Crochet blanket ($3) : a real common thing in the opshops but I really like this one for its cheerful colours. And it’s served me well so far as the leather sofa can be soooo cold during winter so I’ve used it to keep my bum warm!

Hangers ($0.50/pc): How can I not like these, most probably handmade by some old grannies. I gave them a good soap scrub and they are now in the closets of both our spare bedrooms!

Vase ($2) and vintage candle holder ($3): I collect all kinds of glass bottles like this and use them as vases and I like the candle holder cos it reminds me of bygone days when people used that to go from room to room…

The other clock was bought 3 days ago in my routine opshop visit. I saw it behind the cash register of the shop and asked whether it was for sale (Not all items in opshops are for sale sometimes). Coincidentally, both clocks were bought for $10.

She liked this bedroom set which was selling at $60 and so started calling her boyfriend to see whether she should get it and her dad to see if he could pick it up for her at the shop,

I liked these 2 vinyl chairs which I can picture in our outdoor alfresco area which is empty at the moment. My plan is to furnish the whole area with mismatched chairs and table scoured from opshops. So these chairs can be a good start… And they are only $5 each!

I was not disappointed and these are what I found:

A pile load of magazines – and they were what I read! Four were actually June’s issue. Price? A dollar for the whole stash. I almost felt bad when I was paying for it.

A wind-up clock – it’s orange; need I say more? Together with a previously bought orange vintage typewriter, this is the second item I had from the former Soviet state, Czechoslovakia. I had to say I was all excited after buying the clock and started winding it up on our way home. It was really charming to hear it goes ‘tick, tick, tick’ in the car. And then it probably got to me at the same time it did to Ben when he said ‘it’s quite irritating, isn’t it? And we both burst into laughter. Not too bad for something which cost $6!

A ‘shabby chic’ mirror – this has to be my favourite loot of the lot. I don’t know where I can display this, yet. But I will eventually; it deserves a place in my home. It cost me $6 which was knocked down from the owner’s asking price of $10. My co-worker was so envious about it when I told her that she offered me $10 straightaway for it. Nice try, Jaimee!

“The thrift store is a place of many mysteries and surprises and reawakens our foraging skills. We develop more of a connection to treasures found. We take a glimpse at how wasteful we are to throw away so many valuable and unique items. We recalibrate our spending power and prices in new retail market become obscene. We become more creative and self-guided in that we don’t need to listen to television commercials or rush out to fight bargain raged crowds at sales. People are generally very nice in thrift stores. We become more thoughtful and appreciative as we spend a year searching for the perfect gift. Chances are the gift will be treasured in return. And, at the end of the year, we relax and spend our valued time with friends and family, not at an overcrowded mall and in horrific traffic jams.

There is no shame in giving a thrifted gift. If you shop eBay, there’s a very high probability the item was found at the thrift store and you’re paying the mark up. The same applies to funky boutiques that sell mixtures of new and old. As said many times, Americans need to get over this commercially planted idea that “If it’s not new, it’s EWW.” Let’s manage the products already assembled instead of turning to factories on the other side of the world and asking for more. “More” is out of style.

Please know, when it comes to gifts, it’s not so much where you found it, it’s the sentiment, what you do with it, and how you present it.”

You see, I’ve often come across things in the opshops which I thought “hmmm, so-and-so would really like that!”. And I’d think of buying it and giving it to that someone on his/her birthday or during Christmas. But more often than not, I balked at doing so. Fears of ‘what if the person think I’m a cheapskate?’ or “Would she be offended if she knew I bought this in an opshop?” But after spending quite a bit of time (ahem) in opshops by now, I realized that there are really good and unique finds sometimes. You wouldn’t believe what people throw away! Some even come with price tags attached! Then there are those items that had obviously seen better days but therein lies their charm sometimes.

After reading the blog post, I am more convinced that there’s nothing wrong with buying gifts at opshops. Because I know in my heart that during those times when I saw something in the opshops, I’d wanted to buy it not because it was cheap but rather a specific someone had come to my mind who I think would like that as a gift. And because I choose to think that my loved ones and friends wouldn’t be judging our relationships based on the monetary value of gifts received from me. I hope not!

So I was at an opshop after the above epiphany, and serendipitously, I saw this gorgeous blown glass vase. Immediately I thought of a couple whose kitchen’s theme colour was red. And the vase would fit really well in their retro-styled kitchen! My co-worker who was with me then said she’d seen a similar vase selling at $50 in a shop. What I paid: $12. I am saving this as a Christmas gift for the couple.

[Pictured here with the red vase is a portion of my collection of glass jars which I've been collecting since my op-shopping days.]

See the necklace I’m wearing? It’s a sterling silver piece made up of two separate heart-shaped pendants (Tips: all sterling silver jewellery are stamped with ’925′ indicating its silver composition). Price? $2.50; I know, that’s almost incomprehensible to me!

It must have been worn by a mother with two girls named ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Julia’ because each pendant had a little kid’s fingerprint impression on it beside the hand-carved name. And on the back of each pendant was their age; so Elizabeth was 1 year old and Julia was 4 years old.

I was intrigued as to why this highly sentimental piece of jewellery ended up in the opshop. How old are Elizabeth and Julia now? What happened to the family in the end? What is their story?

Anyway, strange as it may sound, in the end, I bought this necklace as a remembrance of friendships. Huh? Yes, because coincidentally, I’ve two girlfriends named ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Julia’. In fact, Julia was someone I had known since 21 years ago! We last saw each other at a gathering in April and she had just become a mother of a lovely newborn girl Nicole. Elizabeth was someone I knew since my university days which was 15 years ago.

Though it’s been harder to keep in touch with good friends with our relocation to Perth, I’d always cherish those special friendship. And so this necklace would always be a symbol of friendships to me.

“I count myself in nothing else so happy

As in a soul rememb’ring my good friends.”

William Shakespeare

I’ve been looking for a mid-sized sling bag for awhile now; something which  allows me to put a wallet, phone and other girly stuff…I tried looking for it when we were back in Singapore recently but still I couldn’t find one which I really like.

Then I finally found it during my lunchtime break this afternoon. It’s a Colorado slingbag whose leather is nicely worn out such that it’s now all soft. And what a steal at $8.99!

I also bought something else which I’ll be writing about in my next post, so look out for it!

• I like to think I’m doing my bit in encouraging recycling;
• It satisfies the ‘shopaholic’ in me minus the guilt;
• Everyone loves a good bargain, me included;
• It’s the best place to look for vintage and retro era stuff;
• I like the fact that I’m owning a piece of history;
• One man’s trash is another’s treasure and I’m an avid treasure-hunter;
• I never know what I’m going to walk out of the shop with!

So this blog is going to be all about my opshop finds in the hope that it will also encourage you to recycle, reduce and reuse whenever possible. Plus, I will also be sharing about how my shopping philosopy and style had evolved over the years and personal shopping tips!