op-shopped: linens and a little camera

the op-shops are starting to fill their shelves with plenty of fresh stock now after the christmas/new year lull.
i've found a couple of floral sheets, some still in their original packaging which is always a bonus plus some pretty tea towels, table cloths and hand stitched linens.
the little Hanimex camera caught my eye for 50c. I will have to look into getting some film for it and trying it out.
the English-made fish moulds intrigued me. not sure what to do with them as yet.

have you had any luck at your local oppies of late? 

I also picked the recipient of my doily dream catcher give-away and the winner is Leisa of vintage bird girl. if you like op-shopped treasures and vintage fashion you will love Leisa's stylish blog.
I hope to share another tutorial (and give-away) next month too.

stills: porridge weather

1. with a couple of lovely cool mornings this week, porridge has been the breakfast of choice. for both us and the chooks
2. two op-shopped tablecloths
3. a little walk around town
4. a beautiful calendar in the mail from Jonai farms
5. tomato seedlings and basil in the garden

weekly still time at the beetle shack.

tea towel skirt

a lunch date with my love at a little local café today.
wearing...
top: from the wardrobe
skirt: handmade by me from calendar tea towels
satchel: down that little lane

doily dream catcher tutorial + give-away

this year I hope to share a few little crafty tuturiols with you. first up is a doily dream catcher. a lovely summer-y craft with sunshine hues of yellow and orange.

 

what you'll need:

an embroidery hoop (I often find these while op-shopping)

a doily (just big enough to stretch inside your chosen hoop)

embellishments.. strips of vintage sheets, ric-rac, lace, twine, ribbon

take the embroidery hoop apart.

starting with the larger of the two (the one with the twist closure at the top) begin attaching your embellishments. simply loop through or knot in place. keep adding until you're happy with it.

with the smaller hoop lay the doily atop it, centring it.
gently place the larger, embellished hoop over the smaller one making the doily taught. tighten the twist closure and you're done. simply hang where you please.

I hope this little tutorial was helpful and do let me know if you try making one yourself,
now for a little give-away.. would you like to win this doily dream catcher?
simply leave a comment telling me a tutorial/diy that you'd like to see.
best of luck. I shall pick a winner at the end of the month.
x

stills: colour

 

1. nest box herbs
2. it's been a cool-from-the-fridge rockmelon eating week
3. bathroom colour- lime green, navy and pink
4. i've been crafty. expect a little give-away this week
5. recycled plastic drinking straw rug for the back verandah

joining in with the weekly stills at the beetle shack.

bright pink wearing.

in keeping with my fashion pledge for 2014 I'm sharing another outfit with you lovelies. all that I'm wearing is ethically produced, op-shopped or is an existing piece from my wardrobe.

this dress is a new favourite. a purchase from little tienda. their beautiful dresses and tops are handcrafted in Mexico supporting rural artisans.
worn with a newly op-shopped leather belt ($1). deadwood creative bracelet crafted from an old skateboard. satchel handbag also op-shopped ($5). and jelly bean sandals.

i wore this little outfit today for a picnic lunch at the park in the shade, trying to escape the scorching temps.

hope you are keeping cool. x

stills: garden tendrils

morning cuppa in my current favourite Fire King mug
the front garden is buzzing with bees
little curling tendrils in the veg garden
linens drying in the sunshine
afternoon egg collecting
new sandals and a cute kitty cat

weekly still time at the beetle shack

op-shopping 2014

the first of my op-shopped finds for 2014.
a Pyrex nesting bowl ($2). now I have 3 of 4 in the set. the search continues for the second biggest one in white.
milk glass dish ($10)
cotton sheet ($2)
little case ($4)

joining in with the op-shop show-off

stills: the first of the year

 

 

1. sewing pin cushions
2. healthy brownies
3. thyme ginger beer
4. kitchen vignette
5. magazine time
6. star pickets in for a new chook enclosure

still time at the beetle shack

fashion pledge for 2014.

last year (sounds odd doesn't it) i really enjoyed sharing a few wearing posts. most of my outfits were of the handmade variety.. dresses from vintage sheets and my very favourite tea towel dress from Pearl & Elspeth.
this year i hope to share more outfit posts all while (trying my best) to stick to an ethical fashion approach. so I've signed up with Pip of Meet Me at Mikes and the Year of Ethical Fashion 2014. you too can join in and make the commitment...

 

i did my first op-shopping for the year yesterday and i managed to find a denim shirt and retro shorts for myself, so far so good.

 

what do you think? will you join in?

x

an old year. a new year.

 

well that's 2013 done and dusted. the year really did fly by. i cant believe this time 12 months ago we'd decided to move on from Orange and the madness of packing up the house was about to begin. thank goodness this year there are no moves on the cards and I'm happy about that. our house here feels like home. it's cosy, the neighbours are no trouble, we have space for the chooks and its a nice walk into town to our favourite cafes.

2013 saw me move from hospital nursing to practice nursing and I think I've found my calling. hospital nursing did have me doubting if I'd wasted three years at uni for a career I really wasn't enjoying much. thankfully a job ad caught my attention a few weeks after moving here and I decided to give it a go.

2013 was the year that we added chooks to our family once again. they bring much entertainment and happiness to our days and of course those beautiful fresh eggs.

a change of op-shops too this past year. I've since added a bit of milk glass to the collection as well as Johnson of Australia crockery (I shared my collection too- part 1 & 2) and a fair few vintage sheets were added to the stash too.

on the sewing front 2013 saw me make more clothes for myself, including a bark cloth dress. I also managed to finish the vintage sheet quilt I started a couple of years back.

as for 2014 I've got a couple of things that i hope to achieve. one being to organise my little shop and maybe try a couple of different avenues for selling my wares. i also plan to get involved in more blog swaps and send more mail.. a little handwritten note to accompany something I've made or found that made me think of a particular person as soon as i saw it. another little goal is to actually put some of that time spent browsing pinterest to good use and make some of my pins a reality.

a big thank you to all those lovely ones who have dropped by my blog this past year. your comments and encouragement brings a smile to my face. may 2014 bring you happiness and a chance to fulfil some of those hopes and dreams. x