In my quest to live a greener, simpler life with less stuff I rarely go shopping except for basic foods.  When I do shop it is for a specific purpose such as buying a gift or something I need for a sewing project.

I also buy from op shops where it is feasible and appropriate, as buying second-hand goods stops those things being sent to landfill and there is no additional carbon footprint from the production of new manufactured items.

Whether it is second-hand or new, I do not go browsing and shopping for the sake of it.  I know of people who go op shopping to minimise the cost of their need for a “shopping fix”.  This still tends to result in lots of extra “stuff” being bought.  It can actually be worse in terms of acquiring stuff as op shop goods are generally cheaper, thus enabling more to be bought.

Today I went to an op shop in the city but it was almost like a boutique compared to the basic op shops in the suburbs and country towns.  There are 2 op shops in Maleny so I went there is the hope of finding what I was looking for.  The purpose of my expedition was to find some things I needed for my costume for the themed dinner at a work conference on Thursday evening.  Our table is 1960’s and we have chosen Woodstock as our theme.

Here is what I bought.

A cheesecloth sundress which I am going to turn into a long skirt – $6.50

A single bed doona cover to make into a tablecloth for our table – $8.50

And finally, a top from the Nepalese shop in Maleny – patchwork,tie-dyed and hand-painted.  It even has bell sleeves.

I need to make a shoulder bag and I may make a vest as well.

Now I am off to start re-fashioning.  Next week I will post some photos of my outfit.