Retro bling x 3 for under 2 bucks!

I woke up the other morning with this phrase in my head: wonderful pillows are to couches as great jewellery is to an outfit.

In other words, I can't afford a new couch or a new outfit, but I sure can jazz things up with a new pillow (ok, used, see post from two days ago) and new (used) bling.

So, after unloading a bunch of necklaces at my Grunge Queen Stuff Sale a few weeks ago, I stocked up on retro costume jewellery the other day at my no. 1 neighborhood thrift store, Stretch Thrift (see Top 10 Toronto Thrift Stores posts from last week).

How could I leave this retro silver tone choker necklace by Coro that Mary in the shop let me have ... for .50 cents??

Or this gold-tone retro choker by Monet, again for .50 cents?

The segments look like little fishies, don't they?

I love the weight of this piece - a trait I always look for when buying retro bling. The more substantial, the older, I find, and more expensive looking.

Mary upped the ante when she told me she wanted .69 cents for this three-tier gold tone strand necklace by D'Orlan.

But I took a deep breath and decided to go for it.

Three fab pieces to make countless outfits even better, all for $1.69!

Maybe one or two will be holiday gifts ....

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Petals on my paws: boho bear

Please meet Mr. Boho Bear.

He's my latest crush.

I picked him up at an artisan show this weekend.

He was a steal: only $25.

Best part: he was made by a lady in London, Ontario from recycled wool coats. An older lady who works with her sews silk flowers on his torso, ears and paws.

Ain't he adorable?


Wish I could say you can find him online, or in a shop near you, but that's the nature of the biz with some artisans: they sell at shows only or out of their home, and have no website.

Still, I love this little guy so much, and the fuzzy bears made out of recycled fur coats, that I may just see if we can get these bears into some shops in T.O. Boho Bear needs a pal, bigtime.

I have the lady's card and email, so if you love what you see and want your own Boho Bear please email me and I'll pass on her phone no.

Have a great day!

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Boho pillow, late Victorian fabric?

Here's THE pillow, purchased at Around the Block in Toronto (see yesterday's post) for a mere $30.

It's green velvet - not surprising considering my decor fetish for blue and green velvet.

Warren, the shop owner, told me the fabric was early century and that the owner has someone make it into a pillow. The pillow is huge, sturdy and firm and has these lovely tassles that have been sewn all around it - so boho pretty.

Something like this would have been BIG bucks new at a decor or custom design shop. I've seen handmade pillows for over a hundred bucks!

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Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops, Finale!

Ok fellow grungers, so these last two listings aren't thrift shops per se, but they're pretty fab place to pick up some thrifty-type finds, and I haven't really covered the midtown area in Toronto (there are a couple thrift shops here, like Sally Ann and Goodwill on St. Clair Ave. West, but since I've already covered those I'm not writing them up.). Here's 9 and 10:

Midtown:

9). Bead Goes On
256 Soudan Ave. (just off Mt. Pleasant Rd).
416-481-7622

This is one of the teeniest shops I've ever seen but every time I hit Mt. Pleasant I check it out. Owner Cyndi is a blast and her collection of vintage and retro handbags, jewellery and some clothing and accessories is to die for. You can find every style and era from Victorian to Art Deco, everything from vintage croc bags for a couple hundred bucks to Hermes scarves for $150. Natch, I eke out the inexpensive costume jewellery, like the Sarah Coventry ring pictured here, bagged for $15, or the 1970s carpet clutch also pictured here, about $40.

10). Around the Block
1903 Avenue Rd.,
416-546-1760
www.aroundtheblock.com

I hit Avenue Rd.north of Lawrence Ave. West every few months and always find something in this fab decor and accessory consignment shop - the prices have been around the block too! There's everything from original art to Persian carpets and dining room sets, and the bonus is the decorative accessories like vases and lamps are super well-priced. There's also some good costume jewellery with more expensive baubles under glass. You can see a full review I did as a shopping columnist if you go to their website ....

Recent finds: Uber worn Persian style runner rug, in rare blue tones, for $95 (pictured here: can you spot the kitty?). My cats can scratch away on it all they like! Just the other day I found a WONDERFUL boho Victorian pillow here ... that I'm saving to show you in tomorrow's post!

Night night!

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Grunge Queen in Toronto Star Weekend Living today!

I love Rita Zekas from the Toronto Star newspaper - she writes a quirky shopping column (like moi) called Store Gazing (makes sense; she was the Star's former entertainment writer) and another fab decor column called DecoRita.

I pitched Rita on a fun concept: Men don't bring me flowers; they bring me trash!

Check out the link below for Rita's visit to the apartment of yours truly (and no, my cat's name is not Bag - it's Dag, though come to think of it, Bag is kinda cute ... I suppose the name would make a certain amount of sense given my trashy tendencies and shopping!), and thanks to Rita for a really fun afternoon:


http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/727121

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Top 10 Toronto Thrift Stores, part 4

I'm winding down my Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops today and tomorrow. Lest you think I shop solely in the east end, the next two days I'm listing west end thrift shops and midtown consignment and retail shops with a thrifty edge ....

(Apologies btw, that the links to stores aren't working - Blogger seems to be showing everything in html coding when I create a post, including links --- help??).

My 7th and 8th picks:

7). Salvation Army Thrift Store
1219 Bloor Street
416-533-9553
http://thriftstore.ca

It's a smaller store by Sally Ann standards, but it rocks. There's not a ton of furniture but I've found great jewellery, brand new lampshades, and lots of wonderful clothing. The trick, of course, is going regularly. The Sally Ann, you may know, is an international Christian organization that provides social services to vulnerable people. The thrift stores rely on donations and proceeds from the store go back into funding SA programs. SA is 125 this year!

Best finds: Theory red cashmere ladies' sweater for $6.99 (brand new and still had Holt Renfrew tag on it read $299.00!!); Matt & Nat handbag in mint condition, $4.99; tons of great 1970s costume jewellery bling such as a beautiful mood ring with a patent number stamped on the back and another fab gold-tone ring (pictured up top), $3.99 each; and (pictured here) a Tara Jarmon Made in France blazer (dug up at the Parkdale store, a close second)for $4.99 that would retail for $500-600!!


8). Eldorado Second Hand Store
482 Roncesvalles Ave.,
416-531-7244

A Polish lady and her kitty preside in this second-hand shop, where you can pick up items for .50 cents to a buck. I've never found any designer pieces here but it's a good place to pick up basics. There's a back jean room where jeans are heaped into a big pile; I haven't had luck in that room but I keep hoping. I did find a MEXX rain jacket for a buck and a cool 1970s skirt for .50 cents. My absolute finito best find: a HUGE reversible wool are rug for $5 pictured here - a fiver, I kid you not!

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Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops, part 3

Sorry I missed yesterday; here's part 3 of my Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops, starting with number 5 ....

East/Central:

5). Value Village
2119 Danforth Avenue
416-698-0621
www.valuevillage.ca

It’s more expensive than Stretch Thrift or Sally Ann, but the selection is there and let’s put it this way: VV is a for-profit enterprise and it’s its job to get you good stuff. Still, I'd shop carefully ... Bongo Jeans can be close to $20 here where I’ve found them for $5.99 at other places.

Best deals: I always raid the jewellery cases as I’ve found some gorgeous retro and even vintage pins for a couple bucks – these tend to be underpriced compared to the sterling stuff (though the pin pictured above IS sterling and was bagged for a few bucks at VV). Often – and like many other thrift shops – the pricing gods at VV will underprice a well-made designer piece as they don’t know its value – meanwhile the mass market stuff is overpriced.

Best finds: 1970s boho velvet & paisley blazer, $7.99; scads of fab, mostly retro costume jewellery for $5-10 each; two Oriental style lamps for $24.99 each; Nine West booties in mint condition for about $14.99. Bonus: donate a substantial bag of stuff and you get 20 percent off.

6).Neat Things
1126 Queen St. East,
416-778-9453

This shop is jammed packed with furniture, decorative accessories, art, and other baubles. Leave the kids at home as there's too much bric-a-brac precariously balanced, and make sure you call first as owner Ellen's hours aren't always stringent. I love this place, though, and have spent good quality time rooting through everything. The prices are really reasonable, and there's no telling what you could find. My best finds: Liberty of London scarf - beautiful - for a couple bucks; retro Italian suede bag with red leather interior, for about a fiver if memory serves. P.S. There's a string of antique shops along this block with heaps of furniture and decorative accessories...

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