Thrifty little guy

Six days old: wee little man

I've read every one of your lovely comments and I thank you so much for your kind words and congratulations. It's so heart-warming to hear from longtime readers across the globe, from the UK to Australia to Toronto, Canada - some of whom have never commented before. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your well-wishes, and I welcome some new followers who have come into the fold of late. I hope you are all happy and enjoying your summer!

Six days old, wearing gifted Ottawa Sens hockey bib - from a Canadian friend, EH!

Our little man turned five weeks old this week. I'm already feeling sentimental about his time as a newborn as he was so wee and has sadly outgrown some fave (thrifted) outfits. But Adam continues to fill our days with endless wonder and joy. We are truly blessed.

I'll return to regular thrifty style programming just as soon as I can stop snapping pics of my son long enough to direct the camera lens towards me, so please indulge me a while longer as I inundate you with baby pics. Besides, wouldn't I be remiss if I didn't show you some thrifty duds we've picked out for the little guy? He's worn this second-hand red and white outfit for weeks now and is growing into it well. I picked it up in a consignment shop in a nearby village.

He's already mastered hi-low dressing: shorts, new and gifted.
Alligator body suit: gift, found in a UK charity shop

Friends who visited the UK a while back returned with this adorable alligator bodysuit that they charity shopped. He looks like a little body-builder in it and it's saved the day many times in the past two weeks as it's been so warm weather-wise in Annecy.

Four weeks old

We found this overall and tee set in my local thrift shop. Oh yes, Adam has made a grand total of two visits to my local thrift shop already. Mommy and Daddy took introduced him to the concept in his second week of life. We breezed in and power shopped like never before, picking up 15 pieces for a grand total of 15 Euros!

Twelve days old and he's already in the thrift shop. 

Here's the photo to prove it.

Playing dress-up in a hat that came all the way from Canada

That's not to say he's against wearing new outfits from time to time. Grandma came for a nice long visit (she left yesterday; Adam and I are so sad) sporting almost an entire suitcase of clothes given by friends of the family from back home.

We found him some newborn sunglasses so he doesn't have to steal Daddy's pair

Sometimes the dress-up game can go too far. :)

Bath-time is perfect  for  trying out new and adorable facial expressions

Sometimes he just likes to hang out **sans** clothing.

Shot of Mommy a week after birth wearing a vintage chiffon blouse found in the local Annecy thrift shop;
a vintage Lanvin necklace, 10 Euro at Annecy antique market;
vintage 1980s tapestry bag, Etsy.

All right, here's a shot of me post-baby, just to let you know that I'm trying to be as stylish as possible even though I have a wee belly and I don't recognize my thighs anymore. So far I can fit only into my maternity jeans and my "fat" skinny jeans, sigh.

I found this handmade 1970s dress at the local weekly market and paired it with a UK charity-shopped Kelly bag and used Ugg wedgies found at my local consignment shop. Snapped while on our way to lunch in a local village a few weeks ago.

Ikat dress, Birthday pressie and found in Aix Les Bains last week

I turned 43 last week and bought this dress with some Bday money as breastfeeding and a bit of pregnancy weight has rendered all my wee summer frocks slightly tight on me. This empire-waisted, A-line style is a fave of mine and universally flattering - also good for hiding a slight pooch of a tummy.

Wanna count em?

I found this used frock at the market too and wear it only around the house as it's a bit too revealing up top.

Alas, hubby was away for my Bday but a gorg bouquet of long-stemmed red roses (with a wondrous smell) arrived at the door right around the time I was born so many years ago. What an absolute romantic sweetie pie. And the number of roses match my age - was torn between being impressed and horrified at the size of the bouquet!

One last look at the little guy. All is well. We have an all-terrain stroller and take him out every day. He falls asleep as we rattle him over the cobblestones.

Hope this super long post will suffice for a while as life is pretty busy now and it's taken me two days to get this up. :) When I can catch my breath I look forward to catching up with all of you. xo

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Vide Grenier Haul, part one

Wool-mohair blend coat with Paris label and great buttons, 2 Euros at a Vide Grenier

Cripes, talk about baby prep. Sleepless nights characterized by frequent bathroom trips and tossing and turning to find a comfy position, topped off by hubby snoring and cat crying at all hours, has pretty much set the tone this last week for an overwhelming tetchiness that makes me want to hip-check every dawdle-poke or generally annoying person who gets in my way.

Good thing a master haul at my local thrift shop's spring vide grenier (rummage sale, basically) this past Saturday is helping my zzzz-deprived brain manufacture some happy hormones when I think of all the great stuff I found there - two (huge) bags full of clothing for between 1-2 Euros each - including this wool-mohair blend coat from Paris (2 Euros).

The lining is thin so it was the perfect coat to don earlier this week, when temps soared to the teens.

Wool-blend sweater: a Euro at the same sale

I'm not great at this style of vide grenier - basically a big table with stuff tossed on it for all to fight over - but surprisingly there weren't too many pushy peeps. I was able to dig up this red wool-blend floppy turtleneck sweater, again with a Paris label, without any major incident (and for a Euro). I don't wear red often but I can do this shade, and I just loved the dart-like detailing on the sides.

Thyme maternity skirt, thrifted in Canada; Benetton patent leather brogues, thrifted in Annecy;
Scarf, Annecy market; Vintage bracelet, UK auction house;
leather purse, new and handmade by Montreal, Canada artisan.

30 weeks: POP!

As you can see, I've really popped out in the last week. I'm still going strong with the support hose, and comfy shoes that highlight my flipper feet ... funny how I'm trying my best to be stylish but won't compromise when it comes to sensible - and safe - footwear. I wouldn't want to topple over wearing heels, now would I?

I have heaps more to show you from the vide grenier. Must snap some pics one of these mornings, when I have more oomph. Now if you'll excuse me, but I'm off to beddie-by.

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How I Wear My: Greens (mostly thrifted, of course!)

Olive green: jazz up a conservatively-cut Windsmoor coat (thrifted) with thrifted MEXX booties,
bright blue accessories, a patchwork bag, and a cheapie ethnic scarf from the market.

Many thanks to Adrienne over at The Rich Life (on a budget), who, in partnership with Jill over at Everything Just So, is hosting How I Wear My: Green today. I'm really grooving on green these days - all different kinds, in fact. So I thought I'd show you how I've been wearing my greens these days.

Yesterday: Olive green leather booties, thrifted in France.

I bought these olive green booties this week at the thrift shop. The dress is thrifted, the necklace was a buck at a vintage jewellery club meeting in Toronto, and the cashmere was a gift.

The great thing about this kind of green, as you see in these pics, is that it doesn't have to really "match anything" - it can work as a neutral.

Emerald green hat, thrifted in France for 3 Euros.
Antique carpet bag, about 40 pounds at a UK auction.

Or, as you see above and below, green - from emerald to forest to mint - can stand on its own as an accessory with a bit of zing.

Vintage mint green angora beret: gift; forest green Bally purse, thifted in France for under 10 Euros.

I bought this ring new before I moved to the UK, but it was 50 percent off.

I love this emerald green stone and silver filigre ring so much that I wear it whenever the hell I want, with whatever the hell I want.

Thrifted Ellen Tracy silk blouse; new Hermes scarf.

Or you can go full on with green, matching colours and fabrication for a real style whammy.

Vintage forest green jacket by Thierry Mugler, 4 Euros.

And as I recently discovered, dark green rocks with black - who would have thought?

Pre-pregnancy green: vintage dress, gifted.

I can't resist throwing in some miscellaneous pre-preggo green shots, when my stomach was reasonably flat and my thighs thinner.

Thrifted emerald green hoodie with matching (new) turtleneck.
(Rest of outfit: all thrifted except the pendant, which matches the ring).

Newborn jacket in emerald and mint greens: thrifted today for 2 Euros.

And, in a few short months, someone else will be wearing green too! :) :)

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Isn't it romantic?

Happy belated Valentine's Day to you! I was busy spending the day with hubby yesterday before he jetted off again, but I just had to show you the cappuccino he made me yesterday morning. Quite by accident, the foam magically shaped itself into a heart. Cuteness or what?

It stayed until the bitter end, and became even more heart-like.

Hubby and I decided to have a low-key Valentine's, with no major gifties (I'm still marveling at my Cartier eternity ring, an anniversary and a pre-baby giftie). But I thought I'd try my hand at a handmade Valentine from the heart, just like the kind my sis and I used to make when we were kids.

I'm not crafty in any way, and I agonized over this imperfect Valentine for hours, but hubby was touched beyond belief and even wanted to pack it in his suitcase this morning - big awww!

We joke that we're the most unromantic couple as we went out together to pick out my roses (hot pink and orange, my fave). But hey, he just came off flying a plane, and I sure as heck didn't mind.

I'm wearing my "new" vintage faux fur coat I picked up for 20 Euros at the local thrift shop. The label is Michel Alexis, and it's made in France. It's a touch big but it will accommodate my growing bump; plus I think you don't have to be so picky with size when it comes to a swing coat, non?

What I thought was a misunderstanding at the cash ended up being ok when I investigated further today at the thrift shop. I thought the woman was telling me that only real furs were not subject to the 50 percent off sale, and I knew this decidedly wasn't fur and was expecting to pay 10 Euros for it. It turns out that all furs, real **and** fake, weren't included in the sale. In the end I was ok with paying 20 Euros for this coat, especially if it means I'll be able to do it up when I'm really big!

Nesting mode must be kicking in, as I sweated and swore and stressed for several hours last night making hubby beef stroganoff, my very first attempt. I almost called the beef stroganoff hotline (ie: Mom) several times, but managed to make it through ok, producing a **pas mal** repas. I made oodles so we've got some in the freezer. Must start stockpiling easy meals! (Note: I never wear aprons, probably because I'm not much of a chef, but this was a gift from my UK thrifting pal extrordinaire, Sheau, whom I dearly miss - sweet, isn't it? I've been cooking more in recent weeks so it will come in handy).

I even got to wear a Valentine's napkin scrawled by hubby at the last minute, lest I dribble sauce over my thrifted Theory cashmere sweater (bought years ago for $6.99 in Canada but with a Holt Renfrew pricetag of about $600, if memory serves!). I don't look so hot in red but at that price, I snapped it up and haul it out every year for occasions such as this, where red is befitting.

This is the last time you'll see my shaggy mop. I was semi-beaned today at the hairdresser's, despite telling him that I didn't want to go short. Maybe my French isn't as good as I thought?

Hope you had a lovely Feb. 14 and a great weekend!

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Thrifty outer-wear I haven't shown you

Time to haul out the cashmere. It's only about zero degrees C or a few degrees above in the day, but it feels chilly - perhaps it's the lake and mountains that make it feel more damp and bone-chilling. Annecy looks very festive now and is all decked out in lights, with snow-capped mountains showing in the distance, so I promise to take pics and show them to you soon. There's a Christmas food and artisan market that runs from now until early January, plus a sound and light show too.

I don't think I've ever shown this vintage coat I picked up years ago at a Toronto vintage sale. It was originally marked at $60, but it was such a lovely autumn day that the coats weren't selling. When the woman marked them down to $10, I pounced on this plushy cashmere and wool A-line baby, with three huge crochet buttons. The collar is real fur, forgive me, but when I flip it up as I have here, it is oh so warm and protects me from the wind and chill. French women, btw, have no revulsion towards fur - I can't tell you how many (new) full-length fur coats I've seen on the backs of oh so chic women-of-a-certain-age.

It's a blurry shot but I had to show you my fave beret, black wool with these silver studs. I used to have a more expensive version, with the studs fastened onto the fabric, but they fell off. Ironically this cheapie one I bought in the UK with the studs glued onto it has lasted without any stud casualties.

Ok, I have shown this one, come to think of it, but not enough considering how much I wear it. This cashmere cape, bought in a Toronto thrift shop for a few dollars, is made by Jimmy Hourihan of Dublin. Hourihan International still exists and its capes go for between 300-400 Euros. This shot was taken earlier in the fall, just outside the vet's where we took Dinky, and I'm happy here as I thought she was going to be ok then, sigh. I channeling my inner rocker Chrissi Hynde look here, with electric blue eyeliner and flat hair!

Outfit deets:

Jimmy Hourihan of Dublin cashmere cape with hood: thrifted in Toronto, Canada
High Street dress: found in a UK charity shop
Blue leather gloves: UK charity shop
My fave blue suede booties, made in Italy: thrifted in Toronto
Vintage choker: vintage jewellery sale in Toronto (there's a matching bracelet)
Cashmere sweater/cardi: new, 10 Euros at the weekly market under our window in Annecy
Lancel French designer handbag: found in Annecy thrift shop.

Ooh, excuse the bad hair and dorky face. This pic was taken a few weeks ago when we drove up to a resort town in the mountains to bask on sunlit patios with friends the whole day - it was lovely. I know I def haven't shown you this blazer as I picked it up in Toronto, with my now hubby, just before I moved away from the Big Smoke last year. It's by French designer Lolita Lempicka, 80s/90s I'm guessing, and was under $10. I'm not usually into double-breasted blazers, but the wool and the fringe reminded me of a Canadian Hudson's Bay Company blanket. That may not be a good thing.

Outfit deets:

Lolita Lempicka wool blazer: thrifted in Toronto
Jeans: thrifted in Toronto
Periwinkle blue cashmere turtleneck: found in an Ottawa, Canada consignment shop
Cape: above
Guess? booties: new but on mega sale
Leather bag, thrifted in France (see below).

The gorg made-in-Italy bag is a recent find at my local thrift shop, Bazar Sans Frontiere, for about 7 Euros. I thought the arm handle was tres French. This truly is how French women carry their bags! I wonder if their arm goes to sleep?

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Green Bally Bag & Green Beret

The gloriously sunny days and 12 degree C temps that have had me going on two-to-three-hour walks these past few weeks left us yesterday, and, though still warm, the greyness has set in. I bought a few dresses last week on Etsy so no Cyber Monday for me. Friday I was busy running around looking for Birthday fixings for the hubby. Who knew that balloons and birthday streamers are impossible to find in Annecy? I had to improvise with a Christmas garland and a home-made Happy Birthday banner - and I am so not showing you the pics but hubby was definitely touched by my DIY project!

Thought I'd show you another way I've worn my $10 cashmere dress bought at the market in Annecy this fall (see post below). This pic was snapped about a month ago, when my hair was super long and I had to hide it under a beret. I'm standing on a walkway that leads up to the Chateau overlooking Annecy. Poor hubby has to park his car in the carpark here as there are no other spots available. Good thing for us as we get our exercise walking up that steep hill!

I feel like a bit of a 1920s girl here - maybe because the vest makes the outfit a bit shapeless.

Aside from the dress and the tights, the entire outfit is thrifted:

Navy wool trench, thrifted in Toronto, Canada.
Blue leather gloves: bought in a charity shop in St. Annes, UK.
Blue suede Italian boots: my absolute fave, found for $14.99 in a Toronto thrift shop.
Amazing plastic colour block necklace: $2.99 at a Toronto, Canada thrift shop!
Vintage Kangol angora beret: gift from a fellow vintage pal.
Orange Benetton wool vest: thrifted for a few Euros in an Annecy thrift shop.

I am super thrilled with this green leather purse I found at the local thrift shop. It was only a few Euros and it's by Bally, a Swiss maker whose bags go for several hundred Euros. It's in mint condition and unlike anything else I have.

It is been a really long time since I've participated in Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. I am happy to do so again. I am off to go wander in the rain and later work up the nerve to call a French school to see about French lessons (talking on the phone, in French, can be very intimidating when your language skills are not that advanced). The French don't really seem to let the rain hinder them - cafes and patios are still open, and throngs of people tend to be milling about (except on Monday, when many stores are closed). So I will have a quiet walk in the rain. Have a great day.

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News flash: I found a charity shop in Annecy!

Who would have thought? There may not be 15 charity shops scattered in the main shopping area like there was in St Annes in the UK, but there actually IS the equivalent if a HUGE charity shop right here in Annecy, literally a ten-minute walk from me! I found out about it on an Expat Forum.

As the van says, it's called Bazar sans Frontieres. It's a association that provides employment opportunities for socially disadvantaged people, much like the Goodwill that I know and love in Canada. The website has different numbers but the French gent with whom I spoke says the organization employs 24 such people on site.

The place is huge, consisting of several buildings in which you'll find clothing, furniture, and books/bric-a-brac. Those are the French Alps in the background, BTW.

Outside there's stuff like old basins and tubs. I thought this iron day bed was particularly French!

You wouldn't believe the furniture building - two floors of it! The first floor is lined with solid wood armoires starting as low at 150 Euros!

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember, from my Toronto apartment, my penchant for green velvet.

Sigh. Retro velvet just doesn't excite me anymore.

But if I could have turned this tapestry chair into a handbag, I would have in a flash.

I can't quite banish velvet from my thoughts though: I hauled hubby back one rainy day last week to look a this brown velvet loveseat. I thought it was quite French looking. He hated it, alas.

You may recall the 20-some lamps I had in Toronto, most of which were thrifted, and then given away when I moved overseas (the ones I couldn't part with are at my Mom's for safe-keeping). Now we are lampless in Annecy. I picked up this green baby for 6 Euros as I liked the shape. I left the shade there as it stank of the smoke of 10,000 cigarettes. Now I need to find a shade. I can never remember what 'lampshade' is in French, so my phrase of choice is when asking shop keepers: "Quelque chose pour mettre sur un lumiere,"  and then some sign language and an air drawing in the shape of a triangle. Oh dear, no wonder I'm not finding one.

I found five paisley boho napkins for 1 Euro total.

They totally complement the paisley tablecloth, pictured underneath, that I found at last month's brocante market in Annecy for 6 Euros!

Here's a quick peep at the table with its new covering. Tres French, n'est ce pas?

So is this wee stool, picked up for 7 Euros, which now reposes at the foot of our bed. Why?

Because my darling 16-year old little stinker loves hanging on the bed, and she has difficulty getting onto it sometimes. Our lovely new Ralph Lauren duvet cover is slowly getting ruined with pick marks as she claws her way to the top, poor wee thing.

The little fart jumped on it right away and slept on it for a total of three days. Now it doesn't exist. Off her radar completely. She looks like the Cat that Ate New York or something here, teehee.

The housewares building was a gold mine of inexpensive ceramics, pottery, bowls etc. Check out this "Made in Annecy" pottery serving plate - boho gorg and only .80 cents! This would be a great place to come and suss out local pottery etc for souvenirs.

My crowning achievement that day: finding these Made in France corkscrews made out of dried grape vines, for 1 Euro each!!!. My bro-in-law has one from France that he loves that broke, so guess what he's getting for his B-day pressie?

In fact, every one I know and love is getting one as they're FAB souvenirs. Most have teeny metal plaques screwed into them identifying the maker and place of origin - this one says Annecy Le Vieux, which is a suburb of Annecy.

I'm so obsessed with these things that I cleaned them out (five in total). Then I went back a few days later and found another for .50 cents. Score!

For now they comprise an 'artful' centrepiece when piled in a French-made bowl (bought new) and sitting atop an April Cornell tablecloth purchased recently on Etsy (I had, like, ten tablecloths in Canada and - surprise surprise - I gave them ALL away, duh).

I have more show and tell but will leave it at that tonight. Have a wonderful weekend every one!

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