The Busyness of Life...

Wow!  It's been four months and I haven't blogged here for so long!

But I have found some great bargains while I have been out and about in my travels.  

I haven't been looking at Glo-Mesh Handbags so much - as I have so many, I don't think I need them so much anymore.  It's nice to have the collection I have in the suitcase; and they're so lovely to use when I want to use them - but that suitcase is so darned heavy!

But I have been updating the wardrobe!  On Wednesday just gone - payday - I went out to Life Line at Logan Central and scored myself a couple of wicked purple tops for around $9.00ea!  Very sweet seeing Winter is coming in and I need something nice to protect my neck now I don't have much hair.  

For those who haven't been keeping up with my other blog - and my Facebook page - I did the World's Greatest Shave, and shaved all my long red locks off!  A lot of it went to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Promotion for them to make it into a wig for somebody to use while they undergo Cancer treatment.  But it takes 6 ponytails to make one wig.  So, my ponytail will be one of many... but I'm pleased anyway.

I also found a lovely burgundy wrap at Life Line for $5.00 too!  How cool is that?  I'm so pleased I'm finding some lovely clothes and things to wear to match my hair... plus I look much better with make-up on than without it.

And yesterday, I went to Rivers at Springwood and found a box of scarves near the door for $1.00ea!  So, I went through them all and found some lovely colours to go with my clothes; and they'd be nice to use in the car for days when the days are cooler as they're not too big.  I did go there to buy a coatigan (long cardigan) but they didn't have my size; but I came away with things that were much more beautiful.  

So, now you know what I've been up to - and why I've been so quiet lately - let me know what bargains you've found.  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting.

Two Scores in One Day

I haven't been to Life Line in almost a month; and that's been a good break for me.  Anyway, today was my first day back into the swing of things.  I had spent the last week cleaning up my living room and kitchen table; and now they look great.
Today, I had to do my shopping.  So, I didn't see much harm in looking in on my usual hang-out just to see what had come in over the New Year.  And some great stuff had been donated.  
The first thing I saw was a purple handbag; and it was beautiful and soft!  I've been looking for something like this for a while now, but just can't find one which is lovely and soft.  And the inside is all sectioned out with velcroe and is a lilac colour.  Then, on the sides there's buttons so I can open up the bag a little or close it up; depending on how much I have inside it.  Very cool for $10.
The next bag I saw was a green cotton bag with long shoulder handles with little bells and beads hanging off it.  As soon as I saw it, I loved it.  It's got a double bit of cardboard in the bottom and a button on the top to close it up, but it's also got plenty of room for everything I need.  I thought I could use it for volunteer work to store a book, my knitting and a sketch book and some pencils.  A very nice piece for $8.00.  
So, have you found anything lately in a charity store, marketplace or a thrift store which has caught your eye and budget?  If so, share it with us as a comment below.  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting.   

Back From a Well-Earned Break!

Hey there!  It's been a little over a month and I'm back from my break; and yes, I've been scoring very well at the charity stores and other sources too.  Christmas has been great to me as well!

For Christmas I received a wonderful little bag from my Aunty Helen who saw it and thought I'd love it.  Inside it, she also put a cute little make-up mirror.  How lovely is that?
A few weeks before that, I found the most gorgeously interesting bag.  It's one shaped like a radio.  The knobs turn and everything; and it looks like a 1950's radio.  Very cute!  I've tested it out already and have found that the only thing that bothers me about it is that the knobs can get in the way and make a loud clacking noise when they bump against things which scare the life out of me; making me thing they might break.  So, I have to be careful of them when I'm using the bag.  Otherwise, it's cute as a button!

Then, on my holiday down at Brunswick heads, I just couldn't resist buying something.  I purchased for myself a lovely little black bag with a long strap for evening.  It doesn't look it, but it worked really well with my NYE dress; both of which I bought at Target Country.  I also scored for myself a cool Christmas shirt as well for next year. 
I also wandered around Brunswick Heads taking in the vibe of the place and enjoying myself totally.  It was fun and I took plenty of photos.  I also bought a few souvenirs too.  One of those was a money box in the shape of an old Kombi Van.  It's blue and has been kept by my bed for any small change I find in my pockets at the end of the day.  I love it.  It cost me $14.95 at the newsagents and came with its own box; which I kept it in until I got home by bus.
There's this great little place at Brunswick Heads called 'Whatever' where they stock all these imported goodies.  From clothes, books, handbags, notebooks handbags, wallets and coin purses and shoes, saris and anything else you'd like to furnish your house, it's there.  Well, I bought a couple of tops and a notebook or two and four coin purses as well.  It's a cool little shop I always buy stuff from when I'm in town.

And I have been scoring great deals while here at home too; and I've only been home 2 days.  Yesterday, I had been given a Smart Phone by my brother - as he upgraded to a better one and didn't want to throw out his old one - and so I was figuring out the bits and pieces on this one; and having fun with it.  While I was, the battery almost died on me.  So, I plugged it into the computer and the internet up and died on me.... bummer!  So, I was off to Target to buy an adapter to plug this puppy into the wall.  It only cost me $15.75; and the best thing is that I can work my iPod off it too!  
While I was a Centro Mall, I saw the Rockaway still hadn't closed down its old store; so I took a wander in there too.  And I scored 3 disco vinyls - all from radio stations - and a Mozart Idomeneo 3 vinyl set all for $18!  Very cool!  So, I spent an hour or so cleaning the dirt and old nicotine stains off the vinyls and then wishing I could play them; but unable to because the turntable wasn't working.  Now I'm home, I'm going to have an afternoon of new vinyls being played that I have never heard the music of... not a bad idea. 

So, what great scores have you come across during the Christmas/NYE period?  Great ones?  Or have you missed out altogether?  Do share.  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting!        

Three Little Coin Purses

Today, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't buy anything too big at Life Line; and you know?  I didn't.  I found three coin purses and bought them... and that was it.  Well, okay, a coin purse and two wallets, but then, who's being specific?  It turned out to be a good day just to look around anyway and not buy anything in the place and I would have been happy with nothing.

Anyway, I did spot this Paul Frank coin purse in the window of the cabinet and absolutely had to have it.  It's the cutest colour and is just lovely.  However, the monkey really isn't the most attractive thing on it, is it?  But being a designer piece makes it the most collectable thing around and that's why I bought it for $2.

Then,I spotted the 'Wonka' wallet!  And what a find!  I'm all for Willy Wonka things and chocolate (it's lovely to eat Wonka chocolate when I do get to buy it once in a while), but this wallet is just the best!  It reminds me of the movie that Gene Wilder was in - you know, the first one? - I love that one.  It was so much fun.

Then, there was this wallet.  I found it interesting, but I don't know much about it.  So, I bought it.  The design on the front isn't DC Comics, but it looks very animated; and thus the reason for my purchase of it.  But it's a solid little wallet.  So, there you go, the three little things I found at Life Line.  What have you found for a bargain lately?  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting.

Big Spend-Up!

Today, I found a lot of money in my account from the government.  So, I thought it would be a good day to get exactly what I've been eying off in the stores over the last few months.  I shifted over $100 more than usual and out the door I went with a few more shopping bags than usual as well.

My first stop was Life Line; a great charity store a Logan Central.  I get a great deal of my handbags, coin purses and clothing there.  Over the last two years, I've been looking for a great pair of jeans; and I found one pair (which I'm wearing now and they're comfortable, but wearing thin around the outer leg seams).  So, I went in search for another pair.  But!  I didn't just find one pair, I found two! How's that for luck!  They both fit like gloves and are so, so, so comfy!  One pair still have their tags attached to them from the store they originally came from!  Wow!

While I was walking around Life Line, I found myself a nice bag hanging off a high hook.  It was the very first thing I spotted when I walked into the place; it just seemed to scream out to me from its high position up there.  I got a hold of it and knew it would be perfect to take with me to volunteer work to hold my knitting; instead of Grandma's yarn bag (I don't want to get that damaged or dirty).  The best thing is that this bag I found is from the Sydney Art Gallery and is made from twill cotton!  Oh My God!  I couldn't believe it was an art gallery souvenir!  Another bit of luck!  I found a cute little coin purse in the store as well.  It was the first one I've found in around 6 months.

So, there you go, I spent $21.00 at Life Line and bought some lovely things!  What have you scored lately that's worth letting people know about?  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting.

Today's Bargain Buys

Today, I was out and about on my own after being off my feet with a broken toe for the last month.  Now, that's not the best way to kick back; not in my opinion anyway.  Last shopping day, it was dreary and wet and I did want to go to Life Line, but decided that my folks getting me around in one of those shops in a wheelchair wasn't the best of ideas.

So, that brings us to today.  I had a great time being out on my own again - even if my left toe did begin to hurt a little halfway through my shopping day.  I just took my time and didn't push myself; not until it's completely healed anyway.

I found two great items at Life Life that I bought and do love very much.  The first one was a pair of jeans.  They were a size 10, but very stretchy; stripy and purple and I fitted into them beautifully!  And for $12.00, I thought they were great!  There was another pair of jeans - bright red ones - made by Thomas Cook - that were a size 12 (a small make though) and I decided against getting them as they just didn't feel all that comfortable.

Just when I thought I had done all my shopping, I spotted a bag that looked very cool.  On picking it up, I found it was made from New Zealand Lamb's Wool!  How beautiful!  It's a decent-sized bag too!  So, I bought that for $20!  It still had the cleaning instructions attached to it as well.  What a lovely thing it is... so cuddly and warm too.

Well, that's all I bought at the Life Line today.  What bargains have you come across - do share!  Until my next post, happy bargain hunting! 

Tested:  Lambs-Wool bag.
I went out to Garden City with my bag today.  I packed it with the bare essentials; however, when it came to finding them, I found it difficult to just find them as this bag has no interior pockets.  So, I often found myself digging around when I needed to find my purse or iTouch or anything else; and this became annoying within the first hour.
Also, the little tie that was around it broke.   I was trying to undo the knot when I pulled on it and it snapped... fortunately, I could tie it back up again with a similar knot on the other side (which is what I was trying to do in the first place).  Otherwise, this bag is lovely.  I have to remember to try not to get it wet, sit it in any dirt or anything sticky and make sure that if I want to have it cleaned that it's a dry clean only bag; which makes it a very expensive bag to own.  I think I'll use this bag on special occasions only... and not every day.

The Big Clothes Clean-Out!

There comes a time in every collector's life that you must clean out your house.  This weekend I began on the next phase of my Big Tidy-Up.  For those who have been following me in 'My Book-Crazy Life' you'll know what I'm talking about; however for you people who don't, I'll explain.  I began cleaning out my two-bedroom townhouse last year and it's turned out to be a great success.  Just this weekend, I began on the upstairs bedrooms and I've been very honest with myself.  So far, one full rubbish bag of junk has been thrown in the bin; and it's not coming back inside the house!

However, the next thing on the agenda was my wardrobe.  Since I moved into this townhouse, I've cleaned out my wardrobe once; unsuccessfully.  This time, it's been very good.  I've been brutally honest with myself and pulled out clothes I haven't worn in over 2 years, looked at them and put them straight into the bag.  I even found a nice dress and a couple of vests my niece might like and put them off to one side for her.

But, it's not over yet.  I've still got a little way to go in the organisational parts of this before I'm happy with how my wardrobe looks.  So far, I have from left to right:  cloaks/shawls, dresses, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, knitted long-sleeved shirts, dressing gowns & brunch coats and all my jackets and coats.  However, it's still a bit muddled up.  So, I've happily just left it for a little while until I fix it up.  But seeing I've got 2 garbage bags of clothes ready to go, I'm rather pleased with myself that I have come this far in just two days.  

So, have done this kind of clean out recently?  Was it successful? Love to hear about your success stories of either your scores at charity stores.