At Home | Second-Hand Book Haul

On a recent trip to LifeLine I picked up a few very interesting books, mostly in relation to foods. I spotted The Olive Oil Cookbook by Louise Pickford, had a quick flip through before the other two jumped out at me from the shelves. I am hoping that these books serve as very useful additions to my house and life. 

The Complete Book of Herbs: a practical guide to growing & using herbs by Lesley Bemness so far looks to be the most useful. Aside from the detailed list of herbs and how and where to grow them, this book also includes endless uses for them. Herbs have a plethora of functions, from basic use in cooking to utilising their medicinal qualities and cosmetic applications. I will definitely let you know if I use any of the beauty remedy recipes.

My purchase of A Passion for Preserves by Frederica Langeland is an attempt at something I've never pursued but am pushing myself towards. I have always thought it would be great to make my own jams and preserves but never made the effort. I've had someone describe the most delicious strawberry, balsamic and pepper jam to be and wanted to make it ever since. However, after a quick browse of this book, the process is as lengthy as I assumed, so who knows, I may attempt it but might not be soon. 

Loving olives as much as I do, I could hardly leave the cookbook about cooking with olive oil behind. It really is just a compilation of recipes featuring olive oil, all of which look delicious but nothing is overly exciting about it. There is a feature about olives in the front of the book but nothing that couldn't be found at the click of a button today. Its always nice to have additional recipe inspiration though so this book won't go astray. 

Do you ever browse the book sections of your local op shop? What do you seek out?

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Erin xx

Shopping | Louis & Sons Delicatessen Haul

At the beginning of this year, a new delicatessen graced my local high street, Stones Corner, with its presence. It has taken me several months (I keep walking by after hours) but I finally got to Louis & Sons and, me oh my, I am they're newest fan. Once I saw the prices on their high quality items I picked up goodies with very little restraint and will definitely be heading back in the near future.

First things first, I could not leave a deli without purchasing olives. Louis & Sons stock a fairly broad range from Mount Zero so I picked up some green manzanilla olives at the best price I've ever seen any Mount Zero olives for. I will definitely be returning whenever I need to restock on the rest of their range. I also got some wild olives from Pendleton to sample another companies take on the variety. 

The next thing I found is a very polarising item which belongs in the seafood category. There are many people in this world who will turn their nose up at fresh seafood and even more at processed. I, however, belong to neither of these groups of people and revel in the fact that it simply means: more for me (except when my family is involved). There were a few different varieties of seafood pastes on offer and even though they were all appealing to me the mussels stood out from the rest. This delight works as a dip for crackers and also as the main ingredient in a puttanesca variation I cooked recently (blog post coming). 

Sadly, these last two items have been my least favourite of the haul. There is nothing particularly wrong with the charcoal lavoche except that they are fairly plain and unassuming. I agree that it is best for accompaniments like crackers to be that way but I was expecting something a little more interesting from the charcoal. 

The cheese would have to be the biggest let down. It generally takes a lot for me to dislike food, particularly one labelled Premium Vintage Cheddar BUT I a not a fan of this cheese by  the Kenilworth dairy. It had a strange after taste and sourness to it that almost makes me think it is past its best before... if thats possible. 

One tiny bit of a disappointment in an otherwise lovely haul from Louis & Sons. If you're a Brisbane southside local, I highly recommend checking this newish delicatessen out. The prices are great, as are the products. 

Happy hump-day lovelies!

Erin xx

Shopping | Ra Ra Superstar Vintage Haul

Another month and another haul of vintage clothing has entered my wardrobe. This time I bought it all from one shop, Ra Ra Superstar, in Paddington. I stumbled into their mammoth courtyard sale on a hunt to replace a jumper I misplaced and found so much more. They had a 3 items for $20 sale on some amazing retro/vintage items and so I made sure didn't leave empty handed. 

Shopping | Dragonberry Pop Up Shop

Hi lovelies! Last Friday and Saturday Dragonberry, a popular Brisbane boutique, had a pop up store in the Valley. The store boasted of discounted stock with nothing being more than $10. Of course my interest was peaked and I toddled off cash in hand. 

Scent | Paco Rabanne '1 Million'

Hi lovelies! It probably is no surprise, but I am not the girliest of girls. Recently I have been on the hunt for a new perfume, and disappointed by the floral, sugary offerings in the ladies' section I turned to the colognes. 

Summer Sandal Sale Haul

Wittner YITA Sandal in Tan Leather

Wittner ELKA Sandal in Black Leather

Sandals. If you're not from a tropical, or subtropical as the case may be, climate then you'd probably say I was mad buying two pairs (and lusting over several more) right as Winter begins to hit. In all honesty though, with temperatures never really lower than 10 degrees celsius during the day, sandals are an all-year-round shoe in Brisbane. My favourite staple flatform sandals broke after a good year of almost daily wear and I've been in desperate need of a new pair (or two). My wonderful mother did the me the honour of shouting me these two.

Op Shop Haul Numero Uno

So, if you recall from my last post, our friend Honor visited me in Melbourne last week. Just like Jess and I, Honor also has an acute (acute? Who am I kidding?) addiction to the pleasures of Op and Thrift shopping (yes, I know they're the same thing but us Australian's do prefer Op to Thrift). And with these two facts combined, a haul of this description was inevitable. 

The first five items were found at a Vinnies and Salvos store at Mornington on the Mornington Peninsula during our road trip last week. Honor purchased the over-sized green stripy blouse and high-waisted Levi denim cut-offs while I purchased the pink floral button-up maxi dress, green velvet high necked top and black leather messenger bag. I think the most we paid for any of the items was $7 (for the Levis) and the least was $3 (for the bag). I find some Op shops or Thrift shops price their items too steeply and but these two stores at Mornington were incredibly affordable and quite fruitful. So if you're around that area and love a good successful rummage, head to Mornington's St Vincent de Pauls and Salvation Army stores. 

These last two items were sourced by Honor at Camberwell's Sunday Markets. I knew if I took her she wouldn't be able to help herself. Why, the only reason I've been able to hold back myself is a basic lack of money. The markets are full of vintage and retro clothes, shoes and knick-knacks (and when I say full, I mean full). Honor managed to pick up a bargainous $5 chambray shirt which she had been searching for for quite some time. The cute blouse on the right was picked up for $10 after we walked past it styled on a manikin. She just couldn't resist its pussy-bow-polka-dot charms. 

And thats it for my Wednesday post folks, if you've heard Melbourne/Victoria is a great place to op shop and source vintage/retro treasures, you're hearing it here again. If you're already a fan, give me a heads up on places I'm missing out on.

Erin xx

PS. Sorry about not posting on Sunday. I was baby sitting all weekend and by the time I got home on Sunday evening my brain was unable to conjure up anything even vaguely exciting to tell you.