Old School Finds

I thought I'd do another little vignette on my sideboard and show you our finds from Antique Avenue...

I have been on the lookout for an old school map for the longest time. They're hard to come by, and the ones I have seen have been in the $150-250 range. As soon as we got to the store, we asked if they had one. And they did! And it was a map of Canada! And... it was only $30!!! YES. Best vintage score to date :) It says copyright 1961. Aside from the staining down one edge, its in great condition. Oh, and it has a more detailed map on the back! It'll look great in the play room.

I also got the little honey tin ($8). I love the colours on it. Eventually I want to put it in the craft area and fill it with Chloe's paintbrushes. It looks good paired with the tin toy carousel I picked up in New York and a tin that once contained Dutch stroopwafels (sooooo yummy). I picked the lamp up at HomeSense for Chloe's big girl room. I want to eat the pretty milk glass base right up.

This little quartet came home with us too ($10). Unfortunately, Papa Pig rolled out of the bag and they were forgotten in the car on a very cold night. The temperature change was too much for them to take because their wood has cracked and the paint is starting to chip off. Only baby pig escaped unharmed. Sad but I might have to toss this little swine family out.

Lots of good finds at that store. I just hope prices don't rise now that I've blogged about them, lol!

Shop Spotlight: Antique Avenue

I've been going through antiquing withdrawal lately. In the summertime, most weekends we'll take a little road trip, leaving the big city behind to explore small towns rife with old treasures. So when my fellow vintage-loving friend Tara at The Cinnamon Post mentioned Antique Avenue in Hamilton, I knew just where I could get my next antiquing fix.

The story of this shop is an intriguing one. The owners Adam Hughes and Tom Watson purchased the entire inventory from one person - a man named Darryl who had amassed nine truckloads worth of collectables, purchased from yard sales, auctions and estate sales over the last 30 years. Hughes and Watson, who renovated old houses for a living, bought the whole collection for $100,000 and became first-time shopkeepers, setting up their store in an 8,000 sq ft space on Ottawa St. N. in Hamilton. So fascinating, right?

Now you can understand why we jumped in the car and made the trek out on a very snowy Saturday last weekend. Lucky for us, the store was packed to the brim! Aisle after aisle of vintage goods, beautifully displayed. (Excuse the poor iPhone photos)

There was a bottle and jar aisle,

And a toy aisle,

A housegoods aisle,

An electronics aisle, a hardware aisle,

And some furniture too. There weren't many furniture pieces but I think the limited floor space probably means they have other pieces stored offsite. Hmmm. I loved these oversized tomes containing newspaper articles. Wouldn't they look great displayed in a library, stacked on the hearth of a fireplace?

Looks like quite the store right? But wait... there was more. The back third of the store was cordoned off by a black curtain. And there were just as many shelves there filled with unpacked boxes. Seriously, I think there was the next five year's worth of inventory back there, just waiting to be uncovered and unearthed, catalogued and itemized.

Were it not for a cranky, hungry toddler clinging to me, I would have settled in for the rest of the afternoon poring through those boxes. There's nothing like the 'hunt', right? I ended up buying a few things and I'll show them to you in another post. With nine truckloads of stuff to sell, I'm pretty sure this store will have some new treasures each time I go back. Maybe I'll bump into you there.

Antique Avenue

329 Ottawa St. N.

Hamilton, ON

Vacation Happenings

Day 1 - cough
Day 2 - fever
Day 3 - laryngitis
Day 3.5 - eye infection right eye
Day 4 - eye infection left eye
Day 5 - freakout

You'd think I was talking about Chloe but no, that list of ailments belongs to HandyMan. He had a rough go of it during our mini vacation. Add to it the fact that Chloe decided to barely eat a thing the whole trip, throw tantrums whenever we stepped foot inside a restaurant, and scream and cry the last 1.5 hour drive home (causing herself to vomit and thereby leading to HandyMan's freakout of day 5) and you'll understand why we need a vacation from our vacation. I'm sure you parents can commiserate.

It wasn't that bad though. We had a great day at the beach, visited some lovely antiques shops, and got some work done around the house before and after our mini jaunt. The break from the routine was welcome too. Don't you just love waking up with a clean slate ahead of you? We had impromptu picnics in the park and explored down dusty country roads, just because we could.

In case you're ever up for a road trip in South Eastern Ontario, here's a few places you might want to stop into:

MacCool's Re-use (Picton): a big old barn filled with antiques and retro pieces. There were some old worn farmhouse tables and cool vintage lighting that would be perfect for our craft area. They deliver to Toronto too.

Funk and Gruven (Belleville): We weren't planning to stop in Belleville but this shop caught my eye as we drove by. Such a great mix of pieces. I fell in love with a vintage stenographer's table that had a real industrial chic vibe but its moving parts would be too tempting for Chloe's little fingers. The owner Mike was really friendly and knowledgeable. We'll definitely be making a trip back there soon!

County Traders (Bloomfield): A good stop if you're looking for tables, hutches, dressers or other case goods.

Barriefield Antiques (Kingston): Another shop filled to the rafters with treasures. They have a bit of everything - dishware, toys, case goods, clothing, pottery. You'll have fun digging around.

Alleycat Antiques (Kingston): Mike at Funk and Gruven recommended this store to us and he was right! Literally in an alley way, its 4000 sq ft of antique treasures. All the prices were negotiable and I picked some great things there. They had a really good collection of old photos, original art and prints. Go early because they close shop at 4pm!

Shopping @ Serena & Lily

When I was designing the nursery, I fell in love with the elegant and pretty crib sheet sets at Serena & Lily. But lately, their more adult accessories are really catching my eye. They have a real feminine West Elm meets debutante kind of feel. Look at these lovely mirrors and sheets and lamps. And that melon coloured bookcase -- *swoon*!!


They also have an online bazaar section with some unique finds from around the world. But act fast if you see something you like... this unique vintage chalkboard map is one of the ones that got away :(

Shop Spotlight: Frontier Sales

It seems HandyMan and I can't get enough of antique hunting these days. I'm on the lookout for a hutch for the living room. We found a great reproduction piece at Cornerstone but I'm sure with a little patience we can find something more authentic and at a better price. This weekend, we dropped by Frontier Sales, a treasure trove of a store filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of old and used furniture.

There were quite a few things that caught my eye. Like this cabinet. I love the oval handles and the trimwork in the glass doors. If I didn't already have a dozen half-finished projects sitting around the house, I might have scooped it up and painted it a la Eddie Ross.


This set of six rattan chairs was calling to me too. I like the interesting pattern of the backs. White paint is great for bringing out features like that. Pair it with some graphic fabric on the seat (like elements of style did with her dining chairs), and you have a some real standout seating.


If I were redoing the nursery, I would have scooped up these next two pieces. See that orange chair... solid wood construction, smooth rocking motion, sturdy foam, and comfortable... all for $45! Recover it in a pretty fabric like we did for our nursery glider and you'd have a perfect place to rock baby to sleep. The dresser would be a sweet piece in a little girl's room. I loved the curlicue details and the ring drawer pulls. For this, I'd paint it a robin's egg blue or pale pink and put some fun wrapping paper to line the drawers. Or you could paint the drawers like The Stamford Wife did with her dresser makeover.



When I saw this room divider, I immediately thought of this headboard featured in Canadian House & Home. I think a high lacquer black would really bring out the intricate details of this piece. Its a nice ethnic piece... mix it with rustic and modern pieces and white walls to make a statement.



Love these two headboards. The caning on the first piece isn't something you see often on a headboard. Such a nice, delicate look. I love the curves on the peach headboard. The velour fabric needs replacing, maybe with something dramatic, like the popular Chiang Mai fabric from Schumacher.



We didn't find the hutch we were looking for, but its always fun visiting stores like this to get ideas and the creative juices flowing! We're off to the Aberfoyle Fall Antique Show this weekend so fingers crossed we find something we like there.

Shop Spotlight: Cornerstone Home Interiors

HandyMan has been on vacation the last two weeks and we've had a wonderful time exploring our city. It amazes me that I've lived in Toronto my whole life yet there are still pockets of the city that I've never visited. Based on this post by my fellow blogger StyleNorth, we headed over to the Roncesvalles village. I wanted to check out this store:




Cornerstone did not disappoint! I loved the eclectic mix of furnishings on display... everything from Mission-style cabinetry, Tuxedo sofas, Louis XV chairs, harvest tables, modern leather sofas, tufted ottomans, Chinese sideboards, Art Deco lamps... I could go on and on. I fell in love with the painted cabinetry, especially the bookcases and buffets in French grey and buttery yellow. Sigh.




They have a huge store in Toronto and an even bigger one in Cambridge. I will definitely be back.

All photos courtesy of Cornerstone Home Interiors.