Flea market fun.

What's a boy to do on a lazy weekend afternoon when he's got nothing going on? 

Sit around home in sweats while eating brownies and watching reruns of The Golden Girls? 

Okay, so maybe that's an option...but probably not the best one. I mean changes are that a) I'd end-up scarfing down the entire pan, b) after scarfing down the pan I would feel like the three evenings I spent at the gym last week were a complete waste and c) I've spent far too much time lately watching reruns of The Golden Girls...

So instead, I figured that I'd find something fun to do....something to keep me away from the pan of brownies, something that required me to put normal clothes on and also something that would distract me from the week that was...and from the week that will probably be - 

After considering my limited, last minute options, I settled on hitting up one of the nifty (and my favourite) indoor flea markets in the city. Heading out, I really didn't have intent to buy or search for anything...I think if anything the point of the adventures was to just wander, have some fun and see what treasures uncovered themselves.

While I didn't come home with anything, lots of randomness was uncovered, I saw some wicked pieces that gave me some ideas of what I'd like to collect / hunt for down the road and best of all - I was able to completely distract myself and forget about the world for a couple of hours.

Here's a sneak peak of some of the fun that I uncovered - 

How cool is this little guy? The vendor wasn't willing to haggle on the price though...however, if I wander through in a couple weeks and he's still there I might see if he wants to play ball...I wanna bring the 'Cool Master' home with me.

I haven't seen this many Nintendo & Super-Nintendo games since I was like 8 or 9...the scary thing is that I remembered a lot of the titles.

Remind me to dig through my storage room....I swear that there's a tote that's got a couple of cool bottles in it. This guy was waaaaaaaaaay overpriced on most of his stock, but had some cool pieces that I haven't seen in ages.

More tins than I could shake a stick at!

I almost brought home a couple more pieces of brown & white transfer ware, but realized that I already had pieces that I was looking at....that and I think that that collection is large enough (unless I find a really cool piece...)

Aren't these syrup dispensers cool? I wanted all of them...but resisted. That and I stayed away from the old spice tins...a guy can end-up with too many collections....

 "Let's dicker to sell quicker." Luvs it.

Odd looking Asian inspired ceramic pieces? I'm never sure how I'm supposed to feel when I see these pieces....anyone get what I mean? Yah?

The snowshoes on the left were in beautiful shape and would have looked amazing above my fireplace if I was going for a 'rustic lodge meets swinging young bachelor' look....but alas, they were $250.00....ouch.

I almost bought this snazzy book. Perfect gag gift or amusing dinner party conversation starter?! I think so!

Perhaps the next time I end-up in a somewhat serious situation I'll have to invest in this guide...I'm very curious to see what ideas and suggestions 60s conservatives have to say to me (not really)....that said, while the content might not be to my liking, I did like the drawings...

Isn't this guy the cutest?! The bowling pin that is, not Elvis or the creepy thing in the corner...

According to Wikipedia, Reveen was this weird Canadian sensation who traveled across the country working as a magician and hypnotist...magically transforming audiences....I say all of his transforming powers came from the stache, sexy head of hair and magical beard.

I want these old caulk boxes. I've been thinking about them non-stop since coming home. There had to have been 20 or 30 of them. No idea what I'd do with them, but I love them....the graphics are pretty cool, plus I'm sure that I could use them to store something.

So many small treasures!

Tea for two, or perhaps tea for 60? There has to be some sorta art project a guy could do here....something rather clever and not so 'grandma-ish...' looking...hmm...

So while I resisted the urge to come home with 60 tea cups and matching saucers, a plastic robot, the Reveen record and the good Christian husband's guide....I did come away with renewed love in wanting to hit-up this particular flea market more often...if anything just for a laugh and an adventure! That and it kept me from tearing into the pan of brownies (which I've since shoved in the freezer....).

From everything I've shown yah....which pieces stand out the most to you?!? I'm curious to know!

D-

Thrift Thursday (Monday Edition...)

The thrifting Gods have finally started to answer my prayers....well, not really, but you know what I mean. After what seemed like months of random junk at the shops around the city, I've finally started to stumble across some rather neat pieces....all of which have called out "take me home."

Case in point. These pieces - 

I really lucked out this past week when I hit-up Value Village. Lately I've been pretty unimpressed, but struck gold when I stumbled across two Pottery Barn books for $1.99 each...the dust jackets are a bit ripped, but the books themselves are in great shape! They're a few years old, but they've got some neat ideas....and we're talking about Pottery Barn....they're all about creating 'classic looking' spaces...so they're still pretty current.


Also, a snazzy Christmas tree for my office for the grand total of $.49 (with Michael's tag still attached....I'd rather pay the $.49 than the original $10.49 CDN retail) and two glass vases; perfect for more Christmas decorations! Can I get a 'whoop whoop?' No, not even a 'whoop'....hmm....

The next couple of weeks are only going to get busier and busier with the Christmas rush, which means less time to wander around and treasure hunt (I'll be too busy burning Christmas cookies). That said, I can't wait to hit the shops up in January & February when I'll hopefully be able to snag some deals on random Christmas stuff and unwanted Christmas presents. Last year I snagged a new 30PC set of Gluckstein glass balls for $2.99 and a bag of mercury glass ornaments (with tags still on them) for $1.99!

Let's make a day of it! Shops...lunch....Dan randomness....fun!


How 'bout it?

D-

Thrift Thursday!

Best thrift Thursday ever.

Well, almost.

I really didn't find much, but I had a lot of fun wandering around. Instead of only having an hour or two to run around after work I had the whole afternoon to peruse the city for treasures! As such, I made a point to venture off of my usual beaten track to see what else I could find.

I hit up a couple of furniture stores with the hope that I would stumble across my dream coffee table (it's out there!)...but no cigar. Instead, I had an old man follow me up and down three flights of stairs. Yes. Yes, I plan to grab that dresser and run out of the store with it....

And while I didn't come away with a coffee table, I had loads of fun and I did find one project piece (which I'm going to keep secret for the time being....but it will find a home in my new living room. I'm exciting enough about it that I've already ripped it apart and have it primed and drying on my deck!

Also, I stumbled across something really fun!

Get a load of this bad boy that came home with me - 

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca

So you're thinking, "it's a candle....wooo...."

But this my friends is not just any candle! This is the Voluspa candle that I've coveted for ages but have been too cheap to buy. At $22.00 CDN, it's not exactly a 'bargain' piece; but it's so worth it...especially when you get a load of the scent delicious 'Truffle White Cocoa' scent. It smells like, ten times....no twenty times better than any other cocoa scented candle out there. For a few brief seconds I even contemplated licking it....(not really...okay really).

I was browsing through a Value Village when I noticed the familiar tin out of the corner of my eye. Usually I don't stop to check out candles at thrift stores but with the extra time, I figured why not... right away I knew that I was onto something when I spotted this guy!

Still sealed and unused, my coveted candle came home with me for....wait for it....

Wait for it...

The princely sum of....

$1.99. 

That's right. One dollar, ninety-nine cents.

Bahahahah!

Best. Deal. Ever.

D-


PS.
Both Chapters & Indigo stores have a huuuuuuuuuuge selection of Voluspa scents! Go! Now!

Thrift Thursday.

Over the past couple of weeks, I really haven't had much time to treasure hunt - but luckily, everything that's been kind of up in the air is slowly starting to settle into place again. Well, not really, but that's another story, for another time. 

Anyways, as luck would have it, I finally had a chance to hit up a couple of shops the other day and I struck the mother load! This spring the shops were ripe for the picking, but over the past couple of months, I've come up short on my quest for coolness. However, with fall comes a fresh mix of pieces. Pieces calling out to me to take them home...

First up, I've been on the hunt for a mix of Christmas cookie cutters since last Christmas. I'd previously been gifted a few pieces, perfect for making my gingerbread aliens and gingerbread celebrities (stay tuned), but I wanted to expand the mix to include the usual trees, sleighs and reindeer. As luck would have it I stumbled across a set of 12 and grabbed them from the merchandiser as she was putting them on display. $1.99 for the set = sold!

Next up, I've got a fun mix to share with you! I found this nifty horse ornament for under a dollar under a pile at Goodwill. Unfortunately, the cashier didn't wrap this poor guy up well enough and one of his ears ended up chipped. I'm thinking that with a bit of putty to repair / rebuild his ear and multiple coats of matte white spray paint he'll look spiffy on one of my bookshelves. Toss in a couple of pieces of milk glass found for .99 each, and two awesome prints for $1.99 each and I'm a happy camper.

And what is the book you ask? Get this - I found Martha Stewart's Housekeeping Handbook, brand new, still wrapped in the plastic for $4.99 at Value Village. I've been eyeing up this $50.00 retail book for ages now.....it's deals like that that have this guy busting a sweet move down the aisles of the store.

I've got some awesome plans for these pieces over the next couple of weeks. I've got a mate that's a professional framer and I'm thinking that I might see if he can come up with a cool matting / frame combo for the prints. I'm considering hanging them in my dining room....perhaps creating a bit of a theme when put together with my snazzy school map.

As for the milk glass vases, I'm all over the idea of using them extensively when decorating this holiday season. I've got a couple of ideas up my sleeve....the wheels are turning....I just need to see if the ideas stack up before sharing them with you guys (and looking goofy in the process)!

A successful haul? I'd say so! Now to put these pieces to work!

D-

Thrift Thursday (Long weekend edition).

I'm almost certain that the organizers of the Amazing Race Challenge that Mister & I participated in this past weekend knew that I love me a sweet, sweet bargain. When we opened our challenge booklet for our second day, I was ecstatic to learn that we had a challenge at a thrift store in Somerset, MB. 

Having never been to (let alone heard of) Somerset, I wasn't sure what to expect  but was excited none the less. When we found the store, I was pleasantly surprised to find an awesome mix of vintage and kitsch! So as my team worked as fast as they could to complete our official game challenge, I took on the challenge of working as fast as I could to pick-out which pieces I wanted to bring home with me! 

With only five minutes to spare I found some sweet pieces!

Check 'em out!

In less than five minutes I'd uncovered and purchased a year's worth of Martha, some amazing milk glass (that has suddenly become way too overpriced in the city) and the cutest tiered cake platter. Not bad huh?

I still can't get over the fact that I uncovered this sweet set of vases for $1.50! I've seen similar pieces go for over $25.00 each on Etsy and in some of the different vintage shops around the city. They'll look awesome on my dining room table filled with whatever greenery of cheap grocery store flowers I can find.

How often do I use tiered glass cake plates? Not that often. That said, this one was only a dollar, plus I'm digging it's funky gold tones. Perhaps the purchasing of it is just a sign that I need to be making more cakes....hmm.

I'd picked up some yellow Mums last week and threw them in one of the vases this evening. Simple but so much fun! I've got some fun ideas for how I'm going to use these vases during the holiday season (yes....holidays as is in Christmas...).

So how much damage did I do in five minutes? $4.50. That's it! With deals like that, how could I not bring these pieces home? 

Thank you small-town Manitoba!

D-

Thrift Thursday.

I'm really excited to share this week's Thrift Thursday find with you! No, seriously. You have no idea. I turned into a total girl when I found what I'm about to show you. I shrieked, eked and later swore like a banshee (but more about that later on).

I've been living with one of those ugly glass-front TV stands for a couple of years now and have wanted to kick it up a notch. It's FINALLY time to ditch the last of the college furniture so to speak. While the $3.00 Goodwill TV stand had served its purpose, I wasn't really keen on the fiberboard construction, glass door, lack of DVD storage and overall ugliness. It was time to go.

But what to replace it with?

I was running some errands the other night (isn't that how it always starts?) when I stopped off at a Salvation Army to dump off some clothes. I figured that since I was there I may as well make the rounds (but of course). After checking out the lackluster mix of housewares I wandered over to the furniture department where I found this bad boy -

How great is this vintage buffet?!?

They'd just but this beauty on the floor and there were a couple of other interested parties, but I was like "you're comin' home with me big boy.." and proceeded to run up to the front of the store to pay for it. Seriously. I tore through that store...there may have been people looking at me. But I didn't care - I wasn't about to lose out on this awesome piece!

It was only after paying for buffet that I realized that I had to somehow get it home in my two-door Alero. That's right, caught in the moment, I bought a giant piece of furniture without thinking about the logistics involved in getting it from one end of the city to the other...

(that sounds like something I would do...)

It took 45 minutes to maneuver the piece into the car, resulting in me having the driver's seat pushed as close to the steering wheel as possible, one of the buffet's legs hitting the back of my neck and the longest ride home ever.

Once home, it took another 45 minutes (for reals) to maneuver the piece out of my backseat, followed by two flights of stairs and my thumb jambed in a door before this beauty found itself at home in my living room.

Who said thrifting was easy?

That said, when you find a piece like this for the princely sum of $15.00 how can you not bring it home (jammed thumb and all)?!

The only question left to ask is what colour do I finish this beauty in? My ever practical choices of A) black or B) white? Or do I go all out and add a bit of colour into my living room? Bright yellow? Orange?

Stay tuned to see the outcome!

D-

PS. Next time I venture out I'll make sure I have a tape measure with me....

Mr. Mitchell takes a drive.

I have a confession to make. I did something bad after work.

As I was driving to the gym I veered off onto a side street and ended up at one of my favourite thrift stores. This might not sound like a big deal, but I'd secretly made a bit of a pact with myself last night to avoid thrifting of a couple of weeks so that I could focus on a couple of big projects that I've been putting off.

Yeah, that idea didn't last long. And for that, I'm glad, because I found some fun stuff!

I know that it's nowhere near Thrift Thursday, but I figured that I'd share anyways.

Exhibit A -

The shop was filled to the trim with everything and anything....and to top it off all housewares were 50% off! Yet, I had to do a bit of digging before finding anything that I could deem as being 'Dan Worthy'....but once I started to really look I found some cool pieces.

First up I found this nifty cigarette tin for a whopping $1.50 - it has a cool pattern and will look neat on my nightstand or perhaps on my desk holding paperclips. Next came a set of four Chinese finger bowls. I've always had a thing for tiny bowls of this nature, but have never seen a set with more than a couple of pieces, and at .75 for the lot I couldn't turn them down. I'm thinking that they'll look cool as votive holders, or I might put them to use in the kitchen when I'm baking. And last but not least a 16 PC cup and saucer set originally from Stokes. $4.50 = coming home with Dan. I've got mugs and stemware galore, but figured that it was finally time to invest in some cups. Tea party time?

Aren't these finger bowls cool? I have no idea what they say, for all I know they could say "your Mom wears army boots" but I love them none the less.

 The tin, as cute as it was, was looking pretty tarnished and I figured that it might be worth a bit of time and effort to see if I could give it a bit of sparkle and shine.

I'm not one to promote stuff....I do enough of that at work, but I found an awesome silver polish that's totally worth trying. I love ol' skool silverware, but have resisted the urge to buy it because of the fact that I'm too lazy to polish it. That and most of the cleaners that I've tried have given me a wicked high (and not a good one at that....). However, this stuff is amazing!

It's a pink-y coloured paste and it doesn't have a 'cleaner' smell to it. That and It didn't cause my hands to get all red and itchy. It was easy enough to use, and in no time flat, my tin was looking like this - 

 I decided that I liked a bit of the patina and worn finish and that it added a bit to the tin so I left it (that and I have no attention span and didn't feel like scrubbing anymore)....not too bad hey? Bring on the thrift store silverware and old cutlery! (As if I need any more collections...)

So there you have it. One day into my 'no thifting' plan and I've already fallen by the wayside. Then again, I did find some neat pieces....so I think it was worth it. What's that saying....something like "it's good to be bad"....?

And while I'm at it, I should show you what I stumbled across this past Friday evening.

Exhibit B - 

Grand total $5.50. Thank you Salvation Army on Empress Street.

Now! Time to get some other projects figured out!

Staging! Closet organizing! Painting! Reupholstering! Now! (Or maybe tomorrow...)

What have your best finds been as of late?
D-

Thrift Thursday.

I'm so excited to share my latest find with you! Seriously. You have no idea. 

You see, it all started a couple of years ago when I first moved into my place and was starting to fill it with furniture. At the time I was still trying to figure out my style and ended up passing up a few pieces because I wasn't sure if they were 'me'. 

One of those pieces was a beautiful arm chair that I'd found on clearance at a furniture store - I loved it, and it would have been an investment piece, but I just wasn't ready to fork over the coin....and I've been kicking myself since then.

That is, until I came across this beauty on Monday evening - 

I was wandering around Goodwill when I stumbled across this piece and right away I was like "you're coming home with me." But then a funny thing happened. I didn't buy it. Seriously. After pining over a chair like this for so long I left the store without it. I decided that I didn't want to fork over $25.00. How goofy does that sound?

Coming home, I ended up falling asleep thinking about the chair. Seriously. I kept asking myself why I hadn't purchased it. Sure it needed a bit of work, but it's a piece that would look amazing with a bit of loving.

As luck would have it, I had a chance to zip back to Goodwill over my lunch break on Tuesday and there she was still waiting for me (for some reason most of my furniture is female...hmm). A bit of work was required to get her into my car, but for the princely sum of $25.00 she was mine!

Like my nightstand before her, this beauty is in need of a makeover. She's rocked the gray legs and stained upholstery for long enough - it's time for her 'She's All That' moment...minus Rachel Lee Cook.

Here's what I'm thinking of using as a jump off for this beauty -  

http://pinterest.com

Of course I'm in love with this Jonathan Adler piece, but seriously, it's going to be awhile before I can throw down $1250.00 for an actual Adler. But, with a bit of work, some sexy new upholstery, a box of French nailhead trim, multiple coats of paint & some lacquer I think that I'll be able to bring this ol' girl into this decade. She might even be able to swing that dreamy jock for the prom...

So a few packs of these....

http://www.diyupholsterysupply.com

A couple yards of this - 

http://thelittlelilacgoose.co.uk

And I'll be on my way!


Wish me luck (I'm going to need it with with all of those nails) and stay tuned!


D-

Framed.

This past week, a close friend of mine, the lovely Mrs. H phoned me up and asked me if I'd like to come over to give her a hand to hunt down some vintage frames to create a large grouping in her living room. You see, the lovely Mrs. H has only recently become Mrs. H and really wants to display some of her beautiful wedding photos.



http://img4.coastalliving.com

So this past Friday, armed with our debit cards, loads of ideas and the hope that we'd find someplace with air conditioning, we hit up my favourite Value Village. We stumbled across a number of great pieces that will look great when unified by a couple coats of acrylic paint, her black & white prints and photo matting.

And while we didn't have a chance to figure out a layout for her wall (Mrs. H was too excited to paint her pieces) I know that they look great! It's amazing what one can do with a pile of cast-off pieces scooped up for a song.

I had the same idea as Mrs. H; a few years ago and came up with my own grouping...Winners and Value Village must have loved me (I'm not going to tell you how many frames I bought and still have in storage).

Here's a quick rundown of my own project -

What does one do when it's December and -30C outside? Scrounge up a bunch of scratch & dent and vintage frames.

December 2008

Cover every surface in plastic and paint above frames with multiple coats of Tremclad (left over from another project). Dan trick - prop the frames up with pencils to keep them from sticking to whatever plastic or cardboard you're using to cover surfaces.





Once my frames had dried, I reassembled and laid everything out on my living room floor, playing around until I found a look and layout that made me happy.

Next, I used painter's tape to map out where I wanted to place my grouping...this was pre-couch (actually pre-any furniture of signifigance in my living room), so my idea for this project was to create a grouping that would look great above my future couch.

A bit of trial and error later (we won't tell my landlord about all of the holes that I made...) I was relatively pleased with the outcome -

I'd share a decent end result photo with you...but I'm at work (on my lunch break of course) and can't find a good lookin' photo to share (I promise to throw one in here later on tonight). In the meantime, I've found some great photos online to help inspire you and the lovely Mrs. H! I can't wait to see her end results!

http://pinterest.com

http://staceysheppard.files.wordpress.com

http://www.marthastewart.com



http://1.bp.blogspot.com

http://1.bp.blogspot.com

http://4.bp.blogspot.com



http://www.walldesignideas.net



http://farm2.static.flickr.com

Colour, black and white or sephia? Which do you prefer?

D-