I start by taking any of the buses that go down George’s / Camden Street, and get out at the stop just after Age Action nearish to The Bleeding Horse. Then I get down to business. Starting at Dublin’s Simon Community, I work my way north back towards the city centre …
1.
Dublin’s Simon Community – a great place to check out for clothes. You won’t find much brick-a-brack here, but the abundance of clothes {both adult and kids} more than makes up for it.
2.
Age Action – if you’re on the lookout for furniture, you have got to check out Age Action. They have serious retro pieces in the windows and throughout the shop. I’ve found many amazing pieces in this place – my
vintage vases, the
lamp I revamped and
my coral to name a few. They also have a serious vintage clothing selection.
3.
Enable Ireland – a good selection of everything but they always seem to strike gold when it comes to bed linens. Don’t be afraid to buy second hand linen – you’ve slept in a hotel before, right? Well I’m afraid it’s the same thing. Just wash them before you use them.
4.
Irish Cancer Society – this place is perfect for nick-knacks. However, this charity shop
can be overpriced. For example, there was a lovely teapot on display but it was marked €45. It wasn’t a fancy label, so I inquired about the price and the manager wouldn’t budge. I’ve found other items overpriced, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find amazing bargains. I’ve gotten beautiful vases for my mom in here.
5.
Debra – a serious gold mine. Not only are the staff incredibly friendly and helpful {they remembered me from years ago buying teapots and cups for our wedding!
I didn’t even remember that}, but there are real gems and jewels in here. For instance, I picked up
my bar cart here. Winning.
After Debra charity shop it’s a 10 or 15 minute walk to Vincent’s on Aungier Street so sometimes I hop on the next bus because if I’m not cycling, I use my unlimited bus ticket and I usually milk it for all it’s worth. Otherwise it’s not too long of a walk to the next shop …
6.
Vincent’s – this is a real gem when it comes to odds and ends. It’s a small shop, but what it lacks in size, it makes up in volume of interesting and unusual pieces. Vases, paintings and collectors items fill this place to the top as well as clothes.
7.
All Sorts – I’ve heard this place being referred to as
the TK Maxx of charity shops. It has a good mix of odds-and-ends and a good clothes selection. I find it very good for accessories as I’ve picked up a couple of belts and bangles in here now and again.
If you wanted, again, you can take the bus a couple stops to George’s Street as there’s a bit of a walk between these shops. But it’s not too far. You can do it.
8.
Enable Ireland – all Enable Ireland’s have a really good mix of everything. This one in particular has very posh clothes. Again, as with the Enable Ireland on Camden Street, make sure you check out their window display and take note of when it goes on sale as there are some serious gems in there.
9.
Vincent’s – the newest charity shop on George’s Street and already I’ve scored some hits there. Lots of really swish clothes downstairs, and if collectibles and records are your thing, then head upstairs.
10.
Oxfam – this Oxfam is quite fancy and always has a really good selection of next-to-new clothes, books, handbags and accessories. Especially check out their vintage scarf selection if that’s your kind of thing.
And if that route doesn’t satisfy your charity shop craving in the Dublin city centre, than I srsly don’t know what will.
This is my favourite route because with a whopping
10 shops, you’re guaranteed to find something that makes you scream inside. If you’d like to check out my original charity shop route for the north side, click on over here to
my post on Emily’s post!
Today is a special day as it is husband’s birthday. He’s turning the ripe old age of 27. The same age I was when we got married. Yep, I’m a cradle robber. Represent. Anyways, I had a very special present in mind for him this year and I had it stored in my memory bank for some time …
Back in April my lovely friend Pat from
In My Wheele House blogged a project she had done with a globe, some chalk + chalk paint and blew my mind by
drawing the Death Star right onto that baby. I knew it would be a perfect home made present for husband. I found a globe in a charity shop, picked up some spray paint and I was on my way.
First I washed the globe, let it dry then I sprayed it with one coat of Iron Curtain grey paint – how very appropriate. Since it was plastic I went with spray paint to avoid peelage. And of course I went with my good old reliable Montana. I let it dry over night, and the next day I taped it off with washi tape. I used a thinner-than-usual black washi-style tape I got in IKEA. The reason I chose washi tape vs. masking tape is because it’s a lot more gentler when it comes to removing.
I taped out a grid of sorts {as seen above}, then sprayed with a darker shade of Montana paint {I cannot for the life of me remember its name right now}, peeled off the tape and again let it dry overnight. And please excuse my incredibly shoddy phone pic above. I was working sneakily in the spare bedroom at night – not the best for taking photos.
The next day I used a Montana acrylic extra fine paint marker to draw in the details. I free-handed the wobbly and incredibly inaccurate lines and finer details, hoping it would closer resemble the Death Star. Yeah, I know it doesn’t look exactly like it, so if you’re a hardcore fan, please be gentle. If you squint your eyes at it from far away, it’s a dead ringer though. The perfect addition of nerd to our living room if I may be so bold.
It’s about to get sappy all up in here folks. You’ve been warned.
Happy birthday husband. You are the light of my life, always and forever. And as I wrote on your card, I love you to the Death Star and back.
