Ow. My aching back. I spend 7 hours Sunday on me little re-org, and this little grungy girl is sore!

Here's a sneak peep at my new desk.

This little stack of papers represents the new direction my desk is taking: neutrals with little splashes of bright colour.

Here's the "new" old living room. I'm still tweaking it but I am liking the somewhat pared down look - yes this minimalist pour moi! I like the idea of doing away with the coffee table for now as the look is sleek and clean. Let's see if it's functional!

I tried to make things cozy with the lighting - I'm not just the Grunge Queen; I'm also the Lamp Queen and have over 20 lamps, most of which are thrifted!! I change them up often to create different looks. The wee wall lamp (thrifted for a mere $4.99) is perfect for snuggling on the loveseat reading, as is the higher placement of the brass lamp (picked up new for a fiver at my fave Toronto lighting store, Consumers Lighting on Dufferin St. and Castlefield Ave.). I'm so tired I think I'll flop down and do a little reading right NOW!

I love the John Lander print above the couch. I found it for $4.99, I think, at my fave thrift shop, Stretch Thrift. The glass was broken and it broke even more on the way home, so I just did away with it altogether. Now it's much easier to hang sans glass!

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Books, books, books, in and out of my apartment

Books. In my apartment.

More books. In my apartment.

And yet more books, in my apartment. But these are the ones I'm keeping.

These are the ones I'm donating, six bag full, as part of the biggest Grunge Queen apartment re-org to date.

Yes, I am decluttering massively. A former English major, I amassed a whack of books in the past - books which I have hung onto and faithfully moved from apartment to apartment, but books which I've never opened since completing schooling a decade ago.

So bye-bye 18th century novels, Canadian Confederation poetry volumes, and good books I've read once but will never read again.

This is only the beginning.

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Celtic pendant a la Goodwill

I'm having pretty good luck finding bling at Goodwill.these days.

First there was the amazing Tudor Rose pendant by "Miracle" jewellery makers in northern England.

Then there were several other retro baubles for $10 and under.

This medallion-like pendant with wonderful chunky chain: only $3.99. 

Anyone know what the design means? I tried looking it up but there are so many symbols.

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Glittery bathroom trends in England

My charming host took me to Matalan while I was in northern England. Matalan, so you know, is a cross between a department store, a Walmart, and a Costco.

We hung out in the bathroom section so he could pick out some towels.

Talk about glitter!

As you can see here, bejeweled soap dispensers and Kleenex boxes is where it's at in Jolly Old. Perhaps they need the glitz because of all of the rain, tee hee.

How about this glitter bathmat? Pretty disco eh? I kinda like it. To me it epitomizes the Brit philosophy that can exist alongside or independent of the 'proper' deadpan Brit: don't take yourself too seriously and have a sense of humour! Love it! But we left the glitter there.

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Italian suede slouchy boots with semi-thrifted outfit

Further to yesterday's post, today I'm showcasing a pair of Italian suede boots I thrifted last year for $14.99, again at Stretch Thrift, my local thrift store.

They're in mint condition, right down to the soles. I wuv them. I can wear them tall or slouch them down with my skinny jeans, as I have here.

Let's go in for a closer look. Aren't they fab? Again if you are thrifting for shoes, minimal wear and good soles, and generally a good make (made in Italy ranks pretty high in my books) are a must.

I'm wearing my Tudor Rose pendant I thrifted at Goodwill this summer, along with a velvet Club Monaco blazer I thrifted for $10. I wasn't sure about the blazer at first as it's kinda 1990s (like the shoes yesterday), all shiny velvet and all, but I do rather like it now.

As with the boots it's multi-functional. Can dress it up for the holidays or prep it out with a pair of jeans.

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Thrifted shoes from Spain

I hope you can see these shoes well enough; they're brown faux croc square-toe shoes with a nice big chunky heel. I thrifted them last year and wear them in the fall.

I almost didn't get them as I thought they weren't current enough - they reminded me of a pair of black shoes I had in the late 1990s. Then I realized they're actually a pretty timeless, classic shoe.

It also helped that they were $6.99 at my fave local thrift shop, Stretch Thrift.

They're made in Spain, something I associate with quality, perhaps mistakenly. But they look brand new and haven't been worn at all, a definite prerequisite for my buying thrifted shoes. You may not believe it but I've found some fab shoes and boots thrifted at great prices and in good condition, including Kenneth Cole, Nice West, Italian suede boots and more.

Generally I look for minimal wear and classic as opposed to trendy styles. Well-crafted shoes with great soles is another no-brainer. I stay away from the stinky worn ones that look like thay have no support.

Now I realize there are some style issues with slightly clunky shoes such as these - that's why I opted for some sexy fishnet tights I snagged at a sample sale last year - NOTE: tone on tone (in this case brown fishnets with brown shoes) is the best way to go for a stylish look EXCEPT I would definitely say to never, ever do that with black fishnets. In fact trash the black ones altogether unless yo are dressing up for Halloween.

With the exception of the handmade scarf and the handcrafted purse, this whole outfit was thrifted, btw. The velvet TeenFlo brown skirt was part of a suit I found for $10!! Thrift victory!!

PHOTOS COURTESY my good pal Parmjit and the best PR gal in Toronto, Montana Ridge

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Goodwill dig

Today was 50 percent off at Goodwill Just so you know, I never do the 50-off sales. I can't stand the pushy peeps and the lineups and fighting over stuff; I'm more of an unobtrusive thrifter who  prefers taking her time and doing a careful, thoughtful dig.

So I I did a Goodwill dig two days before the sale and found some great gems. You can't really see it but this black fitted cropped vest with fab buttons and manderin collar was only $2.99 (the Nine West booties were thrifted at Value Village years ago and I just keep fixing them up every year at the shoe makers, and the Jones New York wool lined skirt was also thrifted years ago. The glittery tights: spring sample sale, DIM, 5 pair for $20).

I also found this wool-silk blend blazer that I've already worn two days in a row, with a skirt here but also with jeans. Price: $7.49. I'm a pretty happy camper. and I think most Goodwills are open til 9 p.m. tonight, so if you want to get in on the action and don't mind a bit of frenzy, pop into the nearest one near you and tell me what you get!

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