Meet my Judy

This is Judy, and she's a 'Judy', a term for a dressmaker's body form. I bought her new, years ago, at The Bombay Company on sale. I used to dress her up in one of my special vintage coats, but I found the coat just got too dusty. Plus it's nice to change things up every once in a while. Now Judy is an accessories junkie.

I just love these belts. I haven't had the chance to wear any of them yet as they're 'new' to me. The retro gold one used to be owned by dear Minnie, the lady I have told you about in recent posts.

The others came from my man's Mum in England, an accessories maven in her own right. I just love all the jeweled dangling bits. So boho chic!

The scarf, Perry Ellis, was thrifted for a couple bucks (you can't quite see but it has a bunch of birdies on it). The heavy duty necklace - vintage Nina Ricci, I'm told, by jewellery designer Rita Tesolin, who added these cute stone hearts to it - is so heavy it cuts little designs in the back of my neck, but I love it anyway. The shorter chunky colourful necklace is circa 1980s (Lucite?).

This wee pink purse is so darling - it was a B-day gift from my sis that she picked up in the market in Aix en Provence. It's from Italy, but hey, now I have the best of France and Italy! I'm not really a little bag person but it did prove useful while holidaying in England and also for weekend jaunt-abouts.

The thrifted version of the above purse: a tiny purse handmade in the Philippines, which I've had for so long I can't quite recall how much I paid for it - but I know it was under $5 as I have a certain 'thrift threshold' rule I enact when I find beautiful things that don't wholly fit into my life, and this was one of them. I don't wear it much, but when I do I pair it with a pink dress and feel incredibly chic.

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A look at a nook

I still have to snap a pic of the vintage jewellery piece I bought in Notting Hill, but until then I'll show you a bit of the apartment re-org I did before I left on holidays.

I love this little corner nook that I refreshed by adding pops of orange: the paisley pillow found at a massive church sale for a buck; the Made in Canada retro glass vase on the top of the bookshelf (thrifted for about $10 if memory serves); the not so thrifty Anthropologie lampshade that I fell in love with when the store first opened in Toronto.

I found the beautiful framed mini picture hanging over the chair - handpainted flowers on black velvet - for 99 cents at a thrift shop. On the back there's a label that reads, "Mrs. D. M. Gowing, 77 Stubbington Avenue, Portsmouth, Hampshire" and then a postal code and phone number. Isn't it just wonderful that this little treasure made its way from England and across the pond to me and my grungy little home?

The silver glass lamp was $5 at a lamp sale; and the wrought iron chair was part of a set I thrifted at Sally Ann years ago, one of my first major thrift purchases in fact. I spray-painted them silver and covered the seats with a tablecloth I cut up, bought at the dollar store. There's grungy style for ya.

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Vintage lovers have garage sale

My gal pal Marsha and I had a blast this weekend. We decided, practically at the last minute, to have a garage sale. Here she is showing off some of the vintage 1980s bling she was selling that day.

Here I am with an odd lamp that someone gave me, which ended up going in the donate pile at the end of the day.

My $5 jewellery table was a huge success - and there's still heaps left so stay tuned and I will tell you about the next sale!

I REALLY wanted to shop Marsha's table with my proceeds. This leather handbag made in Spain was so gorg (and not $5!), and it was calling to me, bigtime. But Marsha, a true friend, refused to let me buy it! She knew I needed my cash for other things!

The one thing I bought: this mod serving tray, $2. I thought it would be a cool way to display and organize my thrift store and vintage jewellery - what do you think?

I really love this idea. It's almost as though it IS a food tray, and every morning I get to pluck out some yummy delicacy to go with my outfit, as though the glinting pieces are luscious gum drops!

I must confess: I traded one of my $5 necklaces with Marsha for this pretty pin (signed, but I can't make it out). Marsha knows me well as she had a feeling I'd like this one.

See? Here are all my pretty vintage rings, all in one place.

More garage sale wisdom: I didn't have time to price every thing, so pretty much everything was $5. Easy peasy. I also kept my mind open to possibilities: someone wanted to buy the pink hard shell suitcase that I used to transport my dresses in and had no intention of selling. Sold, for 10 bucks!!

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How to do pretty: light & whimsy

Want to do pretty in your pad as spring approaches? Simply do what I did when I re-jigged my apartment this past weekend: change up the accessories. Away went the deep jewel-toned pillows and out came my pretty pillow ditties.

They lightened up the dark sofa, as you can see. Blue velvet, you may know, is a bit of a thing for me. And when the months turn warmer I need to inject a bit of light n' bright, just so it doesn't look like some dreary 18th century novel!

A wee bit of whimsy helps in a case such as this worn blue velvet chair found curbside. This handmade floral pillow thrifted for a few bucks perfectly balanced out the - shall we say austerity? - of this piece.

There was a general theme to my redo that kept the entire place looking somewhat cohesive: I created little vignettes by separating the room into areas and then incorporated the elements that inspired me in the original vignette I showed you yesterday: florals, soft, muted colours, basically anything in my closet or stashed away that said "pretty" or whimsy. (Like this Liberty of London scarf tossed over a pedestal table).

Or these jewellery baubles (recently thrifted - but that's another post) in this pretty pedestal bowl.

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Pretty spring makeover: start with one tableau

Spring has come to my apartment even though there were flurries for most of the day in Toronto, eeps.

I haven't posted on decor in so long as, truth be told, I have been uninspired in my space and haven't re-jigged it for months. Then, with a gal pal coming over for dinner last night, I looked around at all the (dust) and Persian carpets on the floor and dark colours and thought, "UG. I simply cannot make dinner until this palce has a fresh new look."

A whirlwindish afternoon of vacuuming and cleaning and tweaking set in. The final look is pretty. My inspiration: I tossed this piece of Ralph Lauren fabric that I've had (and meant to do something with) for years over the table and voila, there was my new spring tablecloth!

Then I added pretty bric-a-brac like a white cornucopia vase, a crystal tealight holder (both thrifted), a bamboo vase with bamboo in it (a gift) and a lovely chintz jug by  Lord Nelson Ware of England (given to me when my best friend's mother moved out of her home to an apartment).

Of course, tossing some of my fave flowers, orangy roses (that smell: do you know most roses these days don't?) into a thrifted silver vase was the ultimate way to create a pretty springtime look.

I kept the lamp base (which I thrifted at Sally Ann for under $10) the same but changed up the shade (thrifted for a few dollars and in mint condition) to a deep blue one, for contrast. The dark wood lacquer mirror was relocated from my desk and also provided a bit of grounded-ness to this pretty vignette.

This dark floral cushion, thrifted for $3.99 and actually from an old and now defunct Toronto store, is pretty yet provides important contrast too against the distressed silver wrought iron chair (found as a set of four for $20 years ago in a thrift shop and spray painted silver, by moi, years ago as well - like how the silver is getting that chipped beat-up look now).

This older tableau was fine for the winter, but I'm loving my new spring look.

This table area was actually the inspiration for re-jigging the rest of my apartment into a prettier look more akin to lighter spring weather. This week I'll show you how I did it!

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New Year, new look a la easy peasy bohemia

I've been a wee tired and bored with myself of late - a line I snatched from a Bruce Spingsteen song that perfectly encapsulates my feelings. And when I start feeling that way only one thing can help: an apartment re-org.

I was in the mood for a new look, but not in the mood for lugging big pieces of furniture around. So all I did was shift a couple of Persian rugs around and reposition one love seat so that the two love seats are facing one another - an easy way to create a cozy nook - and then moved the blue chair where the blue loveseat used to be.

I put good old Uncle Ugly (the 'family heirloom' table that my folks picked up 35 or so years ago at a garage sale, which I spray painted silver a few years ago) back in commission as a coffee table, and piled colourful decor and coffee table books on him to add to the clutter-cozy effect.

It's amazing what moving around a few pillows, lamps and paintings can do - see the low hung Paris scene over the large wood dresser to the right of the white mirror? That just happened that way as I had another painting there and didn't even bother to move the nail. Easy peasy bohemian style is what I'm all about, remember.

Before my little re-org I was questioning my boho look, characterized by clutter, lotsa velvet, and colour and texture. Now I'm in love with it again. Just goes to show that a little re-jig can work wonders on your psyche.

Happy New Year!

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That's MY kind of centrepiece!

Sorry I've been MIA this past week - I've never gone this long without a post, except, perhaps, when I was in England recently. I've had a house guest - from England, gee coincidence? - for two glorious weeks so have been pretty bust between working, visiting, seeing family, going out, etc.

 

Anyway, back to regular Grunge Queen programming.

When we were home visiting my fam last weekend, I snapped a pic of this centrepiece that has slowly been growing over the years at my sis's place.

The do-it-yourselfer Grunge Queen in me loves the simplicity of this: all ya gotta do is drink lotsa wine and then pop the corks in the glass bowl! Then you can take a dive in, pull out a cork, and reminisce over that particular bottle of wine and what was happening in your life when you were drinking it!

Cheers to inventive decor ideas like this!

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New shop in the Junction: Russet & Empire

So I was out in the Junction today and discovered a store that just opened this very day!

Russet & Empire ("Purveyor of Fine Goods from this Great Nation and Abroad", the tagline says - don't you love it?) carries vintage/retro and new decorative accessories, and is run my a design-savvy gal named Micah Lenahan.
















Micah is still setting the store up and the official opening isn't until September 2, so it'll be interesting to see what develops. Clearly, Micah has a love for design, which shows in the carefully curated white-walled space.
















Everything from candle holders to stacking totem pole stacking and bud vases from Sweden preside on the wood shelving built by Micah's husband, a furniture designer who works around the corner at architectural salvage shop and gallery space, Smash.
















As you can see here, Micah carries Mor candles, soaps and lip balm, which she tells me are carried only at Holt Renfrew in Toronto.
















Right now there are quite a few items from Sweden, like mason jars with crown insignia on them for about $15 a pop, darling bulbous bud vases and such.




















Unfortunately this dude isn't for sale, but there's a great story behind it: there was a pair of these at an auction around the corner, and Micah and her Dad bid on them but lost. Turns out her Dad approached the winner in the parking lot and offered to buy 'em ... now one is in Micah's shop, and the other with her Dad. Cute eh?















Prices aren't thrift, but they're good: the bud vase from Sweden that you see here is $19; a pair of ceramic 'twin' head vases, $22.





















I really like the feel of this place; it's gallery-like without being pretentious, and Micah's enthusiasm is infectious.
















There are also new gift cards and a few books. The perfect place to pick up a hostess gift or a little pick-me-up.





















390 Keele St., just north of Keele and Dundas St. West
416-649-0042
www.russetandempire.com

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Monday morning no brainer

It's a simple thing, but sometimes it's the simplest of things that can bring the most satisfaction.

A shopkeeper gave me this rose as I was doing a shopping column last week. I didn't have a bud vase to put it in, so I plopped it in this glass when I got home.

As the rose got older I kept cutting down the stem, so that it eventually fell below the lip of the glass.

I love the way the rose looks like a living artifact, behind glass yet with life not extinguished.

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Vintage jewellery wall of fame

This is one of several jewellery piles on my dresser, not much of a system for a burgeoning vintage bling lover, I know.

In fact I have amassed some very nice and quite substantial pieces - all necklaces - of late, and it just won't do to have them all heaped in a pile.

So on a recent apartment clean and mini-re-org I decided to hang some of the larger pieces on the wall.

Hence my vintage bling wall of fame.



It actually makes practical sense to have them all hanging here.

They're easy to see, which means no more rooting around.

They're not getting all jumpled together and tangled either.

And they make for a bit of a decorative pop - in this case they filled a wall near my bed that I didn't know what to do with.





I hang lesser pieces in a bunch on the doorknob.

I have a similar dilemma with purses - never know how to store them in a serviceable yet pretty way.

How do you store your accessories, jewellery and purses?

Any cheap creative ideas out there?

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