Around the house, mostly thrifted

New tablecloth, made in Jodhpur.

Yesterday was the annual street market in Annecy, which was full of over-priced tat: I can't tell you how many 5-Euros-scarf booths I saw. Though I snapped up two scarves at last year's market, this year, especially considering the 10-Euros-cashmere-sweaters I've found at similar such markets throughout the year that have since turned to rags, the thrill over such dubious bargains has turned rather stale.

There's nothing exciting about cheaply-made goods. All the French markets I've experienced (except brocantes) are like this, and they puzzle me as they completely contradict what I know about France's love for high quality, locally-produced goods. Perhaps these markets are the French's version of Big Box shopping, their form of retail junk???

Lamp: Annecy vide grenier
Bowl and candelabra: Annecy thrift shop.

The long and short of it: the exception to the dirth of uninspiring scarves, sweaters, slippers and kitchen knives, was this amazing hand-printed tablecloth bought at a stall by a man selling textiles from India. Ethnic anything is not so easy to find in this part of France (and the gal next door who sells gorg Moroccan pieces is closing up shop in the New Year and moving to Marrakesh!), so when I discovered this gent, who wholesales across France and has two retail shops in a nearby town, I was thrilled beyond belief.

Hubs and I were talking about the beauty and wisdom (and the sad slaughter of African variety) of these wonderful creatures only the night before, so it was fortuitous that we found a tablecloth with elephants on it. There are peacocks in the middle too.

Though they're different styles entirely, I think the cloth goes really well with this bowl I thrifted at my local shop. Forget the tourist shops if you want to find nice French pottery and such in Annecy. The thrift store is piled high with bowls, plates, dishes, cups - you name it - and all from a few centimes to a few Euros each.

A tale of two candelabras, both second-hand ....

Like everything in my old Canadian pad, many of our decorative accessories are second-hand. I've been on a candelabra bender of late. I've always wanted one but have never found one to suit my budget or style - and the really ornate, Gothic-type styles leave me cold. Then all of a sudden, I find two simple styles back-to-back! The elegant silver-tone beauty was 30 Euros at my local consignment shop (I had money on my account so I count this as a "trade" item).

Then the next day, I was in the thrift shop and there was this heavy rustic pewter candelabra (behind) made by French company Etains du Manoir. For 5 Euros!

Second-hand textiles: Granny's old shawl...

I have a thing for vintage textiles - the more beat up, the better, in some cases. This wool shawl has stains, a few holes and is criss-crossed with hand-sewn stitches from over the years, but I love it. I found it in a junk shop in Toronto, which apparently came in a box marked "Granny's shawl". I knew the shop owner and bet he bought the box for that very reason - and of course, when he shared the story with me, I had to have the shawl.

 ... wool scarf ...

I found this wool men's scarf at a skanky French thrift shop and use it on my photo table as a runner.

... and French scarf.

Meanwhile this second-hand French scarf creates a pretty border on a table showcasing my and my hubby's wooden box collections.

Btw, hubby made me the flower out of an old foil wrapper. So talented. I love this kind of stuff: beauty from trash.

Back in Toronto, I was Queen of the Pillows. I gave away or sold most of the pack when I moved overseas (along with most of my apartment, in the biggest decluttering exercise of my life), though I couldn't let go of them all. I've had the pink and green embroidered throw (back) since I was 21, bought as a birthday gift in an ethnic-y shop in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Kilim one in front was a recent Etsy find.

This oversize one was dug up at a Toronto consignment shop specializing in decor. Apparently it's a custom-made pillow made out of antique fabric. Green velvet anything really rocks my boat, as did this pretty pattern, so it stayed on the "keep" list.

Can't not include the little guy. I've found a few knit patchwork blankets at the thrift shop this past year, and this mini one was very boy-like and will eventually go on Adam's bed. For now, it's the 'safe zone' part of his play area, which you can see he's way out of now that he's starting to roll around!

One of the many looks I created using all garbage and
thrift shop finds in my old Toronto apartment.

I wish I had more than tableaus to show you decor wise, but, living in a semi-furnished apartment that we're planning on moving out of soon, I haven't spent a lot of time stamping my individual style on the place. Perhaps having a husband with his own individual style is another reason! I'm really looking forward to creating a home, and putting together a cute boy's room out of thrifty goodies, once we have a new, larger place. I used to feature a lot more thrifty decorating on this blog, and I miss it. Hopefully the New Year will bring us a new space I can tinker with.

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Thrift style a la spring

More pretty spring-inspired tableaus from my apartment ....

Think purple as a unifying colour, and a bit of whimsy in a teddy bear piggy bank.

Toss in a lovely hand-painted velvet picture made in England (thrifted for 99 cents), a thrifted flower pot and fresh new purple tulips, and a heavy gold mirror (thrifted for $3.99), propped up on a heavy wooden dresser found in the trash.

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Mini makeover

For a fresh new look without lugging around furniture, settle on a rough theme/colour scheme and change up the lamps, chairs, pillows and decorative accessories to match the mood and tone.

I haven't been doing anything much to my apartment lately in the way of rearranging as life has been busy; but I've learned that you can create a whole new look without moving large pieces of furniture around - it's the semi-lazy Grunge Queen way, remember? But it's also what I call play - just moving stuff around my space is kinda therapeutic, actually.

My fave velvet chair found in the trash my first fall in Toronto. I scattered an old old wool shawl thrown over top (found in a junk shop for $20; the guy said it came in a box marked 'granny's shawl'!) and a red velvet pillow, thrifted.

In this case, the dining room table was blah blah - I had a dull coloured lamp and shade on it and the entire space looked washed out. Using the blue glass Moroccan star (now on the table) as inspiration, I changed up the lamps, chairs, and other accessories to create a punchier look with red and blue accents. There was a certain, semi-exotic mood in my mind.

This solid wood dining room table was $30 at my local thrift store. Pretty much everything you see here was thrifted, found in the trash or bought second-hand.

In the spirit of play, I tried a little something different and propped a thrifted painting of a Paris scene on top of the mirror on the table. I didn't think it would but it actually makes the ceiling look higher. And I hauled out my lovely antique Persian rug that I've had under my bed for months - Dag the cat IS scratching on it again now that it's out, but what the heck am I supposed to do: keep a rug under the bed for my entire life and never enjoy it?

Yup: the bohemian clutter bug in me is slowly learning about simplicity! I love the 1940s blue lamp perched on the bookcase.

I didn't do much with the living area, just changed the direction of the rug and added a footstool as table. I like the simplicity here. It's very New York (in my imagination, at least).

Thrift store art and a piece I chased the artist down to buy, brazen thing that I am.

I love the print on the bottom; it reminds me of a William Morris design (come to think of it the book on top is about the Pre-Raphaelites!). I walked into a shop one day and saw it hanging in a back office - tracked the artist down and asked her if she wanted to sell it. Now it's on my wall.

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Can a bohemian clutter bug live with a streamlined contemporary?

I've spent most of the weekend relaxing and tidying my apartment - no energy to do a full-on re-org, alas, but sometimes you can get the FEEL of a re-org by just rejigging the elements on a console, as I have here.

The urge to de-clutter and purge myself of all my STUFF is still going strong, helped along by life's little events - falling in love with someone overseas - and that fact that said beau is a contemporary style kinda dude: minimal clutter and an uber streamlined look is his design dealio.

So I dedicate this pared down little twilight tableau (consisting of a vanity/console I traded with an ex; flowers given to me by someone I wrote about in the Town Crier newspapers; a brass/glass box with all my little tchotckas in it; a brass lamp bought for $5 at Consumers Lighting in Toronto; a lamp shade from a garage sale; and a thrifted hardcover book you will be hearing about very soon!) to my darling N, who, like many of you lovely readers, checks in every day to read this wee blog -- because, well, he loves me.

I'd say a bohemian clutter bug and a streamlined contemporary can most definitely live with eachother! It will certainly make life interesting!!

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Bring it foreward, I say!

I was going to show you an outfit I thrifted at a thrift shop I have yet to tell you about (will do so tomorrow, promise), but apropos of yesterday's post about my folks picking wicker curbside, I had to share with you this pic of a rattan chair on the sidewalk that I saw outside my building tonight.

Reader, it was mine, picked up a few years ago for $10 at a thrift shop. I put it by the dumpster yesterday afternoon as I was in clear out mode and figured SOMEONE would pick it up. It is, after all, so 1970s chic, no? Just look at those curved lines!

Well imagine my dismay to see someone had moved it to a more prominent place curbside - and no one had picked it up by 7 p.m. tonight!

BUT there is a happy ending: just peeped out my front window and looked out on the sidewalk -- and the chair is gone. Hope it's gone to a happy home! Love sharin' that thrifty love ....

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Skeleton chairs & ribbon dispensers

This chair was in my local thrift shop, Stretch Thrift, before I left for West Palm, and when I returned to do a little dig after my vacay it was still there.

Whoever goes for this would need to have some guts, as this chair is obviously all guts.

So wish I were handy enough to reupholster and fix up this baby. It's got good bones and a good shape. A wingback chair would be so cozy wozy in the winter months ....

I decided to leave it there for the next person. Betcha it's still there.


Next to the chair there was the ribbon dispenser contraption, which must have belonged to a store, or perhaps the craftiest person on the planet.

I couldn't find the price but I thought it was kind of neat.

There were bins of ribbon spools nearby too.

Isn't it amazing the things you find in thrift shops?

I think a person could spin a novel from all the items found in one ....

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Spring streamlining

I'll give you a break from the bling and show you my mini-re-org in my pad, inspired by my recent lamp acquisitions - to those who have requested more decorating posts, thanks for your patience.

As you know from last week's post, I found this silver mirrored glass lamp and shade for $10 at a big sale at my fave lighting store in TO, Consumers Lighting & Lamps.

I decided to relocate the 'library' (ie: old brass retractable bookends with books in them) that was in my bedroom to the top of this vanity.


I cleaned up the Barrymore loveseat by putting a blue cover under the upholstered cushion.

I had a slipcover over it before but it went to the floor, and I must admit I prefer a clean line that shows the legs of the sofa. The huge pillow was found at my fave decor consignment shop in TO, Around the Block, for $30. It's custom-made with Victorian floral fabric - such a find.

In the warmer months it just feels natural to streamline the clutter and keep surfaces sparse and crisp.

The vignette on this bureau (which was dug up in the trash) was pretty extreme for me - there's only one ornament on it! But I like the clean look. Here the wood lacquer mirror and the piece of folk art are my 'accessories'.

I did the same clean sweep with my dining room table, relocating the strip of Ralph Lauren wall paper that was on my desk to the table. A couple lamps and just a couple decorative pieces finish off the look.

It's always funny to see peoples' reactions to my space when they visit. Just when I think I've been the ultimate streamlining slut, someone says, "Gosh you have a lot of stuff", or "Wow you have a lot of healthy clutter." Guess it's all relative eh?

Here's a view of the new lamp looking over the bottle green Kroehler sofa.

I didn't change much here; just put the thrifted gilt mirror where a big print was. In the mirror you can see that I relocated the big floral print to my work space.

I'm calling this a mini-re-org as I didn't get down and dirty and move any furniture. All I did was add and then rotate some lamps, change up a few lampshades, and move some accessories and art/mirrors.

You can get a whole new look by changing up and rotating your accessories - just as you accessorize the basics in your wardrobe by donning different pieces of jewellery, handbags and scarves.


I often think that lamps are the bling of the decor world - they really function like jewellery to me.

Gee, I am still finding a way to bring it all back to jewellery, aren't I???

I added a dramatic punch to my teak hutch by swapping the large gilt mirror for this darker lacquered one. I took off the runner to show off the wood, kept the books but added the large base lamp with the red shade.

The lamp is so big I think it merits being on a large piece of furniture, for scale. Then I plopped on an orange Made in Canada glass vase, for extra oomph. On the subject of mirrors, I love placing them directly across from or kitty-corner to windows - they reflect the light, make a dark corner lighter, and enlarge the space.

Voila! Mini-re-org complete!

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Reading room

Here are my bunnies. Ever since redoing my bedroom (see a few posts below), they've been hanging out on the bed, as they are here.

I love the vintage-esque pillow I bought at Pottery Barn (with a media gift certificate. The pillow was not a thrifter special!).

It's sitting on a duvet cover I thrifted over 10 years ago for $3.99, which has this dusty rose on one side and a light blue on the other.

The brass bed was also found over 10 years ago for just over $100.

Let's leave Dink and Dag to their slumpers ....

Speaking of brass, I decided to haul this brass book holder out and put it at the end of the bed on the floor.

Why?

I had too many chairs after my breakup re-org, so the idea of creating a little reading area in my room came to me.


There's the thrifted purple bowl to the right of one chair.

I found the chair in the trash. The heavy brass table was given to me by my recent ex.






Here are the two chairs, side by side.

The blue velvet one on the far left was also found in the trash and it's one of my fave chairs.

My cat Dag loves it too. You may be able to see the white stuffing oozing out of the top of it!

One of my carpets, a long worn runner found for $100 at a decor consignment shop in North Toronto.

Have I actually sat in these chairs and read yet?

Not really.

But I like the look of it. It seems kinda old world, to have a formal-esque reading area.

Ta ta!

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Simple clean

I've never been completely happy with the look of my bedroom; even after each and every reorg I'm never quite satisfied.

This time, as part of my breakup reorg, I decided to keep it simple and even more peasant-like in the bedroom.

I relocated by fave painting by Toronto artist Julie Glick to a huge wall, and added a dusty rose duvet cover to the bed to complement it. I've had the brass bed for over 10 years, picked up in a junk shop for under $150.

I tossed a few more rugs to the floor, and jazzed up the night tables with these darling teeny lamps (1940s 50s?) - thrifted at Goodwill for $4.99 each.

The garage sale chair beside the table was $5. The fabric is pretty icky so I tied a sequined shawl around the back.

My retro thrift shop purses and belts adorn the seat part of the chair.

And in the silver bowl on the table (thrifted for about $3.99): lavender. I squish the lavender buds between my fingers when I go to bed and let the scent waft over me. Lavender is supposed to calm and relax you so it's perfect on the bedside table.

BTW an ex from long ago made the two 'nightables' for me out of an old vanity!

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True blue 1930s lamp

This look is part of my breakup reorg. It's not perfect - the cords are still showing on the floor - but I'm really digging the simplicity.

I lost the black tablecloth, changed the painting to a retro print, shortened the table, and streamlined the clutter.

I'm really pleased with the lamps.

My style isn't modernist at all but I've always loved the white bulbous lamp I thrifted for a few dollars.

But I've never paired it with an all-white, contemporary shade until now.

I just love the clean simplicity of it all.

Think it looks great next to the blue bowl I thrifted a few weeks ago.

That's my cure-all if I want to jazz the place up and create a new look: I switch up the lampshades on all my lamps and rotate them. It's like 'play' for decorating.

I also like the hint of blue accents here.

The blue lamp is new, a 1930s glass lamp I found at an antiques shop on the Danforth. Not exactly thrift store price but I love it too much.

The shade isn't perfect but I'll keep trying. Lately I've really been into placing two lamps on a table that are the same height and positioning them symmetrically. It just looks elegant.

In contrast to the fiery red area in my pad, this corner - the dining room - is simple and serene. I'm calm just looking at it.

And I'll refine the look as I go.

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Seeing red

My most heartfelt thanks for the many kind comments from dearly beloved readers and followers on yesterday's post. I salute you all!

Speaking of hearts, I'm still seeing red over my V-day breakup.

Seeing a trend here? I decided to group all my red elements in one area, to pack a real wallop.

There is something to be said for having a certain amount of drama in one's adode. I'm a frenetic mass of energy - mostly productive - at the moment so why not have that reflected in my digs? It inspires me to tackle multiple projects with ferocity.

Offset that red with bright punches of primary green and orange and we're off to the decorating races.

When I'm feeling more calm, more serene, I'll evenly distribute the red throughout my space, to spread out its raunchier effects.

For now I'm content to revel in the red. This is truly what I call emotional decorating: having your digs reflect your state of mind, or mirror a desired state of mind.

A postscript to yesterday's post: this reorg wasn't really the redo of the century in terms of moving furniture around, but you can see if you've been following GQ for a while how changing up the accessories can create a wholly new look in your pad.

The Grunge part: of course you know everything here was either thrifted or found in the trash, don't you?

Big floral print: $4.99 at thrift shop

Green Krohler loveseat, $50 at garage sale

Floral lamp with chunky base: $6.99 less 50 percent at Sally Ann (red shade was new but on mega sale)

Every single pillow you see here: thrift, consignment or junk shop, various prices but nothing under $10 each

Orange April Cornell blanket found for under $10 at Value Village

Chrome chair and big wood dresser: trash finds

Orange blown glass vase, Made in Canada, thrifted for $9.99, and retro green decanter, a gift from my best pal

Painting of lady: $9.99 in framing shop that was closing down

Oh, and the console that has all the coloured glass on it? Got it from the same jerk who gave me the bowl I broke yesterday. Thrift and love, it happens.

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Fellow bloggers' style at the junk shop

Funny how as you read the blogs and comments of your fellow thrifty bloggers, you get to know their design and decor sensibility.

These typewriters, for example, are without a doubt something Thrifted Treasure would go ga-ga for.

Think she may also like this retro industrial chic dish rack.

I love the rack and the dish, which has an Old World feel crossed with a boho look.






Speaking of boho I kinda like this framed print (with reflection from light fixture, sorry) - it has an undeniable boho look to it, and I love the colours and the patterns.

Have a feeling Thrift Candy and Bohemian Vintage would also like it.











And this authentic Victorian Luck Wreath?

Sonya and Dime Store Thrift
just may be inspired by it for one of her crafty wreath or decor glitter projects.




As for these retro babies ...

Thrift Shop Adventures may dig their wackiness.

All found at a neat junkster salvage store called World Headquarters in the Junction in Toronto.


2885 Dundas St. West
416-333-8078

Owner Mark Taaffe is an auctioneer:
AUCTION TONIGHT STARTING AT 6:30 PM - great deals!

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