The red dresser

Those of you that follow my on my "regular" blog know that I spend a lot of time on kijiji. Like, a lot. I love it. I buy myself new things and sell my old things, all on kijiji - it's like my favourite mall.

Well, for those of us that spend enough time on there, we notice the little things, sometimes because it's us doing them. Like, something is for sale really cheap (or even better, FREE!!) and it disappears quickly only to reappear a few days later at closer to regular market value. Fair enough, I've done it myself. But this particular one caught my eye.

The other day just as I got home, someone had posted a dresser for free. Free is my favourite price by the way. The dilemma? Well, besides the fact that I don't have a truck (that's often a problem), was that it was way out in Charleswood, near the Perimeter, on the end of someone's driveway. So even if I did have a truck there would be no guarantee that after I hauled my butt to the other end of the universe that it would still be there.

A few hours later, an ad popped up for what I am 95% sure is the same dresser - for $50. Again, good on him/her that picked it up - who doesn't love free money? But this is where it gets a little weird... over the course of the last few days this person has continually upped the price. First to $60. Then to $80. Then to $100!! As I write this, it's down to $80 again.

Now, by no means do I begrudge this person the opportunity to make free money, whatever the amount; it's just strange that they kept upping the price, usually sellers start high and slowly come down. But this ad has been posted and taken down easily 5 times in the last week, each time with a different price!

This whole thing also just leads me to daydream about this weekend being Giveaway weekend - it takes a ridiculous amount of self-restraint for me not to beg/borrow/steal a truck and cruise the streets looking for treasure.You also know that next weekend, a good chunk of it will be listed on kijiji or in a well-timed yard sale.

I don't ever want to move. Ever.

Now unlike Love me, love my Winnipeg (my other little blog) this isn't because I am just so in love with the North End. I don't ever want to move because even the faintest idea of it gives me a tension headache. I mean, it all makes sense now; why "moving sales" are second only to "estate sales" in terms of their awesomeness. It's because nobody wants to move all that crap their wonderful possessions.

I mean, seriously, and what about people that have children?? How do they do it? Where does all the stuff go? I should invest in cardboard - just as inevitable as death and taxes, people move. Now, part of my problem is that when I moved in to my house I already had almost a house full of possessions what do you mean people don't have fridges and stoves stored away for "one day, when they buy a house"? and now I realistically have enough possessions for probably two fairly decently decorated houses.

Recent acquisition

Loving vintage and retro is both a blessing and a curse, although right this moment I think it's leaning a bit more towards curse. All of a sudden it's become hip and cool to like old stuff which means that the deals are harder to find (hmm, maybe that's a blessing in disguise?) but it also means when I do find them I absolutely must scoop them up, they'll be gone tomorrow if I don't. That is why I have 7 kitchen tables in my basement. I have probably 4 or 5 kitchen cannister sets, you know in case I ever need to have flour, flour, flour, flour, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, tea, tea, tea, tea and grease all lined up on the counter. Yes, only one grease, they are harder to come by - maybe you have another that might match one of my sets?? See! It's a compulsion!

Well, thank goodness I do love my house, and so long as I can learn to keep my hoarding collecting under control, I should never outgrow this house. Although, I might want to buy a cabin, just in case.....

Teak table treasure

I think half the fun of thrifting can be the upcycling part that sometimes comes with it. This teak treasure had horrible upholstery and the top was scratched all to hell. A few evenings in front of the tv, some sandpaper, a ton of staples, great upholstery fabric scored at Habitat (donated by Palliser) and a whole bunch of teak oil and it looks almost new.

Sadly after all that, it's too big for what I need, so on to kijiji it has gone. That I guess is also one of the pitfalls of thrifting - you have to buy it right that second or risk missing it. There is no going home and hmmming and hawing about it, going back to the store and looking at it from all different angles... because poof! It would be gone. So impulse buy I did, and this time it didn't quite work out. Oh well, someone else will get to treasure it!

Oh Arborite, how I love thee...

I have a problem. A problem with collecting arborite tables.  I have probably about 7 now, all nicely stacked in the basement waiting for the right time and place to live. Every now and again I get rid of one, in fact, I'm trying to get rid of one right now, but it always seems wrong - what if I need it one day??

This particular little beauty I picked up for only ten bucks - ten! There is an almost identical (arborite is identical, base is different) one at the Old House Revival Company for like $140!

More pictures to come of other things soon!

Okay, finally something resembling a real post!

After being inspired by RetroRenovation.com to post a picture of a vintage find I figured, well, I have the picture handy, why not finally make a post on here?

Welcome to my dining room

Now, oddly enough, normally my dining room doesn't have a table in it, it's usually living room #2, but I'm actually selling the table and chairs a la kijiji at the moment so it needed to be set up somewhere. I scored the table for $5 at a local thrift shop, and the chairs that are with it are part of a set I bought at a yard sale last summer and then lovingly up-cycled by painting them white.

The teak buffet and hutch was another score for $75 at a thrift shop here in Winnipeg, the round thing on the bottom shelf inside the cabinet is called a donut phone and I also scored that from a local yard sale. The big round orb on top is a radio/8-track player that I paid $40 for, so not quite a super great bargain, but I'd wanted one for a while and it certainly was less than others I've come across over the years.

This of course reminds me that it's Sunday and I should be out and about at yard sales. Does anyone else ever get the feeling that they are missing out on stuff when they don't religiously head out to yard sales and things? I realistically don't have any more room, but I can't help but obsess over what I might be missing out on. Sigh. Happy hunting!

Let's get the ball rolling...

Okay, so I don't have a photo to put up yet, which in theory is the exciting part, but I scored a vintage teak table and 4 chairs for $135 today!! Score!! Pictures to follow (eventually).

Coming Soon!

Please check back - I just need to get the ball rolling!