Wednesday, November 30, 2011

For the Love of Used Stuff

Between local designers, Australian chains, UK stores and the vintage shops- the shopping in Dunedin is pretty good.

Despite the fact that I'm on a ramen budget- I am still enjoying looking at everything. About once a week or so I wander into some of the shops try on some clothes, fawn over the accessories and toy with the shoes. If I return home with anything, it's usually a little something for art or craft- a ball of wool, paper, crayons etc.

Last week I caved. I took a little bit of cash with me and headed to the biggest "OP Shop" (Kiwi version of thrift shop- an "opportunity shop) in Dunedin.



I've been surviving off 5 pairs of pants, and I've been lusting over all the boyfriend jeans I've come across on Pinterest. After trying on over 20 pairs of jeans, I found a pair that should work if I taper them in from the knee down (which should be interesting to do by hand).



I came across this adorable bag- tucked in  behind some shoes. I was getting antsy for a cross body bag, much better suited for all the walking I've been doing.


I packed for New Zealand at the end of August. Most of my warm clothes were packed into storage (Scotty and I unpacked as little of our stuff as possible b/c we lived in the van last summer and anticipated NZ in the fall). I managed to pull a couple of my "winter clothes" tupperwares open, but I really didn't pack many warm clothes. 

I found a couple amazing second-hand wool Zara knit sweaters right after we arrived in September, and this time I found a long-sleeve merino wool top (they retail for at least $80 here- I got mine for $8) and the softest cardigan.


Aside from the sickly cheap prices and the thrill of the hunt- I love thrifting because it allows me to buy clothes that would be way out of my price range if I got them brand new. They just fit better, the fabric drapes nicer and they often have little details added that give them that extra "oh la-la". The black pants I found are all those things. I think they're one of the local designers' pieces and barely worn. Score.

Nearly 2 hrs and $35 later, I decided to try walking home a different way. My "short cut" took me only 50 mins from start to finish. The "long way" would have taken me 20. Pfffft.

Oops.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Victorian Fete: Picture Overload

I'm sorry to tell you but this is where I am blogging from this gorgeous late Friday afternoon. I just found out that the UV rays in NZ are 40% higher than equal latitudes in the northern hemisphere (due to the hole in the ozone layer).

SULLIVAN: MY KIWI BOYFRIEND



Yikes... for a second, but them I felt all its warm love and I forgot my worries (they immediately burned up in the laser-strength sun rays).

Last Sunday we ignored the rain and ventured an hour and a half up north, along the coast, to Oamaru to take in the Victorian Fete.

I WASN'T ABLE TO GET A COSTUME TOGETHER. THIS IS THE BEST I COULD COME UP WITH

CHRISTMAS CRAFTING ON THE RAINY CAR RIDE


I may have taken 200 plus photos in 3 hours. I'm getting worse. My camera's shutter speed can't keep up sometimes.

Musttakepicturesofeverything!


YOU COULD FEEL THE HEAT COMING OFF THE CONVERTED TRACTOR- STEAM ENGINE
 This means that you're going to be subjected to a LOT of photos of the fete.

Oamaru is a very cool town that boasts a Victorian precinct and a steampunk headquarters (more on that another post). Aside from the drive through the town on the way down to Dunedin from Christchurch when we arrived, Scotty and I have come up to Oamaru twice on our own.

SPEAKING FROM HIS SOAP-BOX. THE KIDDIES IN THE BACKGROUND JUST KILLED ME

SPOTTED: AMAZING CONCEPT FOR A COSTUME

Originally, i had thought that Scotty and I would dress up. Budget, time and materials made me realize it would not happen, but had I been able to pull it off, Scotty and I would have been dressed much like Kirsten Dunst and her Soldier lover in Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" (that movie triggers so much creativity in me).

The number of people dressed up was impressive. I would say that the costumed people outnumbered the people who didn't dress up. I even spotted a family who had not only dressed up their 2 preschool aged children, but also pushed their baby twins (also in costume) in a  gorgeous antique pram. My kind of people.


IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES THE JESTER LOOK LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON?

There were some incredible antiques and vintage clothing on sale. I think that because of all the old family farms down here- the antiques are especially good. I found a pair of very old spats in a vintage shop in town and they were only $90 NZ! Something like that in Vancouver would easily have sold for $250. I am hoping i can find a cool pair of eye glass frames before I leave and then get my prescription put into them when I get home.

"WHISKEY" BAR
 I only picked up a couple scraps of vintage Liberty of London fabric. A girl can never have too much fabric. I am hoping to collect a bunch of scraps while I am here and then make a crazy quilt out of them when I get home.

I SPOTTED THIS HUTCH FROM ACROSS THE WAY AT "WHISKEY" AND NEARLY FAINTED FROM EXCITEMENT
 The pastel paint-chipped wood slats in this hutch have inspired an idea for my own kitchen (if that ever happens)- I'll just keep in in my back pocket until then. Love when that happens- when something just screams "Hey, I was made for people like you!"


EVERY KID NEEDS ONE

INTERESTING BOOKS BEING SOLD. IT WAS A USED-BOOK SALE MEANING THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY BOUGHT THESE NEW. NOTE: THE "NAKED ROWER" IS PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED. HA HA

THESE MASKS WILL BE CREATED

AN ART GALLERY ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE OLD GRAIN WAREHOUSE (NOW CONVERTED INTO A RESTAURANT AND BAR BELOW)
Whoever bought the old grain house in Oamaru is brilliant. The bottom main floor boasts a giant restaurant and a big pub area (the pub is photographed above), the third floor is a beautiful art gallery. All three fall under the "Whiskey" name.

I started swooning and couldn't stop. I loved the space! I'm sure Scotty got tired of hearing me ooooh and ahhhhh over and over and over again.  The high ceilings, the giant, peeling beams, faded wood, curved windows... the light up there was incredible- it just glowed. I am so glad that whoever designed it had the smarts to leave a lot of it as it was. That uniqueness created over years and years of wear n' tear cannot be replicated.



THE ORIGINAL STAIRCASE LEADING UP TO THE ART GALLERY. NOTICE HOW THE HANDRAIL CURVES. IT IS HELD IN PLACE BY SUSPENDED STEAL RODS. KIND OF SCARY.

COSTUMES, STREET PERFORMERS AND AN AMAZING OLD CAMERA

We weaved in and out of all the shops and the warehouse spaces lined with crafts and used goods. The rain did a good job of soaking my jacket, but it was warm and I was tingling with inspiration- it couldn't have been more perfect.

Unless you could have joined us.

SPOTTED: INSPIRATION FOR MY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

THE LIGHTING IN THE OLD BOATHOUSE WAS DREAMY

NEXT YEARS HALLOWEEN FEAST THEME: VICTORIAN CIRCUS... HEAVY ON THE FREAK-SHOW



WOODEN BICYCLE

WHEELS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY



HAT SHOP

SCOTTY HELPING A STREET PERFORMER GET HER HULA HOOP LIT



Just as we had decided it was time to head back to the car, Scotty spotted crowd of fire dancers way down at the other end of the street. The rain had picked up at this point an created a kind of haze and hushed the street around us. As we neared them, we could hear the accordion and the jingling hundreds of tiny bells (attached to their pant legs and ankles). It was all very dream-like.



FIREDANCE



Friday, November 25, 2011

I just can't get enough

I've decided I need to paint my own version of this tank top for Australia.




Get in line.

Despite all my crafting, my list seems to be growing... there are just too many great ideas on Pinterest, and I don't even own a house yet (that's when I'll REALLY be in trouble).

Last week's craft fair was pretty decent. I think Kiwi's are pretty crafty. I totally fell in love with this briefcase purse, but I didn't have the $40 to spare so I just left with a little llama. My self control can only go so far. The craft fair made me miss my crafty partner in crime: my mom. We can wander around and gaze at crafts for hours. Back when I was in high school, my mom and I went to a big craft fair in Victoria- for an entire weekend. To be fair, there were tutorials- it wasn't all looking.

Highfalutin, LA-DI-DA



After that I sweet-talked Scotty into taking me to the craft store. 2 1/2 hours later, I emerged (cause Scotty made me) with this:






Thursday, November 24, 2011

Austraaaalia-la-la-la-la

Apologies for being MIA for nearly a week. Scotty is in paper writing mode, so he has needed the computer most of the week. I've been pretty distracted with Christmas crafting (my dream catcher has turned out so well so far), and coming up with trivia for the quiz night we're hosting tonight (we've invited one of the girls' hostels). Liz, the new house tutor (yay! I'm no longer the only girl at "Boys R Us"), and I are excited to see the junior boys get all awkward and nervous when the girls arrive (some of them have extremely little interaction with their female counterparts being that they go to school and live at a hostel with only boys).  Despite the rain, we ventured an hour and a half up island to Oamaru to take in the Victorian Fete on Sunday. I took a billion pics (coming soon). It was incredible how many people were decked out in Victorian garb- even the little kids were dressed up (I got a major kick out of their costumes).  I also got to Skype with my entire family all at once this past weekend for my mom's birthday... I think that conversation lasted a total of 3 hours?

Photobucket
Are you proud Steffy? I made a hair mask out of eggs, olive oil and yogurt and put my space heater up on my drawers. Kind of like the beauty salon.

And lastly, we've been busy trolling the internet for tickets to Australia. Scotty finally found some yesterday afternoon. I am so excited to see Kangaroos, Koalas and Wallabees in the wild! I do a little "I'm-so-excited dance" every time I let it soak in a little.








             







We'll stay with the Satake's for a week on the Gold Coast.
Over the next week we'll make our way down to Sydney. This is where we'll be for the big countdown on New Year's Eve

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Day Dreamer

I just finished my first crochet project (aside from the washcloth hang in in the shower). It turned out amazing!!! Thank you mom for raising me to be a "Do It Yourself" kind of girl. If time allowed it, i would make everything myself (clothes, dishes, furniture etc).


I think it's time to refill that vase (wine bottle) with something fuller.


I made two different pom-poms (one more grey and the other more white), but I didn't like either of them, so I untied them and joined them together. Clearly, it was a size issue.


It may have been a bit industrious to make a two coloured/ patterned toque as my first real project, but it turned out ok. Look how nice it is on the inside mom! Much neater than my sewing.




This afternoon we're going to hit Dunedin's annual craft fair. After that, I am hoping to persuade Scotty to take me to the craft store so I can pick up some supplies to make this amazingly clever dreamcatcher Christmas wreath I saw in Frankie (a wicked Australian magazine- kind of like Nylon at home but far more arts and crafts).

Christmas hits right in the middle of summer here, so I wanted to make something less traditional (read: less winter). I let out a muffled squeal when I saw this.

Scotty is on duty tonight at the hostel- the craft storms are gonna hit hard tonight.