Humour in decorating

My creative decor juices haven't been flowing for a while, so in memory of my former digs in Toronto(which some, not to brag, have compared to Carrie Bradshaw's pad in Sex in the City), I will, in the next few days, be showing you some of my fave decor looks from over the years. I'm a fan of what I call emotional decorating - ie: not being scared to proudly display and utilize items and momentos you love in your living space - and over the years, like anything in life, I guess, I've also cultivated a bit of humour when it comes to trussing up my apartments. Why not? Both philosophies make me smile and love my where I live all the more.

Meaning the man in the painting in the first pic (painted by my twin sis and artist Kendra Gadzala) is sharing a view with the ethnic statue I picked up at Value Village for a few bucks! Spring can be inspiring, after all, so why not let the clear plastic purple teddy bear piggy bank frolic with the tulips of the same hue? So if you're getting too stressed about everything being matchy-matchy and hyper-organized, remember: decorating needn't be dismal - it can be fun!

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My twin sis bought my dress in the local thrift store!

This pic was snapped in January 2010, months before meeting my future hubby and moving to the UK. But when the big move was in progress, I had to get rid of (as I'm sure you can imagine) a pile of stuff. I put aside this Italian-made dress, which I had bought second-hand in a Toronto consignment shop, for my twin sis, but she either didn`t see it or didn`t like it - neither of us can remember as it was such a hectic time. So I donated it to Stretch Thrift, our friendly neighbourhood thrift shop on Pape Ave. in Toronto.
Fast-forward to end of 2011, to after I had I left Toronto and was about to move to the UK. My sis was in said thrift shop, and she saw this dress. She was missing me so much and even though she wasn`t sure if she`d wear it, she had a feeling it was mine ... and so, dear reader: she bought it.
Love it.

You`ve heard me speak of emotional decorating. This is stronger stuff, propelled by emotion. Call it psychic thrift.

Miss ya, love ya, sis. Wear the frock in good health ... and think of me. xo

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I have no shame

Being a thrifter means you have to be an opportunist person to certain extent. So when I saw this wool pillow on the front lawn of a home in the neighbourhood one day - you know, one of those 'take what we don't want so it doesn't go in the landfill' type things - I stopped about 50 yards later and thought.

I thought, "Shall I go and pluck that used pillow off the sidewalk like some shameless second-hand hussie? Who is going to judge me? No one is on the street anyway [it was really, really hot outside]."

So, my dear readers, I went back, tucked that pillow under my arm, made plans to wash it [full disclosure: I haven't washed it yet], and it is now reposing on my thrifted green velvet chair.

I've picked up some great pieces in the trash over the years, so my advice is this: if you have the guts, go for it. If not, someone else likely will!

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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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Modernist-style necklace, $2.99

Forgive my ill appearance; I've been sick all week - but let's focus on the plastic necklace I thrifted months ago for $2.99. I wore it for the first time yesterday with a 1970s-esque flowy sleeveless tunic with a tie (found at ENDS in the Beach for $9.99), and I had so many compliments on the bling!

I bought it for its colours, Modernist look and interesting raised shapes. Up close it looks pretty cheapie deapie - but even from a few feet away it looks like a work of art.

Guess that's what 'old Grunge Queen is about, if you get down to it: fashion deception!!

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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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Grungy chic Christmas table

Hope every one has had a fab holiday so far. Yesterday's Christmas table was fit for a Queen - make that a Grunge Queen! Our lovely hostess for the day dressed her table in a way the Grunge Queen entirely approves of - by using pieces from around the home. Think practical, yet creative and pretty - and inexpensive!!

A host of darling teacups from our hostess' personal collection adorned the table and held wee Christmas-y floral arrangements.The look was chic yet practical - no cumbersome centrepieces to impede viewing pleasure - and added a personal touch to an already pretty table. Remember that you can always use the pieces you love from around your home, perhaps from a collection, to inject your own personality into your decorating!

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Makeshift table, Grunge Queen style

While in the throes of a full-on apartment clean this weekend, I 'made' a makeshift table, which is stacked with magazines in the corner here.

The table is occupying a formerly empty space and is helping to solve the problem of what to do with a cumbersome wrought iron base that used to be part of a larger table (that I thrifted years ago, of course) - but it's been on its own sitting on the balcony since I threw out the ugly 1960s laminate top that was covering it.

I'll tell you what I did in a sec, but I'm kinda liking the look of a simple table with magazines stacked under the thrift shop painting. It just looks clean and - well, for the Grunge Queen at least - quite crisp.

You can see the wrought iron base here - and how nice it is, which explains why I've hung onto it rather than chucking it in the trash for someone else to reinvent.

As to the top, I had a teak shelf that was inside my teak hutch that I wasn't using, so I plopped it on top and it fit perfectly.

I haven't screwed to the wood in at all - way too handy for the old Grunge Queen - but the weight of thew magazines should be enough to keep the whole thing in place. But if a kitty jumps on it that'll be it.



Narrow corners like this can be tricky, especially when there's a big piece of furniture nearby as you don't want to overwhelm the space and make things look clunky.

I think the openness of the lower part of the table gives a sense of open space.

Little touches, like hanging a bright yellow 1980s sequin top from the table as you see above, add a touch of whimsy and GQ glam.

Grunge Queen philosophy, as you may know, is to unleash your creative pluck without worrying about being uber handy!

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Launch party of 1212 decor in Toronto

Does this look like a bed fit for a queen, perhaps a Grunge Queen?

Hey, that looks like a crown on the bed to me.

I could have slumbered and dreamed all night long after the official launch party last night of 1212, a swank new design shop at 1212 Yonge St. in Toronto.

Many of the colours, as you see here, match the beachy hues I was talking about yesterday.






















Check out this occasional chair by Avant Garde - it's covered with this nubbly terry cloth material.

Loving the pink rattan table beside it.

These are not Grunge Queen prices by any means, but I'm too excited by the colours and styles to worry about that.

Let's just call this post a Grunge Queen inspiration post.



















As Creative Director Alexander Donovan explained to me, 1212 carries a melange of styles and decor pieces and embodies the ethic that decorating should be fun, not a thing to be afraid of.

Well I'd say that jives with the 'ole Grunge Queen philosophy pretty well.



















The full-service design shop carries the most comprehensive selection of works by the designer, artist and illustrator Larry Laslo of Larry Laslo Designs.

Mr. Laslo was on hand last night and gave me a personal tour of some of the shop and showed me some of his furniture pieces, which he describes as structural.


















Laslo's colour palette isn't like the beachy one I'm showcasing here, but his pieces are lovely.

This French Deco sofa ($6240.00), which I hope isn't too dark in this pic, is one of his creations.

Interestingly he told me that for some reason, a couch is the hardest thing in the world to design. I would have thought the opposite: shows how much I know!






















Still, you can tell the man has some pluck, evidenced by the jaunty pinstripe suit he wore for the occasion.

He's posing for me here under a work of art he created - he started off as a painter, he told me.

The piece is called "Take a Spin" and it's covered with 10-15 coats of resin to give the surface a super gloss look.

Love it. Want it. Won't even bother to look at the price.























The only thing that I could afford, and that would be in a pinch, is one of these gorgeous mixed ribbon pillows, $435 each.























Worth a pop in for a gander.

1212 Yonge St.
416-646-1234
toll free 1-877-999-1235

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Trash rehash: magazine rack turned purse holder

I plucked this from the curb a few weeks ago as I was waiting for a friend to pick me up for an event.

I really had no intention of using it as a magazine rack, but I didn't know what I would use it for until I was looking around for a place to store it.

Necessity is the mother of invention: the only space I had for it was my bedroom, where several vintage purses have been scattered about on the floor and on a chair, poor bags without a home.

Well looky looky, now they have a place to hang out!

Effortless projects like these are at the core of my Grunge Philosophy - guess I'm too lazy and not crafty enough for the projects that require uber talent and zeal. But I do have an ability to see, rather on the fly, how certain items can be re-purposed. I'd like to think that approximates a certain kind of creativity - at the very least I sure hope it inspires others to get their creative ya-yas out without feeling they have to be Martha Stewart perfect!

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Borrowed bling for Innovators' Ball at Ontario Science Centre

Tip: if you're an aspiring Grunge Queen and don't want to spend the cash on bling, here's a cheap strategy: get a loaner!

Toronto jewellery designer Rita Tesolin kindly offered me some pieces from her Fall 2010 collection when she learned I was going to the LG Innovators' Ball last week at the Ontario Science Centre.

Needless to say, I was thrilled. The beaded twisted chain was heavy metal glam all the way and totally rocked with my simple black dress by Toronto designer Mark Foreman.

And look at the ring to match! Heck, who even needs to wear a dress with these sparkly statement pieces!

The look was perfect for the event, what with its "Midnight Spell" theme complementing the centre's Harry Potter exhibition.

I'd like to think I stood out among all the short, tight dresses worn by women much younger than me.

Sad to think that "that age" is approaching where we must now be, well, less exhibitionist, shall we say?

Maybe not. I'd like to think my borrowed bling, coupled with my sexy crochet stockings picked up at a warehouse sale, were enough of a ... statement.


Here's a more pro shot with me and my date - gee, come to think of it, this good looking gent was the man who took pics of me for the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale promo shots. Joey Cee
also took the two pics of me above.

We kind of match, don't we?

As you can see, I wore a velvet jacket over the ensemble, a thrifted Goodwill jacket made by a Parisienne designer.

Oooh la la.

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Decor starbursts: old cards & paper

I haven't done many decor-related posts lately, mainly because I'm not feeling as restless in my abode and the need to do a massive 're-org' has been curtailed - a good sign, perhaps on the emotional front!

Speaking of Emotional Decorating, one of my fave topics, I thought I'd share a few little ideas that not only make me smile but also make my space reflect The Essential Me:

When I get bored of an old gilt mirror, the side edge of which is pictured here, I tuck old cards and momentos into the edges of it.

I created this card for my Mom and Dad when I was a wee one, recycled from an old Easter card (as the pastel edges indicate). We kids used to go through the Sears holiday catalogue and cut out our fave images, then affix them on old cards. I just love this card, which explains why I snagged it from the folks! So on my little faux display board it goes.

This card was given to me when I was a young child and very sick in the hospital. It was given to me by my fave nurses and orderlies in the 1970s, who I still remember to this day. I think they may still remember me as I was the only child in an adult ward - plus I was, as the card says, A Sweet Girl!

I've hung onto it years and years. I just get the warm fuzzies every time I look at this little piece of my past.






This is the business card (sideways) of a local stylist.

I love the non-standard size (it's fatter than most biz cards), and the image is so lush.

Way too pretty for my Rolodex.

The black and white slip below is a scanned image from my highschool yearbook.

I used to dance quite intensively and this was a beautiful ballet piece I was in that was a re-worked choreography for the now defunct Theatre Ballet of Canada.

We used upturned umbrellas and danced to Debussy. Boy those umbrellas hurt the arms after dancing for over 5 minutes!

Guess who I am? (far right).

My best friend sent this clipping from a fashion or decor magazine.

She loved it and so do I: the clutch purses between the bookends are so very glam Grunge Queen!

Hope these little ideas inspire you a wee bit.

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How I rationalized thrifting 2 bowls in a week

"Do I need another bowl?"

This thought raced through my head as I stood falling in love with this blown glass bowl in front of my friendly neighborhood thrift store, Stretch Thrift on Pape Ave. in Toronto.


Same store I bought the turquoise bowl only days before.

Talk about bowl guilt.

Reader, dear reader: would you have left it there?

Here's how it looks on my console.

Ok here's the rationalization:

I didn't need another bowl.

But I'm a lover of beauty - cheap beauty.

It met both criteria, being beautiful and only $5.99.

A bonus: the bowl was signed.

Did a Google search yield anything about the name on it?

No, not a whit. But hey, it's signed!

Some talented person but his or her name to a beautiful creation.

I'm getting all teary-eyed thinking about it.

What a feeling that must be to leave something like that behind for someone to find and treasure.

I also really dig the fact that it's asymmetrical.

As you may know, Grunge Queen has a thing about imperfection.

Plus its most predominant colours match the purply hue Grunge Queen is fond of! It was, afterall, the colours of royalty (that's another story).


So reader, the bowl is most emphatically and rejoicingly mine.

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