West End Markets

For the third week in a row we rose before the sun to make our way this time to West End. Every week it seems that we are getting up earlier and earlier to make sure we are there to grab the first bargains of the day and this week was no exception as we arrived at 6am when the markets officially open and well before the sun was anywhere to be seen.
The day was not a particularly rainy day but as the markets we were visiting were in Davies Park we decided it was a wise idea to wear gum boots as there would still be muddy patches between the stalls.

With the weather in mind we both chose very colorful outfits to brighten the day and I must say I have never received so many complements for how I looked. My look was very much a fashion blogger meet fluro hippie with an estimated cost of $135.

• Shirt - Trade Secret
• Skirt - Trade Secret
• Tights - Supre
• Boots - Big W
• Belt - Trade Secret
• Earrings - Gift
• Necklace - Handmade
• Cuff - Valley Markets
• Bag -Valley Girl

Victoria was a more subdued colourful with some modern red and black colours but again the gumboots showed her true spirit of love and peace. Her outfit cost around $120.

• Dress - Alley
• Tights - Supre
• Boots - Big W
• Earrings - Valley Markets
• Necklace - Rocklea Markets
• Bag - Rocklea Markets

So the market trip began today with finding a car park as we had chosen to drive, even though it was so early it wasn't an easy task as these markets are very popular, so we ended up parking a couple of streets away in an alley we felt rather unsafe in especially in the dark.

These markets are mainly about the fresh food which was all so amazing and cheap, I wish I had more room in my fridge or some idea of a recipe and I would have bought enough groceries for the week. Victoria however bought a little of the food and did some price comparisons for her upcoming marketing adventure and what she found were some good quality food at very cheap prices.

One of the stalls that caught my eye to begin with was selling candles and candle holders, there were beautiful moulded figures and so many colours, the stall just smelt of honey and the combinations drew us in.

I loved the bowl like holders made of beeswax in every colour and size you could imagine and after being reassured that all the products the man sold were unicorn safe this was my first purchase of the day.

The next stall that I feel in love with was a mix of handmade and new clothes and accessories the lovely girl there made most of the jewelry herself and the cape that i bought from her was one of a kind (I am assuming her name was Renee as the stall and brand was Renee loves Frances)

The rest of the morning was spent wandering around looking at everything the was to be offered and finding as much inspiration for ourselves and our own market stalls as possible. Since we had arrived so early and some stalls had not because of the weather we were finished by 9am and ready for some breakfast (not including the delicious bagels we had at 6am when we arrived). So we made our way to the amazing Paddington not far across the river (north side of course) and decided we would eat while waiting for all the antique and vintage shops to open.

There are so many wonderful shops in Paddington we could have spent all day wandering in and out however I am a bit sad to say our wallets would really have felt it as most of the price tags should weigh a ton with how much is on them. One of my favorite shops was Thousand Island Dressing which has a range of  unique homewares and jewelry.

We then went on to look through almost every store we could find, we skipped the ones that didn't have a lot in them as we have come to realise they are the ones that are generally the most expensive, a give away is when there sale rack out the front is more than you can afford. We looked in Yesterdays Books and Things, St Vinncent De Paul, Retro Metro and their clearance store, Ra Ra Superstar and Hobohemia with a few in between that I can't remember.

These stores were all very inspiring to us with new ways to use old things and combinations of clothing that we would have never dreamed of ourselves. 

I was extremely taken by Ra Ra Superstar and their quirky yet whimsical range of clothing you should really check them out sometime if not in person on their website we really had a fantastic time looking, unfortunately no buying with our budgets but I was completely flattered by the shop lady who said i looked simply fantastic and wanted a photo of my outfit for their site!!

We ended our Paddignton visit sifting through the enormous Antiques shop, there were really too many bargains to mention and it just made me want a house of my own to furnish with anything and probably everything I could find (or afford) in the shop. Most items were very reasonably priced and we could have spent hours looking and not seen everything but as we had already been awake for 8hrs we decided it was time to head home and review our days purchases.

Today not all of our buys came from the markets with some being from shops in Paddington as well.

My collection today was -

• Candle holder $16
• Clock/Poncho $49
• Vest $6
• Owl Statue $20

Total Spend $91

Viccy bought a range of things-

• Sunglasses $40
• Cherries $2.50
• Bread $5
• Chile Plant $3.50
• Flowers $5
• Lantern $9.50

Total Spend $61.50

All in all we had a great morning and I would recommend both the West End markets and a shopping trip to Paddington to anyone who is looking for something fun to do.

Hope you enjoyed!
XX Stacy