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

At Home | Crystals and Cookware

Its been quite a while since I've posted about vintage home-wares finds. To be perfectly honest, I plan on moving in the near future so I have been quite restrained with my purchasing. I picked the crystal-ware in the first photo up at my local Salvation army store whilst the vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster was a gift from my mother; no it wasn't hers she found it in a Ballarat vintage store. 

You might remember a post a did a few months ago about some neat jewellery organisation pieces I found op-shopping. Well I have now added and fiddled with it and am even happier, for the moment. I used to use a crystal ring dish and blue porcelain bowl. I've now upgraded all of the jewellery storage to crystal-ware with a bowl and a flat dish. I really love the way my fairly simple collection looks sitting in the glass. These dishes sit on my dresser intermingled with my makeup collection.

It is no secret that I love old things nor that I love cooking. My mum knows this all too well, so when she saw this vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster she was almost certain I would fall head over heels.  Considering I don't own a new mixmaster I am hoping to get a lot of use out this machine (fingers crossed it lets me). I love how the dial at the back instructs the user about what is best for tasks; that would never happen with modern appliances. 

That's my favourite second hand items from the last few months. I've got a few months before I move so I'm in the process of culling and figuring out what I do and don't need. These things definitely go on the 'Do' list. 

Happy hunting fellow thrifters! 

Erin xx

OOTD | Collected Comfort

Light-wash waisted and cuffed jeans - thrifted / white collared button-up - thrifted / embroidered pink cardigan - vintage via Ra Ra Superstar / 'Grandpa' loafers - vintage via Shag Vintage / The Jackson Sunglasses by *MKL Accessories - Karmaloop

Here I am again presenting you with the epitome of my style, all totally second hand (minus the sunglasses). I think I will again try to convince you of how well shopping second-hand can suit any, and every, human and their individual style. Aside from the very obvious societal and environmental benefits (reduce, reuse, recycle people!) there are major benefits in regards to personal styling efforts. 

OOTD | Late To The Disco

Disco Pants in Forest Green - American Apparel / Grey V-Neck - Bonds / Fish Bowl Print Over-Shirt - thanks to Mum's great taste / Dr. Martens - Thrifted / Nails - Blueberry by Barry M

After many months of agonising over whether or not to make the investment I finally took the plunge and purchased a pair of American Apparel's infamous Disco Pants. Always apprehensive about buying expensive items online I tried these on in their Melbourne store, to find out what size to buy, first. I ended up being content with an M as they run ever-so-slightly large. You've probably read/heard it all before but these pants are unbelievably comfortable and hold you in better than any legging you'll ever own. I'm also almost convinced I'm going to invest in a pair of AA's Riding Pants as their matte finish looks more wearable but equally as comfortable. 

The rest of my outfit was trying to tone the shiny pants down for the working day. My grey Bonds v-neck is a staple in my wardrobe. If I could afford to fork out $40 for a v-neck all the time I definitely would. The fish-bowl-covered beauty you see covering the outfit is a gem from my mother's past. In love with the concept of fish on a shirt as a small child I managed to snag this from her wardrobe two or three years ago and I think she is happy with its new life (she had little choice anyway). 

Thats all for today lovelies. Just a quick outfit post this Friday so I can get out and enjoy the night. Hope you've all had a spiffing week and an ever better weekend!

Erin xx

Buy Nothing New Month | Trash or Treasure?

You might remember that at the start of the month Erin and I committed to buying nothing new in the month of October. In case you missed it you can find out about the project in more detail here. 

It probably won't come as much as a surprise to any of you, but I own a lot of clothes. I am also guilty of getting emotionally attached to clothing, even if I no longer wear it. So to avoid being swallowed by my own wardrobe I have recently had a big clean out of my clothing. Here are my steps to letting go of the old and making room for the new.

Buy Nothing New Month | The Pledge Begins

This is a bit of a different blog post today; no review, outfit or recipe. Jess and I are about to embark on a month long journey which involves buying nothing new and will be blogging all the way. Buy Nothing New Month isn't to support a specific charity and doesn't involve getting sponsored to do it. It is a month to promote thinking about where what you buy comes from, how much you need it and alternative ways to attain it. It doesn't mean buy absolutely nothing either. You're still free to buy essentials like food and drink, and hygiene products and medication. You're also encouraged to purchase thing second hand (yay, thrifting!), beg, borrow and swap with friends and family to attain things you want and need. 

"Buy Nothing New Month is the global movement for collective, conscientious consumption" - Buy Nothing New Month

OOTD Life's More Fun in a Maxi

Pink Floral Maxi Dress - Thrifted, Green Socks - ASOS, Boots, R. M. Williams, Sunglasses - Sportsgirl, Lips - Over by Illamasqua and Raspberry (02) Superbalm Moisturising Gloss by Clinique

Wow! Two OOTD posts in a row! It probably (definitely) has something to do with being back in Brisbane near my photography-loving-friend Tara (she took all these photos by the way). Today we took up a trip up to Mount Cootha, near her home, for some lovely scenic shots at the look-out and in the Botanic Gardens. 

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.