second hand city

a new best friend

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I am a bit fickle.  But one can afford to be when one (I am of course referring to myself as one) shops second hand. For example, this week I abandoned my old friend the cast iron wok (purchased at Anglesea op shop a couple of summers ago) and have taken up with a new wok that I purchased last week.

It was $15. I bought it at Value City. When I popped in after the school concert … I couldn’t just drive past … when I was right there!

It is a Kitchen Aid wok. And it is GREAT. So far I have used it to cook bolognese and last night lamb rogan josh with eggplant and curry leaves (thanks Patak’s).

Thanks Value City.

extraordinary tapestries

I came across these tapestries at the Salvation Army Op Shop in Kew a little while ago and had to snap a photo (I didn’t buy them) just because they were so full on!

They were sitting together, so I assume that the same person made them both, or at least someone owned them both.  They were about 60 cm tall, so quite large, and quite eye-catching.

I always think about starting a tapestry collection since I saw an article on Penelope Durston and was inspired by hers.  I think the article I read was in Frankie magazine (but you can also see her collection  online in an article on The Design Files).  I am not sure if she would buy these –  her collection seemed a bit more subdued, but I think these would make an EXCELLENT start to a very interesting collection!  And they weren’t at the Salvos when I went back a week or so later, so they obviously sold – I wonder who bought them and where they are now …

a little collection

Here’s a little collection of new, second hand and home made pictures and prints on a wall.

The giraffe and elephant prints are by Me and Amber, and they were purchased a number of years ago at the Melbourne Design Market which used to be in the car park at Federation Square.  Looking online, this doesn’t seem to exist any more, but there is Markit on on Sunday 25 May 2014, at Federation Square that seems to be a very similar concept (maybe someone knows …).

The St Kilda prints were bought at an op shop, the little book cut out of the boy and dog were hand made by me and some other mums for the craft stall at our school art show, and the wonderfully creative caterpillar drawing was done by one of my children.  I love this picture.  All the legs and feet!

The frame for the caterpillar also came my way second hand.  I bought it at the Wales Street Primary School trash and treasure stall a couple of years ago.  My sister has invested in a mat cutter, so I borrowed that and used matting that I bought at Reverse Art Truck.  Now, there’s a great place to visit!  For about $30 you can fill a garbage bag with whatever is in stock.  It is a GREAT place for matting, cardboard off cuts, dowel, smaller pieces of timber and compressed wooden boards, foam off cuts, leather off cuts and loads of other stuff.

So many second hand stories behind one little collection on a wall …