preparing reports and completing parent-teacher interviews, I farewelled my grade 2 students, and began my two weeks of holidays. I was looking forward to spending time with my family, grandparents and boyfriend, as well as squeezing in some day trips. My mum and I returned to our favourite place, Daylesford. It was a cold, winter's day so we rugged up in big coats which kept us surprisingly toasty. I wore my tartan coat that I recently bought at a market. I had been looking for a big, long coat for some time as well as watching Gilmore Girls and admiring all of the beautiful coats worn on the show. So when I found this brand new coat, I was happy to hand over my $25. At Daylesford, we first roamed the Vintage Mills Market. It's always fun to have a look at the unique items. I found a vintage, leopard coat. It was a bit pricey, so I thought about it for some time and then decided to buy it as it was a dream item that I have been searching for, for prob
Read more

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good

Image
  Last Thursday night, my mum, sister and I went to see Wicked: The Musical in the city!  We quickly dressed and rushed there after work and made it just in the nick of time before the 7pm start. We marvelled at the ceiling and Romeo and Juliet style balcony. I even spotted a handful of Australian TV personalities, walking through a roped off area, which is something I've never seen here in Melbourne. Usually, we all just walk through the same entrance!  I absolutely love  The Wizard of Oz  as you may have noticed  here  and  here  and quite enjoyed Wicked The Musical, with its perspective of two witches Elphaba and Glinda from the Land of Oz. The set was wonderful, with references to the Land of Oz such as the Emerald City, cornfield and a field of poppies. It was lovely to see so many beautifully dressed audience members, with many of them wearing the colour emerald. I loved the enchanting costumes and the singing was absolutely amazing. Even though I wasn't familiar with th
Read more