I'm still here.

 I'm still here. Hi friends, I know it's been an absence. I've been working hard, and also enjoying life. I've undergone some lows and highs.

Let's start with the seasonal changes here in Northwestern Ontario. It's late November, and I am packing away the denim jackets and light cotton layers I wore during the heat of the summer and early fall.

Here are two outfits taken while I am seated in my car...first one is of me at the mall car park.  Shopping trips are becoming rarer, and therefore have become a treat and excursion. I am planning more carefully, so that I make fewer forays into our local shopping mall. I enjoy people watching, and being out and about. So I savour looking at merchandise and seeing what people are wearing. I also like striding about in indoor malls...which may soon become a thing of the past as shopping malls are increasingly loosing flagship stores. There are waves of longstanding stores which are dissappearing...shopping is changing. I have changed with it, I am allowing myself a budget to snap up well made clothing at liquidation sale prices.

me-made corgi mask, thrifted denim jacket, orange t-shirt (from store liquidation), blue camo jeans (from another store liquidation).

Outfit pic of me prior leaving the car to go to my job as a retail clerk in a women's wear shop. 

Abalone necklace from women's wear store liquidation, tank top from RW sales, thrifted Calvin Klein jeans, long lacy cardigan from sales.

I became suddenly unemployed in mid-May...and wanting to be frugal and not slide too deeply into debt, I picked up 3 part-time jobs (retail clerk, newspaper delivery person, and corner store cashier/prep cook). I enjoyed these adventures,  but thankfully I have secured an replacement full-time job.  One which pays more than my previous job, and ensures that I will survive financially. It's extremely difficult to support a household working minimum wage jobs, as it's impossible to find a job with full-time hours. I made the best of it though...and I'm still here. 

Here is what I learned about myself from my part-time jobs

1. I absolutely adore staging outfits, and presenting accessories and merchandise for sale. My favorite task as a retail clerk in a women's wear shop was opening up boxes of merchandise and arranging them for sale.

2. I love opening up mysterious boxes of inventory and exploring the contents.

3. I adore fashion, but I cherish well made clothing that is durable as well as stylish.

4. I thrive on working in a corner store/restaurant...the pressure of prepping food at high-speed is intoxicating.

5. I enjoy the peace and serenity of getting up extra-early and traipsing through neighbourhoods for 2 hours to deliver papers (except for Thursdays, when circulars add additional weight and bulk to my carrier bags, ugh!).

Assorted jean jackets and other clothing, all purchased second-hand.

Covid has not been an easy go for me. I haven't seen my kids in a long time as they live with their dad. A long term relationship also ended. And a career job suddenly disappeared. But I came back stronger, with a new relationship and a better job. I hope that you, my blogland friends, also persevere and survive. Perhaps you will discover new strengths, and new ways to enjoy life in quarantine.

I feel nostalgic as I pack away my summer wardrobe. But as the temperature dip, Mother Nature is giving us a taste of frosty weather...time to unpack cozy sweaters, tights, thicker trousers and leggings, and long jackets. I also plan to unpack my festive clothing. My boyfriend and I may not be going out to Christmas parties...but I will be damned if I don't dress up in my glittering finery.

happy thrifting ;)

Door rehab.

I've been filling in holes and gouges.  That is the first stage of rehabilitation at the door hospital.

I'm fixing a stack of doors.

Literally, a stack.

Before applying filler.

After filler application.

I vow, I will never, ever, take a smooth, nicely-painted door for granted again.

The good news about repairing doors, is that I get to make Pinteresty improvements.

Measure twice.

Measure a rectangle, score the lines, mark with painter tape, and apply two coats of blackboard paint.

Ugh, I hate paint bleeds!

Stay tuned for more door rehab!

happy thrifting ;)

The Kitten Bride, Spanish Garden and other Treasures

Two weeks ago I took a breather away from the renovation at the lodging house. My head was achy, and I've been a tad feverish. So I took the afternoon off and had a nap (best afternoon ever!). Later I popped to the chazzas to see what could be had.

I headed to housewares.

Advertising mugs.

Kitten bride.

Souvenir dish.

Crystal decanter with rhinestones.

Hello! What is that I spy?

Woo-hoo!  Nothing is sweeter than finding more bits to my Spanish Garden Midwinter collection!!

These plates came home with me for $1 each.

I already own a Spanish Garden sugar bowl. It holds my make-up remover pads.

Mod martini glasses.  They didn't come home with me.

This jewelery did!  I can hardly wait to crack out my pretty dresses so that I can pile the jewelery on!

Dangly earrings, vintage thermoset necklace, statement necklace.

Back to the grind!

happy thrifting ;)

3 month renovation check-in

Hello friends! Welcome to the 3 month check in.

In mid-February the renovations at the lodging house began in earnest..we began removing old, battered drywall.

Later, new materials arrived.

New drywall and insulation!

New windows!!

New switch plate covers!!

This is what $600 worth of GFI electrical outlets look like.

Gasp!

Lots of new materials are going into the renovation, which means that lots of old stuff is coming out!!

Like this cast iron bathtub (it weighs about 300 pounds).

And these old windows.

And lots of garbage!!

I feel like this post (and the renovation) should be sponsored by caffeinated beverages from McDonald's.

I'm saving these bits of drywall, and insulation. They'll be used for small repair jobs later.

We removed a lot of scrap metal.

Jackpot! I found a great deal on curtain rods at our Habitat for Humanity!  They are still in the box!!

We removed a LOT of old appliances from the building.  Some of the collection is outside, waiting to be picked up.  I used to refer to the building as the "dead appliance museum".

Have a cuppa on me everyone!

happy thrifting ;)

Organizing Thrifty

Happy Chinese New Year, ya'll!

The new year is traditionally a time where consumers sort out their belongings, and purchase high-priced organizing solutions.

I choose not to over-spend on storage solutions.  If I wait long enough, I'll find what I need at a second-hand store.

I have lots of clothes.  

And don't get me started on my purse collection! 

I used to store my overflow clothing in these plastic drawers.

$20 on sale at Walmart.

A few weeks ago, I found this fabulous wardrobe from Habitat for Humanity Restore.  All the contents from the plastic drawers fit into one of the drawers.  I have room to grow, hurrah!

Vintage Lane Wardrobe, $100

Did I mention that I have a plethora of purses?  I store them in suitcases.

This suitcase is a metal steamer trunk.

Aren't these leather handbags fabulous?

The remaining purses went in this suitcase.

Now I need to sort out my boot socks and my tights.

My overflow scarves went into a thrifted basket.

Here is a picture of my storage.  Items I use everyday are in easy reach.  Other items are stored up, and out of the way.  I hope you like the way it looks.  It's nice to have things organized in an interesting, eclectic way.  

The steamer truck was thrifted for $40. The suitcases and basket were thrifted for $6 each. The wardrobe was $100.

Be careful when purchasing furniture and suitcases.  Bedbugs can lurk in dark corners.

Other thrifted finds include this nice selection of china.

Royal Albert, fine bone china for a few dollars each, hurrah!

Crystal glasses for $1 each.

Vintage expo67 Canada Day ashtray for $4

Selection of CDs, DVDs, Toby mug and earrings.

Even though my jewellery collection has taken over several cupboards and the top of my dresser.  I had been eyeing these earrings above for weeks.

I bought the earrings, and a few other treasures very cheaply.  The Loft crystal necklace, crystal heart necklace, zipper necklace and cloisonee clamper bracelet came home with me for $3 each.

This month I knitted several infinity scarves.  You can loop the scarf several times around your face and neck to keep out the cold.

One friend kindly commented that the scarves I made are nice enough to be sold!  Well, perhaps I will while my time away knitting for profit once I complete more urgent projects ...hah!

Happy organizing everyone! I hope you all enjoy a happy and prosperous 2017!!  Cock-a-doodle-doo!!

happy thrifting ;)