I picked up this lovely old picture book in an opshop in New Zealand several years ago, just after getting off the ferry on the South Island. It’s in poor shape, tattered and torn, but all the pages are there and it is quite magical to look at! I am not sure the publication date but the handwritten message inside says:
“To Lucy from Uncle King June 28th 1892”

This is around the time my grandfather and his siblings were growing up in New Zealand, so it felt quite an appropriate find at the time as I was absorbed in hunting down some family history while I was over there.

If you’d like to see the entire book it’s free online via the International Children’s Digital Library. The other titles by R. Andre look equally intriguing! Warning, click at your own risk as you might get stuck looking at all the delights this website has to offer! The Internet is a wonderful thing.

I’ve been having fun op-shopping lately and discovered many little treasures aside from the usual stash of clothes and toys for the girls. Click below for a closer look!

top row:
Australian Native Flower Press (Dynamo House Melbourne). I have been meaning to get a new one for a while. This is brand new and a decent size! I think Eloise will be out the front looking for four leaf clovers to press very soon; five rolls of Florist ribbon in pinks (perfect for decorating all the fairy themed birthdays coming up!). I like the type ‘Magenta’ on the reel in the photo…there is another one that says ‘Dusty Rose’; Ikecho Japanese Dancing Clown music box. He dances to the ‘French Can Can’!!

middle row:
Silver brooch; a little pixie ceramic ornament. Looks very fifties and he’s small and sweet; six different vintage Selex decals. Love them and too scared to use them in case they don’t work!

bottom row:
1982 Muppets/Sesame Street ceramic mug. This ‘Winter’ mug matches an ‘Autumn’ one I have that must have been from the same series; gorgeous wooden tree puzzle; bisque porcelain Holly Hobbie pin cushion “What’s sewn with love lasts forever”

How are fellow Melbournians surviving the heat? It’s just been too hideously hot to do anything, let alone take photos of all my thrifted goodies. So here’s a photo of my two treasures taken last Sunday (Caitlin wearing thrifted summer overalls and Eloise in a matching thrifted skirt – not bad for $7 all up!). I had good intentions and I did attempt to photograph some lovely handbags I’ve scored lately, but failed miserably! I’ll save that for another day.

I’m rather pleased with myself. This makes eleven posts in eleven days. That’s a record for me and it proves I can do it. It’s especially good considering how busy things are getting around here with Christmas fast approaching. The party season certainly has arrived already in these parts! Not to mention the crazy work deadlines, school orientation sessions and dance concert rehearsals. Nuts!

And now it seems the heat has me so confuzzled I think it’s Thursday and it’s only Wednesday. Thank goodness it’s only Wednesday. I have too much to do this week! Maybe Thrifty Thursday will go ahead afterall…

I’ll be honest and admit I didn’t get around to photographing the goodies I was intending to blog about today…I was having too much fun out the back enjoying the sunshine with my girls! I did manage to take a quick snap of this beauty though….

I picked up this wooden dolls cot last week, complete with drop down side. It really is quite lovely and has a lot of potential. It’s a decent size, about 60cm long and 36cm wide and nice and high. Sometime between now and January 25th I plan to sand it back, paint it and make coordinated bedlinen as a special present for Caitlin’s 2nd birthday. She is hitting that ‘play house all day’ stage and loves rocking her babies to sleep and covering them with layers of blankets and giving them little friends to cuddle. It’s perfect!

I’m always rifling through the bookshelves. I always make a beeline for the books. I love discovering new (to me) illustrators, authors and wonderful stories to fire up the imagination and share with my girls. I always wonder which will become firm favourites. Lately I have gathered these wonderful 1960’s illustrated books. They’re all ex library books…and as long as they’re all intact I don’t mind. As you can see I do gravitate towards that aesthetic, so these will have many uses on my bookshelf (and the girls might enjoy them too!).

Be Nice to Spiders – Margaret Bloy Graham (1967, World’s Work), When Will My Birthday Be? – by Letta Shatz, pictures by Richard Bergere (1962 World’s Work), Amelia Bedelia – by Peggy Parish, Pictures by Fritz Siebel (1970,6th Printing Scholastic)

I’ve also been finding a lot of ‘garden/nature’ inspired books lately. Very appropriate given the gorgeous warmer weather we’ve been having, Spring is definitely in the air! These are three of my favourites.

Mary Margaret’s Tree – Blair Drawson (Orchard Books 1996), The Enchanted Garden – Susie Jenkin Pearce (Oxford University Press 1988), One Hungry Spider – Jeannie Baker (Andre Deutsch 1982)

I have always adored Jeannie Baker’s work. Her three dimensional worlds are so magical to look at and even more incredible to see up close and in person. After seeing an exhibition of her work, she became a big inspiration to me throughout my school years. This was when I first started to explore various forms of collage. This is one book I didn’t already have, so I was pretty excited to find it! Eloise is particularly taken by it. She’s entering the ‘lets use the bug catcher and catch everything that moves and keep it as a pet’ phase of life and spiders, butterflies and bugs of all descriptions are of particular interest!

I must say, it’s no secret I adore children’s fictional characters. I have many many favourites. I also like collecting associated licensed product.

How excellent is this Pippi Longstocking T-shirt? Eloise is going to love it…especially when we start reading the book. And the red robbin Raggedy Ann & Andy socks? They are dated 1978 and they look awfully familiar. I had a wave of nostalgia when I saw them and I couldn’t leave them there (and for 50c why not?). I remember wearing this style of knee high character printed nylon sock as a kid….I know I definitely had some Holly Hobbie ones. What shoes does one wear with knee high socks? Knowing the era most likely sandals! Nice. Knee high socks with sandals. (I think I might go scour the old photo albums! Hopefully it was a nice pair of Mary Janes instead!)

I also found these sewing patterns. Look, it includes a Holly Hobbie bonnet! The Raggedy Ann one also includes the doll pattern…..and both are Eloise’s size. Perfect! Ha! I might even sew yet!

I’ve been spending way too much time op-shopping over the past few months. By default it’s become a great way for me to destress. Strange! Please tell me I am not the only one that finds it therapeutic? I live within five minutes of our local Savers and St Vinnies. It is dangerous. Savers is open late two nights a week…what a treat to pop out after the kids are tucked up in bed!

More opshopped goodness tomorrow when I kickstart Thrifty Thursday!