The Urge to Run Away

Creepy silo at Riverdale Farm, last winter. We haven't had as much snow this year.

It's the last day of January and the February blahs have set in. My heat-seeking Australian father lives on two calendars: one in which the days get longer each day, the others in which the days get shorter. He says the days are getting longer now. It doesn't feel that way. I wake in darkness, come home in darkness. The cold beauty of the North is great if you're watching a documentary on TV with a glass of wine in your hand. If you're living in it, things just start to get bleak: the salty crust on the car door that gets on your just washed black pants, the salty crust on the TTC bus windows that prevent you from seeing civilization. There is awesome beauty in nature during winter, but I'm just not feeling it, or noticing it in the city right now.

I played the Ladyhawke CD when I was washing dishes this afternoon. The music transported me to a happy memory of driving with my husband and son last summer. Not sure where we were exactly, but the days were warm and long and the music took us through sleepy towns in Ontario.

Just get through the next month or so...

Crikey - Another New Follower + Song of the Week #31 Lene Lovich "It's You"

Welcome to another new follower - Leah from Storybook Ranch. This isn't the same Leah that works with my sister Lise, is it? Welcome regardless. I'm starting to feel like a much older and less perky Taylor Swift. That makes three new followers in two days! Hope you enjoy the scenes.

Here's new wave pop singer Lene Lovich with one of the coolest songs and videos of all time. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want to dress up as a Spanish princess, then cross dress and sword fight with a Nazi? Exactly. The monocled man is actually her real life husband. Don't ask me how I know this obscure piece of trivia, yet can't figure out how to check the voicemail on my cellphone. I'm a former music journalist. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Shoe Keepers and Stuff Diet Weekly Recap

A few months ago, the city of Toronto passed a bylaw in which shoppers would be charged five cents for every plastic bag they take from a supermarket. I'm all for this. I think they should ban plastic bags outright. Apparently they take 400 years to break down. Pretty depressing. Here's my trusty Frida Kahlo bag that goes everywhere with me. You can see my Mexican change purse through the fabric.
I've always wanted a pair of these wooden shoe keepers. I'm not sure if they are called something else, but they're stamped "Shoe Keepers." Let me know if there's a proper name for these. The pair turned up today at Value Village for $3.99. They won't get used for the intended purpose. I'll put them on display somewhere down the road. You can't help but look at them and wonder who used them. I like to think of an elegant businessman from the fifties or sixties who would come home from his job and tuck these into his leather shoes before hanging up his silk tie.

Made in Rochester, NY: a great city.

As for the "Stuff Diet." If you haven't been following, I took a vow of thrift about two weeks ago. I'm trying to not buy anything new, except for groceries, booze, and medical/bathroomy supplies. So far, so good. My only questionable purchases have been the following: a bunch of flowers, a blue beta fish (but the bowl was thrifted), and a school-related book. I feel like these aren't nasty consumer purchases. I've been good - VERY good otherwise. If you can buy booze, you should be able to buy a book for the betterment of children.

Bye for now,

Erin

Another New Follower - and it's a HE

Welcome to my second new follower in the last two days - Mick. Yes. Now I've got two male followers of TYSS: Stan from Elegant Thrifter and Mick of the trés cool blog Everyone Goes to Mick's. Check it out. I've linked it to the right.

I'm going to go eat some poached eggs with junior now. I hope to do some photography and thrifting today. Come back later,

Erin

Hello Hello

Welcome my latest follower Passion of Milkglass Collecting. You have to love collectors of specific things. Her gorgeous, feminine blog is linked over to the right. I'm starting to see familiar faces in the thrifty blogosphere. It's a real circle of friends.

Hello also to Crazy Suburban Mom. I've come off a crazy week at my school, but it's all good as they say. Hope you're happy as ever.

I'm so buzzed with ideas right now and I'm also a feeling a little introspective. It's an odd sensation. Tomorrow I'm taking Duncan out to try out his new kid-friendly camera. When I was a child, I had to beg my father to let me hold his binoculars. Things have changed - at least in our family.

I hope to thrift and document it tomorrow.

Erin

A "Find" in the Post From a Fabulous Friend

Stan Williams, otherwise know as the Elegant Thrifter, otherwise known as the author of The Find, sent me a little something in the post today. I tend to not look in the mailbox. Instead, I leave the grim job of pulling out bills, etc. to my husband. No bills today. Look hither.

You know that Stan is a class act, just by looking at his penmanship. I'm struggling to teach cursive to some of my grade five students. I should show them Stan's script as inspiration.
Look at this cute London sticker on the back of the envelope. I'm sure these have a proper name that I'm not aware of: envelope seal? I love the old wax and stamp seals too.
Look what Stan sent - a beautiful bookplate for my copy of The Find. As luck would have it, my sister who had been borrowing the book for a prolonged period of time, handed it back a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks Stan! I appreciate that you espouse great things that are within reach of the common person, not just the über wealthy. You are one of my new favourite writers. I'll be buying my sister a copy of The Find for her birthday in May.

Cheerio,

Erin

P.S. Mom Wald was the first person to reply to the Pay it Forward post below. Two people can still write in to have me make them something. I'm thinking paper art/photography. No hideous clay ashtrays. Promise.

Pay it Forward

I discovered this idea on Thrifted Treasure's blog. What a sweet idea. I will pay it forward to the first three people who leave comments on this post. Don't worry, I won't make you horribly misshapen legwarmers. Do you want to Pay it Forward? Follow the instructions.

- I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 people who comment on this post.

- I have 365 days to do it in…

- What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well:

- you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going.

Just cut and paste this one from my page if you like.

Song of the Week #30 "Save a Prayer"

How I yearn for the day when I see the first garage sale sign in Toronto. I feel like I'm stuck in the Gulag.
Look, a Bob Marley snack table in someone's driveway. Oh baby, bring it on!

Hello,

I won't be YouTubing forever. I actually bought a few random funky things at Goodwill yesterday, including a faux fur Sonny Bono-style vest that Duncan picked out for himself. Unfortunately, the weather has been grey and not conducive to taking pictures indoors. I'll try to snap some shots tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, please indulge me in this tune from my preteen days. The original video was not embedable, so here's the live version. Great tune.

Vonlipi's Contest - Pyrextasy in the Post

My good friend is having a contest and yes, she's parting with a gorgeous piece of Pyrex. Go to her blog and enter. I want it, so think of me dearly if you win. I'm going to have another go at thrifting for my contest winners tomorrow. Oh, Vonlipi's Favourites is linked in my thrift blog section to the right.

Erin

Keeping "Tab(s)" on Tacky Commercials From the Eighties

Florine from My Vintage Dollhouses remembered this on. It's clearly inspired by the movie 10. Don't you love the warthog of a husband ogling the bikini woman. His zero-self-esteem wife responds by giving him a Super Bowl cold shower and then laughs and hugs him. Ironically, the disgusting husband is drinking Tab, which is only for beautiful people. What's with that? Hey, I should have a degree in feminist theory by now with all of this cola ranting.

More Tab

With the seventies out of the way, Tab decided to go for the shallow Dynasty-type of woman in the eighties. Eesh again!

A Soft Drink That Can Save a Marriage - Huh?

Another slow, surreal commercial from the seventies. You've got to wonder what was in the pipe of the director. Nowadays, commercials are 15-30 seconds long. This Tab commercial is like Gone With the Wind by comparison. You just know that the husband was off at a key party while his wife was slimming by pill popping and drinking Tab while she distracted herself by combing the hair of her nature child. "Be a mind sticker," has to be the worst slogan ever. Eesh!

Last Day of First Week of Stuff Diet

I bought milk and bread today. Do you still have a pulse? Sorry for the utter banality of this remark. It is true.

I'm starting to realize that I generally don't buy a whole lot of useless new stuff. I think I'll do a recap post for next week, rather than bore my dear readers with news that I bought nothing - or a box of maxi pads. Don't get me wrong about the Stuff Diet. I still think it's a great idea. I'm just not a shopaholic - except for vintage goods, books, and music.

Here's one of the craziest bands of all time. You have to admire their shabby chic style, lack of vocal talent, wobbly dancing, and nonsensical song. Put it all together and it still has more going on than 90% of the tripe you hear lately.

Erin

Stuff Diet Day 7 : World's Most Boring Blog Post - Read With Caution or You Might Slip Into a Blog Coma

Forty-nine cent fish bowl.

I bought nothing today. Really exciting, huh? At least I can feel good that I bought nothing. Actually, I don't feel anything, hence me sharing one of the most ubiquitous thrift store objects ever - the fish bowl. I found this bowl at the Salvation Army store in the west end and was happy with the price. Now I've got an extra bowl when cleaning out the beta fish bowl.

Song of the Week #29 Wyclef Jean "Hold On"

It's Stuff Diet Day 6. I bought groceries and we filled the car with gas. Really exciting. I did manage to walk through Loblaws (a grocery store that also sells clothes and hard goods) and I didn't give into temptation to buy a top or something like that.

I'd like to welcome my newest followers Reduce, Reuse and Rummage, Road Side Pit Stop, and My Reality. Great names. I feel like Lady Gaga with all these followers. Soon I'll be showing up to work dressed like seahorse from Mars. But seriously, I do appreciate the interest in my obsessive blogging about my many preoccupations. I'm in good company.

Here's my song of the week. Wyclef Jean, as you know is from Haiti. This song takes on new meaning right now. We had our first Worry Doll making session at lunch today. The kids were so creative. All money raised will go directly to the Haiti relief effort.

Here's a cool mummy doll made by a boy in my class who loves Ancient Egypt.

All the best,

Erin

Yesterday's Finds - Vintage Cowboy Guitar and More

As mentioned in yesterday's post, my sister kindly schlepped me out to Mississauga to go to Michaels. I live in the east end of Toronto and Mississauga is its own city to the west of T.O., so big sis was doing me a massive favour. Her teenage son came along. He's on the prowl for cool clothes and baseball hats, so it was a given that we'd hit three thrift stores that are in the same vicinity: Value Village, Salvation Army, and Goodwill. I'm not sure if these stores are not greator if I just had bad timing, but there was little, to no Pyrex and not a heck of a lot of vintage stuff for the home. Here's what I bought:

Vintage cowboy guitar. Somebody left this on the counter at Goodwill, so I grabbed it for $5.00 "as is." Can't you imagine some boy ordering this from a catalog in the sixties? This is one of my best finds ever.

The Hank Williams Sr. lookalike plucking away by the campfire sold me.

Here's the bad news: "as is" meant a whole lot of damage. Like the neck.

The entire back piece needs replacing, as do the strings. There's a poncy guitar shop near where I live. I have the feeling that if I take it in for repair they will: a) Laugh at me and tell me to throw this piece of junk in the garbage. b) Tell me that the structural integrity of the frame is compromised and that they'll have to rebuild it for $2,000. c) List off the names of all the big wig local guitar wankers whose guitars are being buffed by them right now and to "Bog off."

d) Not let me through the front door.

I love this guitar. Of course, I hope if I give them some sob story about rescuing this vintage beauty with lot's of potential from a thrift store, they'll cut me some slack and fix it for a good price. Maybe I'll throw in the fact that I'm a teacher who wants to lead a guitar program for the musical kids in my class. Hmmm...
Last summer, I bought a Spear's Flower Press. The Spear's Games appears to be an English company and quite possibly out of business these days. They made high quality wooden craft supplies from what I can gather. This loom was $2.99.
It was missing two pegs, and the two pieces that you slide through the loom. I'm not sure what they're called, but I can rig up something myself.
It did come with an instruction booklet filled with funky projects, like this belt...

and a tea cozy.

I bought Duncan this very eighties I Love NY t-shirt for $2.99. He had a white one when he was a pre-schooler. This takes me back to the I Love New York campaign when I was a kid.
Lastly, I'm filming kids in my class for a video to be played on Literacy Night. Without going into detail about the plot, several kids need to be dressed up as hippy musicians. I found, what I thought was a hippy scarf. When I got it home, I realized it was a poncho. On a ten-year-old, it will look more like a Homer Simpson muumuu. The funny thing was that my sister thought I was buying it as a throw for our sofa. "Ahhh. No."

I'm hoping to thrift at one of my locals today. I need to buy prezzies for my Toilet Humour winners. Today was Stuff Diet Day 5. I just bought groceries and a pair of water-proof mittens for Duncan.

Stuff Diet Day 4 - I Thrifted and Bought Something as a Charitable Donation

Geez,

This Stuff Diet's pretty tricky... stuff. I had to buy something new today, but let me explain. I've organized a fundraiser at my school for the Haiti relief effort. Children are going to make worry dolls. We'll sell them for $2.00 each. I had to buy old fashioned clothes pegs at Michaels today in order for this to happen. Surely this counts as a charitable donation instead of nasty consumerism.

These are the kind I'm talking about.

The funny thing was that I bought some things I don't really need at two thrift stores out in the west end where Michaels is.

So to recap: the new purchase was to help suffering people in Haiti, the old stuff (which I'll photograph tomorrow), was more clutter for my house - but I kept some things out of the landfill.

See you tomorrow,

Erin

Stuff Diet Day 3 - I Bought Nothing

The title says it all. I love this commercial. I hope my US and international thrift buds can view it. I was miffed that the RCMP or whomever it was blocked the 22 Minutes clip before.

I've gotta thrift tomorrow.

Erin

Stuff Diet Day 2 - I Bought Nothing

My colleague Valerie drove me home today. She stopped at Shopper's Drug Mart. I was good and stayed in her car. If I weren't on this Stuff Diet, I probably would have bought a magazine or some other crud I don't really need. Woo-hoo! It's working. I'm thinking of the people of Haiti right now. This catastrophe gives me more reason to pause and reflect about how much of everything I have.

Day 1 of Stuff Diet - We've Got "Soles," But I'm Not a Soldier

Wouldn't you know it, but on my first day of "buying nothing," my son was sent home from JK with his new sneakers which suddenly didn't fit. He also couldn't get on his brand new, expensive Cougar boots because he somehow managed to damage the lining inside and now the fabric is so badly ripped up and bunched up that he can't get his feet in the darned things.

Long story short - we made a trip to Payless and bought him new sneakers and winter boots.

I'm not going to count this because he cannot go out in sub-zero weather without winter boots - and he needs indoor shoes for school. We're going to donate his old sneakers which are lightly worn, to the Diabetes Foundation when they do their community clothing drive. I also bought a bottle of wine, but according to the rules, booze doesn't count. And here I was worrying about junior's boots!

Erin

Thrifted Treasure Contest

What I imagine seeing if Thrifted Treasure, Vonlipi, or Solid Cherry were to open their kitchen cupboards. Drool, drool...

Thrifted Treasure is one year old. She is having a contest to celebrate the occasion. The prize is a gorgeous book called Flea Market Style. Please support this wonderful blog if you are not already doing so. Become a follower, leave a comment, etc. TT has style and grace. Enjoy it. Here's the link http://thriftedtreasure.blogspot.com It's linked to the right too.

Erin

P.S. Did I really post three times today? Time to pry myself away from the computer.

The Stuff Diet

Catherine Porter is one of my favourite writers at the Toronto Star. Unlike columnists at "other" papers, she actually writes about things that normal, busy, working people might be interested in. Oh, and she writes with humour and intelligence. In her column today, she writes about The Stuff Diet. If you go on the Stuff Diet, you are asked not to buy anything other than food, booze (I'm not making that one up), and health-related products for three months. At first, I thought I could never manage this, but then she mentioned that you can shop at thrift stores. Woo-hoo! I'm in.

I'm the perfect candidate for this because: 1. I hate shopping for clothes 2. I loath malls - I sneeze just thinking about the perfume counter 3. I don't need anything except for funky vintage things for the house.

I can do this. Going on this extended shopping Lent will allow me to be smug about consumerism and still go out and prowl for Pyrex and load up on other treasures. My only disclaimer is that we've ordered a replica fifties kitchen table and chair set and we will still have to pay the balance on within six weeks. Technically that means I'll be buying something fairly big, but here's my justification: By now we were supposed to have our dream wooden dining room table and chair set, but the Amish Furniture Outlet went bankrupt and we lost our sizable deposit. After 17 years of marriage, we lost a substantial chunk of money and still had no dining table for us to sit at with our young son. I don't feel guilty about the fifties kitchen set because A. It is being custom made in Winnipeg and I'm therefore supporting the Canadian economy. B. It looks very cool. C. We plan on having it for our lifetime, so it's not the same as loading up on a pile of disposable junk.

I'll blog for the next three months. Can I make it? Oh thrift stores, don't let me down!

Erin

P.S. Here's the link to her article http://www.thestar.com/living/shopping/article/749469--porter-why-i-ve-sworn-off-shopping-for-three-months

Chin Chin... Chip!

Here are some of my sweet finds from yesterday's mad dash to Value Village on my lunch break. Proof that you never just know what you'll find.

This pretty piece of pottery was made in England. It should go with my modernist tea pot I bought last month at Goodwill. Cost? $1.49.

I'm always looking for cheap picture frames for the kids in my class. These are mounts for transparencies. Cost was $1.49.
I got a fairly big pile of them. I don't know where you'd even buy something like this new these days.
Cups to treasure: these are cocktail glasses from Expo 67 in Montreal. They are so cool and only cost .99 each. What a steal!
I bought four glasses, but sadly this one became cracked in transit. It's a small crack, so I won't feel too sad.

Dare I go back for another snoop tomorrow?

Song of the Week # 28 World Party "Is it Like Today"

I had a nice little lunch thrift today. I can't wait to take pictures of my finds. Sadly, I leave for work in the dark and it's dark when I return, so the lighting for photographs is horrid. I live in Toronto, but it might as well be the Siberian Gulag this time of the year. Still, there's beauty in the cold depression. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Thanks for all the swell wishes for my birthday yesterday. I love this community of like-minded thrift-heads.

I was going to post a Waterboys song for my song of the week. In my Youtube travels, I stumbled upon this amazing pop gem by former Waterboys keyboard player Karl W. He went solo after leaving the Waterboys and formed World Party. The video is funny and watchable too. Enjoy

Of course, I couldn't let a post go by without something a little more vintage. Check out this vintage Wonderbra commercial. Dick Avedon must have been behind on his mortgage payments to sign on for this gig. I actually remember the song. "Wonderful, wonderful... Wonderbra-ah-ah!" Is it just me, or is there a sleazy Studio 54 undercurrent going on?

Another Log on the Fire

Today was my birthday. I had a great day with my family. My parents drove all the way in from St. Catharines bearing gifts and hugs. We met at my sister's for a delicious lunch that she made. I thought I'd share a few pics of some of the presents I received.

My parents gave me a stylish sweater and this great squirrel-proof bird feeder (along with a big bag 'o seed). I'm turning into a real birder.

Vintage thrifted coloured glassware from my sister Lise. Chips and dip anyone?

Thrifted vintage tea towel from Hungary.

Charming details. I'm going to hang this.

Edward Gorey day planner. I'm a fan.

Here it is. A dinky Pyrex bowel. The gift of thrift. Better than something splashy.

Edward Gorey wall calendar. Thanks again, Lise.

This is very cool. My sister Rhonda lives in Memphis, TN. Someone she knows makes Southern folk art. I love this sign.

Here's the back. Rustic wood.

A beautiful piece of hand-crafted stained glass (not thrifted) from Lise. Can you tell I like coloured glass? Thanks for the great day. Ken will be home soon. Going out for dinner. Chin chin!

Mom Wald's African Violets

Do check out the gorgeous blog Mom Wald's Place. She always has pretty things on display. Check out her current post of African Violet arrangements. They remind me of my grandmother. Nice work!

So sorry Tracy that I confused you with Mom Wald and sorry Mom Wald for calling you Tracy. I'm not sure why I thought you were the same person. I get confused sometimes. I guess it was a senior moment. Ha! You both have great blogs, so you're both in good company. All the best to you both,

Erin

http://momwaldsplace.blogspot.com

Another Food Show Addiction

Does anyone else watch Chopped? I watched an episode or two in the fall and thought it was alright. Last week, The Food Network ran a Chopped marathon. My husband recorded it and we found ourselves becoming more and more hooked with each episode.

Here's how it works: Four chefs start out, each with a basket of "mystery ingredients" which must feature prominently in their recipes. Typically, they open their baskets to discover eclectic ingredients that do not go together. "Jellied eels, potato chips, bitter Asian parsnips, and Heavenly Hash ice cream. Hmm..." They can add other ingredients from the pantry or fridge, but generally, they find themselves flying around the kitchen frantically and trying to whip something original and tasty in 20-30 minutes. After the appetizer round, the food judges "chop" one chef. The three chefs who didn't get cut move to the entree round. Again, weird ingredients and another chef gets chopped. The final two chefs duke it out in the desert round. The judges consider the three dishes each chef made and the winner walks off with $10,000. Ted Allen does a good job hosting. He seems to relish the job of lifting the cover off the dish prepared by the chef who's getting chopped.

Have a look.

Bon appetit!

Erin

Wonder Woman Kills Comments Dead

Hello,

Chris, one of the lucky winners of my Toilet Humour Thriftacular Contest accidentally posted her address in the comments for that post. In order to remove her comment, I had to delete all of the comments from that post. Sadly, this included a funny confession from the elegant Stan Williams himself. My family is still fighting over who gets to keep The Find - which I happen to have bought. Anyway, that's all I had to say. Stan is a thrift genius and I've been loving his little films on his blog, The Elegant Thrifter (linked to the right). You have to admire his business savvy promoting the book. I'd do the same thing. To be honest, I'd rather watch a movie about Stan than the Julia Child blogger - though I enjoyed the movie. I'm hoping to start filming yard sales in East York next spring. This will be a true test of my marriage. It will either come down to, "I admire her creative tenacity," or "She's turning into a freak." We'll see.

Here's more YouTube gold. My brother used to be in love with Linda Carter. I loved the invisible plane. Check out the ginormous computer in the opening. It's as big as a fridge. And what about that Lyle Waggoner? I'd forgotten about him. I bet he moonlighted on Match Game or The Love Boat.

Erin

P.S. Chris: we live so close to each other, it's freaky. We've probably bumped shopping carts at No Frills or Value Mart. LOL

God Bless America

It's little wonder vintage loving folk enjoy this show. This one's for you Vonlipi. Let's go on a Thelma and Louise eating trip through America. Woo-hoo! (Hold the armed police officers.)

Song of the Week #27 The Orb "Little Fluffy Clouds"

Are you ready for a nineties revival? I get all nostalgic when I hear this song, despite the gratuitous sampling of Rickie Lee Jones talking about growing up in Arizona. If you think you've heard this tune before, it was used in a VW commercial back in 2003 or something.

I hope all my Youtubing isn't turning into blog filler - like on a sitcom when they'd look back at moments from the past and leave the viewers feeling ripped off. It's -14 in Toronto today and my bank account is hung over until next payday. Scouring the city for vintage cool just ain't happening right this moment.

I do feel a thrift coming on and I'll be back on the prowl by the end of the week. Hang in there for cool vintage bargoons! I have to find vintage booty for my thriftacular winners too.

Erin

Take it away Alex Patterson:

Where Were all the Seventies Feminists?

Happy new year! Since most of my readers are female, I thought I'd take a look back at some crazy commercials from the decade of my birth. I'm not entirely sure if we've come a long way since then, given the recent commercial when a woman has to trick her idiotic boyfriend into marriage by proposing with Maple Leaf Bacon in the resealable packaging. I get the Side Show Bob shudders just thinking about it.

Anyway, let's go back in time.

Hey, that was 1981. Go back further!

Oh yeah. That's the ticket.

This is the strangest commercial, almost Twin Peaks-esque, before there was Twin Peaks. Creepy older woman with braided hair - check, Stepford wife - check, sexist husband - check, eerie lack of cheerful coffee background music - check.

If the evil Mrs. Olsen weren't enough, get a load of this commercial. Here, a woman seems to undergo some sort of spirit possession when her husband's disgustingly greasy shirt collar gets into her soul. The suitcase - which she is forced to pack on behalf of her incompetent and greasy husband - taunts her. Is she losing her mind or is the shirt really trying to tell her something? You be the judge.

Finally - an empowered woman in the seventies. Go girl! And don't take any #$%! off those car dealers!