Around the house

Lots of little, but exciting-to-me things have been happening around our house...(appologies for the poor picture quality - I have to take my photos at low-light times of day when I'm home!)

I bought a few more Bum Genius diapers to replace a few of my originals that had failing velcro snaps (the new ones have snaps instead of velcro)

I added to my 'Collingwood pottery' collection with this adorable little Owl - $2 at the Goodwill. The original pitcher and vase came from my Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Bert's house. I am not sure why it's called 'Collingwood pottery', but that is what my mom calls it...I'll have to ask her.

I put a new Japanese paper light in our office. It's from Ikea. My husband hates it when I buy Ikea lamps because he finds them very difficult to install...but they pack so much style per dollar. Both my sister and husband feel the light is a bit too retro for the traditional style of the office, so maybe it's a miss...oh well. PS - Excuse the mess in this room! I had purged it, but the clutter is creeping back!

I reorganized my daughter's shoe cupboard and added some Rubbermaid risers to double the storage space. They are brilliant!

I bought my Mom this pea-green Pyrex bowl for $2 at a garage sale yesterday. The seller's big sales proposition was that it's the best bowl you can buy for potato salad because the bowl stays cold. My mom makes a killer potatoe salad, so I guess it was meant to be.

I bought this real wicker basket at the Goodwill, and it fits perfectly on the bottom shelf of my bedside table...perfect for corraling books, jewelry, my iPad, and everything else that collects beside my bed.

I found this wood mirror at the Goodwill too - $10. It is perched on the top of my husband's dresser for now.

Now that I'm back at work, I have less time to braid my daughter's hair. I miss it. Somehow it is theraputic to feel her soft hair weaving around my fingers.

I bought another (it's my third) milk glass planter. I fill them with hot water to warm my 1 year old's bottle.

I recently purchased Bio Life tile cleaner from Shopper's Drug Mart, upon reading a positive reivew on AM Dolce Vita. Michelle was right - it did a perfect job cleaning my tiles and grout. I am a believer!

When life throws you lemons...

Ok, life hasn't thrown me any lemons as of late. I've had an amazing summer with my family, and peaches and corn are in season....things couldn't get much better!

Nonetheless, I fell for this vintage pitcher at Goodwill. "Clear tags" were on sale, so this was marked down to $.75. As part of Fatty Get Skinny (blogged about here) we are drinking a lot more water. I keep this adorable pitcher on the counter with a glass and sip away all day. I like that it is shaped a bit like a beaker. It reminds me of grade 8 Junior Chemistry class.

Green

I am slowing adding hits of intensely saturated apple green to our bedroom. It is a colour that makes me happy, and it also happens to be the 'theme' colour from our wedding, now 5 years ago.

Last night I scooped up the green urn for $7.07 at my local Goodwill. It has a beautiful 'crackled' surface up close, and I love the way it brings out the green in the painting. .....which was another good deal!!! I gave it to my husband last year (our 4th anniversary), with the trees in the painting referencing the trees in Khalil Gibran's poem 'The Prophet', which was read at our wedding (a stretch, maybe, but I really liked the painting!).

I picked up the painting for a song at my local framing store. Someone had dropped it off for framing 7 years earlier and never picked it up!

Beads and bedding

Yesterday while the kidlets were napping my mom and I hit the local Sally Ann. The prices were a bit higher than my Toronto Goodwill, but I still managed to scoop some deals: 3 vintage necklaces and a funky patterned Eaton's  bed sheet which will be transformed into fabric gift bags. Paired with some decadent ribbon from Mokuba, they will be gooooorg.

Today we are headed to a thrift store run by the airport that sells all the lost and confiscated goods (firearms and drugs excluded, I'm assuming). Word is that it's $5 for as much as you can put in a shopping bag!

I need a second house!

Do you like mid-century modern furniture? If so, this post is for you!

I just spied this gorgeous set at the Goodwill on Overlea - $65 for the hutch and $75 for the buffet--start the car!

The set is in excellent condition, has a TON of drawers, a heart-stopping curved front on both pieces and no knobs (clever wood in-sets for opening and closing). It's a gem.

I tried to convince my sister to buy it, but no dice. These pieces would be hundreds, if not thousands in any of those vintage Queen East boutiques like GUFF. Did I mention that this is a great deal????

My dream job would be wasting away hours at the Goodwill, scavanging and refinishing cool furniture....oh, to dream.

The urge to purge

Perhaps it is because at this time last year I was very pregnant and was nesting like crazy....

Perhaps it is because we have a street sale in the fall and I want to be a seller this year, not just a buyer....

For the street sale...why did I ever have 4 ice trays, anyways??

Either way, I suddenly have the urge to purge. I am diligently going through every cupboard and drawer in the house and tossing anything I don't use regularly or have a special affinity for (such as Grandma's vintage table linens..they are not going anywhere!). My goal is to not have any overstuffed drawers/cupboards...my stretch goal is to have an empty drawer/shelf in every room. I have been at it for 3 days so far. Outstanding rooms include the office, my son's room, and the basement. I am getting more aggressive as I go. I'm on a rampage. I told my husband that if he gets caught in my path, he might be the next item to go...just kidding. He's a keeper.

I am making a number of piles:
- For the Goodwill
- For Nellie's (a nearby women's shelter)
- For the street sale
- For my sister (who has a new house to fill!!)
- For friends who are having a baby (it's still a secret!!!!)

Friday find

Every Friday everything is 50% off at my local Goodwill.

Last week I found this sunny little marbled plastic table for $7.07....minus 50%! Start the car!

Now I just need to find time to use this cosy little reading nook in our bedroom!

Orange sherbet Canadiana

I have long had a soft spot for vintage Canadiana point blankets. Sure,
...they are itchy
...not particularly cozy
...and I would never want to be stuck alone in a cold room with one
...but I love their bright colours and sense of history.

Last night I picked up this orange sherbert-hued blanket at my local Goodwill for $5. It will serve as an accent piece in our guest room. I think it nicely highlights the orange in the Missoni Home duvet cover I found at Winners (which looks like technicolour tropical Skittles....luv).

The point blanket needs a good soak in Oxy clean and I need to re-do the satin trim (Mom...help!!!) which is showing wear and tear, but otherwise it is in decent condition.

I don't think it will ever be depended on for cozy comfort, but as an accent piece it fits the bill perfectly!

(PS excuse the poor photos --this room gets nooo natural light, so I had the overhead lights on).

Goodwill go-tos, part II

Lentils? check
Coffee? check
Prunes? check

I can see you all so clearly now!

In addition to the necklace that I bought at the Goodwill on Monday, I also purchased a few more glass canisters. As you can see, I have quite the collection in various styles and sizes. Goodwill is an excellent source for these and the rubber ring can always be replaced at the hardware store to keep things extra fresh.

My new purchases inspired me to purge my pantry cupboard. It feels sooooooo good!

PS: These are typically $0.99 at Goodwill....this makes Ikea seem pricey!

Goodwill go-tos

Long, vintage bead necklaces are one of the things that I always troll for at the Goodwill...they come in all sorts of fun colours, are easy to get on and off (good with kids!!!), and the price is always right.

This one was a bit 'pricey' at $4.04, but hey, I was feeling particularly indulgent last night!

Sally Ann scores

On Friday night after the kids were in bed my Mom and I snuck out to the nearby Salvation Army thrift store. I found two deals. First, at $1.99 each, two white 'lotus' dishes, identical to the turquoise ones I have at home. Second, at $3.99, a ceramic egg carton for the fridge so it's easy to quickly grab eggs one-handed!

A table for tots

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was lucky enough to inherit some furniture from a relative. One of the items was an miniature antique table and chair set. It came with 2 chairs, and I happened upon a third matching chair at Goodwill a few weeks later. It was meant to be!

Not only is this a charming and sentimental set, but it is used incessantly at our house. We've had it in our daughter's bedroom, in the basement, and now it sits at our front window on the main floor. It is used as the 'kiddy table' when we have dinner parties, as a colouring table while I'm making dinner, and as a stool to see activity outdoors including people going to and from the subway at the end of our street, and the garbage and recylcing trucks on Wednesdays!

Below are some other options from Ikea that I spied this weekend.

Do you have furniture in your house that does double duty?

LATT set from Ikea- $24.99



Kritter chair from IKEA - $19.99






Mammut table from IKEA - $49.99

Goodwill intel...on the down low.

After blogging about my favourite Goodwill location here, I received an email from a friend with intel on another prime location, this time in the west end of the City.

Now before I go on, I must provide some context on my source. She is not your typical Goodwill shopper. Her idea of a deal is a $100 t-shirt at Saks, and her husband is staunchly against second hand goods, disallowing them from crossing the threshold of his home..ok I'm exagerating, but you get the point.

All this is to say that I took her seriously when she emailed me and said that the best source for top quality kids clothes, including like-new Gap kids items, is the Goodwill at 871 Islington Ave, just South of the Queensway.

Start the car and don't pass go!

Sunny days

This weekend I got a few hours to myself with the car. It was heaven. After ticking off a few items on my to-do list, (groceries, donation drop offs at Nellie's and Goodwill*) I headed to my local Homesense (Brentcliffe and Eglinton) for some 'me' time.

For years I have lusted over sunburst mirrors. I like that they sparkle, but aren't too precious and have a vintage vibe to them. But most of the ones I've liked have been hundreds of dollars, and the ones that are affordable look a bit cheapo. So wasn't I pleasantly suprised to find one that I loved at HomeSense for $39!

I think I will hang it above our bed until I am able to afford the upolstered headboard** I have been dreaming about. I will post some pictures once it's hung up, hopefully later tonight!

* My trip to Goodwill was not without a purchase. I bought my daughter an aluminum Diego lunch box for $1.10. These days she is really into carrying things in boxes. She packed it with Kuiji juice boxes. I was disappointed to see that the collector crowd was still their lurking around the Goodwill, waiting to pounce on the next dolley of goods. I gave them the dirtiest looks that I could muster...and then elbowed my way in when the next dolley came out.

** I have been dreaming about this for a long time. I have purchased the fabric (chocolate brown linen from Fabricand at 50% off! DWAI!*** and received a quote from the upolsterer, but it's just not in the budget while I'm on mat leave according to the engineer. ...really I think he just isn't as excited about the idea as I am! He loves to read in bed, so I need to convince him that it will up the comfort level of his reading marathons dramatically. Hard sell! Hard sell!

*** Don't worry about it.


UPDATE: I was jogging down Yonge Street today on my way home from a playdate, admiring all the beautiful decor stores....I was pleasantly suprised to see a GORGEOUS sunburst mirror in the window of 12/12...and I am guessing it had a few more zeros on the price tag than mine did! Sweet, sweet, post-purchase satisfaction

Goodwill for babies

While pregnant with my first born, I dutifully visited trendy baby stores around the city, purchasing all the things I *needed* for the baby. Well needless to say, I quickly realized that A) the things I thought I needed didn't stop the baby from crying or from being up all night and B) that buying baby stuff new was just plain silly.

This being said, baby #2 has been living under the 'buy as much used stuff as possible' mantra.

So while I was doing one of my regular drop-offs at Goodwill* the other day, I saw this amazing baby entertainment centre for $6.06 and quickly scooped it up. It is originally from Ikea, in excellent condition, and is quite modern looking with the bentwood frame and brightly painted dangling parts. So far it's a hit with the babe!

* Two notes on the Goodwill:
1) I have visited many Goodwills across the city, and the best one I have found is the one on Overlea Blvd across from the East York Town Centre. ...however it seems that the secret is out. The last time few times I've visited, there were folks that were obviously collectors loitering at the door where new items are brought out. Do you have a favourite locaiton?
2) I purge like crazy....it seems like every week I have boxes of treasures to donate. Most of my stuff goes to the Goodwill, but if I have new or very gently used items for women or babies, I donate to Nellie's which is a women's shelter in Toronto.