Jontue perfume necklace - so cool!

I bought this necklace a few weeks ago at the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Sale - for a mere eight bucks. A friend from the club pointed it out and thought it would be good for me, and she was right. It's not just the simplicity of it that attracted me.

The petal disc is quite thick - that's because when you pop the top off, you'll find a thick solid circular slab of perfume - in perfect unused condition - called Jontue, a real 1970s classic. It may have gone off a bit but I won't actually wear the stuff - I just loved the retroness of it all. As you can see from the back, it looks like it was even made in my hometown, Ottawa. Perhaps this was meant as some cosmic welcome home pressie as I prepare for my wedding!!

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A new chapter begins, my thrifting friends

Dah-lings, it's been ages. Here I am at a party pour moi, with my dear pal Nadia, wearing my M. Kors booties (look how big my feet are compared to hers!), a 1970s vintage skirt, my vintage fur coat (it's the warmest thing I have), thrifted 1970s shades and vintage beret made in England that I nabbed off Nadia when we had our pop-up shop. Nadia in turn is wearing thrifted booties and I coat I have her, which I had thrifted.

We're celebrating. As you may have guessed from my lack of posts these past few months (and my sincerest apologies for those of you who visit regularly to find nothing new), things have been rather crazy for me. It will be a sad moment, yet for the happiest of occasions, that will see me leaving Toronto tomorrow after starting a wonderful new life here 6.5 years ago: I have left the new dream job I started a few months ago, I have left my apartment, I have gotten rid of all my stuff, and as of tomorrow, I will leave Toronto behind, to marry my dear British man and move to be with him in the UK! (The vintage Danish pewter pendant I am wearing here is a wedding gift from a dear person at the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club).

Here's my gorg Brit mannnie - dear reader, he is truly the most wonderful of men, and I look forward to starting a new life with him, in Jolly Old England!! I am not sure what this blog will turn into, or even if I will keep it up; I'm afraid I won't know until my journey in England begins. I have a feeling there are good vintage deals to be had at the car boot sales! Please check in from time to time. I appreciate your readership over the years. All the best to you in the meantime!!

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Vintage costume jewellery sale - tomorrow in Toronto

It's time for the annual pilgrimage to the Leaside Memorial Gardens for the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club show & Sale. It's tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1073 Millwood Rd.

Am I selling any of my fab vintage costume bling? No. Will I be shopping there? Likely.

Maybe I'll see you there.

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Fall chair, among the leaves

It was an absolutely gorg day here in Toronto, more like September than November, wonderfully warm, with lots of leaves still on the trees. One of those days when you're happy to just stroll around and frolic. On my way to meet a pal, I came across tios chair right on the corner of someone's lot. It looked as though there was an open house going on, and I guess this velvety wonder was deemed inappropriate for the function.

But I thought it looked like a work of art nestled there among the leaves, it matched them so perfectly. If I didn't already have a kajillion chairs at home I may have tried to get it home somehow. Wonder if it's still sitting there or if some passerby admired it as much as I did?

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Hello, my blogging friends

I apologize if you've been visiting regularly and finding no new posts here. I have been MIA as life has hit me with a huge change - all good, really good, but it's left no time or gumption to blog, my dear blogger pals. Not sure how long GQ will continue. Bear with me for now.

Here is a lovely bracelet I picked up recently for a song. Can't place its era, but I just love it.

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Bling that makes me think Brit

Well, maybe that's a bit misleading. I bought this ring with my English man in Canadian Thrift the day he flew home in September after a lovely visit. It was only a few bucks and has this foil under the facets that appears to shift in colour depending how you angle the ring. Now it reminds me of him! (Though he's in no way shifty).

Remember this? Another Brit bling connection. It's the 1970s Avon pendant and chain I saw in Portobello Market in London but didn't buy as I got my mega statement piece Trifari instead. Well I found this baby at my new fave vintage bling shop, Used House of Vintage on Queen - and let's say it was waaaay less pricier than its London counterpart! Anyway, I call that vintage synery, don't you? It's a bit anachronistic but now it reminds me of my trip to England this past summer!!

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See ya later, Alligator

In spite of the tag inside that proclaims, or at the very least strongly suggests, that the clutch is "Alligator", it doesn't (thankfully) seem that it is. But I loved the simple, classic shape and it was in perfect condition.

I didn't really have a chance to wear it as I sold it before doing so. I have a lot of vintage clutches and such that I never really use, so it was ok to say goodbye to this one. May it find a happy home.

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Turtle love

Aren't they cute? Wee turtles kissing (or hugging?) eachother, wrapped around this 1970s bracelet.

I've been meaning to show you this for some time - my dear gal pal Nadia bought it for me at Stretch Thrift as she knew I loved it. What a sweeatheart. I do love it.

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Golden rose a la 1980s

I have to restrain myself from going into a new shop close to where I work, the Used House of Vintage at 489 Queen St. W (just west of Spadina).

The vintage bling pickings are so good that I could easily get me a little pick-me-up every day!

This 1980s-esque choker with big rose detailing stopped me in my tracks. Prices aren't bad - this baby was $28.

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Who woulda thought mustard silk would look so good?

Maybe I have a wee cat-that-ate-the-canary look here (ew, what an awful expression!) - but how was I to know this thrifted silk dress ($4.99) would work out so well for me?

It was 'new' - ie: never worn, still with a Winners tag on it - and I thought I'd give it a whirl as it was so feminine. It totally worked with my Michael Kors boots (NOT thrifted but purchased years ago), vintage carpet bag and vintage belt.

I accessorized with crochet tights, a thrifted wool J Crew blazer and a thrifted designer scarf.

Voila! I am so in love with this outfit - love how the flowers in the bag complement the dress, and love how the bag is large enough to accommodate all kinds of stuff - most of the vintage carpet bags I've found are small and old-fashioned in size.

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Pop-up shop success

Well, it was a pop-up shop success. Here's my pal Nadia at the beginning of the day, yesterday, with all our vintage goodies for sale.

The traffic ebbed and flowed, but we met so many great peeps in the hood, and I had the chance to connect with a dedicated reader, Darlene, who made the trek to meet me and take a gander. Wish I had snapped a pic of her!

Daina from Continuum Moderin Vintage popped by too, and bagged two glorious purses, one a vintage Coach and the other a vintage clutch.

Dear readers, I tried not to shop, but I did walk away with this vintage Kangol beret made in England, and this fab carpet bag. J'adore!

Ok, by day's end I also had these designer jeans (tight!). I'm wearing the silk scarf as the sun was burning my ears.

This is how I will look when I'm 80, like some Babushka with her head scarf, hopefully still sipping some vino!

It was such a fine day - thanks to all who came out and Tweeted about the event. There will be more - I have piles more of goodies to get rid of - so stay tuned!

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This is an example of what I am selling today

At a pop-up shop sale I'm doing with my pal Nadia at 983 Pape Ave. (Pape just a few streets north of Mortimer, north of the Danforth/Greektown). Starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 or 6 but I may not be there after 2. Stop by and get great deals on clothing (some vintage), jewellery and accessories!

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Pop-up tomorrow with Nadia & Grunge Queen

ATTENTION GLAM QUEENS: My best gal pal Nadia and I are hosting a pop-up shop tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to end of day at 983 Pape Ave (near Floyd, practically across the street from Stretch Thrift).

Nadia has some great vintage/noveau pieces, dresses to coats (she's tiny, fyi, smaller than me and I'm a size six), and she also has great handbags and accessories. I'll be bringing jewellery, handbags and accessories and maybe some clothes.

The sale is inside so even if the weather's crap, we'll be there! Please drop in - we're cleaning out the style coffers and there will be good stuff!

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1970s knit dress and sassy legs

I bought this 1970s knit dress a while back and thought it was pretty sexy. Teamed it up with some thrifted Carlos Santana shoes - who knew there was a line of shoes etc by Carlos Santana? - and some purple fishnets (I love fishnets, anything but black - they're comfy, never run, and make you look and feel super sexy). I'm wearing vintage 1970s Napier around my neck. A true 70s queen! Too bad you can't see the handmade handbag I scored that goes with the outfit.

Actually, it's sitting on the floor there, can you see it? Will have to give you a better peep next time. Even my wine matches my dress! Talk about tone on tone dressing!

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Saturday afternoon outfit

Ahh, gorgeous fall days spent wandering in Toronto's Greektown, having coffee, visiting with a dear gal pal and generally having all sorts of adventures that a Gemini and a Sag can get into!! 

I threw this Saturday afternoon outfit together in a hurry but I like the look: everything but the statement piece Anthropologie scarf (which a man even commented on yesterday!) is thrifted. 

Angel jeans, $5.99; sweater, thrifted but I've had for years; bag and boots from CTS and Coach shades from Canadian Thrift, both in Toronto. And the major score: Alfani pink sheeny leather crop jacket in mint condition - a mere $6.50 at a recent Stretch Thrift 50 percent off sale.

Love it how thrifting can allow you to experiment with looks you never would if you had to buy the pieces for full price. I never would have purchased this jacket for the retail, even the sale retail, price.

BTW, I am wearing my thrifted booties with everything from dresses to jeans - did a quick cuff roll on the fly yesterday and thought it looked pretty cool!

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I kid you not: the dollar store

I found this, new, at Dollorama for a couple bucks. Sure, it may be riddled with some toxic sludge for all I know, but it's so heavy and substantial it looks like something you'd buy in a boutique shop.

I got this one too. Not as substantial and bordering on semi-cheap looking, but I thought it was kinda pretty.

Who would have thought?

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Big bling

Here's a recent find from Canadian Thrift - I just love it. It was only $2.99.

The pendant part is pretty big, but that's my bling bent this days: big statement pieces (cheap helps too).

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Fall look, thrifted

Yeeks we went from 40 degrees with the humidity this last weekend to mornings of 11 degrees C and cool days! I love fall, but when you go from wearing sundresses to jackets methinks it'll take a while to get my fall fashion legs on, if you know what I mean. Here's my first attempt:

Thrifted designer Angel jeans out of L.A. ($5.99 if memory serves but perhaps less) and a thrifted mass market style jacket (a couple bucks). The scarf (Anthropologie) was new and expensive but worth every penny, and the C'est Moi top was new and I actually paid full price!

My latest and greatest find I know I am going to wear with absolutely EVERYTHING this fall: these leather booties, picked up used for $34.99 (high price pour moi but je love) at CTS on Queen St. W at Spadina Ave. in Toronto. They have this cowboy-boot feel crossed with a semi-Victorian feel and a wee bit of 1990s thrown in, what with those tassels and all.

I also picked up this leather bag at CTS for about 20 bucks. I love the colour and it's so soft (not telling what kind of leather it is) - plus the long strap, as you can see in the pic, means I can wear it diagonally across my body. Think this will be my casual bag du jour this fall season .....

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Redeemed: orange velvety

Ok, so I missed my chance with the red velvet couch I saw in the trash last weekend. But the very next night on my way home, I spotted this baby: orange velvety.

He was sitting on the sidewalk with a "FREE" sign on it. I stood there looking at him, wondering how I'd get him home, when I heard a voice from the bedroom window of the house it was in front of.

Turns out, the family had bought the chair years ago for 20 bucks at a garage sale, and they were getting rid of it only because they had bought new furniture and had no room.

As the lady and her daughter came down to the sidewalk and started chatting with me, it became clear that there was a whole family history woven around this chair, funny and beautiful moments of children barfing  while in the chair but not actually hitting the chair, of grandfather sitting in it - I'm telling you, I almost teared up on the sidewalk.

The lady of the house called him "orange velvety," which I thought was so cute. They offered to drive him to my apartment as they knew I loved him. Before they did so, we snapped a pic of Mom and her teenage daughter on the chair.

And so that's the tale of orange velvety. It's a much nicer story than red velvety, don't you think? Just goes to show, when one trashing door closes, another opens.

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Someone stole MY couch

Wah! Someone stole my couch! I spied it from my balcony in the trash on Saturday night and was certain it was red velvet (and you know by now my near-obsession with velvet). When it was still there the next morning on my way to coffee with a pal (and I affirmed that it was, in fact, red velvet, and gorgeous at that), I felt quite sure in my bones that it was mine, that the trashing Gods had deemed it mine, that it would still be there upon my return from coffee.

Well, the very moment I was mentally rearranging my apartment coming back from coffee, the garbage Gods struck me down for my presumption! I rounded the corner expecting to see my sofa waiting for me (I knew I could work my charm and get some helpful soul to carry it up to my apartment with me) --- and it was gone.

Alas, the red velvet, the good bones, the lovely shape - all these wondrous traits obviously did not go unnoticed by some fellow style diva or duke in my 'hood. I have learned, alas, never to be too smug in my trash karma. May red velvety (there is a story behind this verbiage, just you wait as I redeemed myself the next night) rest in peace in its new abode.

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Sunday morning and a new cuppa

I love Japanese stoneware - its simplicity yet elegance of design. Recently I found a trio of retro Mikasa cups, plus creamer, at my local thrift shop, Stretch Thrift, for 99 cents each. Way nicer than the cheap dollar store mugs I have that are now going in the 'donate' pile.

They complement the bronze ironstone cups by Primastone that I thrifted a few years ago - similar in shape and the colours work. Now I'll just have to have a cappuccino party!

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