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Tag Archive | "Thrift"

It’s a Small World (After All)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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My friend Susan was over a couple of weeks ago to drop off a Craigslist purchase she very kindly volunteered to pick up for me since she was in the area on a CL run of her own. With the new chairs — a client purchase — temporarily in my space, and Liza's coffee table jacked up on my dining table the place looked more like a workshop/storage space than a home. And while Suz chuckled at the state of things she later sent me the photo above of her own dirty little secret. "Filtering, downsizing, editing, whatever you call the act of getting rid of superfluous furnishings, great buys and awesome next projects, the fact remains that a purge, no matter how necessary can be bloody hard to accomplish," writes Susan.

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Do It Yourself Tray Table

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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When I'm thrifting, I always keep my eyes open for great table legs, even if they're attached to a piece-of-crap top. The legs above are a case in point: I found them at Value Village a few weeks ago attached to an Arborite top so crummy I balked at the $9.99 price tag. But the legs were awesome and I knew they'd be a great match for my daybed so I plunked down my tenner. I intended to use the legs on another project but they weren't quite tall enough so I decided to turn them into the little side table, above, with the addition of a brass tray I already owned.

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A Collector Restrained

Friday, September 30, 2011

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For an inveterate collector — her daughter calls her a hoarder — Larysa Fenyn is remarkably restrained. Her basement has become a storage facility, albeit a neat one, and if you open any of her numerous cabinets or credenzas you’ll find row upon row of high-quality trinkets. But on the surface at least, her centre hall home in Toronto’s Royal York neighbourhood is carefully curated. “I hate clutter,” she tells me as she leads me through her sunny rooms. On a sideboard stands a shimmering art glass plate and three shapely, black candle holders. Larysa has many others, some in teak, some white, but her display has been paired back to this. I admire her willingness to edit.

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Suburban Style on the Cheap

Monday, September 12, 2011

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Considering how much time we both spend buying and selling on Craigslist, it was probably inevitable that my path would intersect with Denise Reed’s eventually. I met Denise on a CL call to buy a small desk/vanity that I intend to makeover as a styleNorth project in the weeks ahead. As we conducted the transaction in her foyer I remarked on how lovely her home was and in particular I admired a mid-century table and chairs visible from the entryway. Denise said she’d found the table at an auction and bought the chairs on Craigslist and that’s when I knew I’d be pitching her on letting me do a house tour.

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The Circle of Stuff

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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The world wide web is nothing if not tangled and, of course, endlessly surprising. While researching The Arthur I followed a link to another local blog called The Marion House Book where I saw the photo above (by Kristin Sjaarda) featuring what could very well be the school map of Canada that used to hang in my former home office. What's really weird is that the entry hall in the top pic belongs to a couple named Hayley and Greg, both described on the blog as journalists. It also so happens that I was interviewed by a Globe and Mail reporter named Hayley Mick for a story she was writing about second-hand bargain hunting. Marion House author Emma confirms that her Hayley is indeed my Hayley.

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