Then yesterday I was out with my Mum and asked her to stop off at one of my favourite op-shops on the way home.  Mum is not an op-shopper (she waits outside in the car!), so I tried to be as fast as possible.  I walked in, and there it was-exactly what I had been wanting , but had little hope I would actually find it.  A little retro shelf for storage in my space-limited bedroom!

It’s exactly what I wanted, and it cost only $10!  I couldn’t wait to clean it up and put it to use, and this is where it now lives:

A pretty place to store my cottons, crochet threads, wrapping supplies, etc.  Now I have more space on my desk too, so it’s much easier to use my sewing machine.  I love that it has little legs and is backless, which creates the illusion of more space.

So, once again I have been lulled back into the never-ending thrifting quest for excellence.  I am linking to Her Library Adventures, where you can find more thrifted goodies.  Have a great week!

Anthea.

A Making Memories Slice!  I resisted the world of electronic die-cutters for a long time, as I didn’t really like the cartridge designs, and they were too cumbersome for my space anyway.  Then I began looking more closely at the Slice (probably because it’s smaller!) and liked the look of the design cards too.  So I was presented with the chance to buy a used one in excellent condition, and bought it!  I’ve already had a play with the design card it came with, and now I’m just waiting for the cards I’ve bought online to arrive-I can’t wait!

In other scrapbooking news, it’s that time of year again-CHA is just around the corner and the previews are coming thick and fast.  A website I like to use as my ‘base’ for sneak peeks is scrapbook update.  It’s a list that is constantly updated with all the products as they’re revealed on blogs and websites.  Already a couple have caught my eye, including this one:

So when you have a few minutes spare, pop in and have a look-because you need more for your stash, right?

Have a great day,

Anthea

The positive things from this week are that I did find a couple of large op-shops down the coast that I didn’t know existed, which I have hopes of exploring with more success in future (perhaps when the school holidays are finished and they’re less busy…), and I did find this cool pyrex mug to add to my collection:

I love the bright yellow flowers; I’ve never seen anything like it before.  It’s a lovely addition to my collection.

The other cool thing from op-shopping this week is that I was able to finish a collection.  A while ago I started noticing copies of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis in op-shops, so I decided to try to collect a matching set.  Since then I’ve been buying them as I see them-often finding numbers I already have (there are 7), but my persistence paid off and now I have a set with matching covers!

I already have my own set with these covers I’ve had since I was little, so I think I’ll hang on to these for awhile-they might become a special present one day.  So I encourage you to persist with your own collections-you never know when you will find the missing piece!

I’m linking to Her Library Adventures with all the other finds – I hope I find more to talk about this week!

Anthea.

Good morning, today I’m sharing some new tags and notecard sets that are now in my etsy shop.  Firstly, sets of tags decorated with pictures of birds-love the owls!

I have also made some new notecard sets.  The floral illustrations are originals from the 1950s!

The notecards sets include 6 floral handmade envelopes, 6 die-cut notecards, and 6 kraft seals.

The tags and notecard sets are all one-of-a-kind (like most things in my etsy shop), and are in my shop now.  Thanks for looking!

Anthea.

Here’s my collection so far.  I bought a couple of rolls individually but they were too expensive for my liking, and I wanted more variety.   There’s heaps of these tapes available online, so I searched for a good deal in Australia, and found an online shop here.  The prices were great and you don’t pay postage in Australia-now that’s the sort of deal I like!

I don’t know what I enjoy more-collecting tape or using it!  I’ve already been using it on packages and I think I might need to buy more already…

Have a great night,

Anthea.

I was going for a 60s/retro inspired look, which is why I had my hair done with a bit of height (it was also because it was over 35 degrees and I had to have my hair up!)  I love this dress because it’s cotton, and it has navy in it, which made it perfect for me.  I forgot to hold my bag in the photo, which was the vintage navy Oroton glomesh bag I thrifted a few weeks ago.

I love the necklace because even though it’s plastic my nan told me that my dad gave it to her for mother’s day when he was very little, which makes it over 50 years old!  I love things that have a story, they mean more to mean than anything that costs a lot of money.

So, there you have my summer wedding outfit.  The great thing about it is that I can wear it again for other things, and I definitely will!

Have a great day!

Anthea.

]]> http://antheam.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/what-i-wore-to-a-new-years-eve-wedding/feed/ 1 antheam wedding collage http://antheam.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/some-lovely-new-things/ http://antheam.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/some-lovely-new-things/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:28:27 +0000 antheam http://antheam.wordpress.com/?p=4057 ]]> Good morning, I hope you had a lovely Christmas.  I did; and I just wanted to share a couple of cool things I received.  Firstly, this instax camera:

Mum didn’t understand why I would want an instax when I have an SLR, but I explained that I will definitely use both…

I also braved the Boxing Day sales in Melbourne, and I was so glad I did, because I hadn’t planned on buying anything, but I found something that’s been on my ‘wish list’ for some time:

An Orla Kiely quilt cover!  I’ve loved her designs for ages, but you can’t get them in Geelong so I was thrilled to find this cover on sale.  I put it on my bed yesterday and took some pictures:

I think that lovely bed linen is always necessary, don’t you?

Today is New Year’s Eve and it’s also my cousin’s wedding.  I plan on taking lots of photos…

Happy New Year!

Anthea

Good evening! How are your Christmas preparations going?  I’m all organised-shopping, wrapping, baking, are all done.  We’re having dinner and tea at our house so tomorrow there will be lots of housework happening-I just hope it’s not hot.

I made this Christmas wreath to hang on the door earlier this week.  Mum gave me an old tablecloth which I ripped into strips and tied on a wire circle to create the wreath.  The plastic holly I picked up from an op shop, and it matches perfectly!

I love how this turned out, I think I’ll make more in future!  It was an easy (and cheap ) way to decorate for Christmas.  I just made a hook from a paperclip to attach it to the door.

Have a great night,

Anthea

…just because I like it.  I could spend ages (and sometimes do spend ages), searching the internet for wrapping inspiration.  I think of it like an extension of what’s inside, and upcycled/vintage/handmade suits my etsy shop perfectly.

The other cool thing about my package wrapping is that it costs very little-I have found that spending time thinking about what goes together and having an eye for detail is worth more than any amount of money I spend when it comes to the final result.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Anthea.

]]> http://antheam.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/more-etsy-packaging/feed/ 0 antheam DSC_0030 (2) DSC_0023 http://antheam.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/crafty-christmas-colours-2/ http://antheam.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/crafty-christmas-colours-2/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:22:32 +0000 antheam http://antheam.wordpress.com/?p=4025 ]]>

I noticed that some of my craft supplies are Christmas colours, and took some photos-aren’t they pretty?

Crocheted motifs are fun to make, and buttons are always  good idea

Anthea.