What’s going on?

I’ve been writing here since April 2004 and if there’s anyone still left here you’ve probably noticed I don’t really add that much here any more.

What started out mostly as a parenting blog moved away from that once my son started getting older. He’s now 16 and – believe me – it’s not like there’s still not plenty of material to draw from as a parent but I don’t feel it’s my story to tell any more. Although I’d really like to lay it all bare here when it comes to parenting a teen I’m not going to. Although I was interviewed about being a sole parent of a teen by Nicole at Planning with Kids late last year and I do share some snippets there.

Said teen now has his learner’s permit and I’m doing a minor freak out about being on the road with him as a driver but even more so that he will be on the road by himself at some stage and that’s scary. Scary because of things that can happen but scary because in under 2 years he’ll be a legal adult!

So, I haven’t been writing here that much but felt I was lacking a creative aspect to my life. I’d been sitting on an idea for a while about a creative project and after a bit of a push by someone I’ve finally started it.

At the very least it will give me skills that I can bring to my paid employment and I’m interested to see where it can take me outside of that.

It’s not a money making venture at the moment, and it may never be.

The idea came about is because of my love for finding bargains in op-shops. I started op-shopping in the late 1980s and have been collecting clothing since then – when you could be a 1970s item of clothing for a couple of dollars or less. An example. I bought a purple knee-length leather coat from a school fete for $2.50. You’d be lucky to get something like it now for under $50. I’ve still got, and wear, the leather coat.

Now it’s 30 years later (bloody hell), buying vintage is expensive so I don’t really buy those items any more. I tend to stick to everyday clothing and much of my work wardrobe is second hand. I think some items in op-shops are over-priced. When you see a really gaudy 80s frock that you would only ever wear as a dress up on sale for $30 you’ve got to wonder. I remember picking up a safari suit for $4 with an ex-boyfriend some years ago. Now you hardly ever see them second hand and if you do they’re upwards of $40.

Anyway, the new website is thriftyclifty.com. Please head over and have a visit, and if you like op-shops and live in Adelaide, check out my map of op shops in Adelaide.