UsedEverywhere.com

Play it safe

Click to view full size

These are just a few indicators we’ve come across that could indicate a scam ad. Know of any other Ghosts out there to be weary of?

Reclaimed Fireplace Mantle

Recently, I was introduced to a wonderful couple in town who manage Tumbleweeds theatre and are regulars on UsedVictoria.  They were looking for props, set pieces, and costumes.  Over time, they’ve gathered furniture and decoration for their home as well.  With their collected mix of Victoria heritage – including chairs from the Fairmont Empress Hotel, off of UsedVictoria.com – they were looking for a fireplace mantle that would fit the vibe.

We had talked about finding some reclaimed wood for the mantle, when one night I was walking home from downtown, and came across a dumpster in front of a heritage building being gutted.  Inside, I found a giant chunk of Cedar from the old support structure.

I found this in a dumpster downtown, took it home, and re-finished it.

Using pretty much the original form, we agreed to mill it down to some clean lines, and set it up as is.  I milled out the back, filled the grooves with epoxy (a general purpose adhisive), set an angle iron into the brick (see below), and set the mantle in place.

These angle irons are only $10 each on UsedVictoria.com. Click to see posting.

Make sure to get someone with experience to mount an angle iron in place, especially when dealing with old brick.

We chose to simply varnish the mantle without a stain to keep and enhance the warm glow of the natural wood.

As you can see, the piece adds warmth to the room and is a fantastic place to display the couple’s rotating collection of memorabilia.

With a picture and some eclectic art, it fits right in!

They continue to surf UsedVictoria on a daily basis, helping their business grow and always adding to their home.  A used couch now faces the mantle, and a reclaimed stained glass piece hangs in their window adding even more colour to the living room.  They keep me posted on useful material that often pops up on the site, and I’ve started a habit of always checking dumpsters downtown.

Happy scavenging!

Tyler Weid

The Found Object Clock Treasure

I very much enjoy found art. I enjoy how creative it is. How someone can see an object, or a bunch of objects, as something so much different than they are is amazing to me. I’ve always been somewhat of a fine arts dilettante; I’ve dabbled in my own work and studied art history for years. Found art is just one of those things that impresses me because I unfortunately just don’t really have that gift of being able to see an object beyond what it is, and what it is conventionally used for. I’m not that inventive, I guess you could say. I like Lego and I like Ikea furniture and I like following the instructions that come in the box.

As much as I very much enjoy found art, it is not the kind of art I would want in my house. I couldn’t ever really picture something like Duchamp in my living room, or one of those animalized sculptures made out of bent forks and spoons on the bedside table. Maybe one day when I have a proper place to live? No, probably not. I appreciate it, and I’m intrigued by it (aesthetically and introspectively), but it’s just not my style.

However, I was given a clock as a gift once. This wasn’t just any clock. It is a San Francisco art fair clock made out of – you guessed it – found objects. Junk. I think he is supposed to look like a dog with a hat on – what do you make of him? The body is an old baking tray, the clock framed by a mason jar lid, the nose is a handle from something, and the rest is just scrap pieces and random bits. I like to think that because he serves a purpose by telling me the time, he is an exception. He is just neat, isn’t he? He is literally a bunch of junk that I will treasure forever.

It just amazes me what people can create out of what most people would consider garbage!

Planning a TV show set in 9.5 steps

There’s this new show coming out in the fall called Family Matters.  Double entendre because, well, family does matter and it’s about family legal matters.  It’s hosted by a ‘sitting judge’ (I’m learning the lingo as I go) and looks super helpful.

The producer (boss lady in TV land) called me up and asked about sponsoring the set.  I said, “What a great idea, since we pride ourselves on being Family Friendly and helping out families any way we can, and that you could get all the stuff you need for a set from our sites – whether tv or little Jamie’s 2nd grade school play about sharing is caring.”  OK, so maybe I didn’t ramble on quite that much but you get the idea.

So as we helped them put the set together, with everything from some carpet scraps to finding a carpenter & designer on UsedVictoria, I took some pictures and thought other curious folks like myself might be interested in the process: enjoy!

Step 1: sketch it out old-school style to figure out the basics

Step 2: re-create the sketch in a basic computer program like Word or on of the Adobe Suite applications

Step 3: if you have a designer involved, ask them to decide on colours and put together a full-fledged mock up

Now comes the hard work of building the set.

Step 4: get camera equipment in place before building the set, in case it's heavy and breakable

Step 5: position set under existing lighting if working in a studio, or set up lighting if starting from scratch

Step 6: Build the riser / stage for the set

Step 6.5: make sure riser / stage is in the right spot, because once it's carpeted, furnished, and the backdrop is in place this'll be tricky to move (refer back to your drawings, spacings, etc!)

Step 7: install the carpet - measure more than you need so that you can wrap around edges, or place on covering edges with something like painted black wood to blend it in

We’re almost done!

Step 8: get the panels / background / backdrop printed and delivered, as well as furniture

Step 9: TA-DAaaaaa! All done with the set.

If you’d like to find out more about the show please visit www.familymattersTV.com.

Or if you’d like to know more about the process, please comment below and we’ll contact the individuals involved in each step.

Photo booth photos

I have a thing for photobooth photos. And by THING, I mean that I like them. A lot.

There’s something about them that I totally adore. They capture four distinct moments in time, like photographic gunshots: BAM BAM BAM BAM. They’re utterly honest.

We live in the age of digital. We delete the blinky and blurry and never give it a second thought, but the truth is, we are blinky and blurry creatures and the photobooth gives us a glimpse at Life As We Really Know it. The photobooth captures who we are at one tiny moment. In a sense, it’s an homage to time’s passing.

For awhile the girls and I were giving Mark homemade cards with strips of photobooth pictures inside them as Father’s Day gifts. I wish we’d kept this little tradition going, because when you see them side by side you realize how much people grow and change.

Not too long ago Mark and I were at an event with a photobooth. Well, I couldn’t resist. On the right there is the resulting photo.

There’s are a few Flickr groups that are just about photobooths, and there are some real keepers in there. Some of the photos are old, and some are rather inexplicable. Sometimes you have to wonder… what’s going on there? I like this set that announces an engagement, and this one is not part of the Flickr group but it shows a marriage proposal (!) but I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of photobooth photos are of some friends hamming it up. And I love that.

And of course, there’s also an app out now that can replicate the photobooth style too. But if you ask me, you can never have a digital photobooth. It just can’t work.

Sadly, photobooths seem to be disappearing. I know of a couple here in Ottawa, but that’s it. Hmm. I might just have to get out there before they’re gone.

What about you? When’s the last time you’ve been in a photo booth?

A Farm Auction Masterpiece

Last weekend my Dad saw an ad in the local paper advertising a farm auction, north of Sterling, near Belleville, Ontario. Not entirely sure what a “farm auction” was, he was convinced to check it out with the hope that there might be some nice furniture being auctioned off. Tables and chairs were featured in the ad itself, so maybe “we could find some stuff for the cottage” he figured.

He and my mom drove up to where the auction was being held. Cars were parked a half mile down the road from the farmhouse – a good sign that this was one happening auction! Lots of items were being sold – old tractors, farm equipment, barn-type furniture – unfortunately none of which my Dad was in the market for, exactly.

Creative Commons Image | WELS.net

He thought about calling it a day when the rusted bucket complete with random bits of metal thrown in went for twenty-five cents. “It was all old junk”, he told me, “literally nothing sold for more than five bucks”.

That was until the auctioneer pulled out three dusty, cob-webbed watercolours. The other men there, all apparently in uniform consisting of overalls and Wellington boots, started bidding – and bidding well over $5.  Clearly they knew there was something special about these paintings. Wanting to get in on the action, my Dad starting bidding too, but had to drop out once one bid put the first painting over $650. It sold for $1200. The other one went quickly too – for around $1000. Rightly sensing the bids reducing, my Dad put on his game face and is now the proud owner of the last farm auction watercolour.

While he couldn’t recall the name of the artist, the signature was followed by “RA”, for Royal Academy, as in Royal Academy of the Arts in London, England. Those farmers really knew their art!  I’ll be sure to update this post with a picture and (if I can read it) the artist’s name once I get to see the painting in person. I’ll be interested to do some more research on the painting once I find out more about it! I wonder how much it is really worth… if it is really something special…

That’s just it about auctions – just like garage sales, thrift stores, and even our sites – you just never know what gems you are going to find!

Eden's Victoria

As I have documented rather extensively, I’m about to finish my undergrad at UVic. Having grown up in Vancouver and with my roots on the East Coast, it’s pretty uncertain where I’ll end up in September. The though of leaving my beloved little city makes me a little nostalgic, so I thought I’d show off some of my favourite things to do around town…

1. Breakfast. If there’s one thing I love, it’s going out for breakfast. Victoria has so many amazing and tasty places to go, it can be pretty hard to choose. It honestly depends most often on which location has the shortest line-up – we take our morning meal very seriously out here. My faves? Shine Cafe, Floyd’s and John’s Place.

creative commons image courtesy of skampy

2. Shopping. No surprise here, I love spending money in the name of vanity. Sure, Victoria doesn’t have all the big names like Vancouver and Seattle do, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in awesome boutiques. I recommend Lower Johnson Street , Fan Tan Alley in Chinatown and Uptown.

creative commons image courtesy of AnnieGreenSprings

3. The Beach. Well if it hadn’t been such a lame summer, I probably would have hit the hot-spots a lot more frequently. I have managed to get a couple good beach days in, my favourites are Gonzales and Thetis Lake.

creative commons image of anitakhart

4. Drinks on a Patio. Sure, Victoria has some great bars and pubs, but nothing is better than hitting a patio and enjoying the view. I’ll be hitting up Glo, The Local Kitchen and a kind-of sort-of patio, Rooftop at The Sticky Wicket. That’s where I’ll be… as soon as it’s nice out.

creative commons image courtesy of D'Arcy Norman

5. Take-Out. Who doesn’t love getting take-out? Especially when Victoria has so many awesome options. Take it to a park or go hang out by the Inner Harbour and snack away on Noodle Box, Fujiya or Eugene’s, and don’t even get me started on the pizza. Yummmmm.

creative commons image courtesy of Gainesvegas

Questions and Curios

A comparison between thrift stores and museums was made to me recently. Despite my best efforts to avoid the topic of museums and museum studies completely in my thesis for school (because holy….), it managed to sneak its way in and needless to say I have been talking a lot and thinking a lot about museums lately.

After this comparison was made I thought “yes… you’re on to something”. After thinking about it some more I realized that museums and thrift stores are absolutely nothing alike.

Museums are for displaying important objects, every item is separated and has fancy lighting and a label and a history that is culturally significant. People spend their whole lives studying these objects; people make careers out of setting up exhibitions. And other people pay good money just to go and look.

Thrift stores crowd their items together. You can’t just look you have to find. These objects are not priceless, but a cheap price. They don’t even compare in their social and historical value. It’s just a warehouse of other people’s throwaways and donations under fluorescent light.

Or are they?

Where do museum collections come from? Where did they start? Cabinets of curios? Personal collections? When one goes back in time the two begin to look strangely similar. Fundamentally, both museums and thrift stores display objects that have a history and (a) previous owner(s). But what makes the objects in the museum more valuable than those sitting on a musty shelf at Value Village?

Well, really, lots of things, but we won’t get into that. Instead, consider this – if you took Andrea’s Pinocchio and put it in a glass case with a label and its own little light, would it suddenly seem more valuable? Somehow more important? Perhaps even… museum worthy?

I’ve come to this conclusion: objects themselves have no real value. The only value that they have is attributed to them by you, by me, by the social and economic norms that shape our opinions and sense of worth.

What do you think? Are museums and thrift stores really all that different?

Creative Commons Image | Curious Expeditions

Top 10 Items for a Bummer Summer

Oh, Victoria. Why do you taunt us? The first half of May was lovely, the first three days of July were a delight… and then the environment seemed to sputter and cough and give up. We’ve skipped to September? But why, summer? Why?!

It’s been a bummer summer on the West Coast, and no one is pleased. All is not lost, friends! I’ve devised a list of nifty finds to salvage what remains (even if it is spent inside… or with a coat on).

1. Tent Who says you have to set it up outside? Camping inside is totally a thing, people. It’s a city-person thing, but a thing nonetheless!

2. Wellies You pretty much need them these days. At least you’ll only be cranky because it’s raining and not because it’s raining and your feet are wet. Am I right?!

3. Comics This really shouldn’t require any explanation.

4. Hoodie Heading to the beach, even though it’s 14 degrees? Yeah, you are!! Put a hoodie on though, that breezy is nippy.

5. Suitcase Useful for packing for your vacation… elsewhere. Hopefully featuring sun.

6. Movies that never end. Got a rainy day and some time to kill? Watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy! Yayyyy!!! That’s at least nine or ten consecutive hours. Maybe twelve if you watch the bonus features.

7. Kitchen Things. You’ve got some time, why not learn a new recipe? Or nine. Or if you’re like me, learn to cook things besides a frittata and that Pad Thai that comes in a box… even if your grandma isn’t like mine and doesn’t insist that you won’t ever get married until you can cook. Thanks, Meme. I’m 22.

8. Dress Up. Particularly if you or someone you know has a baby small enough to fit in a banana costume. Oh, the hilarity. Please refrain from putting babies you don’t know in banana costumes. That’s weird.

9. Bowling. Whether you use this set or hit your local alley, so much fun!

10. A Pool. Because when summer does arrive… you’ll be ready to show it who’s boss.

New Feature: Sign In

Over the next week, we’re adding “Sign In” to our sites. In those days you should see those two little words in the top right corner beside “Safety Tips” and “Help”

We’ve been testing it non stop over the past few months to make sure it doesn’t crash and burn, and so far we haven’t heard any loud noises or smelled burnt toast. We think the coast is clear.

With the Sign In we are rolling out 2 new features: The User Dashboard and Alerts

User Dashboard

The biggest thing it does is organize your ads. In one page you’ll be able to see all the ads that you’ve posted, how often they’ve been seen, and quick links to upgrade, edit, or mark as sold. No need to save all the emails or bookmark all your active ads. Just sign in; there they are.

Alerts

You are on the hunt for new patio furniture. So you look under Outdoor Furniture. But your too late. Everything has either been sold, or has someone one the way to pick it up. What can you do? On the right hand side under “My Tools” click “Email / SMS Alerts”

Fill out an email address or phone number, and see the latest ads posted. Then you’ll be notified the moment new ads are added. You’ll be sure to get the upper hand now.

For those in the UK & Austrailia – We haven’t set-up text messages for you yet – however the email notifications will still be available, so with a smart phone, you should still be able to get notified anywhere you are.

Do you have to sign in to post ads?

Nope. We know that some like the way it works right now, so why ruin a good thing?

Where is all of this going?

We don’t know for sure. We’ve got approximately 1 million and 3 ideas around the Sign In. We only have 5 people on our development team. So it’ll be one step at a time.

If you’ve got suggestions and recommendations on where we should start, post your idea on our getsatisfaction page.

When should you see it?

• Thank you PEI for helping us test this new feature. You’re up and running and your feedback has been very helpful.
• Atlantic/Prairies – you are good to go right now!
• Quebec/Ontario – your scheduled for Wednesday
• Everywhere else ( including Australia & the UK )- Monday morning. So get ready – keep you’re eyes peels and start signing in.

Once you see the “Sign In” you’ll also be able to read more details in your help section.