One of my latest vintage obsessions: handpainted boho brooches

I recently found these boho-like brooches in two different charity shops, one for a pound and another for a pound-and-a-half.  I'm not sure how to describe them as they're not in line with the typical vintage brooches you find out there - they have a boho, artsy and almost rustic feel to them that, along with the flowers, I find appealing.

The first, a mere pound, I dug out of the bottom of a bauble dish at a charity shop in St. Annes. The flowers are recessed and look handpainted as there's some wear. Sizewise, it's between a pound and two-pound coin.

This one is larger and looks like it was painted and then shellaced. It was a pound-forty-nine. So pretty!

The problem with some brooches is they're too fancy to incorporate into every day life. Not so with these babies as I saw them instantly on one of my many denim jackets, which I tend to live in in the spring and summer, with jeans and even over sexy sun dresses to keep me warm. With a fine wool floral scarf, the look is pretty pretty, n'est pas? (and I made a consious effort to smile here so I don't look like Victoria Beckham, lol).

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Green day: dress gifted by Nadia & other goodies from Toronto

In Honour of Earth Day, and thrifting lovelies everywhere, I'm showing you a vintage 1970s dress that used to hang on my gal pal Nadia's wall (it's nylon - don't come near me with a match as I may melt). 

A fellow thrifter and style icon in her own right, Nadia gave this to me when I left Toronto. Je love. Je also miss Nadia.

The bodice is super small - perfect for me! Not a lot of room in this baby now that I've put on some curves, but that's a good thing, I think. I'm wearing the dress with a bone multi-strand necklace and bracelet, gifted to me by a lovely lady in Toronto, Lucy of Boj Decor on Mount Pleasant Blvd. The sandles, which you'll be seeing a lot of as I trashed most of mine when I moved, were a screaming deal, new (25 pounds instead of 100), at a closing sale in St Annes - Lacuzzo high-heeled platform strappies that make you look like a movie star.

I bought these vintage but never-worn sunnies a few years ago - a definite splurge item. The seller, Ratas Optical in Toronto, has a huge stash of never-worn retro and vintage shades - if you're ever around the Danforth and Broadview area in Greektown, check them out. They ended up replacing the faceted lenses for me, for free, as they had a slight magnification to them that made me dizzy. Nice eh? I have thought about selling them if I ever open an Etsy shop as I'm not sure they suit me. They're a definite statement piece item that you don't wear with just any old outfit!

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Charity shopping "problem", simplicity & my Victoria Beckham look

My hubby came home from a day out with the boys at St George's Day to find me wearing this white tuxedo top and statement piece necklace, both of which I found at charity shop for a few pounds each. He calmly asked me if I had a "problem" with charity shopping.

Moi?

Well, I do love finding great deals and I do roam the shops when he's away flying and I'm lonely - then again I always have been a thrift shop maven, and let's face it: it is slightly addictive. But it's not like I'm a high-maintenance babe going out and buying Chanel every week. Right?

Mmmm. When I think of it, I guess I don't need any more necklaces - but this one was so pretty, and I have been absolutely looking for a simple white cotton shirt, like one I used to have years ago, to create a simple look for myself this spring. I tend towards drama in my outfits when I'm not in hack-around mode, but the idea of a white shirt, a lovely necklace, jeans, booties and a killer bag is rocking my world these days. Simple style - what a concept. Does this mean I'm getting older?

I digress but I had to show you this snap as I look freakishly like Victoria Beckham in all her 

unsmiling media glory ... and I think I know why she never smiles in photos: it makes one look older, as I sadly discovered while snapping these pics! But don't worry, I haven't given up smiling ... yet. That will happen when hubby takes the bank card away, haha.

But I will try my very best to obey his parting words to "not spend too much" (though a carpet bag obsession on Etsy has recently taken hold). But I have to ask: do charity shops and obsessive shopping go hand-in-hand? I've often thought that thrift shopping allows me to shop MORE and OFTEN as it's so cheap, thereby fulfilling a need for constant consumption of pretty things. Taken in that light, my shopping doesn't seem that green or that different than the mass-market hyper consumption I can sometimes be critical of. Deep thoughts - thanks, husband!

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Granny-Annie polyester skirts can look chic

Not to be insulting to little old ladies but the polyester fashions of Finn Karelia are pretty granny-Annie, in other words what my Grandma would have worn when she was alive - elasticized polyester pants and huge printed blouses. But when I saw this polyester skirt with the Finnish label in a charity shop this week, for three pounds, I instantly fell in love with the 1970s print and shape.

I'm wearing it with my fave Michael Kors lace-up boots (over six years old but bought for 50 percent off), a thrifted blazer by Theory (only a few bucks but it would have cost hundreds new), and a thrifted suede handbag that was made in Italy (again only a few Canadian dollars). The cashmere sweater was a gift.

The gloves are from a charity shop (two pounds) and the statement piece necklace was a steal, purchased new for $45 in a Toronto boutique. The maker was a lady recovering from addiction and the shop owner was helping her out by selling these necklaces for her, commission-free. Good Karma, that.

If I can, I may see if I can transform myself from a non-crafty person to a crafty person and try to make this necklace - I get so many compliments on it that I would like to share it with others. Will keep you posted!

Thanks to my new photog (my hubby), who snapped these pics in Blackpool.

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My fave thrifty decor creations

Now that I'm married to a contemporary streamlined decor kind of guy, I've had to make some major style concessions in our new home together - and indeed, most of what you see in these photos are no longer in my possession, sigh. Not to say that our newly painted living room (pics coming soon) won't have a wee bit of boho injected into it, but let's just say, compromises have been made - on both sides. This post will honour a couple of looks I created in my old Toronto apartment, using salvaged curbside pieces and thrifty decor finds.

TRASH: An ex brought me this wooden dining room table with flip up table extentions - so cool. He found it in the trash. Though it had heaps of shiny paint and varnish on it, I still liked it. The white vinyl chair - covered in a dollar store faux fur rug and velvet pillow - was another garbage find; so too was the curved chrome chair at the front.

THRIFT SHOP FINDS: The silver chair in the back was part of a set of four salvaged at the Salvation Army in Ottawa years ago, spraypainted silver by moi and then covered with a silver tablecloth from the dollar store - tres grunge chic. Ditto for the painting, wall lamp, and handpainted bowl. The lamp was a junk shop find.

BOUGHT NEW BUT INEXPENSIVELY: The curtains were on sale in a fabric shop, tied with ribbon from a gift. I found the heavy crystal Art Deco style vase at a dollar store, if you can believe it. The large black and white photo was a gift, and the two smaller ones are old photos of me that I framed with inexpensive white mattes and frames.
INSPIRATION FOR VIGNETTE: I love the droopy tulips. I had a dinner party the evening before and someone brought them to me after walking through minus 30 degrees temperatures - so they wilted, rather artfully I think. I started with the vase and tulips on the table and went from there.

INSPIRATION FOR VIGNETTE: I really, really loved this creation - I call it my boho corner. The fun thing about this look was that it was created in the dining room space of my one bedroom apartment - but I said, what the hell, let's put the living room in the dining room - something my best friend and I did when we were 20 and living in our first apartment together.

TRASH: The loveseat, a Barrymore made in Canada gem (covered with an inexpensive slipcover from Zellers, a Canadian store) that a beau from years ago hauled out of a dumpster (actually, there were two, and I go them both).  Blue velvet chair: a curbside find in Toronto, as was the amazing wooden console dresser.

THRIFT FINDS: The Chinese style lamp was a Value Village find and the blue shade was also from the thrift shop; the Indian carpet was found at a junk store along with the head vase on the large console; the large mirror and painting balanced on it were both thrift store finds and so were the wooden oval, silver wrought iron and glass/brass tables.

BOUGHT NEW: The boho cushion on the chair was found in Saskatchewan about a decade ago, and the striped silk pillow on the sofa was part of a pair, also purchased new and splurge items if memory serves. The rest of the pillows were thrifted.

LOVE: The green Star Trek decanter on the console (see pic one up) - a gift from my best friend. It belonged to her folks and came with eight teeny shot glasses that matched.
Sadly, though I managed to sell/donate a lot of the smaller items, most of the larger furniture pieces were left curbside in Toronto when I moved. I tried to to donate the furniture to charity shops but they are so under-resourced they could not pick them up. Hopefully some like-minded folk picked up my stash left in front of my apartment.

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Purple Queen; two vintage statement pieces

Can you do two vintage statement pieces at once? You bet! This is my absolute fave shawl, both vintage and handmade. The vintage velvet patterned fabric was over-dyed purple on one side, and sewn to a brown velvet fabric on the other side. A vintage fringe was added, which was also dyed purple. It was made by an interior designer in Toronto who does custom drapes and reupholstery for a living. The seller told me Hermes did something like it, la-di-da!!

I'm wearing it with another fave, a vintage 1970s Rafael Alfandary pendant made of brass and a purple "stone", which was given to me (lucky me as these things sell for over $100 in the vintage markets). The purple wool tunic/dress is second-hand, dug up at a Toronto Goodwill, by April Cornell. The booties and leggings are new.

Isn't it just lush? I can wear it like this, long, or wrapped around my neck, tres deshabille chic!

It's a true statement piece and I always get compliments and stares when I wear it. It wasn't cheap, but the money I paid for it was well worth it as I just love it - it was one of those pieces I went home and dreamed of. And I don't think it competes with the necklace, do you?

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My fave 1970s sweater

I picked this sweater up at a vintage shop in Toronto in the fall, and I just love it. It's acrylic and "other fibres" - doesn't that last part just freak you out? - but it's nubly like wool. The tag says "Au Coutraire" and it's made in Korea.

I'd like to think it's 1970s but these batwings make me think it could be 1980s - what do you think?



I just love the cowl neck. Normally I'd wear the sweater with sleek jeans, high-heeled booties and a cape (the thick sleeves mean I can't wear it with a jacket), but since it's Sunday and therefore a hack around day, I'm wearing it with leggings and my Canadian-made "I miss my husband" scrunchy suede booties that I bought in Canada while waiting for my Visa to come through.

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