THRIFTING ON THE ROCK.

Newfoundland is an island:  a veritable rock in the north Atlantic where the people are known to be cheerful, generous, fiercely proud and extremely resilient. History shows the extreme hardships that we have overcome and how tough life continues to be for many in this fair isle. Winters are long and harsh: not much of fall is seen and spring is often by-passed. And then comes our short summer season, or what we like to call black fly and Nipper weather! 


I still wake every morning rapturously happy to be where I am. And I often feel a mixture of awe-struck surprise and perplexity at some of the other differences between my 41 years in Nova Scotia and my new life here. So many changes! Most are wonderful -- the proximity to family, my new job, my wee little apartment, the scenery, little chubby hands holding me saying "You okay, Nanny B, you okay?"  My new life is grand!

But one thing that makes me sad is the lack of thrift stores, especially here on the West Coast. Newfoundlanders are not "happy thrifters" like Nova Scotians. Many of the people I know would not be caught dead in "someone else's clothes"! I think it comes from years of Newfoundland being the "have-not" province and the pride that people feel at not just making do here on this literal rock in the Atlantic but at prospering. But I've got a few friends as well as my eldest daughter who love a good bargain. And although the local Salvation Army Thrift Store is not a large one, donations are large and it's well attended. I try to check it out once a week (just so I won't lose my thrifting mo-jo!).

They closed last week for 2 days to pack away summer and put out the fall/winter inventory. I visited a couple of days later and scored big time AND I only spent my allotted amount!

I bought this pretty black & yellow blouse (Northern Reflections) as well as a 3/4 sleeve teal, black and white cardigan (Ricki) and a navy blue with white polka dot cardigan (Old Navy). 

       

 I also bought a pair of brown dress pants and a fantastic cream and yellow Colombia jacket, perfect for fall. (Just needed an Oxy super-soak and a wash in hot water and it's looks good-as-new.) 

 (PS - The color is not true in these pictures. Sorry!)

The Sally Ann here as well as the 2 others in a 50 km radius have helped me replace things I sold before my move like my rice cooker, mason jars and jigsaws & paperbacks. My sister and I purchased most of the incidentals for her very small, informal upcoming wedding. I found a really cute, opalescent glass boudoir lamp for $2 (with just a temporary shade on it at the moment).

But the thrifted item I most love is this fantastic lamp from the early 70's with an antique brass filigree foot and an amber globe with black felted pattern. Now, I've been searching for years for a colored glass globe-style lamp base; and although this is not exactly what I had in mind, it kept calling to me until I paid the $5. I proudly marched out of the store, while the locals stood mouths-agape in shock and horror. "Wass dat daft woman totin' outta here, for da love a God? Das h'ugly as sin, my dear!"  But beauty is in the eye of the beholder; and this beauty has won a place in my heart as well as on my end table.

$30 for the shade (EGAD!), another $4 for the tri-light; not as thrifty as I'm used to but still an excellent price for this sized table lamp.

Plus, when you turn the switch, you hear the sounds of angelic voices. 

Ahhhhhhhhh!

How's your thrifting been going?

Rabbit Rabbit for my Favorite Month!

Yup! October is my favorite month. Why, you ask?

• It's my birthday month which means a bonafide reason to celebrate and eat cake. (Not that anything else stops me from eating cake!)

• It's Canadian Thanksgiving which means turkey and stuffing and all things pumpkin. And most importantly, it means family gathered together to give thanks

• It means real sweater weather. Not just light pastel cardigans; but big cable knits, lovely Afghan prints, long cover-yer-bums, ponchos and pullovers and V-necks. Warm and wooly and snuggly. And in Newfoundland where it's more northern and surrounded by the Atlantic, I'm needing them earlier than ever.

• Colors that I wouldn't normally wear in spring and summer come out of my closet. The color of Autumn leaves -- russets and golds and olive greens and browns. 

• And yes, it's the month that I begin to think about Christmas. I know a lot of you aren't ready to hear that word, but little thoughts creep into my head: What will be on my menu? Who will be at my table? How can I talk my Mom out of one of her 2 small freezers so I can begin baking?

Rabbit rabbit y'all!