New year, new look, new apartment?

I'm a poster child for change when it comes to the spaces in which I live.

Not two weeks after completing my full-on apartment re-do, I'm contemplating moving - to smaller digs!

I live in the equivalent of social purgatory now - apartment land, basically - and I long for life on the busy Toronto shopping strip where I used to live.

That's exactly where this apartment is.

It's just been renovated, and the deal breaker for me are these gorgeous windows with south-eastern exposure, overlooking a church across the street with shops and restos in sight to the left - ideal!

I have first dibs if I want ... and if the numbers in my cheque book (and the stars) align!

The big thing: I'd have to get rid of a ton of stuff as the space is about a full room smaller than what I'm in now.



As hard as it is to think of this, divesting myself of all my STUFF sounds appealing. A simpler life. Could I do it???

I would consider doing it if it meant the windows in this apartment, and the hipper location.


Any thoughts out there on moving into smaller digs or downsizing??

P.S. It would mean moving slightly away from my fave thrift shop - which could mean I'd accumulate less stuff to refill my new pad!

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One Year Anniversary: decor then & now

My blog turns a year tomorrow, and I'd like to thank all you lovely readers for reading along, commenting or emailing me privately, or linking back to me - you make my day when I do!

Here's a pic of my living room Jan 18 last year. It's wide and open, and now that I look at it it does look cluttered, with all the stuff on the wall.

This is my NEW living room, the result of an agonizingly creative day-long apartment re-do after the holidays.

True, I essentially chopped the room in half by positioning the two love seats facing eachother, but I'm really liking the cozy vibe of the smaller space I created.

I also pared down some of the accessories to keep the look more streamlined.

I think style constantly evolves, and I'd like to think my design and decorating sense has refined itself this past year. It's been fun fun fun to play with my space!

Thanks for reading. Have a fab day!

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Entry way re-do

My New Year's apartment makeover coverage continues ....

I've had this ratty old bookshelf since I was in my 20s, and I've carted it into every apartment I've ever had as it carries my overflow of books. It was a faded yellow when I first picked it up at some long ago garage sale; then I painted it a grotesque emerald green (hey I was in my 20s). It's been white for years now.

I decided to move it to my entry way area and use it as a bookshelf and accessories holder - one, to be different, and two, it made sense as I wanted something narrow in that space that I would not bump into or stub my toe on.

I threw an electric pink scarf over top as a runner (that I've also had since my 20s) and went to work.

On the lower shelves, I've stored scarves, a few vintage purses, and some boots (the latter from the thrift store - ooh I have a fabulous boot post coming soon!), along with some old books on dancing that I've hung onto since my dancing days in my 20s.

And do you see that green peacock fabric on the left-hand side of the third shelf from the bottom? Part of a skirt I've had since I was 15 - the skirt has long since fallen apart but I love the fabric so much I am going to get someone to make me a pillow.

I tried to make the top both practical and whimsical, like those "entry way makeovers" you see in the decor mags.

I love the glam little lamp I dug up at Goodwill for $4.99. I plopped a shade on it that I had around the house.

The clear glass ashtray (used here as a change holder) and paperweight were a few dollars each at thrift shops, and the brass bowl which holds my sunglasses was $3.99 at a thrift shop.

The painting, a work of folk art by well-known Nova Scotia folk artist Leo Naugler, is called "Skiing" and I love it. I bought it from a Toronto dealer for a good price.

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Trash tales: grey chair found but left there

Grunge Queen has been feeling a tad under the weather lately, and this grey chair spied in the trash the other day is not only a perfect embodiment of her mood of late, but very possibly an apt symbol for this very grey Monday afternoon we're experiencing in Toronto the good.

I would never dream of being critical of other peoples' decor choices - perhaps this was a very comfortable and beloved chair for someone, much like the much-maligned chair Fraser's Dad loved in the well-known sitcom, Frazer. But this one is definitely not my style. It's so big, it must have taken up half the living room. Still, I can appreciate that nod to good design in the curved underbelly of the chair. Maybe if the whole design was scaled down a little bit, and the poufiness deflated a bit, the chair would have been worthy of a GQ haul. As it is I left it there. Happy Monday to all you fellow garbage pickers out there!

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Could have been so beautiful ... in my apartment

Sorry for the late post today; Grunge Queen is feeling sick today.

She was feeling pretty ill yesterday too, when she saw this Oriental lacquer and wood screen on the way to doing a couple shopping columns.

I've always wanted a screen like this. It's not perfect, but you must know by know that I think imperfection has its benefits.

I tried to pick it up but it's solid wood underneath and was just too heavy for me, alas.

I see a lot of great things in the trash while on my travels - most temptingly close to my apartment. Much of the stuff I leave there as I'm on my way to do something and invariably running late. Other times the item in question - normally a solid piece of wood furniture - isn't something I can pick up and carry on my own.

I hope it found a good home. If it's still there on my way to work tomorrow I may have to hatch a plan!

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Outside comes in

This is how part of my apartment looks from my balcony.

Kinda cozy, yes?

I admit it: I love looking in front living room windows while walking along the street at dusk - not to see people but rather to look at their decor!

But it would seem kinda creepy if one of my apartment neighbors was looking across the way into my pad ... unless of course they happened to be editors of decor mags!

Yesterday's post in which I showed some worn chairs my Mom found in the trash and decorated her patio with has inspired me to bring in my balcony chairs - it's getting colder and the wicker and rattan will get damaged in the rain and snow that will inevitably come, alas....

Outside, these chairs took on a Shabby Chic look, with flowery pillows and such. Inside, though, that frilly dilly look won't go with my decor. Here I created a little nook with empty picture frames and a suede multi-coloured pillow. Cozy wozy.

The faded striped pillow was found used at Goodwill for a couple bucks and the blue wicker chair was from the trash.

With this rattan chair, found at the Sally Ann for $10, all it took was tossing a faux fur rug over top - a look I've seen in decor mags on chrome chairs. The effect is cozy with a modern twist.

I finished off the look with a plush brown pillow found at Value Village for a couple bucks.

Who says you have to store outdoor summer furniture?

For a peep at my balcony with these chairs in the summer, and other outdoor decorating projects, head here.

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Proud of my Mommy

When I was at home on my vacation I snapped some pics on my parents' back deck before the frost would drive the plants in forever - or until the Spring at least.

My Mom has done this cute thing with potted plants and old chairs she's found in the trash along the side of the road.

This little guy is your average white outdoor chair, except it's a mini chair for a kiddie.

Check out this wee one.

It's wood and worn and has a definite Shabby Chic look to it.

And it looks just fine sitting next to those cheap faux wrought iron dollar store plant holders, thank you very much.













As I was about to go in the house I spotted this regular size chair, again distressed with time, at the side of the house.

Didn't get a chance to ask Mom what she had planned for it, but I bet I'll find out in the Spring.

Will she let it linger outside all Winter, I wonder?

No matter: Mom, you do this trash picker proud!

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Plucked from the trash

Ok, I have a problem with velvet and chairs.

I was walking home the other day and saw these gorgeous green velvet bucket chairs across the street. They were even made in Canada!

Reader, you already know I have too many chairs, and too many velvet ones at that. So I didn't even turn the chair over to see what kind of shape it was in ....

But I did nab one of the cushions, just to keep my hand in, you understand.

I plopped it on the seat of this faux bamboo chair (found, come to think of it, by the same apartment building trash), whose seat was falling out. The velvet cushion keeps the chair intact now and looks better than the 1970s caning across the original seat.

Needless to say, the kitties are loving it - here's Dinky hanging out on it.

Meanwhile those chairs are still across the street, being rained on, wah. Should I have brought one home even if I had no space and a few too many velvet pieces in green and blue?

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Reader inspired by grunge queen

I feel like a proud mother.

My pal and colleague Cathy P is an avid follower of this blog, for which I am flattered and grateful.

But she's never plucked a gem from the trash before.

That changed yesterday when she spied a suite of dining room chairs - which she needed - by the dumpster across the way. The office there looks as though it's being renovated, so they're clearing stuff out.

Cathy tells me she thought of me and then recruited the gaggle of people she was outside with to help her haul them into our office.

Here's the dumpster in question.

It looks innocent enough doesn't it?

Cathy's chairs are in great condition - wood with upholstery on the seat that she can live with. She plans on recovering them one day.

Way to go Cath, I love your trashing ways, you go girl!!

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Blue room

This is part deux of my bedroom makeover.

I've never had a reading nook in my room and I wanted my new blue velvet chair to stand out rather than be incorporated with the rest of my chairs in the living room.

Plus, the chair was being commandeered by both cats.

I took the brass table from off the balcony and plopped some books and one of my many lamps on it - and voila. I've already enjoyed a few readings in my little corner.


Speaking of blue, I've had this gorgeous blue beaded purse made in Belgium for about a decade - thrifted for a few bucks at a thrift shop in Ottawa.

The clasp is broken and frequently flops open, so I use it mainly for display.

It's too pretty to pile up with my other retro and vintage clutches so I will either hang it on the wall, or hang it from a drawer pull as I have here.

As with so many of my fave things, I love the way it sparkles.

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Hairy chairy

Remember the chair I recently bought (see this past M onday's post)?

I haven't had a chance to sit in it.

As you see here, Dag uses it as a bathing perch. Dinky frequently sleeps on it but I just happened to catch Dag in action the other day.

I'm only mildly annoyed, because it's just so cute that my kitties want to hang out in the new chair.

And Dag looks so darn cute doesn't it?

You can see that I've moved the chair and added a more comfy cushion, in anticipation of being able to watch the TV ....


Obviously, I haven't had a chance to do that yet.





When one of them does manage to vacate the blue velvet, I sometimes catch a glimpse - fleeting as it is - of cat hair matted over the seat.

Sigh.

Hopefully the novelty will wear off for the kiddies soon. Then maybe I'll get a chance to enjoy my "new" chair.

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She scored blue velvet

Do I need another velvet piece of furniture?

You know the answer to that one.

I found this bootiful chair in Leslieville and though it was more than I'd usually pay (ie: not free) I scooped it up.

The velvet is soo rich and in good condition, and the bones are really good - which means that after my cat Dag tears it to shreds I can reupholster it in some hearty fabric.

I'll write more on the shops in Toronto that surround the place where I picked this up - I'm writing the column today and will link to it here once it's published so you'll know where to go for antique/second hand furniture if you live in the big smoke!

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Decor & innocence

Kids love my apartment!

This is important to the Grunge Queen. One, I'm single and sans kids and always worry the little tykes will either destroy my apartment or swallow something tiny.


But more important, the fact that my tiny nieces and nephew visited my apartment yesterday and loved it - I believe my six-year old nephew called it "beautiful" - makes me rejoice in my design style and ethic.

See, Grunge Queen philosophy goes something like this: that you're happiest in your space when it's a reflection of you, your history and your tastes, and that injecting a bit of magic here and there is good for the soul.

Play is important here as a fun and self-affirming way of exploring your style is to tinker and toy around with items in your space until you come up with an arrangement that you love ... until you start playing again.

The elements of my apartment the kids were really jazzed about - the crystal ball, the swishy gold and satin pillows, the glittery purses hanging from my bureau ... basically anything shiny and shimmery - are exactly the decorative bits and bobs that attract me the most and that I seek out in thrift shops.

So what does that mean? My take? I'm a kid! The Romantic poets, particularly Wordsworth, wrote about capturing the innocence of youth that is invariably lost as one ages.



I suppose Wordsworth believed he could connect with his inner child through poetry. Just as I believe I can connect with my inner child through the creative endeavor of decorating and "playing" in my apartment.

Decor and innocence: what an amazing concept!

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Green sparkly velvet pillow

You may know by now my penchant for green velvet - I have a chair, and a Krohler loveseat you see here, both thrifted.

When I found this green velvet pillow with sparkly embellishments at the same store where I found my inexpensive sheet set (see a few posts below), I had to get it for my loveseat.

It was only $3.99.

It's a long-weekend in Canada this weekend, so let this pillow serve as a symbol of the rest, relaxation and fun I desperately need and am going to have this weekend!

Have a good one!

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My new dinner table

Thirty dollars.

When I was at my friendly neighborhood thrift shop, Stretch Thrift, and saw the price tag on this uber heavy solid wood dining table with slightly worn veneer on top, I was flabbergasted to say the least.

Why so cheap? A bit of wear and tear - charming in my opinion - but otherwise in fab condition.

Who cares, really? The purchase of the table coincides with my streamlining re-do. It confirms that Kelly's got her groove back, not to mention her thrifting Karma.

I can leave it as is, in its grungy worn state, or spruce it up when I'm feeling ambitious in the future.

I love the legs and the curves at the bottom.

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Romance & trash: my balcony project

Romance and trash? Definitely a doable combo.

Two things for my current patio project were given to me by men I've dated/am dating.

An ex gave me the silver hanging box planters - yes, he found them in the trash!

I plan on putting herbs in them. I know, it IS a little late in the season but I'm a novice balcony gardener, ok?







See, I even have the pebbles in the bottom, ready to go!

Mmm, come to think of it I got the pebbles from the business of the man I'm dating now.

And to be honest, he bought me my flowers and herbs, the sweetie.

After I told him I needed a tiny wrought iron table or some such thing for my patio project, 'lo and behold he found me this brass marble-topped table that was left behind.

Isn't it just perfect?

Romance and trash: it works. My legs are jelly, really!

Let's see if I can get him to drill holes in the concrete for my sheer curtains ... Grunge Queen isn't so handy....

Then I can make him dinner as thanks - and serve it on my new balcony!!

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Trash couch re-do

This is my couch re-do, my Barrymore loveseat found in the dumpster, slipcovered by Lisa Buckland and her crew at Potato Skins in Toronto!

Note: any scrunchy bits you see are the fault of the couch's owner, not the slipcover Gods at Potato Skins.


The fabric is a suede-like microfibre that wears well and doesn't pick up as much kitty hair - it also makes it more difficult for the little critters to scratch. I love the deep blue.




This is how it used to look before, with a shapeless velvety cover I bought from some department store over it.

You can see how scrunchy-bunchy it was.

And the cat hair - don't get me started.

Slipcovers can look just like reupholstered pieces, especially if you get the uber custom kind that zip on. My kind is the less expensive version where they measure the couch and make a piece of fabric that you drape and fold and then pin into place. I even had the cushion covered!



Speaking of cushions, don't you just love the gold lame circular pin-cushion pillow I picked up at the Sally Ann Thrift Store for $1.99?

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Tea party patio a la cheap

My patio project (see post below) has gotten me thinking of past patio projects - which have been few given I've lived in apartments for my time in Toronto.

Three summers ago when I was just getting in to freelance writing and junking in a big way, I wrote a piece on having a tea party in your outside space - from there I created a romantic tea party look on my ugly fire escape so I could have a pretty photo accompanying the article.

I hung up dollar store sheers to cover the icky white brick, plopped my fave piece of Ralph Lauren floral fabric over a ratty fold-up table I had painted red (same table will be part of this year's patio project!), and threw together some pretty tea cups and a silver tea set I found at the thrift shops. The gold-tone shawl hanging on the silver chair is still a fave for draping over chairs and such - I found that at Value Village for $6.99 or so.

Some creative touches: an old watch as a napkin holder; spray painting the wrought iron chairs silver and recovering them with fabric from a dollar store tablecloth!

I even made the crustless sandwiches for my photo shoot, which I styled myself (and broke my sister's borrowed camera in the process - talk about spending money to make money!).

Here's the article I wrote about putting it all together along with some tea trivia; just double click on it to get a better view:

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Sparkly drawer pulls inspire

I've been obsessed with sparkly glass drawer pulls for a long time now - what better way to jazz up a beat up curbside find? - but haven't been willing to pay the $18 EACH I've been seeing them for in stores.

A troll in the Beaches the other day unearthed a new shop with a whole counter of pulls - for way less coin than I've ever seen them!

In Nesters (2207 Queen St. East, 416-698-2207) I found these blue acrylic pulls for less than $3 each! There are also glass and ceramic ones for good prices.

Needless to say I bought a wack to add a bit of bling to this dark dresser - you can see the difference here.

The old faux tortoise shell pulls are lovely, but don't really do much for this dresser, you'll agree.

I ended up buying two too many just for the heck of it - I have a lot of dressers - and just before beddie-bye last night discovered a cool alternative use for these drawer pulls.

Can you guess? Check out some of my older posts, where I switch up lampshades and lampshade hardware to create entirely new looks!










You guessed it: a lamp finial! Doesn't it look like a little jewel on the top of my lamp? I love the way it's all illuminated.

The purple shade helps - I tried the drawer pull on a lamp with an off-white shade and it doesn't look as special.

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