Happy Halloween; Live Long & Prosper a la thrift!!

So here's the final thrift/what was in my closet Halloween outfit: Spock. Inspired by the vintage Sarah Coventry pin you see here - which looks freakishly like the Star Trek insignia that used to adorn the retro costumes - I put together a Halloween costume for next to nothing! All I really had to spend was $7.50 for the Spock ears!I'm trying to stay in character as I know Spock would look serious. Unfortch I couldn't master the whole raising the...

Read More

Movie star moment & thrifty scarves on St. Clair West

So I had a Grunge Queen Movie Star Moment yesterday when doing a shopping column along St. Clair Ave. West (pictured here, what used to be my headshot for this blog, my lovely logo, if you will, designed by my lovely artist sis).There I was, sauntering along (in a thrifted outfit), when I hear "Kelly!." I look and see a lady I don't know. She tells me I don't know her. Then she introduces herself as, well let's just say "M." M and I have corresponded...

Read More

Thrifty Halloween

This was me for Halloween last year wearing a thrifty Halloween costume. I was supposed to be Super Girl but my editor joked I could have been Shopping Girl, tee hee.The outfit was really easy to put together; in fact I used mostly thrifted items I already had, like the wool-cashmere cape, the Italian suede boots, and the disco belt. The only thing I had to 'buy' was the blue skorts, which I found at my local thrift shop for under $5. This year...

Read More

DIY pink at my sis's place

My sis is a chic is cheap Do It Yourself-er!Like me, she's in the throes of a household clean up and reorg. Her solution for all the pretty art that her kiddies bring home: cork board pieces sticky-taped to the wall, spray-painted pink to boot.Isn't this adorable? I love it how all the artwork matches or complements the pink!My sis used that pink spray can on something else. She's been talking about doing something with this ugly metal tray she found...

Read More

Weekend thrifty shopping news in Toronto

There's some thrifty and vintage news to report this weekend in Toronto.1). As part of the Kingston Road Village Fallfest, one of my fave thrift shops, Pegasus Thrift 50 percent off sale tomorrow, Saturday, October 23 (note: sale excludes vintage pieces and designer items - not sure how they'll differentiate between designer and non-designer duds but there you go). will be having a 931 Kingston Rd., 416-913-25442). This weekend the Canadian Alliance...

Read More

Giant Tiger dig, Thanksgiving weekend

A trip back home just wouldn't be complete without a trip to Giant Tiger, Canadian discount retailer extrordinaire. As you can see, the whole gang was pretty excited to do a good 'ole GT Boutique shop!!I normally find heaps of cotton-blend apparel in the summer at GT. I was a wee bit disappointed this time round, though, as a lot of the fall knits were mostly acrylic. I don't mind acrylic when it's mixed with something else like Lycra or Spandex,...

Read More

Sassy pants outfit from St. John's Thrift

Ok, so there are no pants here. But I sure felt sassy in this outfit yesterday, which I thrifted at St. John's Thrift Shop on Danforth Ave. near Woodbine.I hadn't been into St. John's for a long time. The last time I was in the shop the pickings were good, but the place was a bit ramshackle. So I was pretty jazzed when I popped in this weekend after a scary dig at the nearby Value Village (Halloween shoppers in full force there; eeps the crowds were...

Read More

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...

Read More

My parents are trash pickers too!

I feel like a proud mommie. Except I'm really a proud daughter!! When I was home for Thanksgiving last weekend, I saw this wicker set on my Mom and Dad's bricked in area outside their front door. (I added the pumpkin to make it look more festive).Readers, they trash picked it.Well you can imagine - I couldn't have felt more proud. Sure it's a wee bit rough around the edges, fraying a bit on the legs, but good enough for outside for the kitties to...

Read More

Halloween dig with Value Village costume expert

 You know by now that I'm a Value Village devotee and have shared with you my fab fashiony VV finds since starting this blog almost two years ago. But with Halloween fast approaching the quest for second-hand deals can be stretched out to include fun costumes for office parties, home bashes and basic trick or treating.VV does sell ready-made new costumes and the store, as you may well know, converts itself from the ultimate treasure hunt experience...

Read More

Third World Bazaar feel-good shopping rove

You know me: I will shop at every opportunity, especially when the shopping fare is unique and somewhat heartfelt. So when I was home for Thanksgiving this past weekend, my fam and I made a number of retail pilgrimages, if you will, one of which was to the Third World Bazaar close to Ottawa, Ontario. It just happens to have its opening weekend the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend every year - but don't worry, it runs every Fri-Sun until the weekend...

Read More

Putting the pieces back together

Happy Thanksgiving to those in Canada. I'm thankful I went home and was able to see my fam this weekend. Coming back to the city to my little apartment is always a bit bittersweet. I feel like calling back home right away and talking with Mom and Dad.There's always tons of fodder for nostalgic feelings at home. My Mom has hung on to all sorts of things from our childhood, like these darling little 3-piece puzzles. I remember loving and playing with...

Read More

Not that thrifty a post, but happy, tired one

I apologize for my late-in-the-day posts this week. It has been a busy, exhausting week - as exhausting as I look in this photo, taken after work today. This post isn't really about thrift, but for the record I'm wearing my new Value Village jacket ($7.99), thrifted retro specs for $3.99, and a Lauren Moffat silk dress thrifted at VV for I can't recall what, def under $20.I was thinking a lot about family today. It's Thanksgiving weekend here in...

Read More