RIP Mark Dailey

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Mark Dailey - the "voice" of CityTV. I'm sure most people in Ontario at least are familiar with his amazing voice, if not his reporting over the years on this station. He died of cancer at the age of 57. I'll remember him for his funny voice-overs on Late Great Movies. He used to make remarks about the quality of the films and acting. Here are some clips of his work. P.S. I forgot that Muffy Tepperman from Square Pegs was in Lost Boys.

Owl Calendar & Craft Blogs

'Tis the season to feel the uncontrollable urge to make things. I thought I'd share some favourite crafty blogs.

First off, check out My Owl Barn. Yes, it's actually a blog devoted to owls and owl arts and crafts - along with owl decor for the home. There is a free downloadable 2011 owl calendar. It makes me wish I had a colour printer, but I printed it anyway. I think I'll let my class make mini owl calendars to go in a Christmas/holiday gift basket.

Visit Stephanie Day's elegant My Crafty Days. This Calgarian (and member of the Pyrex Collective) has a beautiful home and her blog is filled with inspiring ideas for your pad.

Craftypod is another good one.

Bloesem Kids is a craft blog collective that's geared towards kid-friendly projects. It's Canadian (Canadians are obligated by law to say if something is Canadian).

Posie Gets Cozy is another pretty blog filled with gorgeous pictures and ideas of things to make.

I could keep going, but I'm going to hop into bed and read Going West. All of these blogs have links that lead you into a Bermuda Triangle of bloggy wonders. It's a little dangerous.

I'll send you off to sleep with a clip from a wonderful series from the UK: Victorian Farm. Has anyone seen this? TVO keeps re-showing it and Ken and I can't help but settle in and watch it every time. Basically, a small team of real people dress and live the part of Victorian farmers. It's beautifully filmed and I love Ruth on the show. She's hard working and always enthusiastically throws herself into projects such as butter making, weaving hats, etc. If this is available on DVD, I'd love to own a copy. Put down your CrackBerry and pick up some knitting needles. Enjoy.

Erin

One Down...

I love a package in the mail. On a recent post I talked about how I wanted to get my hands on a copy of Maurice Gee's Going West. A kindly reader put me onto the Book Depository. I ordered it online for about $10.00 Canadian and about a week later - voila- it turned up in my mailbox. I also love great customer service. Give www.bookdepository.co.uk some business.

I can't wait to start reading this book. It sounds like a dark, twisted tale of hidden identity set against the background of the New Zealand landscape.

My next most wanted book is Bad Vibes by Luke Haines. He's the former singer of nineties pop/rock band, The Auteurs. They had some good singles. I played their album New Wave last night. I hadn't listened to it in years, but it still sounded good. Anyway, as far as I can tell, Bad Vibes is about Haines' experience in the cut-throat music industry in the nineties. I'm sure if you were an English band who weren't Oasis or Blur, your management was trying to make you more Oasis-like or Blury. I enjoy reading angry books written by people who have an axe to grind. Always entertaining.

Here's the Auteurs.

International Hit

I just noticed that someone from Reykjuvik, Iceland visited little ol' Yard Sale Snoop from Toronto. I'm so excited. Please come back!

Visiting Iceland has always been one of my dreams. I want to get a push bike and cycle around the the bubbling mud with my husband and son. I want to do the same in New Zealand, though I suspect it would take a lot longer.

Here's a clip from a documentary on Iceland's finest band Sigor Ros. You get to see lot's of scenes from Iceland in it.

And here is sprawling Viking music from Sigor Ros. For those who like this sort of thing - enjoy! Erin

Vintage Jerusalem Tea Towel & English Pyrex

Happy Chanukah!

First off, a belated welcome to my latest followers Vintage Bettys and Non Yang. Please check out their terrific blogs linked over to the right. Non Yang's blog goes by the name Breathe Me Deep.

You may recall on a recent post that I tramped down to Value Village on Friday evening to look for Pyrex booty. Well, I've been waiting for a moment to take a picture of this tea towel I bought, but natural light is fleeting in these cold, Northern days. Here it is. The towel needs a good ironing, but otherwise looks like it had been packed away in a drawer since 1971 - ironically, my birth year.
It's so colourful and cheerful. Maybe this tea towel should be brought out to help end all the fighting in Gaza. Alright, I'm a hopeless optimist.
It was actaully made in Israel, but it looks very Swedish to me. I love the bold colours and scenes of life in Jerusalem. There's even a nurse holding a baby.
Here are the Jewish holidays. I'm not sure where to hang this. I may give it a good ironing and hang it in my classroom for fun.
Here's the Pyrex I had written about earlier. I posted an emergency query on the Pyrex Collective and my friend the Pyrex guru Valerie from Vonlipi's Favorites knew right away that it is English-made Pyrex. The price sticker was obscuring the word "England" until I gave it a good scrub off. The JAJ insignia which is often found on English Pyrex was absent. I'm thinking we should do some sort of side link on the Pyrex Collective about Pyrex not made in America.

Anyway, I still like this pattern. It's swirly and delightful.
I suspect that this isn't the right lid for the dish, but it fits, so I forked out $2.99 for it.
Two beauties together. The larger dish was $6.99 and the smaller size was $4.99. By the way, when I was in that little thrift store in Thorold yesterday, I asked the lady in charge if they had any Pyrex dishes. Do you know what she said? "It goes very quickly when it comes in." Yes, Pyrexia has hit small-town Ontario. Or maybe small towns are being overtaken by townies like myself looking for buried Pyrex treasure.

Made in England and Israel.

Christmas Cookies & St. Catharines Thrifty Finds

I told my mom I'd post pictures of the cookies we made at my parent's home today in St. Catharines. By "we" I mean my mom, my sister Lise, Duncan, and myself. We missed my other sister Rhonda who lives in Memphis, TN and my niece Eden who was nursing a cold back in Toronto. You were with us in spirit and the cookies will freeze nicely until Christmas. Duncan decorated the Christmas tree cake. Maybe I should reprint some of the cookie recipes soon. Mmm...
Ta-dah! Look Mom - no green food colouring all over me.
Mini Me becomes mesmerized by the camera and then attempts to levitate the kitchen table with one hand.
My father took me to a silent auction at his church. While there, I went into a room marked "Santa's Workshop" and I found this .25 tartan calendar wall thingy for my classroom.
I also got this handmade bluejay note tote. Guess how much I paid? I love birds.
On our way home, I noticed this thrift store in Thorold, which neither of us were aware of. The woman told us they were closing in ten minutes. I looked at my watch. It was 1:50. What kind of Saturday shopping hours are we talking about here? Anyway, it has a happy ending because for $2.00 I bought the Tupperware container above, plus...
This groovy mushroomy tin from the late seventies or early eighties.
I also got these sweet Christmas tree decorations. The felt Santa is crafted and the one on the right looks sort of sixties Made in Japan.
I also got these iron plant holders. But wait - there's more!
Perhaps out of guilt for having to toss out a happy father and daughter enjoying a rare moment of togetherness, the woman gave me this potted Kalanchoe for free. What a fun day. Thanks, Mom and Dad! It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.