UsedEverywhere.com

Green Green DIY

I have a super easy, spring-themed DIY for you today! Not only does it recycle, but it also creates…. life! Doesn’t get any greener then that does it? It’s the egg carton planter!

Here’s what you need:

• Egg Carton
• Scissors
• Soil
• Seeds

Step One: Get out your empty egg carton

Step 2: Cut out what you want to use. Use the whole carton if you want! I just wanted to use three segments

Step 3: Put potting soil into the carton segments. Then put in a seed per segment and cover with soil

Step 4: Water and put in a sunny spot and wait for your seedlings to sprout!

Used Around Town: The Patch

In this instalment of Used Around Town, KB and I headed to The Patch (719 Yates St) to browse some cool clothes and chat with some cool people.

Unfortunately when we got down there, the place was crazy busy! We did find out that The Patch was started 12 years ago in Cambridge, Ontario, with a Victoria location opening a year after that.

The store gets new merchandise coming in each and every day, and their loyal regulars come early and often to check out the newest stuff! A little birdie tells us that in addition to the oh-so-chic 70′s trend right now, there is a lot of 90′s clothing that is leaving the racks at The Patch. Think flannel shirts, florals for ladies and Doc Martens. We didn’t get to do as much of an in-depth interview as we usually like to do, but we at least got to take some cool pictures!

For an amazing selection of  leather jackets, crazy prom dresses, rompers and polo’s, check out The Patch!!

The Social Life of the Garage Sale

Creative Commons Image Courtesy of Eastlaketimes

The weather is finally changing, the sun is out more and more (depending on where you are, I suppose). But regardless of where you are, the seasons have officially changed. It is now garage sale season. To some, perusing garage sales is a big deal – a sacred weekly ritual, even. To others, it’s more of a sport of happenstance. Like any market, big or small, garage sales double as a social space, and with that come various expectations for how the sale should be conducted, and how shoppers and browsers should conduct themselves. There are also sometimes special quirks that mark a garage sale, which vary from place to place.

As a youngster growing up in Suburban, Ontario, I have vague memories of being dragged to garage sales by my Dad on summer weekends. All of the toys that I still remember having were garage sale purchases. I even still have an old board game under my bed that I got at a garage sale. I think it was loosely based on paleontology and had dinosaur fact cards but no instructions (more evidence that I am still the exact same person I was when I was 8 years old, since given the chance I would probably still find this appealing and buy it again). I never figured out how to play it, and I still to this day have never seen another copy of this game. I also remember running back and forth from the neighbour’s garage sale to my house acting as a middleman-haggler and begging my Dad for money so I could buy a pink space station complete with a chubby plastic alien in a dress and heavy eye make-up. But I digress.

What was common about Mississauga garage sales in the 1990s, and probably is still true today, was opportunistic children. Every garage sale has at least one kid set up with a lemonade stand. Variations include freezie-stand, timbit-stand, or kool-aid-stand; or combinations of these.

As some of you know, our Winnipeg Community Angel, Marc, went garage sale-ing last weekend and I asked him about the social life of garage sales in Winnipeg. Here’s what he said:

Winnipegers are very community oriented and love to help each other out.  Garage sales usually involve multi-family or whole communities.  We start out early and that always involves getting things going with fresh Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts. The hope is to get rid of all our extra stuff so we don’t have to bring it back into the house.  Any buyers coming at end of day are guaranteed to get the best deal.  At the end of a long day, sharing laughs with friends and family, garage sale earnings are usually used to buy your favorite take out meal to celebrate.

Some other garage sale features that were mentioned on our Facebook wall and were new to me included accepting Canadian Tire money as currency, providing free refreshments as reverse psychology, and putting up colourful balloons to attract people! Are there any unique garage sale customs where you are from?

Prom Princess?

It’s that time of year again.

Fear not, Christmas is not for another 7 or so months (tick tock); I’m talking about prom and grad season. This can be a bit of an expensive undertaking, especially if you happen to be attending more than one. I know many, many girls who would scoff at the idea of wearing the same dress twice. Preposterous, really.

Brocade in Light Pink from UsedPEI.com

As if finding dates, coordinating with said date, organizing limos, planning beautification appointments and navigating awkward parental-directed photo shoots weren’t taxing enough, one should find a way to look fabulous without leaving the bank account (or parent’s credit card) feeling so very, very sad.

So what’s a girl (or guy!) to do? Well, besides scoping out sales months and maybe even a year in advance (that ship has sailed, friends… unless you’re planning for next year that is) a good option might be to consider buying some or all of your grad and/or prom needs used.

Gorgeous Royal Blue from UsedVictoria.com

I’m going to be honest, I never did the whole poufy-princess-cupcake prom dress thing. Not that I didn’t go, I definitely did go to both prom and grad (and spent far too much on dresses in my youthful indiscretion), but I grew up in Vancouver where cocktail length was the heavy favourite over anything floor-length or tulle. Ditto for tiaras, but hey I’m not here to judge!

The are piles of pretty, pretty options that I found on our beloved Used sites across the country! I picked a few of my favourites to share and maybe even provide some inspiration? (Hint: Previous blog post The Thrill of the Huntprovides some solid insight into things like tailoring, dry cleaning, and general used clothing goodness)

Gorgeous and Sparkly Earrings from UsedWinnipeg.com

Bronzed Beauties from UsedRegina.com

Shopping for secondhand denim? You can do it.

Is there anything more challenging than shopping for jeans?  (Okay, maybe bathing suit shopping tops the Most Challenging list, but never mind that for a moment.)

Shopping for jeans is hard, shopping for jeans in a secondhand shop is even harder … but so worth it. New jeans are expensive. It’s certainly not unusual to find ones that cost $100 or more. Secondhand jeans tend to run a fraction of the price, between $5 and $20 depending on where you’re shopping. And if you’re really lucky? You will find a pair with the tags still on them. (It has happened!)

I’m a big fan of buying secondhand denim, yet at the same time, it’s probably one of the most time-consuming thing you can venture out to buy.

Allow me to share a few things that have worked for me.

Off to shop for jeans secondhand?

1) Devote a couple of hours when you’re not feeling tired (or bloated for that matter) or about to rush off somewhere. Saturday mornings are perfect for me. Do I need to remind you that it might be best to leave the kids at home?

2)  Do not be distracted by household knickknacks or children’s clothing. You are on a mission. If you’re shopping for jeans, shop for jeans. Time and energy are limited! Speaking of which…

3) Fuel up with a fine balance of caffeine, protein, and carbs before you head out. (Think bacon and eggs and a good dose of coffee.) You will need as much energy as you can muster. Bring water.

4) Consider shopping with a friend, someone who can honestly answer that age old question: Does this make my butt look big? And don’t be offended if she says yes. Do the same for her too.

5)  Wear comfy clothing (and shoes!) that you can put on and take off easily. I like to wear wide-necked summer dresses with flip flops for this exact reason. No laces, belts, or pony tails.

6)  Ok. Now you’re at the jean racks (assuming the store you’ve chosen has such a thing and not just a large bin of random pants). Start with the part of the rack that is a few sizes past your normal size and work towards what you normally wear. There is no such thing as standard sizing. It ranges hugely from manufacturer. I’ve been a 2 in some brands and a 12 in another. (No joke.) Clothing is frequently mis-sized. What’s more, once they get to the rack you’re about to go through they’ve often shrunk and don’t reflect the size stencilled on the inside of the waistband anymore. Also, customers and staff sometimes put them back in the wrong spot on the rack.  I’ve often found the perfect pair of 29s in the 32s. Hooray for human error!

7) As you’re flipping through the rack, position yourself so that you are focusing on the back of the jeans instead of the front. When they’re hanging up, jeans all look very similar from the front. If you look at the back of the jean while it’s still on the rack it will save you precious seconds of shopping time.

8 – And this is kind of obvious, but grab a boatload of different jeans before you head into the changeroom. Grab more than you think you need. I’ve tried on 20 pairs and come out with nothing.

I’m charging my batteries to go shopping for secondhand jeans this week. Wish me luck! Maybe I’ll come back here and show you what I found.

Any suggestions you’d add to the above?

A Mother's Day Tail

In honor of Mother’s Day, I am going to tell you a little story. It’s a Mother’s Day story with a twist, since it’s about a mom who doesn’t usually get celebrated on Mother’s Day, but she is a mom nonetheless! It also helps that this is a true story, a personal story, that happened a few years ago on, you guessed it, Mother’s Day. This is a story about my family’s dogs, Tequila and Cody.

Being a volunteer with Golden Rescue, an organization that works to rescue and find homes for displaced Golden Retrievers, my Mom received a call about a new golden that had just been picked up. She was listed for sale on Kijiji; after contacting the person who posted the ad workers at Golden Rescue convinced this individual to hand the dog over to them. At that point we knew her as Kila, and she was a very sick puppy.

Tequila after surgery

After picking her up, my Mom and I took Kila straight to the vet. She was so sick we had to carry her in as she was unable to walk. After some consultation we were told she had septicemia originating in her uterus and needed emergency surgery and intensive care. It was heartbreaking seeing Kila so sick, even after surgery the vet told us that there was a very slim chance that she would recover. But she pulled through, and soon enough she was able to come home with us to continue her recovery.

My Mom started to do some research on Kila to find out where she came from. The first person she called was the breeder of our dog Cody, also a Golden Retriever. The description of Kila sounded all to familiar to the breeder. “Do you mean, Kila, as in Tequila? She was one of my breeding dogs” she told us. She was devastated to find out that once Tequila was retired, the person who bought her, someone she trusted, treated Tequila so poorly.

Cody

The breeder told us that Tequila was still having puppies around the time that our Cody was born. She told us her official registered name, and lo-and-behold there was her name on Cody’s birth certificate – Tequila was Cody’s mom! That sure explained the similarities in their looks and temperament. We were completely floored by the coincidence! We decided to officially adopt Tequila so that she could be part of our family, and so that Cody could have his mom.

I am happy to report that today Tequila is happy and healthy! I hope that by sharing this story you will remember to be careful when buying pets online. I also hope that you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, and I wish all the mother’s out there, canine, human, whatever, a belated Happy Mother’s Day!

Tequila fully recovered!

Happy Birthday Redesign

Today we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of our website revamp! We thought it would be fun (and incredibly informative) to put together a little infographic to give you lots of interesting facts about how you have helped us grow this past year! Cheers!

*click the picture & zoom to see the cool details up-close-and-personal*

Mom's The Word

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and I’ve always found it to be a daunting task to find a gift for a lady who gave you… well, literally your life. No pressure, right? Fear not, as always we are here to help. Here are some picks from our sites that Mom is sure to love!

1. A designer handbag. These bad boys can be pricey, but you know she deserves it!

2. Some cool art. Bring a little colour into Mom’s life by grabbing a painting (or two!) from an awesome local artist. Bonus points if it’s one of a kind!

3. DVD Seasons of her favourite shows. When Mom needs R&R, make it easy for her to curl up with her favourite TV shows and relax.

4. A camera. Perfect for capturing Mother`s Day memories with her kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews… and maybe even her Mom!

5. Concert tickets. Is Mom a Keith Urban fan? Take her to a cool show or get an extra ticket so she can bring a friend. You never know, you just might secretly love Keith too.

6. A unique watch. An interesting piece of jewelry is sure to please Mom, especially if it’s pretty while being practical like this watch.

7. A puppy! Pick number 7 is approved by our resident dog whisperer, Katie (just imagine her yelling “PUPPYYYYY!” upon meeting little Mushu). Okay but seriously, a puppy this adorable needs a new best friend. That new best friend could be your loving Mama.

8. Who doesn’t love fancy new kicks? Maybe these amazing vintage boots will remind Mom of back in the day, maybe they’re just a way for her to show off her killer style. Either way, my mom would have to forcefully restrain me to stop me from borrowing these beauties.

9. This Antique dresser is perfect for helping Mom get ready for special occasions, or just every day! Plus it has that awesome antique look that is unique and stylish.

10. And if all else fails, a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda is sure to impress. Love ya, Mom! Have a great Mother’s Day!

The Useful Podcast #7

… and now for something a little unusual.

Let’s chalk this one up to spring/summer. Let’s call it the Tuesday Wednesday crazies ( yes – we recorded it yesterday ). It’s about antsy and pillows, I guess? Have fun, and get outside.

The musical soundtrack is by Young Blood Brass Band.

Reflecting on a favourite button, and a bit about what makes a good purchase

I really like vintage pin-back buttons. When I see a bag of them at a yard sale or at a secondhand shop I pounce on them as if I was some kind of wild animal. And then, invariably, I shake the Ziploc bag in which they are contained, or paw through the pile, and come to the sad realization that I’m not really interested in charity walkathons from 1986 or collecting election buttons with a photo of a young and grinning Brian Mulroney printed on them.

It is very hard to find ones that suit. In all of my searching I have found exactly ONE vintage pin back button that I liked. And here it is:

I am referring to the big one with the dog on it.

I remember the day I bought it. I was scanning a glass-fronted curio cabinet at an antique shop. It was nestled amid piles of collectable sugar spoons, tarnished old coins, and Wade Red Rose figurines I remembered my mother collected when I was a kid.

I saw it. My heart skipped a beat. It was MR. MUGS, smiling at me! He was the star of my first grade readers, the Dick and Jane of the 1970s! I had to have it.

Of course, there is nothing more important at an antique shop than a poker face, so I had to gather my wits and check my blood pressure. I can’t remember what I paid, but it couldn’t have been more than a few dollars.  It makes me smile every time I see it. This is the mark of a good purchase, don’t you think?