The mystical pull of the regional Op Shop..

I love travelling regionally.. there's such a peaceful feeling to so many country towns, and if it lacks that pretty 'provinciale' charm- then provides a sense of relief (that i get to go home at the end of the trip!). If I didn't have a reason to go to some of these locations, then i likely would never set town in that area- and I'd miss out on so much of sleepy Australia! For example, Today I drove from Sydney to Richmond, to Grose Vale, to Windsor, to St Mary's, to Penrith, then i swung all the way back around on the M4/M7 and ended up at a Game Farm in Galston. Hawkesbury experience.

BUT the most exciting part of these trips is how many op shops there are in country towns.
Im always so surprised how a tiny town can be serviced by 3 different Charity Shops. .. and
they're always busy with locals!

My neck turns to rubber as I cruise the main streets.. and even when i know there won't be anything good, I am still compelled to get out and have a look. What if..!?

So today in Penrith i found the ultimate cluster of Op Shops.. they were jam packed with genuine
vintage! So many crazy floral dresses, and bizarre 60s bird shaped bottle openers etc.
I was on a tight schedule, so I couldn't go bananas.. and it wasn't until afterwards I realised i
should have been buying some ebay stock!

But for myself, I did end up with the following things, somehow i need to fit these into my teensy weensy mandarina duck cabin bag.
1. Pair of green horses. My new obsession. I don't like real horses at all, but i love the idea of sets of ceramic horses, and this will be my third pair (much to LP's distress... on the phone earlier he said our room may start to appear 'weird' to outsiders with this addition!)

2. Japanese friendship plate. So cute- i thought this could be LPs and i, with tinkerbelle! Am going to maybe use it for
my rings. It has wire on the back.. not sure how ill resist not hanging this somewhere!?

3. I Have been looking for one of these (ugly) mug stands for MONTHS! I am going to use it for bangles.. i am going
to paint it either gloss white, or maybe with a bright pattern/ clear gloss- and it's going to become cool + PRACTICAL!

4. Gold + Purple brocade dress. Perfect size + fit.. maybe needs to tweaking done to the boob darts- they're a bit pointy!

5. purpley green top- it kind of looks like animal print, which i thought was cool!

Oh, and it's mine and nick's 7 year anniversary today... first time i think it's ever been
realised on the day!

Ok, right now im in rushcutters bay... time to snoooze.. up early