Ugly-chic polyester dresses from the 1970s

Excuse my bad hair day. I've had this obsession with semi-ugly, semi-chic retro dresses when thrifting of late. Ok, maybe not an obsession, but I've def been attracted to them, and I've been seeing them at Goodwill stores across Toronto in the past week. Last week I tried on a  semi-scary looking dress at a Goodwill in north Toronto that looked like it would melt if it got too close to a flame. It fit me like a sack, so I left it there. But...

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Thank you lovely followers

Just like to post a quick hello and thanks to all you lovely readers and followers who check in with the 'ole Grunge Queen and make her part of you day. Today we've hit the 100 follower mark, a modest number by some blogging standards, perhaps, but a thrilling number for me! But I also know, through the emails I receive, that there are many who pop in who aren't official followers. So thanks to one and all, followers of every kind - it truly does make my day to know you like reading this here little blo...

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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...

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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...

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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?...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Obsolete red phones & boxes:

These red phone boxes are becoming increasingly rare in England, just as the enclosed telephone booths are here. So natch we had to snap a piccy of this iconic structure when I was there a few weeks ago. I guess they're not that practical anymore given the more portable, non-enclosed versions of public telephones, but the old-fashioned gal in me reverences the telephone booth: to me, it harkens back to a time when we valued personal space, generally...

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1970s skirts from English flea market

So I went to town on this rack at the flea market I told you about a couple days ago. Actually I could have done more damage, but my suitcase was only so big! What I loved about this rack: lotsa lotsa great 1970s styles!Ok, so maybe this polyester floral dress was a bit much, but there was still heaps of items that caught my eye - namely, the long full skirts.Here's what I DIDN'T get, though it was from some fabulous unheard of brand (the label...

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Simplify simplify simplify

Perhaps it's the awe-inspiring simplicity of the Lake District in Northern England that's inspired me, but I feel it's time to do a little Grunge Queen makeover on this little blog. And why not? The urge to simplify my digs has been growing progressively more pronounced over the last year and has manifested itself in numerous apartment re-orgs, so I figured I'd extend that same philosophy with this blog. The look is still a work in progress, so bear...

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Antiquing in England

When I was in England my charming host took me to an antique market called Bygone Times.We beetled around for a few hours through three entire buildings of stuff.Alas, I didn't find any vintage costume jewellery, but there were a few things of note:I collect retro Fairy Tale books.This one looked OK but I left it there as it wasn't special enough (if it was a beautifully illustrated 1960s Hans Christian Andersen or Oscar Wilde's book of fairy tales,...

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English windows

One thing I noticed about England: everyone puts fresh flowers in the windows. Here's a lovely example.Not that I was snooping around inside people's houses or anything.But driving along the streets as my generous sweetie pie host chauffeured me around lovely northern England, I couldn't help but peep at the picturesque houses. A huge wack of them had flowers right on the window sill, so you could see them from outside.A rather civilized idea, if...

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Toronto vintage - in northern England!

Do I look like the cat that ate the canary?Horrid expression, sorry.But I was pretty pleased. I traveled all the way to northern England, and found some fab Toronto vintage!The story goes like this: a met lady, let's call her G, who used to live in Toronto in the 80s, when she acquired all sorts of vintage dresses from Queen Street West.When she moved back to Jolly Old she kept 'em, and they've been languishing in suitcases for a couple decades.G...

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Thrift Shops in England!

So who would have thought? Turns out there are HEAPS of thrift shops in northern England!It's true: every main street in every little village is peppered with second-hand shops, each of which is tied to a specific charity with all or most of the shop proceeds going back into the charity.Here I am in Lytham, Lancashire outside the Barnardos shop, where I picked up a cashmere-blend sweater for about three pounds (about five bucks).Some of the shops...

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