What's on: Polka Dot Vintage Market (August 15 - 16, 2015)

Photos courtesy of the Polka Dot Vintage Market Facebook page.

The only thing better than hitting the weekend market is stumbling across three at once! If you have a penchant for perusing stalls packed with vintage wares, crafts and antiques, then the 3 in 1 Market at Claremont Showgrounds is not to be missed.

The 3 in 1 Market makes a return for the second time this year, showcasing a range of handmade crafts, antiques and collectables. For lovers of all things vintage, this huge two-day event with over 300 indoor stalls will be a sure hit. The 3 in 1 Market is made up of Handmade Crafts, Antiques and Collectables and the very popular Polka Dot Vintage Market.

The Polka Dot Vintage Market will be the place to pick up a few goodies. Expect to find a range of eclectic and on-trend quality vintage clothing from the 1930s through to the 1990s, vinyl records and more. Retro clothing and accessories, collectables, retro homewares, vintage jewellery, up-cycled handmade wares and pre-loved designer fashions will also be a key feature across the weekend. A door prize of $2,000 is also up for grabs - don't miss out!

The 3 in 1 Market opens on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, 2015 from 9.30am to 4.30pm daily. Adult tickets are $7, children under 10 go free. The event is held at Claremont Showground's exhibition centre.

How to get there: Transperth trains will stop at the Showground Station for this event. Make sure you visit the Transperth website in advance to plan your journey.

More details at the Claremont Showground website.

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? 

What's on: Men's Night at Vinnies Retro Shop (Thursday, July 30, 2015)

Ladies, here's a chance to send your man out on the town for the night. I'm appealing to you as I realise my demographic here is largely women :) And men, if you've managed to find this blog of your own accord, good on you (and thank you for stopping by!) Vinnies Retro Shop (Shop 2 / 142 High Street, Fremantle) is running a Men's Night, this Thursday, July 30.

The event runs from 5 - 6.30pm and celebrates the arrival of new menswear. Help Vinnies improve its men's section. Drinks and snacks will be provided on the night. Sounds like rollicking good fun. Why not go along with your man?

Vinnies Retro Shop in Fremantle is one of two in the Perth area and, as the name indicates, is affiliated with St Vincent de Paul. Specialising in vintage secondhand wares, this shop really is a must for anyone wanting to find some classic vintage pieces. I've shopped there myself in the past and have found a number of really nice pieces. They might be a little more pricey than your average Australian op shop, but the clothes, books and accessories have been handpicked, making the job of trawling for goodies that little bit easier.

Stock at the Vinnies Retro Shop is constantly being replenished, so if you're a regular visitor to Fremantle, this is a spot to return to again and again.

Other op shops to check out in the area (if you want to make a day of it) include the Red Cross shop at 37 Market Street, Down Town Rags at 45 High Street, Dufus Clothing Shop at 130 High Street, Good Sammy at 142 High Street, Anglicare at 181 High Street, Salvos at 3/5 Josephson Street and Boutique Unique at 197 High Street. As you can see, you could easily get through a few within seconds of each other! 

How to get to Vinnies Retro Shop (Shop 2 / 142 High Street, Fremantle): According to the Fremantle website, there is 30 minute free parking available on High Street (west of Market Street), but longer term (paid) parking is also available around the area.

If you're taking the train in and don't mind a short walk, exit the Fremantle Train Station and walk north-east towards Peter Hughes Drive, turn right onto Elder Place and then turn left onto Queen Street. Go through two roundabouts. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto High Street and Vinnies Retro Shop will be on your left. It should only take 5-8 minutes to walk from the station.

What has been your favourite retro find? What sort of pieces do you look for when you shop retro specific? Leave a comment and let me know! 

What's on: UWA Mini Upmarket (Sunday, August 9)

Anyone in the market for original and handcrafted wares should make their way to Perth Upmarket's mini upmarket on Sunday, August 9. August's event runs as part of the University of Western Australia's 2015 Open Day and is set to feature the work of over 45 designers.

The mini upmarket pieces together a handpicked selection of artists, stylists, craftspeople and gourmets under the one roof, a sampler of the original event. Perth Upmarket is promoted by UWA as the city's premier quarterly market for original and handcrafted wares. You can see a selection of the retailers here.

How to get there: Parking and entry is free. The venue is easily accessible with plenty of parking available on or near the UWA campus. Parking is generally free on Sundays in the pink car park zones, but paid parking is also available in the purple zones. Make sure you check the signage! P1 will fill up quickly, but the other car parks are only a 5 - 10 minute walk through the university campus. The market is located at Winthrop Hall, at the front of the university on Stirling Highway. Look out for the big clock tower! Here's a handy link showing you how to make your way to UWA via car and bus!

The event runs from 10am to 4pm.

Photos courtesy of the University of Western Australia's Facebook event and the Perth Upmarket website.

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.