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I was strangely drawn to this beetle — preserved forever in acrylic — when I saw it lurking on a shelf at the wildly eccentric Toronto vintage shop, The Chief Salvage (1493 Dundas Street West). Stocked with taxidermy, faded pennants, old photos, religious icons and a boatload of ephemera, The Chief summoned American designer Thomas O’Brien who has a special knack for composing vignettes incorporating everything from star charts to junk shop castoffs.

Yet when I combed through O’Brien’s book, American Modern, I found only two instances of butterflies, above, and even those were tenuous (notice the butterflies on the fireplace mantle, photos by Laura Resen).

Priced at $18, the beetle came home with me. It was one of those harbingers like a newly-learned word that suddenly starts appearing in everything you read. Soon, I began seeing bugs and butterflies in vintage shops far and wide, I even noticed them behind dealer Cindy MacCool in the portrait I shot of her in her Prince Edward County shop, MacCool’s Reuse.

In the latest New York Times Style mag (May 6) I spotted another example, below left (photos by Alix Browne), in the Amagansett home of model/stylist Tiina Laakkonen and Jon Rosen. Even the bedroom wallpaper sports butterflies.

Bug collecting or entomology as it is properly known, was a craze in Victorian England and some of the examples you’ll see in vintage shops today actually stretch all the way back to the 19th century.

Recently, I was scouting at The Salvage Shop (1492 Kingston Road) and I was mesmerized by a collection of bugs and butterflies for sale, priced around $40 – $60 for individual specimens, more for larger groupings.

Proprietor Roy Clifford showed me an astonishing butterfly collection he keeps housed in a neighbouring storage facility with drawers upon drawers of specimens so rare some of them are now extinct. Roy’s butterflies aren’t for sale; he says he does a good trade renting them out as props for TV and films.

Back at his shop Roy does have one butterfly for sale, below. I think Chocolate Albatross be a great name for a band and they could use a photo of the framed specimen for their CD cover. Or I could buy it to keep my beetle company, the yellow wings would go with my sofa.

In response to reader requests for a taste of what’s in store at the Wychwood Gallery this Saturday I canvased my hoarder/collector cohorts and received these images of what will be on offer. Nelson, Noguchi, Fabricius Kastholm, Robsjohn-Gibbings are just a few of the bold-face names you’ll find for sale at the second annual styleNorth garage sale.

Fellow decor blogger Tim Lam of Design Maze is joining the party with a first-rate selection of tasteful goodies including the rehabbed Louis chair above, a range of stylish fabric remnants, a George Nelson bubble lamp, a starburst mirror, a rattan coffee table base, custom cushions, and accessories galore.

My good friend Susan is bringing mid-century modern chairs, tables, lamps, ceramics, artwork and accessories.

Former vintage dealer Lin Gibson has done a major purge and has loads of great chairs, chairs and more chairs for sale, as well as lighting, decor books and mags, paintings, pillows, vases . . . you  get the idea.

I’m bringing my updated Robsjohn-Gibbings dining chair, some lamps, an art deco dressing table, a pair of Chinese ox blood stands, some artwork, decor books, the list goes on and on.

And finally, my decorating buddy Kevin has stockpiled an awesome selection of furniture, artwork and collectibles including a Clarice Cliff “My Garden” bowl, below left.

The styleNorth Garage Sale is a must for collectors, dealers, designers and home decorators. Last year’s event was a roaring success and this weekend’s sale is guaranteed to trump it. Hope to see you there at the Wychwood Gallery, 601 Christie Street (just south of St. Clair West), Saturday, May 19, 9 am – 2 pm.

On the weekend I made a reconnaissance sortie to Magiks Home Furnishings, a quirky little shop on Toronto’s Dundas Street West (near Dufferin). Proprietor Rodel San Miguel was very sweet: “Everything in the store is from the Philippines,” he said, “including me.”

The shop window proclaims, “Authentic. Majestic. Divine.” which struck me as a rather odd tagline until I went in and confronted the perplexing range of religious icons and statuary peppered among the plantation-style furnishings and lighting. “The Philippines is a very catholic country,” Rodel said solemnly, and then he explained a bit about the Spanish colonial tradition of folk art santos and bastidor sculptures, which he proudly sells.

Magiks’ lighting in particular caught my eye. Called kabuti, the woven table lamps range in price from $90 – $160 depending on size; the very impressive floor lamps are tagged at $595 and $995.

Rodel also carries some otherwordly barnacle lamps, below, priced from $250 to $300.

I see a lot of cushions in my travels but I’ve never seen any quite like the t’nalak pillows woven by the T’boli people of southern Philippines, priced from $60 – $90.

Made from the abaca plant, sometimes called Manila hemp, the fibers are smooth and shiny but not especially soft. Ikats are woven not printed and are a traditional motif; the beaded pillows are strictly decorative and utterly divine.

Rodel sells the t’nalak fabric at $30 per meter in 6-meter bolts and he has taken to sprucing up vintage chairs using the fabric for upholstery.

Nearly all of Rodel’s stock is exclusive to Canada so if you’re looking for accessories that are unique, exotic and most of all, well priced, I highly recommend a visit. The stools below are deceptively strong for items so light and airy and Rodel is practically giving them away for just $145 each. No wonder these are the last two in stock.

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Last week I was lucky enough to attend the press preview for the Art Gallery of Ontario’s new blockbuster exhibition, Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris. Culled from the artist’s own collection, this is the largest Picasso retrospective ever mounted in Canada.

There were lots of amazing paintings and sculptures among the 150 works on display although I have to say I found the show just a tad disappointing; the rooms felt dark and there was precious little text accompanying the work. What’s more, only a couple of paintings in each room had audio descriptions and those were more perplexing than enlightening. I don’t want to dissuade you from attending; the show is worthwhile, just keep your expectations in check.

One of the works that delighted me was Picasso’s cunningly simple sculpture of a bull’s head made from a bicycle seat and handle bars: the piece speaks to the current craze for taxidermy trophies with a welcome measure of humour.

As usual, I took special interest in the post-show gift shop and I was flabbergasted by the inexplicable selection of faux Parisian tchotchkes and assorted kitchen clutter, most of which had nothing, and I mean NOTHING to do with Picasso.

Yes, there were glasses, mugs and snack plates adorned with the master’s whimsical line drawings but generic candles, soaps and pillows? It felt like a Homesense tribute to Paris. Very weird.

Last year’s styleNorth garage sale was such a success we’re doing it again May 19 at the Wychwood Gallery in the Artscape Wychwood Barns (Wychwood Avenue, 1 block south of St. Clair West). I’ve pulled together several inveterate collectors with great stuff to pass along at fantastic prices. We’ve got chairs, tables, rugs, textiles, art, vases, lamps, decorative items, you name it. Sale starts at 9 am and we’ll be there until the last kick-knack is sold. So save the date and plan to join us . . . please. We’ve got to get rid of this stuff so we start all over again!

On a similar note, styleNorth reader and would-be dealer Kathy is clearing out stock from her online store, Kipkoo and she’s having a garage sale this Saturday (April 28) from 9 am – 4 pm at 1529 Dufferin Street (Dufferin and Davenport). Kathy promises her wares are “strange, stunning, charming, quirky and beautiful — come and discover the right item for you!”