Crop & Swap

Today was our local Crop & Swap meet. I took along organic unsweetened yoghurt, eucalyptus laundry gel, four kombucha cultures, some cheesy bread rolls, and some chai tea mix and I came home with:

GF date cake
Savoury quinoa bites
Anzac biscuits
Rocky road
Sweet tomato and eggplant chutney
Blood plum jam
Apple sauce
Rose hip jelly
Nectarine chutney
Mint jelly
Pumpkin
Sorrel
Rosemary
Lemongrass
Tomatoes
Spinach
Eggplant
Bay leaves
Muesli
Coffee
Body scrub
Strawberry plant
Food grade bucket (for sauerkraut etc.)

.... and not a cent exchanged hands. Pretty good huh?

The Crop & Swap is the perfect way to shop if you're in the middle of a No Shopping Challenge like we are. I'm starting to think that bartering and swapping would be fantastic any time, not just in the middle of a frugal challenge. How great would it be if people could get rid of their excess produce and gain something back all without spending anything?

I'm off to enjoy an Anzac biscuit. Have a great Saturday!

Down on the farm

Shopping day today and since it's school holidays I thought I'd mix it up a little. 20 minutes from us is the Hawkesbury region - close in terms of distance but very different in terms of landscape. Where we have dense forest and rocky slopes they have wide open pastureland and a winding river. It's just about perfect for growing food.

One of the farms down there has a farm shop where you can buy fresh produce and eggs from their free range chooks. We woke up to a sunny day and not much to do so I thought we'd take a little drive to buy our food from the farm.

Apart from seeing our food grow and visiting the chooks the best thing about the farm shop is the price. I spent $47 and I bought:

2 lettuces
A bag of tomatoes
A bag of carrots
A huge bag of Dutch Cream potatoes
3 avocados
Celery
A bunch of beet root
3 ears of corn
A bag of mushrooms
A big bag of apples
Bananas
A bag of walnuts
2 broccoli
1 cauliflower
A dozen eggs courtesy of the girls
2 lemons
3 cucumbers

And probably more that I've forgotten!

I reckon that's pretty good value. We stopped in to get some meat on the way home and a couple of bags of things from Coles and that was the shopping done.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day :-)

An afternoon in Leura

A chilly Sunday today but full of blue skies and autumn light. Time to head up the mountain for some crafty browsing and co-op goodness.

First stop, Leura - one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. Since we arrived in the mountains Leura has become just a little bit more 'crafty' which I love.  After a browse in some antique stores we headed down the main street for coffee.

A newish shop is  The Nook, a gallery featuring local Blue Mountains artists and crafty folk. There are beautiful knitted hats and fingerless gloves, jewellery, fine arts, and fun things for kids. I even spotted Sami Bop who I featured a while back when she was selling at Glenbrook Markets. 

Jewellery by Suzanna Coombes, available through Etsy and The Nook, Leura.

One of my absolute must visit stores in Leura is  Elizabeth Rosa fine stationey. There are leather bound journals, beautiful papers, thank you cards and invitations to die for. If you were a kid who looked forward to buying your school stationery then this is the store for you. 

And lastly, we drove one suburb over to Katoomba to the food co-operative. I shop here at least once a week for gluten free flours, nuts, grains, and organic vegetables. Every time I visit I enjoy it a little more than the last time. There's a friendly community atmosphere that we all love. Unlike the supermarket my kids are always excited and happy to shop at the co-op!

I hope you've all had a relaxing and fun Sunday. Don't forget to check back in the morning for Make it Monday! 

Lawson Markets

Today we travelled to Lawson to the Magpie Markets. I think we've been to almost all of the Blue Mountains markets now, and this one was definitely my favourite. The weather was warm, the food was yum, the company was great, and there were bargains to be found. That's my kind of Sunday.

I've been looking for an old suitcase and today I found it. I see these from time to time on ebay and in vintage stores but they're always quite expensive. This one was only $15 so it came home with us today. Now to decide what to put in it.. dress ups? Woollen blankets?

I also bought some herbs for our deck (6 for $10 - bargain!) and spent the afternoon potting them up. I've planted some winter greens in the big red tub, and in smaller pots we now have rosemary, two kinds of parsley, chives, lemon balm, mint, peppermint, chamomile, sage, thyme, oregano and marjoram.

Some of them will need to be repotted when I find some nicer, bigger pots. But at least for now we have some living and growing things about us again. And that feels good.

Just Browsing...

 

I was in the mood for a bit of treasure hunting this morning so the boy and I headed out to one of my favourite haunts, Cabramatta Vinnie's. I do realise that I'm in complete denial about moving house in 2 weeks. But I don't care even a little bit. This store has the added appeal of being opposite a large Chinese budhist temple which Ben loves even though he doesn't know what it is. Today he thought it might be a Pirate's house because of all the gold on it!

Every time I enter a thrift store I have a secret wish list - do you? I'm always looking for antique ceramic mixing bowls, vintage fabrics, and old preserving jars. 

My favourite section of the warehouse - the linens!

Love this kid. He's the easiest little guy to take out. He got bored with
shopping so he found himself a book and settled down to read.

My finds for today.

I was sort of on a scouting mission this morning because we need some drawers and possibly a wardrobe or two for when we move out of this house. Our current bedroom has a large unit in it that has three (yes - three!) large wardrobes and no less than nine drawers. The house I saw yesterday had one small linen cupboard in the entire house. I was awake at 5.30am this morning wondering how we could possibly put away all of our things in that house and how much we'd have to spend on storage.

After a browse I came home with a bright floral sheet, a vintage kids linen set, and a brown and orange fabric panel. No plans for them yet, they'll go into the stash for future projects (Jeremy will be thrilled). Although I am considering ripping up the pink and orange one so I can start on a braided rug for Jemima.

If you're thrift shopping this week I'm sending treasure seeking vibes your way!

Respite in Rozelle

Today, the sun was shining. This may not seem like such an exciting event given that it's February and we live in Australia, but it was. It's been raining and raining and raining here lately. 

As I looked around the half packed up house this morning then out the windows to the bright blue sky I knew just how I wanted to spend my day. And it wasn't packing cardboard boxes and worrying about being homeless in a couple of weeks!

It was off to Rozelle we went to have a respite from the packing and the uncertainty of where we find ourselves at the moment. Nothing like a little vintage and a nice lunch at About Life Natural Food Market to cheer a girl up.

I found a couple of things that I was tempted by but came home empty handed - I think knowing that if I bought it, I'd have to pack it had something to do with that! That's OK, my respite in Rozelle was just what the Doctor ordered.

Blue Gum Markets and a New Bag

It was a gorgeous day yesterday so the kids and I went up the mountain to the Blue Gum Markets at Faulconbridge School. The markets are held once a month and there are stalls selling fruit and vegetables, locally made honey, organic coffee, second hand goodies, and jewellery. 

Mango season here in Australia which means summer has arrived! I couldn't resist taking a photo of this sign that an old guy had in front of his stall. 

There were some really good bargains at these markets. My son found an old robot for 50c, my daughter bought some new rose bud earrings for $5 and I found an old pottery mixing bowl to match another one I have for only $4.

 Reusable Shopping Bag

You can never have too many reusable shopping bags. This one is so much cuter than the green and black supermarket ones don't you think? I found this old tablecloth for $3 in a thrift shop a few months ago and last night I decided to make it into a bag. This pattern is fantastic, there are no handles to sew and turn out and it takes less than half an hour to make. If you'd like the pattern see Tipnut here.

Glenbrook Markets featuring Sami Bop

On the 3rd Saturday of each month the quiet village of Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains transforms into a bustling gathering of shoppers and browsers alike. The local public primary school is taken over with stalls and coffee carts for the day and on a bright sunny day like yesterday, the atmosphere is fantastic.

There are organic fruit and vegetable stalls, antiques, plants, cupcakes and artisan bread, home made crafts, and hand made preserves. My favourite fruit and vegetable stall is here each month and I always make a point to go and check out the new produce they have on offer.

One point of difference with Glenbrook Markets is the number of stalls selling quality hand made children's wear. My favourite of the day is Sami Bop, featuring the work of Blue Mountains local Danette Rowse.

Danette has been creating clothing from recycled vintage fabrics for the last 20 years and each garment is individually hand made. The fabrics she uses are mostly vintage and are either hunted down by Danette or gifted to her by her many fans.  Clothing is available in sizes 00 - 8.  I loved Sami Bop's cowboy pants with fringing down the side seams, girls dresses in bright retro fabrics, and the assortment of hats in great prints.

You can find Sami Bop at the following locations:

- 'The Nook' Arts & Crafts Gallery - Upstairs 133a The Mall, Leura. Open 7 days.

- 1st Saturday of the month - Cobbitty Village Market, Cobbitty Public School.
- 3rd Saturday of the month - Glenbrook Market, Glenbrook Infant School.
- 3rd Sunday of the month - Magpie Market, Lawson Public School

Or you can shop online at her Etsy Store which is available here: sami bop etsy shop.  You can also visit her on Facebook here: sami bop facebook page.  

Thanks Danette for showing me your work!

*********************************************************************************

Glenbrook Markets are open on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the Glenbrook Public School Infants Site on Ross Street, Glenbrook. Glenbrook is on a direct rail line to Sydney Central Station and the train station is an easy 5 - 10 minute walk to the village. The markets are in the centre of Glenbrook and there are numerous cafes and a playground with public toilets adjacent. There are two ATM's in Glenbrook - an ANZ at the petrol station and one in the small supermarket in the shops.

Mothers Day in Marrickville

Happy Mothers Day!

Today we went into Sydney to the Marrickville Organic Food and Farmers Market. We had a great morning browsing followed by lunch bought from the food stalls.  

Here are some of the tempting things we spotted along the way:

Marrickville has all of the good things I love about weekend markets. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, kids ran about, and buskers kept everyone entertained.  Many of the locals knew each other and I saw lots of people stopping for a chat as they bought their vegetables or haggled over second hand goods.

Kids and I enjoying Roti and Curry

There is one thing that Marrickville has that other markets don't, and it's a goodie. In the middle of the market grounds is Reverse Garbage, a recycling warehouse full of ex theatre props, broken down film sets, art supplies, fabric remnants, and weird bits and pieces. It's all in a jumble, and it's cheap.

Entrance into Reverse Garbage

You can fill a large sack with any 'bag items' for $20 or buy individually. I was mainly on a scouting mission today but I did buy a New Zealand magazine from 1935.  I saw so many things that I plan to go back for - without the kids next time!

Marrickville is in a good spot for further adventures too - it's 5 mins from the cafes and restaurants in Leichhardt and the houses in the surrounding suburbs are worth the drive to see them.

The scoop:

Marrickville Organic Food and Farmers Market is open  9am - 2pm on Sundays on Addison Road, Marrickville.

There is limited parking available in the grounds and free parking on the surrounding streets.

Map from: Googlemaps