Musings of a Plus Size Thrifter

On the weekend, my cousin and I went to the "Wardrobe Warriors" market at Mt Gravatt show grounds. I understand some enterprising plpeople organize this every few months and I certainly applaud the idea. Anything that gets consumers considering shopping secondhand is a good thing in my book as you know, dear reader!

The focus was on high-quality, designer clothes and accessories and certainly there were some lovely pieces. The problem was as I wandered and poked into racks, I didn't see a single thing over a size 16. I had been hoping an entrepreneurial plus size lady or two might have set up a stall but it was not to be. 

Now, this is not the fault of the market. The stalls in the day depend on the people who a) hear about it; and b) want to sell. 

So what do larger ladies do with their unwanted clothes? I can only conclude they give them away to friends, have private clothes swaps or give to op shops. I know in other cities there are plus-sized themed clothes markets but alas here is BrisVegas I have not heard of any at all lately. Who wants to organize one? Just kidding. Or not...

And so I guess I will continue to trawl op shops looking for the occasional 16+ gem. They are out there, I know because I've found then. You just have to be persistent. 

What do you do with your unwanted clothes?

Aspirational Overload

I was watching the Lifestyle Channel's "Inside Tatler" last night when I realised that although there is something to be said for aspirational media, it often just makes my heart sink with the realisation that some things are not within my reach.

What I mean is, although I do enjoy a good mag about lovely homes, and often indulge in a short daydream about having All White Everything, I usually have the good sense to realise that it is probably something that I will never achieve personally.

Barring winning the lotto, or suddenly becoming a voracious and ambitious wildly successful entrepreneur, I am never going to have the money required to make some of my lifestyle dreams come true in my lifetime. A reality check brings one up short before you can get too carried away with fantasies about shopping sprees in New York, private jets and live-in domestics.

Pinterest is another great source of life inspiration and while I do find it fun, I usually reach my perfect loungeroom/impeccable street style saturation point within half an hour.

Harsh reality crashes back in as soon as you close the browser window, or shut the magazine. A life where there are always dirty dishes in the sink, somebody has to take out the rubbish and tomorrow you have to go to work but you haven't done the washing so you have to put a load on at 10pm.

I have also learnt to look economically downwards not up all the time. To practise some gratitude for the lovely things I do have that some people don't. A good husband. A house. A job. A car. 

So, thank you, Tatler/Home Beautiful/Marie Claire/Country Style/Rich Kids of Instagram. I'll use your beautiful things as inspiration, with a pinch of aspiration; but I do need to keep my feet on the ground and head out of the clouds.

But it won't stop me keeping a mental file of lovely things I desire - for that day that I do inherit a fortune from a long-lost relative.

Do you love or hate aspirational media? Is it a motivator or a source of frustration for you?

I Do... Love a Wedding

I was never a girl who spent hours mentally planning my dream fairytale wedding. I went to a lot as a young child, having lots of cousins tying the knot as I grew up. I always appreciated the aesthetic pleasure of a pretty party as well as the romantic symbolism of marriage itself.

I still adore weddings. The main things I love about them are:
a) traveling, a wedding is sometimes a little holiday!
b) dressing up, always a good excuse to roll out the accessories
c) free food and booze, who doesn't?
d) catching up with family and friends

Recently a friend from uni, who along with her fiance has become one of C and I's best "couple friends", finally got married. They decided on the Gold Coast for their venue and the bride being a lady who knew what she wanted from the start, had planned a beautiful day and night for their nuptials.

The wedding was at a church in Southport. The bride arrived in a vintage car and of course, looked stunning in her beautiful ballgown dress. 



We then retired to Palazzo Versace for the reception, which was a bit of a show-stopper of a venue. The reception was lovely, and the champagne flowed easily.

We took an apartment at Main Beach for the night, and in the morning I wished we could have stayed a few days longer! Coast living really appeals to me. I had a cup of tea on the balcony in the morning and was just seduced by it all.

It has left me wondering... when's the next wedding please??

What was the last wedding you went to? Do you love them as much as I do?

Paint it White - upcycling a bookcase

When I was on annual leave recently I had lot of grand plans for cleaning and decluttering the house. Most of these didn't eventuate. I had, however, mentioned to my husband I'd like to paint our pine bookcase white.

Well, he wouldn't let me get out of it then. I was bundled up and taken to Bunnings, where I chose some paint. I went with Dulux Natural White. Out of all the shades of white, why this one? Well, somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I remembered a fave interior style blogger saying it was the main colour she used. The nice man in the paint department had to mix it up for me as he didn't have it in the right size (which is why the tin says "Vivid" instead of "Natural").

We got 2L, which was far too much, but we figured we can use it to paint some other things (I have some bar stools in desperate need of a facelift).

I had also bought two paintbrushes and a set of three sanding blocks and away we went. We dragged it out onto the patio and put down an old sheet. Tip for beginners - wear your old clothes. You're going to get paint on you!

We gave the bookcase a light sanding all over - there wasn't too much varnish so didn't take to it with the orbital sander like we thought we might need to.

 

I must admit, hubby really drove the project. I spent about five minutes resenting his involvement because I had wanted this to be my "baby" but honestly, that dissipated as soon as I realised how much work was in it!

You see, I like things to be done quickly. I'm a little into instant gratification, and even though this wasn't the world's largest painting project (like, say, A HOUSE, which is also on my future to-do list) I was glad of the help of a second pair of hands.


Then we just started brushing on the paint.

As you can see, we were a bit slapdash. But I figured this wasn't the Sistine Chapel, and I do like things to look a bit rustic. I love the word "rustic", it covers so many imperfections doesn't it?

We let the first coat dry for a day, then attacked it with a second one.

Sorry about the poor quality photo here. My poor iPhone really cannot cope with interiors. I am extremely happy with the end result however! I even ended up moving its location to the dining room.

Have you ever painted furniture? What should be my next project?