Trinket Tray

So, how many of you are "thrifters"? Do you stop into every Value Village, Salvation Army or Goodwill store whenever you get the chance? I wish I had endless hours to poke around, but luckily I'm close enough to a few good locations that some evenings I can hit 3 or 4 on the way home from work. I haven't found too much lately; either people are donating less or thrifting has become so popular that it's just slim pickins for the evening shoppers.

Yesterday I had a bit of luck. Here is the long version of the story: Just before the holidays I saw these beautiful porcelain trays with artwork by Caitlin McGauley. You may also remember that Caitlin is one of the talented artists featured on the Tiger Flower Studio website which I blogged about last year. (I also love her leopard wallpaper!!)  At $185, the trays were beyond my budget, but I loved the idea of a gorgeous trinket catcher on the bedside table.

 

Photos via www.CaitlinMcGauley.com

Fast forward to yesterday at my local Value Village. I found an ashtray to use as a "seat filler" until my fairy godmother brings me that zebra^^^. Now I know the word "ashtray" sounds rather icky, but this one didn't look as though it had ever been used for such a purpose. With two fierce cheetahs and a touch of green trim, I thought it could be just the thing to hold a bauble or two on the bedside. Made in Italy by Borghi, I would even venture a guess that it's made of porcelain and that the trim is hand painted. Not bad for $1.99.

 

21 Weeks

It's been awhile, eh? To be precise, it has been 21 weeks since my last post (a purely unintentional hiatus). In the spirit of going back to school after summer holidays, today I'm back to blogging. You haven't missed much - I spent a busy summer doing my thing at work, and it's time to start dialing things back to a regular 40 hour week.

The first thing I want to show off is the gorgeous teak tray pictured above, a very recent thrift find. The tray was created by the prolific designer Jens Quistgaard for Dansk, probably during the early 1960's. The fab find was promptly dusted, oiled and displayed on my dining room sideboard. Check out those curves, what a beauty!!

 

Photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.

Thrifted Thursday Feature

Good morning!! I'm just popping in here to let everyone know that today I'm being featured in the Thrifted Thursday series over at Love on Sunday. I recently met blogger Amy, a talented graphic designer and fellow design aficionado, at the Christie Antiques Show. We share a similar love of thrifting, and I was more than happy to share the story of how I discovered & updated my campaign chest. While you're there, check out the rest of Amy's blog, it's a great read!

Click the photo above for a direct link to Amy's Thrifted Thursday post.

Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear

This is the story of how a slightly rusty

table from The Village...

...was sanded and primed...

...then painted gold and put to use...

...The End

Four Leaf Clover or Horseshoe?

I've been having really good luck so far this year, at least as far as finding fabulous vintage furniture goes. I am seriously considering trying my luck at the lottery this week :-)

First I found an amazing pair of faux bamboo
bedside tables listed on Kijiji and picked them up
on New Year's Eve. Now that's a party!!

Then just last week I almost stumbled over this vintage
campaign dresser at the Village. The brass handles
are still wrapped in the original tissue paper.

When I spotted this Lexington chest while thrifting last
night, although I didn't need it, I knew someone else might.
Tweet!! Tweet!! Anyone wanna get lucky?

Fingers crossed it's still there when my friend Jasmine
swings by the Village today to scoop it up!!

Break Out The Campaign!!

Imagine walking into your local thrift store and finding the exact piece of furniture you've had rolling around in the back of your mind for months. This, my friends, is a true story.

The sagging Ikea entertainment console in my living room needs to be replaced with something sturdier, and I already had a particular piece in mind: a campaign dresser. After searching for nearly 6 months to find the perfect pair of bamboo bedside tables, I could hardly bear the thought of another long furniture quest. So you can imagine my over-the-moon excitement when I popped into the Village on Friday and spied a brand new 7 drawer Dixie Campaigner dresser. When I say brand new, I mean it - the 1971 hangtag is still attached and the handles are wrapped in the original tissue paper. Can you believe my luck? Somebody pinch me!!

OMG

Brass Beauties

I will soon have to decide what colour I'm going to paint the dresser - the choices are endless!! Take a look at these gorgeous examples I've gathered from around the interweb. By the way, mine is exactly like the 7 drawer dressers in the last two photos.

Dave & Joi's Natural Finish Campaign Dresser
via Nuestra Vida Dolce

Vanessa De Vargas' Kelly Green Campaign Dresser
via Lonny Mag

Michelle's Royal Blue Campaign Dresser
via Innovative Interior

Cindy Espinoza's Palmetto Green Campaign Dresser
via Viva Cindy

Dina's Bird's Egg Campaign Dresser
via Honey & Fitz

White Campaign Dresser

via Clementine + Olive

Claire's Peacock Blue Campaign Dresser
via Traci Zeller Designs

Lakeitha's Pistachio Green Campaign Dresser
via Home To Three Duncan Boys

Cassie's Swan Lake Campaign Dresser
via Cassie & Co.

Jessie's Red Campaign Dresser
via The Long and Short of It

Recent Thrift Finds

Lately things have been busy, but I have found a half hour here and there to do some thrifting. These are some of my recent finds:

First is a tiny soap dish made by Limoges for the Hotel Prince de Galles in Paris. I thought maybe it was a sign that I should stay there during my upcoming trip, but unfortunately the hotel is currently in the middle of a year long renovation. This little dish is perfect to corral loose coins or jewellery.



These hexagonal Bavarian plates with gold edging were just too pretty and unique to pass up!! In perfect condition, they would be great as side plates for a casual lunch or for afternoon tea & cookies.

Have you thrifted any cool items lately? Please share!!

Vintage Fire King

Sometimes it's the little things that make my day, like finding this sweet little vintage bowl at Value Village. It's a milk glass Fire King bowl with an aqua hombre finish and gold trim:

The stamp indicates that the bowl was manufactured during the 1950's:

The hombre finish is such a pretty shade of aqua:

The best part? It matches perfectly with these little Lindt chocolates:

The other best part: $1.99

Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving

This past Saturday morning started with a trip up to Avenue & Davenport to choose flowers for the Thanksgiving dinner table. With so much selection it was difficult to decide:


After about 20 minutes of dithering, I eventually decided on a scheme of burnt orange and deep yellow from Yang's. The late afternoon Sunday sun streamed through my condo's west facing windows, highlighting the gorgeous roses:


The amber water glasses continued the Autumnal theme, and what's even better, they were a fabulous Value Village find - set of 4 for $1.99.


My second annual Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch. No burnt offerings and no Pepto Bismol required. A rousing success!!!

Tray Chic

I recently purchased a small brass & glass tray to use just inside the entrance of my condo suite. In this case, the tray serves as place to gather several objects together in a cohesive group, forming a vignette.

Tray: Value Village
Candlesticks: Salvation Army Thrift Store
Bud Vase: Jonathan Adler
Porcelain Bird Box: Pearl River Mart

I got to thinking about all the unique ways trays can be used for both functional and display purposes. A quick scan through the initial 4 issues of Lonny Mag provided several images of trays and a few creative ideas about the different ways they can be used in home decor.

Ashley Putman
Tray Sits Atop an Ottoman

Office of Betsy Burnham
Multiple Trays Used as Organizers

Laurann Claridge
Fragrances Gathered on a Snakeskin Tray

Lizzie Bailey
Tray Serves as Mini Bar

Lizzie Bailey
Simple White Tray Gathers Various Objects

Ron Marvin
Coffee Table Tray Vignette

Sean McNally
Display Unique Glassware

Sean McNally
Gather Similarly Themed Items

Trays can be used in so many different ways that we can all add our own personal touch to such a simple item. Why not pick up a tray and see how you can make it your own?

Top image by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.
All other images courtesy of Lonny Mag.