Milk Glass Carnation Vase & Picnic Plastics

I popped into Value Village at Vic Park and Eglinton on Sunday "looking for a fish bowl." I was really looking, but you can't go in without having a little poke around. Alas no fish bowl, but I did find...

Plastic mugs and plates for a picnic. Do colours get more seventies than this?

I got the whole she-bang for ninety-nine cents. I'm not big on plastics, but for the amount of time we'll actually use them, I don't think it will hurt. Besides, as Value Village like to keep pointing out on their annoying announcements, "You're helping the environment by keeping goods out of the landfill."

Here's a milk glass vase I got for $2.99. I thought it was simple and elegant.
This actually had a vendor's sticker on it from an antique store. I guess somebody changed their mind.

Has it Really Been a Year?

I just noticed that Toronto Yard Sale Snoop has been chugging along for a year. Thank you to all my blogging buddies who visit a little and a lot. This blog is by far my most favourite distraction.

Yesterday I went to two small yard sales and one big school yard sale at Cosburn Middle School. It was a real East Yorky affair. I love my neighbourhood! It was at the first yard sale that I had a feeling of deja vu. Was this the first yard sale I had documented for this here blog?

I asked the man if he had a garage sale last year that included an inflatable trampoline that he insisted on inflating and letting Duncan bounce upon. Turns out it was (see picture below). The man's sister told me her brother is a notorious hoarder, yet he hoards so well, nobody in the family knows where he stashes his junk until it gets hauled out for yard sales.

Duncan bouncing on the musty trampoline a year ago.

Here's junior in our driveway circa now. I bought the easel for my class next year. The erstwhile trampoline salesman asked $5.00 for the easel. It's got a white board on the other side. Duncan is clearly thinking to himself, "Man, the neighbours are going to think Mom's a whack job taking pictures of random stuff in the drive."
Alright. I didn't buy funky vintage stuff yesterday. I did get something pretty at Value Village today, which I'll try to photograph tomorrow, if the sun decides to pop out. Above is my stash of goodies from Cosburn Middle School. They wanted $17.00, but I gave them $20.00 as a donation to the school. The people were down homey and cool.
Wooden construction machine cars. It was supposed to be a set of four, but for some reason, six pieces were in the box.
Duncan's still in that fruitful lining everything up stage. Here he shows off his new car collection, including a vintage Porsche.
Inside this $2.00 nature bag were...
Two cute birdhouse kits, two baggies of bird seed, and wood glue. How comprehensive. Craft time, here we come!
Gumdrop tree. My mom always had these around the house at Christmas. I'm going to put in out at the Boy's Reading Club this week. They should get a kick out of it. It cost five cents!
A "Not for resale" tool box kit from those kiddie Saturday workshops at Home Depot. I had to buy it for Duncan. Cost: one loonie!
A book on pulleys and gears. I'll end up teaching this again, I'm sure.
Huge magnetic animal puzzle. They included a unicorn in it, just to drive parents nuts. "But there was a unicorn in the animal puzzle. They do exist!" I also got a flag bag, for no apparent reason, other than the fact it was dirt cheap. I think I'll store something else in it. Also pictured is a skull pencil case and felt board cut-outs. Felt boards were big when I was a kid. I'm on a mission to bring them back. The original price sticker was on the felt set. It cost $8.99 at Winners and was unused. I think I paid .50 for it.
Bunnies, bulldozers, Arthur, and dinosaurs. It's a four-year-old boy's life. I've tried to be gender neutral: "You can play with dolls." Duncan won't hear any of it.

See...

This book pops with awesome 3-D scenes.

Assorted books including Math-terpieces, Greek mythology, a nature book by David Suzuki, and a book that teaches kids how to draw the Titanic.

I also bought several board games and puzzles. It was a fun sale. Sorry that there's no Pyrex or elegant things for the house. Sometimes we thrift for practical stuff too.

Here's my song of the week. It's jangly girly Scottish pop par excellence. Bye for now,

Erin

I Walked a Hundred Miles For Pyrex Style

New teachers are entitled to professional development days, so today I went out to Scarborough to watch a brilliant Primary teacher in action. Lot's of great ideas. If you're into this kind of thing, stay tuned to my parent/teacher blog, the Foolscap Flyer. My bus wasn't coming fast enough, so I walked most of the way to Kennedy Station coming home. Wouldn't you know it, the Goodwill at Brimley and Eglinton was right there. Here's what I found:

Elegant white medium-sized Pyrex mixing bowl ($4.99) and matching bowl with spout ($3.99).
Pop Shoppe glasses (.69 each). I don't think the Pop Shoppe still exists, but when I was a kid, this was the store to go to for buying pop. I don't think my family actually shopped there.

Cocktail shaker $2.99 - mint condition.

Hugely Nostalgic - Song #41 "Julian" by Alta Moda

I haven't been able to thrift in a week and I'm starting to get a little twitchy. I'm running three different clubs at my school and it doesn't leave time to pop out at lunch. I'm tempted to bike in on Wednesday so I can cycle up to Value Village at lunch to pan for vintage gold.

Last Saturday saw the first church rummage sale, but it was way up in Leaside, which from where we live is awkward to get to by public transit. I couldn't bring myself to drag Duncan there by bus on the off chance there could be something beautiful for house and home. Besides, Leaside is like the Rosedale of East York, so I assumed the prices would be inflated.

On the plus side, I finally got my ridiculously belated Thriftastic goodies off in the mail to Shara and Tracy - Crazy Suburban Mom. Chris, email me when you're back in Hogtown and I'll drop yours off.

I think in the future, I may just randomly send stuff to people.

Have a splendid week. Our class hamster has escaped from her cage three times in the last week. I've brought her home and taped her cage shut.

Here's the best pop song to come out of Toronto ever. Alta Moda was jazz vocalist Molly Johnson's pop band from the eighties. The video quality is poor, but you can see how beautiful she is and how funky she dresses. I remember thinking she looks like a Spanish princess in this video. Love the song too. I bet Vonlipi remembers it.

Enjoy!

Erin

They Knew I Was Coming

Here's my haul from the Woodbine Value Village today:

Sunny little Pyrex bowl in a small size.

Check out the sensible price. Value Village is so inconsistent. The mushroom Pyrex bowl I bought at the Vic Park and Eglinton location was priced at $4.99 before I guilted them into knocking a buck off. Yes, I've told this story a million times before. Yes, I'm still bitter. I'm slowly working through my anger issues.
This platter was so cool. I have no idea what it means. It was made in China, so it's newish, but I have no idea what Grip Limited means. It's either proletariat dinnerware for employees of a company called Grip, or it's some avant garde European hip design. I always mix these things up.
Girl with a yoga mat and guy with a hockey stick flank dogs atop a slide. In the background, a bagpiper wails away. This ain't proletariat crockery is it? Cost? A mere $1.99. It will seem a bit odd putting a turkey on it, but what the heck.
Vintage powder pink planter with Jackson Pollock-esque black paint whips. I had to have it for $1.99.

I never buy ashtrays because I don't smoke and it seems kind of gross buying something that has been ashed upon. This, however, I had to have. It's an ashtray in the shape of the province of Saskatchewan. It's so vintage. The original gift store sticker is on the back and it was made in Canada. It doesn't have any visual or olfactory traces of tobacco. Taking all this into account, I reckon it may become a candy dish. Cost? $1.49. Sweet!

Here's Song of the Week #40 - Bonnie Raitt's "Thing Called Love." It was on at Value Village. Love it. Go Bonnie!

I just read the comments. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to do this. I read so many blogs and I get so caught up in the reading, that it's always late and I need to get to bed and end up not posting comments nearly as much as I want to. Oh well, summer is on the way.

Leslie pointed out that a younger, hotter Dennis Quaid appeared in the original "Thing Called Love" video. I totally remember it. I was actually looking for that vid, but it's not on YouTube.

This is the next best thing from the eighties. Feast your eyes on this smoldering song and video featuring Robbie Robertson and Maria McKee from Lone Justice. Does anyone else remember this? "Somewhere Down The Crazy River" is kind of weird and there's a lot of mullets and genius art-wanker musicians in it. Still, it sizzles. At the time, I couldn't believe MuchMusic got away with playing a video with all that necking in it. By today's Lady Gaga standards, it almost seems quaint.

Anyway, enjoy this Leslie. I'm sure Robbie Robertson is an old man now, but perhaps he's still got it, minus the mini mullet.

Erin

Handy Thrift

I somewhat reluctantly went to the Value Village on Queen West today. I always feel like the hipsters will have beaten me to all the good stuff. Well, not today.

I bought this cool hanging hand for $2.99. Depending on how you angle it, it either looks like the "come hither" fingers, or when you put your index finger and thumb near each other to show "this much." This looks eighties to me.

Cool $4.99 book on Japanese art for my husband. Could have been cheaper, but his love don't cost a thing, or whatever J-Lo once sang, using poor grammar.

I can hear my mom laughing. "You want to read a book about what it's like to be old?" Yes, but it's by Diana Athill!
Here we find the hand riding the Japanese wave. You have to wonder about the back stories of some of these objects sometimes. Who owned the hand and why did they get rid of it?

I also bought Duncan a very cool bowling shirt with flaming dinosaurs on it for $2.99. It's very Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs. I taught him to say, "Are you going to bark all day little doggie, or are you going to bite?" He better not say that in kindergarten.

Message for Chris, Who Lives Near Me

Chris,

I wrote your address on a Post-It and now I can't find it. I have your long-lost prezzies and I'd love to drop them off on your doorstep. Can you please email me your address again?

All the best,

Erin

monkeyintherocket@yahoo.ca

Song of the Week #40 "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers

I know hardly anyone responds to my song of the week, but I love music too much not to put awesome tunes on my bloggy.

I've loved this song since I was a little girl. I later found out it's supposed to be about heroin. Who knows? It's still mysterious and beautiful. I like this orchestral version even if a different singer is singing it.

To the two people out there who may play this - enjoy!

Erin

Thriftquake-a-comin'... Monday

Easter egg happy dance: Good Friday - St. Catharines, ON

This past week was insanely busy and short. I had no time to scout for vintage thrills. Sniff. I took Duncan out to a big woodsy park today because he needed it more than I needed to thrift.

Stay tuned and happy Easter.

Erin