What a difference a couple of inches make....

The kitchen is half the size of the one I had when we lived in the burbs....

so when we moved we just plunked the microwave in the corner that made sense at the moment.

Of course I forgot to take a before picture....

This is where the microwave was before and the utensil pot was on top of it.

 This is the microwave new home.

It gets along great with the jadeite bowl, the vintage timer,

the vintage match holder and the report jadeite S&P

It will look ever better once everything will be painted....

We should start next month by sections.....

Also I wanted to share this picture full of precious cacti.

It is from a little cafe near my job.

I pass by every morning and last week they had all these adorable cacti in the window!

I want them All!

Next day they were gone...

Crazy enough there's no more snow here in Montreal...

Usually we should be suffocating in snow...

we woke up to freezing rain...later it turned to rain

Winter coats are too warm to wear!

I hope spring is around the corner!  

Out thrifting....

I haven't been thrifting in a long time...I would like to say forever, but that is just not true

Saturday we decided to go on a road trip...first Lake Placid...changed our minds because of weather and politics....

then we opted for Cornwall, Ontario and then i saw the weather update...not good a foot of snow or more...

so that is when we opted for Valleyfield, Qc.....My Dad lived there as a child, we had a VR there for some years and it is still an area we enjoy...

First off here some things I left....

 I was tempted by the fondue plates...

I have been craving cheese fondue and chinese fondue...

 Nice Corelle teapots plus a Pyrex coffee pot

 I had never seen plastic Cinderella bowls...Unknown maker.

 Those kitties were a hoot but too expensive at $10 each....

 The 4 bowls were $20. A good price but I already have them..

 These are the goodies that came home with me....

A large Fireking Jadeite bowl, a stainless steel tissue box cover,

a vintage S&P set (corn) , a vintage tin and a big beer glass.

The shakers were .50 the pair, the tissue box cover was $5 (great because retail they

sell for $30-$35), the tin and the glass were free....

My biggest find was the bowl!

That dealer had no idea what that was and he let me have it for

$5. Yes $5!!!! WOOT!

I'm keeping the bowl for the time being....

Here's a close up from the tin....

It felt really good to go for a car ride, to thrift, to hang out....

NICE!

Till next time! 

No Way!

The finish line is almost there....We are 85% packed.

Most address changes are done and we started moving the pantry! All the cans are in their new homes.

The pool will be closed this weekend by a pro as requested by the buyer. This pool will be missed!!!

Today I wanted to share something I saw in the grocery store freezer....

  Poutine bites!!!

 Crispy potato ,cheese and Poutine sauce

all conviniently frozen in case you get a craving.

 3 bites for 110 calories

I can't believe some yahoo invented that!

I won't be spending my hard earned money on that.

On the thrifting front....Last night we brought 6 bags at Value Village

and I was rewarded with a 30 % off card.

                                I brought home these cuties....LOVE!
                                Fireking cereal bowls love!

                                Got to get ready for tomorrow, sleep tight my friends

Seen Around

So yesterday we took a car load of treasures to Brockville, Ontario.

I know, I know we have thrifts in Quebec, but for the most part I think volunteers don't know anything about vintage and throw stuff away if it is not new enough. I heard : Throw it out it's junk! more than once in the last few months....

Which might explain why my garage sale didn't go so well....

I had made the promise not to buy stuff unless it was A MUST! A Pyrex I've been looking for or something we need...But I took pictures....

 A beer cap wising well....wat floors me is not that someone drank all that beer....but that person had the vision to keep them all and build an ugly ass wishing well!

 But it was all made from Molson Canadian beer caps! How patriotic!

 As you might know, I have a HUGE vintage astray addiction....And I am a non-smoker (go figure).But
this one gave me the wheelies....It looked like a sci-fi  creature....
 

 Tis I really liked and nearly dragged home...Miss V take a deep breath and remember the promise....

  I also like tacky travel souvenirs and what better than this tacky tray from the Notre Dame de Lourdes
sanctuary in Rigaud, Quebec....It is near my house!

  That bowl was unmarked but really sad looking....so I will give it its 2 minutes of fame....

 I really like this fondue kit, all bright, orange and vintage....and quite a steal at $4.99! The promise, the PROMISE!

 A sweet Fireking casserole waiting for a home....Now even if I am not a huge fan of Fireking I love this pattern...

I like the look of a vintage globe I find that the $24.99  price tag was ridiculous!

We had great fun and a great day and can't wait to pack more boxes!

Holy Jadeite Batman!!!

Thursday night at my usual weekly thrifting venture, my eye caught a glimpse of a familiar and very loved color....

So I saw one, no two, no four , no eight....OMG 10 Fireking jadeite mugs....

What? WHAT?? WHAT???

Are my eye deceiving me??? Then it hit me! I should just shut up ad scoop them up while nobody was taking an interest!

While I was putting them in my cart, a lady told me....You know, these are very old and made of Pyrex!
                                             This is truly once in a lifetime find!

                                           I'm still pincing myself about this find

                                  An orgy of Jadeite goodness

                               To tell you the truth, I paid such a low price for these that I'm doubting these are
                               real, they might be repros. But then I think that the people that work at               Renaissance don't kow shit about these things , so they might be totally real!
                                
                               I compared one with one I already had and I can't say I see a difference.
                              
                              So I will be keeping 2 and putting the balance in the shop.

                              If someone is interested, just contact me and I'll be happy to wheel and deal.

                             Tonight I'll be attempting to prepare oven baked french toast, so I'll keep you posted about that!

                                Sleep peacefully

Thrifted!

So my staycation is nearly over...and it was a fabulous one!

Next year a staycation it will be, but 3 weeks of gardenning,laughter,car rides,naps and restaurants.

I got a thrifting surprise yesterday as we were early for a restaurant reservation and Dan said : I'll drop you off at Renaissance....Thrifting? Yes sir!

                               Here's my loot.
                               A 7UP Uncola glass (I always like those) A Rosti melamine utensil holder, if
                              you ask me it would make a rad vase!
                             A salt pig, these are all the rage on the cooking shows and I wanted to try one for a while so I figured 1.50$ was better than 20$. If I don't like it it will go to the church basement in a jiffy. And last but not least a cute Fireking cereal bowl....I will keep it for myself!

                             Oh I forgot! I also found a tackylicious Xmas decoration for my cubicle!

                            Well the break is over! We are prepping for a BBQ family gathering later this afternoon, I gotta keep cooking and must chill some drinks!

                            Have a sunny saturday!

Lovely!

I just remembered I never shared a picture of the finished telephone corner, vintage loveliness!

I know the baseboards are still not finished....lol

Someone I know made me a promise last night....

We'll see.

Now on another subject....

With all the Fireking mugs I've been buying and selling, I've just realized

something awful, something that will surely anger the Pyrex gods!

I'm not too crazy about Pyrex cups, and neither is Dan!

I was told last week that the Fireking mugs were bigger and more comfortable!

You know what that means?

It means culling the Pyrex cup collection!!!

I'll be keeping one of each pattern of course plus one or two faves.

So far the Butterfly Gold are already in a box for the church basement....

Bye Bye!

Welcome you beautiful Fireking mugs! 

More Mug Joy!

We're in the middle of a scorcher in western Quebec, by scorcher I mean 97 F in the shade! For me it's way too warm, and I have problems dealing with the humidity. I have problems breathings me SUPER CRANKY!

Thank god I had the presence of mind to schedule the A/C's installation and the pool is not ready but running fine (so far). There is a lot of finger crossing and praying! If you've followed my blog for a while you know about the adventures of pool girl!

So here's the balance of last saturday's pictures...

 I did mention I'd bought a lot of mugs!

I saw those in the Fireking book. Worth at least 15$ each! Yikes!

Anyways I'm keeping them because they're just too cute!

 This is soooo Mad Men. It definitely makes me want to serve cocktails!

(every time it happens to me, I'm missing an ingredient!)

Last but not least this cute blowmold!

No Dad it's not on the patio anymore (He's still in shock from the blowmold herd by the pool)

In case you never saw that pic here it is for your viewing pleasure!

  It is a tad white trash, but what can you do?

It is what it is.

(I should take a pic from that same area to prove it's not as hillbilly)

By  the way that green chair is to die for! We cleaned it good and left it outside to freeze the possible

buggers , sprayed vodka on it (It kills odours) and applied furniture shampoo on it.

I'll share some pics soon!

Remember this : Carpe Diem (Seize the day)

Mexican Lasagna...CHECK!

Ok well I was a bit too optimistic! LOL those things happen!

Last night I ....caught up with the wash, soaked the black beans (and cooked them), pre-cooked the ground beef and defrosted the green pepper. I also blogged, finished packing one of those giant plastic bins and fetched some seedling soil and pots for the tomato plants.I downloaded music and fixed one of my favorite brooch.

Then I kinda collapsed and  just vanished for the night.

This morning I washed those wool covers and dried them on the clothes line, finished cooking the mexican lasagna (also known as enchilada casserole). Took plenty of pics, ans listed some stuff. We ate lunch and them it hit me: The sore throat was back and I was sooo tired! What kind of crappy cold is that? PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! I HAVE BEEN SICK FOR 2 WEEKS NOW! GO AWAY YOU STUPID COLD!

Ok enough! Now for some pics!

Mexican lasagna just put in the oven.

Now for some of those thrifty finds from the last weeks....

A super sunshiny recipe box.

                                           A Glasbake Lipton mug. Funny these were given as a bonus when you bought Lipton soup. Those are barely big enough for a cuppa joe! But it's pink and I've always had a soft spot for these...this one has a lot of wear, which I couldn't see because of the crud, but it was .59cents so that is okay.

                                My first lab Pyrex! How cool is that? It was .99cents. I wanted to pick some daffodils to put in it, but that is about when I got real tired....so maybe tomorrow.

I got this bag at the Cornwall Sally Ann. It was love at first sight! I'm still over the fence if I'm going to use it or sell it...But I love it, it's sooooo cute!

This was a gift. A Mother's Day gift. Dan came home last night all proud and couldn't keep it 'til tomorrow. It's a delicious Fireking bowl with Dominoes!

I was really touched by this little bowl and the tought behind it. Let's face it I am not a mother (except to the kitties).OMG don't tell me this is my next collection?

                                                        Thank you Dan I love the bowl :)

Tomorrow I hope to be full of energy and be able to work a bit outside. I hope the weather will cooperate as well!  

Still Pissed OFF!

I must admit that I'm still pissed OFF about the Pyrex feature in Country Living. Every time one of those 'well meaning' magazines publishes something about Pyrex, thte prices soars and they are so much harder to find! The first moron to do that was our friendly neighbourhood busybody , the one and only Martha! If she had left good enough alone we would be able to buy jadeite and Pyrex for pennies. Yes I know Rachael Ray is in the same boat.
And no way the prices are accurate for the Pyrex. If it was I would be able to buy a small third world country with what I have!!!

I was packing away my hutch this morning....because the imminent weekend of painting is nearly  upon us...and here is what I found:

As you probably know, this is a Pyrex restaurant ware pattern: Green Fern.

How ever if you turn the bowl over this is what you see....A Fireking bowl with a Pyrex pattern? How crazy is that??? What hapened here? Did Anchor Hockings decide to copy Pyrex? Did they share production facilities and a booboo happen? I don't know!

If you have info please share!  

Other than that I cleaned and replaced itrems from the store, cleaned some Stephen King bookds and shrink wrapped them and started to make boxes of paperbacks to donate. We have a lot to do before we start to paint the living room/dining room/ hall (damn you open living!). Having big room is much harder to decorate!

Speaking of cleaning and packing...I emptied the hutch and I was able to fill 7 boxes of dishes! OMG! Wait till I empty the big Pyrex cupboard! LOL!   

Retro Tuesday: START THE CAR!!! START THE CAR!!!

This is an in between weeks in Maine find. I had come to Montreal for some R&R; which in my case includes: walking, walking, still more walking, thrifting, walking, thrifting, food, more walking and more thrifting.

I'm starting to believe that the Pyrex craze is starting to catch up in Montreal because Pyrex is harder to find!
 So I'm hitting the thrifts, minding my own business, when I see a store I passed many times over the years but have never visited...

I go in and it is strangely clean, I kidd you not.And I see there's another room, I can spy some goodies through the door but it's locked. I ask if I can go in. The owner says sure, I'll unlock the door.
Ok I pause here to give my 2 cents: Antique shop owners are ALWAYS characters! Not in a bad sense but definitely colorful!

So by now I feel feverish, don't know why I didn't see any Pyrex! And I tripp over my feet as I enter. A voice SCREAMS in my head: DON'T BREAK ANYTHING!!! And then I see it!

OMG could it be? I come closer. Yes by jove I think it is! I look at the price; a steal for this! I must know for sure!

Is it 15$ each or for the pair??? I ask candidly...For the pair; answers the colorful seller.OMG! I'm having difficulty swallowing! MUST BUY!MUST BUY! TOTAL GLASSWARE OVERLOAD!
 I grab them and run to the cash. The dealer has trouble keeping up with me. He asks: Are you in the movies?

Uh? no, why? It's only movie people who buys these when they build sets like vintage kitchens.

At that point he was wrapping my precious find, and not fast enough! I just wanted to scream: SHUT UP! WRAP FASTER! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND I HAVE TO START THE CAR AND RUN AWAY BEFORE YOU REALISE YOU DIDN'T CHARGE ME ENOUGH!

FASTER!
FASTER!

Must run away with my FireKing Range Salt and Pepper Tulips Shakers!

They look gorgeous in my kitchen! I was never a big fan of FireKing but I was longing for some shakers for quite a while now!

 There is a bit of corrosion on the salt shaker lid but I don't mind.

And to think that they sell between 80 to 120$

This girl spent her money wisely!

I don't think my pal Tracy will be doing the Retro Tuesday thing but just in case drop by and say hi!

Tell her I sent you :)

Retro Tuesdays at Tracy's 



Red Barn

Picture a big barn, red. Fill it to the rafters with vintage and antique objects. Leave it sit. Fill with more stuff. Let sit some more. Add dust and possibly critters....and a middle aged sour puss sitting outside, and you have the Red Barn in Hudson Qc.

No kidding there's a ton and a half of really interesting stuff there and some of it is even organized. But a lot sits in boxes all over, the floor is uneven (really) and you can't see for dear life.

A collection of rolling pins

The first thing I saw walking in.

About the sour puss...I hate going in any kind of store and the employees (owner) don't seem happy to see me. HELLO I'm your meal ticket! Please smile!

So this guy is sitting outside with a fart face on. If you don't like people get out of retail! Or maybe he's looking like that because the prices are steep....No wonder there was not a lot of people in. Some might be put off by the floor; you definitely need closed shoes and a flashlight to navigate the place, some by the lack of lighting or the scary floors on the second and third floors (you see light in between the planks;it's very creaky yet soft in certain spots...)

But if you like thrifting adventures this place is for you! 

  

Glassware,McCoy, milkglass, Laurentian Pottery, banks, buttons,typewriters, suitcases, coolers, games,Le  reuset, phones,toasters, Flameware, Pyrex, FireKing,Glasbake, barware, ashtrays, records, books, tins, lamps, doors, windows, dressers, chairs, chairs and more chairs! If you collect it, they probably have it!

 

oooh! Bowls...Pyrex,FireKing,Glasbake,Federal and Hazel Atlas....

More bowls! Tracy do you see the Gooseberry?

Check out those FRIDGIES!

And that's just some of it!

This was part of our Father's Day excursion. Dan rented a bigger and more comfortable car and we drove to Montreal picked up my Dad, had lunch at Smoked Meat Pete (Ile Perrot) and then went to the Red Barn.

It's just after the Alana Kirby store on Harwood Bd at the Hudson entrance.

My Dad loved every minute of it! And the smoked meat sandwhich too :) 

 So remember the flashlights, mind your step and yes you can bargain! I did and brought back a little something back! But that's for another post

Have a great week!