O Summer, Where Art Thou

As I was driving home from work today, creeping along to avoid hydroplaning off the road, knuckles white on the steering wheel (yes, I'm being overly dramatic... but not much) I couldn't help thinking wistfully of warmer weather to come (we had a brief glimpse last week but it seems to have gone away again...) anyway, all this to say I had water and warmer weather on my mind, which reminded me of this little refashion I did yonks ago... people who know me (and anyone who follows me on Instagram) know that these are fairly old as I've had a little hair change since then! Enough of my rambling, you want pictures! I bought this little number in a second hand shop in Gawler for $1 because it made me think of the sea and sailing ships, I'm a huge fan of all things nautical (just as long as I don't have to get on said ship!) and thought I could make something of this!

Tribbles is trying to get in on the action!

 Clearly it was too big and not overly attractive! But I took it in, gave it a new hem and swapped out the buttons for some slightly more nautical ones (it's hard to see in the picture but they are navy with gold anchors). I styled it with a gold 'rope' necklace and navy tights as well as my standard ankle boots and leather satchel.

  

Autumn Layers

I love autumn, the weather is cooling down but it's not so cold that it feels like Antarctica if you go out without a coat! For a lovely crisp day nothing is better than a long shirt, tights and a light jacket. To complete the outfit I threw on my beloved fedora, a pair of healed ankle boots and a few layers of necklaces. I love these necklaces, they are quirky and add a little personality to my outfit. I'm wearing an owl (a bit hard to see in these photos), a sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who and both a serotonin and a dopamine molecule. The Shoes were $5 from Salvos and the Jacket was from the local thrift store. I love the cut and colour of this jacket and it was a steal at $4! In recent news I have started having allergic reactions to much of my make up and beauty products and have been madly searching for replacements - preferably more natural products. I'm thinking as I search I might write reviews of some of the products I try, what do you think?          

The Last of Summer

Winter seems to have arrived full force here with only the occasional sunny, but still freezing, day... but before it did I managed to wear this little outfit for a glorious day of wine and good food in the Barossa Valley - Murray Street Vineyards might be my new favorite place! As not to confuse anyone I will admit that I didn't take these photos while in the Barossa (I'm really terrible at actually taking photos while I am out) so I did a little shoot of a few outfits about a week later (you may see this location a lot!)

The Skirt was a find at $1 from the local thrift shop and the top and shoes both came from my charity shop binge in Western Australia (Bunbury and surrounds) and I can't remember for sure prices or exact locations as I think I went to every thrift shop within 20km and a few that were further away! I do know that I came home with a suitcase that was about twice as heavy and was only 1kg under the weight restriction!

A Game of Tights

This outfit is so typically 'me' that I had to share it! An outfit just doesn't feel complete without ankle boots and a hat and these are definitely my go to's! Now, let's talk about these tights, I LOVE them, they are just about the only thing in this outfit I bought new. Why? Because the print on them is a map of Westeros From the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series (George R. R. Martin) or 'A Game of Thrones' TV show... if you haven't heard of it go dig yourself out from under your rock and check it out! Aaaanyway, the tights came from ebay, the black and white tank was $1 from the local thrift shop and the belt was $1 (I think) from Salvos. The burgundy batwing top was given to me by one of my best friends who always gives me a chance to raid her wardrobe cast offs (Thanks Amy, love ya!) So what do you think? I love my Westeros Tights but would you wear something so bold?     

I Finally Have Chairs!

Late last year I bought a secondhand table for about $70 and sold my old set for $50, there was just one problem... the old set included 6 chairs and I had only bought a table! Well, this weekend I solved that problem! In a little second hand shop in Nuriootpa I found a set of four chairs and they were exactly what I was looking for; wooden pressed back chairs with a beautiful design on them. I paid $120 for all four, they need a bit of work but I am very happy with them. It's hard to tell from the photos but they are painted and I am thinking that I will repaint them a creamy white and make some cushions for them out of grain of coffee sacks... I'll keep you posted.

One of the chairs, this one has some damage - missing or replacement supports

You can see the design on the pressed back also where some of the paint is wearing off

Two of the four have a design made from holes on the seat!

All four, side by side, Tribbles investigates!

Tribbles decides she approves!

 

This Is Not a Shopping Blog

Hello again! I know, I know... it's been how long since I posted?! well, here's why... I kind of lost my vision for this blog, I was looking at these big, polished, fashion blogs with links to all the places you could buy their clothes... and that seemed like a lot of work and I just didn't want to do it! Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with those kinds of blogs, but it was not my intention when I decided to start THIS one. So, here I am, starting again, doing what I intended to do in the first place. So, exactly what it that? Recycled fashion, recycled living... basically, turning one persons junk into another persons treasure, just like the name suggests! I love creating new from old and revitalizing old things for many reasons but my focus for this blog is two things:
1) the cost, I'm promoting living thrifty, why pay heaps when you can spruce up something old for half the price!
and
2) Reducing my waste, I am really passionate about reducing waste and recycled fashion and decorating goes hand in hand with that.
So what exactly will you find if you come back and visit again? Fashion: Hand made, thrifted or refashioned; Renovations and home-wares: Thrifty designs using second hand materials; Food and cooking: Cheap, easy and (sometimes) healthy recipes using local and natural ingredients as much as possible.
Hope you come and visit again and I can't wait to get started on some actual content!