What's on: National Op Shop Week (August 23 - 30)

Grab your diaries and pencil this in! Non-profit organisation Do Something has announced that National Op Shop Week 2015 will run from Sunday, August 23 to Sunday, August 30.

If you're a lover of cheap finds and one-off pieces, National Op Shop Week provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate your addiction to vintage scouring. The event supports your local op shops by encouraging shoppers to donate the wardrobe goodies that no longer see the light of day. Enjoy not only the pleasure of having more space in your closet, but that warm feeling of knowing you've helped someone else! There are endless charity stores listed on Do Something's website, so you can easily locate your closest op shop. It's perfect for those on a budget, lovers of eco-friendly behaviour and hipsters.

Network TEN newsreader Sandra Sully will support the event in her role as National Op Shop Week ambassador for 2015. She fronted the week when Do Something launched the event back in 2012. 

This year's campaign slogan is Op Till You Drop and celebrates the important and multi-faceted role of op shops in the community. The week applauds the voluntary staff who man these charities and the joy of bargain shopping, while also promoting re-use of material goods and reducing waste in landfills. 

But it's not all op-shop focused! This week will make it a lot easier for Australians to get involved in community volunteering and charity events. Where you come in: Just type in your postcode or suburb and find an opportunity near you. You'll be shown listings with information about how you can help or get involved in your local community. This year, the website has listings localised to 16,000 suburbs and 565 local councils. So no matter where you live in Australia, there'll be something you can do. Why not get started and see what's happening? 

For more info, visit the website here. If you have a story to share about your op shopping experience, post on the official National Op Shop Week platforms: Twitter - @OpShopWeek and Instagram @OpShopWeek.

How will you be getting involved this year? 

Event coverage: Scroungers Day Garage Sale

Shenton Park's ParaQuad building was overflowing when I dropped in on Sunday morning. I was determined to face the crowds and find a few bargains at the July Scroungers Day Garage Sale, which I posted about a little over a week ago. To say the event was big would almost be an understatement! With my mother in tow, we joined the seemingly endless queue, curling its way around the industrial building, took a deep breath, and we were in!

There were literally thousands of items for sale in the main area, set up on beautifully ordered tables, each with their own area sign. For the discerning, not to mention early attendee, bargains were aplenty. The event was a collector's paradise under one roof - everything from bottles, jugs, tools, games, bags and buttons to ornamentals, cameras, dolls, pottery and glass.

I think even Imelda Marcos would have reeled seeing the enormity of the shoe rack on Sunday. Were it not for my enormous feet, erm, my hard-to-find demands for size 9 (40) shoes and dislike of stiletto heels, I would have done a lot better out of this part of the sale! Nonetheless, I did take home a cute (and new) pair of brown tie-up flats, which I'll post a photo of later. 

One of the best organised departments had to be the Book Bazaar, adjoining the main hall. Every book held its rightful place in the building, organised alphabetically by author surname, by genre and topic. This really appealed to my love of order and literature. I had the most fun browsing the books that they hadn't been able to categorise. Some of my favourite titles ranged from The Upside of Undertaking, Teach Yourself - Collecting and French First Names :D

Those four books (above) were what I ended up taking home from a section that could have been titled 'Very-very-very-old-books'. A few highlights from The Young Man's Companion or Friendly Adviser to Educational Knowledge, Worldly Council and Gentlemanly Deportment - based on works compiled in 1866: 

"To excel in conversation: Never talk much unless solicited to do so. Suit your conversation to company and occasion. Do not be over fond of telling stories. Do not look at the ceiling, look out a window, play with a dog, or handle a book. Nothing discovers a little, futile, frivolous mind more than this and nothing is so offensively ill-bred."

aaaaaand...

"Before going to a ball or party, it is not sufficient that you consult your mirror twenty times. You must be personally inspected by your servant or a friend. From want of this precaution, I once saw a gentleman enter a ballroom, attired with scrupulous elegance, but with one of his suspenders curling in graceful festoons about his feet. His glass could not show what was behind."

I love finding these old books, graced with small insights into the opinions and mannerisms of years gone by. You may well be thrown a few of these in coming weeks as I get a chuckle out of the rest of this book :)

Want something to do next weekend? Check out the Golden West Collectors Fair, running across Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26.

What has been your favourite find at an event like this?

What's on: Golden West Collectors Fair (July 25 and 26, 2015)

Gorgeous finds will be up for grabs at this month's Golden West Collectors Fair.

Beautiful coloured glass.

Ever wondered how much that Royal Doulton piece might be worth nowadays? If you're unsure whether to keep or sell your collectables, you can have them valued in Perth for free next weekend!

Across July 25 and 26, all roads will once again lead to South Perth Community Centre for the acclaimed Golden West Collectors Fair.

The fundraising event, run up to three times a year by Retina Australia WA (RAWA), is part of the Seeking Treasure Series and is set to feature handmade crafts, antiques and collectables and a vintage market.

RAWA will run a 'valuation trail' across the entire weekend, inviting treasure hunters to bring along their coins, carnival glassware, antique metal, Royal Doulton, Wembley Ware and more for a free valuation.

The local charity is committed to raising funds for research that will enable treatment, prevention and cures of Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRD).

RAWA fundraising and events manager Renae Loftus said when someone is diagnosed with an IRD, there is little doctors can do. "The newly diagnosed can expect a progressive, relentless loss of sight, and ultimately, irreversible blindness," she said. "It can take years or decades, but it will happen."

Ms Loftus said RAWA's goal was a simple one - to cure Inherited Retinal Disease. "We know this is a big goal," she said. "But we also know that we can get there. Heart transplants, a cure for smallpox and immunisation against cervical cancer were all difficult to picture once."

Doors open at 9.30am sharp on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26. Entry costs $6, children under 16 go free. Free parking is available onsite. The South Perth Community Centre is on the corner of Sandgate Street and South Terrace in South Perth. 

For further information, check out their website or call 9388 1488.

Photos have been used with permission of RAWA.

Have an event coming up? Email centsofdiscovery@gmail.com 

Vintage finds like these will be on sale at the Golden West Collectors Fair across July 25 and 26.

What's on: Scroungers Day Garage Sale (Sunday, July 19, 2015)

If you consider yourself a bit of a Womble, then the Scroungers Day Garage Sale could prick up your ears and make your pointy nose twitch. These events take place in Perth only three times a year, meaning there'll be plenty on offer on the day. There are hundreds of bargains to be had for the devoted scrounger, with quality furniture, bric-a-brac, vintage clothing, white goods and household items touted to feature at this year's event. 

The Scroungers Day bric-a-brac paradise is waiting for you

Even Imelda Marcos might face some tough competition with this shoe collection

Both photos have been used with permission of the Spine and Limb Foundation Inc.

Even better, it's all for a good cause. All money on the day will head to the registered charity, the Spine & Limb Foundation, of which ParaQuad Industries is a division. The goods you see displayed on Sunday, July 19 have been received through the network of charity bins throughout the Perth Metropolitan area or through their on-site donation point. 

While you're there, Book Bazaar will be open, with a large number of quality used books. Opportunity Knocks, the retro and pre-loved clothing store will also be open for the discerning scrounger to hunt out hidden gems.

If you'd like to volunteer, you're welcome to help set up or run a stall. Give them a call on (08) 9381 0195 for more information.

How to get there? When you arrive at 10 Selby Street, turn onto Ellis Griffiths Avenue. The ParaQuad building is about 300 metres along.

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Event notices are something I'd like to look at doing more of in the future.

Have an event coming up? Let me know. Email centsofdiscovery@gmail.com and we'll take it from there.