Stuff and junk

Just writing about the photos I happen to be on my phone. Trapped under my nearly six month old baby. These are my most recent thrifted acquisitions. Mostly clothes for my three year old, and a few useful items. The glass candle holder is either a Kosta Boda Snowball or a decent knock off and for $0.35 I couldn’t leave it behind, now I have three to use on our table in winter and while this is the cheapest so far the others weren’t much more. I my grand total for this whole lot was just over $20.

Of course I also picked up some jewellery. Wasn’t much there but I liked these ones. I’ve been gravitating towards chunky 90s pieces more than ever before, though true antiques will always be my first love. The top two pictured here are by Monet and the bottom faux pearl brooch is marked AS, a maker I don’t instantly recall so I’ll have to do some searching these were $2, $2, and $1.50 I think for the pearl, but honestly can’t remember which was the cheaper one. But the Monet brooch was definitely $2.

It was nice to get out and ramble. At least one person in my household has had a cold during the last month or so! This makes it tough to get any down time, especially if the combination includes me and the kids!

Everybody keeps talking about all this extra time at home but being on maternity leave little has actually changed for me. Obviously some new anxieties etc. But day to day, other than my husband being home, it is basically the same.

That aside I found a little time to play with some jewels. I pulled them together from the various locations I had them stored. At one time I didn’t appreciate this style of vVictorian Scottish Agate jewellery but now I love it. This is my tiny collection (minus on piece that is in one of my repair piles, something I’ve been slowly tackling but I don’t always have the necessary items for the fix on hand). The start to this collection really was the double heart brooch. I lucked into it at a local consignment store for $20.  It’s unmarked but I believe it to be silver.  I actually bought several pieces that day. I go frequently but I haven’t found a windfall like that since.

Here’s a photo of the back. I love the closed setting on the centre stone. I need to learn more about stones but I imagine it could be a cairngorm. I think it is also foil backed, which is an old style of enhancing stones, I’d been looking for an example when I found this.

These pieces are resting on a jewellery box I picked up at a flea market over the winter. The seller had owned it a long time and said it came from the estate of a woman named Elizabeth May (unknown middle name initial V).  Elizabeth is my first name and I have some distantly related Mays in my past ansectry,  no know Elizabeth’s but I like to think maybe we are related. Clearly I had to bring this home. It was also a bargain though it too needs a little repair.

Hello again world

It’s been forever since I’ve posted.  Life just got in the way I guess.  It’s been wonderful though,  life that is. But while I haven’t posted I have been out thrift in up a storm. Possibly too much but who’s to say?

My main love is jewellery because honestly it’s easier to fit in my home but this last weekend I purchased a painting I’m kind of in love with.  It is marked Brekstad 1938 in the bottom right and I suspect was painted by the gentleman who’s estate was being cleared. I didn’t get to this sale early but I think things were big brought out all day because I went back on day two and found this for only 2 dollars.

It’s very naive and I have to rarrange my art wall. But I needed to do that anyway so this is excellent motivation.

I got a few other sparkly treasure but I only took pictures of a few. I purchased this little cluster from the same lady. I think my favourite pieces are the cut steel buckles and the cupid porcelain brooch.

Some sales this weekend

I’ve been lazy lately. Not with buying but with posting. However this past weekend I had a very tiny but thrilling jewellery haul I wanted to share. Such a manageable size it all fits in one photo.

I got the little 10k ring and sterling agate at the first sale for only 1$ each. I actually offered a bit more but she talked me down.

Another sale yielded this 10k engraved cross. It’s more rose gold than yellow and based on the style and marking it is, I think, Victorian. It belonged to the woman’s grandmother and I found it in this box tucked inside a sewing box at the sale. She quoted me $5 and I had to have it. I’m not religious so I don’t usually wear crosses but this one is so lovely I may make an exception.

Lastly two tiny charms at $0.50 each. I’m pretty sure the typewriter is marked 925 and the other is Quebec modernist designers De Passillé-Sylvestre. I have a growing collection of their work, and some other Canadian modernists, so I was happy to add to it!

We went to more than 3 sales but this is all I came away with. Great for both my wallet and my living space!

Happy Monday!

Surprise I went thrifting

I had the week off work and since I’m on a stay-cation I felt totally justified running around town spending my money at thrift stores. I also had lunch/coffee wih folks and got a hair cut so I wasn’t too single minded.

There were a few places where I didn’t purchase anything but all in all I’m really happy with what I did get! I think I went to about 11 thrifts and antique stores this week.

Here is what I purchased. Sorry for the blurry photos. I wasn’t planning to post when I took them and am too lazy to take new ones right now.

I have trouble resisting a vintage jewellery box and this one was basically free since I had my $5 card filled up. (Also it was technically $5) the little dish on top is sterling silver from Birks and was only 75 cents. It needs a little polish but nothing can’t handle.

I scored a set of Bodum cups for 75 cents each (just lke the ones on TNG so that made my fella happy) and a glass jar that matches the others in our kitchen.

I also got a few articles of clothing and some jewellery but the jewellery didn’t photograph well so I’ll share that another time.

The blue sweater is super soft and the floral tank is perfect for summer which, despite the 50 tons of snow this week, I have to believe is on its way. Of course a black blouse. Can’t have too much black right?

I have a few other finds I love that I’ll share later.

This weekend holds one more sale from the local antique association. Fingers crossed I end my holidays with even more good luck!

Recent finds

I’ve been bad about posting but I haven’t stopped finding. I’ve had some really sweet finds not all of which I’ll share right now… but I’ve had some excellent bracelet scores both new and vintage though all secondhand that I’m super excited about. Maybe it’s the thought of spring and I’m. Just gravitating towards them. I don’t tend to wear bracelets in the winter because of all the coats and large bangles can get sweaty in the peak of summer.

Here they are:

The first photo is two laminated bracelets i picked up in different locations but side by side. I also picked up a narrower one with green grass in it (not pictured). I have been admiring this style at local craft and art sales but they’ve been out of my price range, but this past month I stumbled across three at various thrifts!

One of my favourites is the rhinestone encrusted celluloid bracelet. This is an area of my plastic collection that is sadly lacking. but this sweet little lady brings up the ante.

 

I managed to score all these lovelies from the one vendor. The brown bakelite sadly has a tiny chip and the pearl enamel has a broken clasp but they were both too good a price to leave behind. The orange and thin marbled bangle are also bakelite and the whole pile here only set by back $15! You can see that only one of the three chain bracelets has a clasp but this I can fix so I hardly consider that a flaw. I’ve worn most of these already even though I’m still stuck wearing a coat. 🙂

Here be dragons. Well, dragon.

So another recent find is this little dragon ring. I picked him up at Value Village which I almost never go to because to be honest they kind of suck and the prices aren’t great. But this little guy had to come home with me. He’s hollow and has no marking but looks like a low grade silver. The orange eyes and tongue are glass.

And here is the back. Because I always want to flip things over. Side note, ceramic artists are the worst for this but the best is when they flip over mugs that still have liquid in them. 😉

Yep, they’re birds now.

I recently picked up these two pendants. To be honest I don’t know what else they could be except for birds. But I just loved them. A quick fix turned them into earrings!

They have no markings and it would be wonderful if they turned out to be a precious metal, like say gold. I won’t hold my breath but I might pretend they are because it’ll make me feel fancy and it never hurts to feel fancy!

What attracted me to them in the first place was the vaguely antique style to them. Like something out of ancient Greece. But I might be projecting since I recently saw Olympus at the WAG. I’ll have to keep an eye out for new hooks though because these ones I had are a slightly different gold. But they’ll work for now.

Let’s try this again

Okay so it’s been awhile and basically I never really started but its a new year so why not try again.

Let’s talked  about this little locket I recently found. I had an amazing day where I went to a few of my favourite stores and came out with a treasure from each one. I actually felt a little guilty getting so many good things. But the scales were balanced when I went out the next week and found almost nothing. Helps with the guilt.

This little blue guilloche locket has seen better days as the enamel is chipped on both sides near the hinge but it is still super wearable and significantly more affordable then any I’ve seen online. I lucked out as it had just been put out. I didn’t find the markings until I got home and I still haven’t deciphered them but both the seller and are were certain it is sterling.

I’ll have to get out a better magnifying glass…or maybe just better eyes.

You can just make out the markings on the bail. It really doesn’t matter what they say since it’s mine and I’m not giving it up anytime soon but I love the research anyway!

Hello world!

Hello Internet!

This is my first real foray into blogging and I’ve started because I want a place to share and record the many things I love. I hope to pull together the many different things..or elements… that make me say YES! Such as family, friends, food, home, thrifting, jewellery and art just to name a few.

I plan to have fun here and I hope you do too. Welcome!