Fire King and Tablecloths and Lights! Oh my!

I scored BIG TIME this weekend! Let me tell you about it!

I went to a demo sale in Delta which was disappointing but the house was built along the banks of the Fraser River which was just beautiful. The house on the other hand was late 70's/early 80's and just not my taste. There was thick, pale blue carpeting in almost every room including the bathroom! I can remember bathrooms growing up that were carpeted. Get this though, this carpet went all the way up and around the jacuzzi. Eeeeeew! Having carpet in the bathroom is like having a giant bath mat that you can never hang up to dry after you get out of the tub. I can't imagine what kind of mold monsters lay beneath.

At least the trip wasn't a complete waste. I talked to the demolition guy and gave him the specifics as to what I'm looking for and to keep me in mind if something ever comes up. This house was much too young and had the demo guy got his decades correct when I emailed him I would have passed.

After Delta, I made my way down to South Surrey where I picked up a mint set of Turquoise Blue Fire King mixing bowls. Since I've been finding most of my retro kitchen items on Craigslist these past few months, I'm really quite amazed at just how trusting people are when I knock on their door. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming. "Oh, come on in!" We stand around and chat for a bit. They show me some of their vintage stuff that either they've collected over the years or that they never wanted in the first place. I love people who fall into the latter group. They just want to get rid of "it". Or, "You can have IT." Like calling "it" what it really is, is somehow a disrespect to REAL home decor.

Such is the case with the two kitchen lights I bought yesterday. They were $5 each from an updated house in New Westminster. They aren't 40's/50's but who'll be able to tell the difference? They're cool as hell and that's all that really matters. They are also very large and will bring some much needed light into my kitchen. The 2 foot long wall sconce will have it's place above my kitchen sink. The ceiling light is about 2 feet in diameter as well and the graphics are reminiscent of fireworks or as Cody thinks, palm trees.


One last thing and then I'll shut up, I promise. A vintage tablecloth caught my eye while in Surrey. (If I'm going to be going out of town to pick up stuff I might as well make it worth while and hit a thrift store...right? Right??) It has all the wonderful colours that will be in my kitchen so I had to have it even though I have two tablecloths already. Now before I hear a certain someone say, "But how many tablecloths does a girl need?" I know of someone who has over 75. Three doesn't seem so bad now, does it?

Hello, My Name is Kassi and I'm a Thriftaholic

I got my fix this weekend and what a great weekend it was! Cody and I picked my Youngstown metal kitchen cabinets from an old church lady who wanted a pretty penny for them. I didn't bother haggling as I knew there would be much interest from other buyers who would gladly pay $500 for the apartment sized kitchen. (I guess it's become popular among the Yaletown hipsters to have a retro kitchen in their downtown lofts. Unfortunately for them, I'm quick on the draw!) We had to disassemble and move them ourselves which was actually an easy job. It was the 4 road trips from her place to ours to drop off each load that was time consuming.

Those many trips were meant to be as it was on the 3rd trip that we finally noticed the big painted sign advertising a Demolition Sale up near Cambie and 13th. Cody persuaded me to go which wasn't all that difficult but I do feel like I'm asking too much with all these road trips to look at sinks and stoves and cupboards and so I didn't want to push it with yet another place to drag him to. Well, Cody has no one to blame but himself for this one. He has no idea what can of worms he's opened up now!

We got to the late 1960's house and as soon as I walked in I called dibs on the light switch plates and outlet covers. Most usable raw materials were sold already like the gorgeous hardwood floors and some of the light fixtures were gone-darn! Mid century lighting is high on my list of must-haves but this house was too young for my tastes anyway. The walls were scribbled with measurements, what had been sold, what was still for sale and prices. It was so fun to walk through. The house was pretty empty but there were a few treasures lying around that if they weren't taken home, would just end up in the landfill when they demo'ed the house next week. In the basement I found three Decoware canisters -Tea, Coffee and Sugar- from the 40's/50's which I got for a buck. The switch plate covers(the top row I bought at Value Village), dated 1967 were 50 cents each. I could have spent more time in that house but the day was slipping away. I had planned to go back the next day to see what else I could find except life got in the way. You know, the usual friend's impromptu wedding, that sorta thing. ;)

For the next demo sale I'd like to be prepared with a list of items I'd like, as well as measurements. See the can of worms you've opened, Cody? Craigslist really is one of the best sources for finding demo sales. I'll have to reconsider shopping at Home Depot now when there are so many other resources out there for renovating and redecorating. Another good resource if you're in the Vancouver area is Jack's New and Used and Habitat For Humanity's Restore. What you're buying is cheaper, has history and most importantly means less trash in the landfill.

Show and Tell

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Either you love black velvet paintings or you hate 'em. Well, I LOVE this black velvet painting I picked up today. This Bandito is badass!

I prefer the quality velvets myself and not the mass produced ones that are readily found at thrift shops. You know, as I'm sure you've seen them: Snoopy, Pink Panther, bull fighting scenes and the list goes on. Signed paintings are harder to come across and usually more expensive unless you find someone who doesn't appreciate the beauty of black velvet.

A few months ago I went to an informal estate sale and bought a 1970's nude and a gorgeous Island girl. They were both from an old lady who was going to a retirement home. I wish I was able to meet her so I could tell her she has great taste.

This Bandito is signed by Marcos Amaro.

The Journey Has Begun

Hi and welcome to my blog! It's a work in progress and just bare boned but I couldn't wait to start writing so the fancy layout and graphics will just have to wait. So, let me take you on a visual journey as I renovate my 1940's home, discover old treasures and bring truth to the old saying: They just don't make 'em like they used to!

When I posted a wanted ad for a sink on Craigslist last week I thought it was a waste of time, nobody would see it and I'd just have to keep hunting for months to find my dream kitchen sink. It's getting increasing hard to find porcelain enameled steel double drainboard sinks (say that five times fast!). As far as I know they make reproduction farm sinks which acquired new are well over the average homeowners budget. Well, imagine my surprise when two days later I got an email from Bill, a man in Hope who had exactly what I was looking for and for an incredible price! The only stipulation was that I had to take the cabinet it was sitting on. Agreed!



Yesterday Cody and I made the 2 hour trip to beautiful Hope, B.C. What a paradise! Bill and his two friendly dogs, an old black Lab and a young Akbash (a serious livestock guarding) met us as we drove up the lane. We talked to Bill or more like Bill talked to us. He had so much to share which I LOVED. Bill has lived on his 36 acre plot of land for 35 years. The sink he was selling was from a cabin on his property. The cabin was built in the 1910's on the edge of his property near the railway line. You could only get to the cabin by train in those days as Bill explained and I wildly imagined people riding the rails and jumping off when they got to it. A romantic idea but far from practical.


Bill's property around the shop, garage and house was crammed full of useful stuff but I guess if it's not being used than it becomes USELESS JUNK. If I were left to my own devices my place would look much like Bill's with all this stuff and all these ideas of what I what to do with it but it never, ever comes to fruition. The kitchen unit I was getting was from the 40's, or so Bill says. I looked up Olympia but couldn't find anything. I do know though that some companies made just those kitchen sink units as a stand alone piece instead of mix and match cupboards you put together to get whatever desired set up you want. The faucet looks older than the 50's but I'm not qualified enough to make that determination but the lines are fantastic and remind of a 1930's gangster car. I think I'll keep them.



Bill told us more about the railway which is no longer in use and the Othello tunnels built through the mountains. So after we left we decided to have a look ourselves. It was just gorgeous. Too bad the tunnels are closed in the winter due to dangerous conditions but we did get a good look down one of the dark train tunnels. That adventure will have to wait until the summer and so we will be back. Hope was much too beautiful to forget about.