Mlle Magpie

Party Purses

 

 

Husband and I don't go out much, but I have a collection of party purses at the ready nonetheless :)

 

 

I've hung them up in our bedroom. Below these stylish French mademoiselles of days past.

 

Mlle Magpie

Thrifted Flowers

 

 

 

As I think about gardening and flowers to get my mind off the cold and all the snow outside, how perfect that on my latest thrifting adventure I found this.

 

 

 

 

When I saw this old oil painting at my favourite thrift store, I grabbed it. Maybe a bit more colourful and exuberant than what I would normally go for but according to all the magazines out there, colour seems to be a big theme in decorating this year. This painting is a nice size at 18 X 24 inches and it was only $15 (!). A happy vintage find.

 

I do hope I'm not the only one who found something wonderful this week...

 

Mlle Magpie

 

A Pile of Vintage Quilt Blocks

While treasure-hunting one day I found a whole stack of these beautiful quilt blocks. I believe it's the Dresden Plate pattern, using those wonderful feedsack fabrics from the 30's and 40's. Love that seafoam green center and that black blanket-stitched edge is a nice little touch. The pieces are about 12"X12". I think they would make wonderful pillow covers or look great framed and grouped on a wall. I had to buy the whole stack since they were being sold all together. Husband thinks I should keep a few for myself and open and etsy shop to sell the rest. In fact, husband thinks I should sell a lot of my stuff :) What's a vintage-loving Magpie to do?

Mlle Magpie

Armchair Thrifting

For those who can't get out or have no where to go thrifting, thank God for the internet. One of my absolutely favorite places to go thrifting on the internet is a most fabulous place called Little Byrd Vintage. I discovered this vintage etsy shop through Rebekah's blog and I browse here on a regular basis. By the way, Rebekah is super hip and if you're into vintage fashion, she regularly posts photos of the thrifted outfits she's wearing. How cool is that?!!

 

You will find cool vintage stuff here.

 

Rebekah is a talented photographer. I love how she photographs her vintage wares.

I also adore her simple, nature-inspired aesthetic.

But what is also great about Rebekah, is that she also gives you lots of great ideas for display. Take for example this vintage wooden shadow box.

 

In the listing for this item, she will show you different things  you can do with it.

Love the inspiration.

 

Rebekah also makes things using vintage materials, like this beautiful zippered pouch.

Seeing as armchair thrifting is all I can do lately, I certainly have picked up a few vintage goodies from LBV recently.

 

A flower frog to add to my collection.

 

A trio of frames. Thought I could use them to frame some vintage wallpaper- that shouldn't take too much energy.

And I couldn't resist this vintage train case with the plastic handle. Thought it would help Rebekah in packing up my order of vintage treasures from her shop.

Mlle Magpie

Mlle Magpie Meets 52 Flea

It's wonderful getting to know different people through their blogs and visiting with them without ever leaving the comfort and safety of your own home. What is even more wonderful is getting to meet some of them in person. Lucky me, I got to meet the incredible Laura of 52 Flea while she was visiting here in Montreal with her lovely sister and nephew who was checking out McGill University! 

I can't tell you how much fun it was to spend a bit of time with Laura on Friday morning. I took everyone to a cafe downtown for capuccino and hot chocolate and a chat. Then we headed off to share with my new friends a few of my favourite places.

At the top of the list was my Salvation Army store, of course.

(photos borrowed from Laura's blog with permission, since my camera battery was dead)

I was SO happy for Laura because she was able to find a few vintage French books (usually very rare) and the kicker was that it was 50% off day! What luck!

Then it was off down the street to look at some antique shops.

Our last stop on that street was the fabulous L'Atelier du Presbytere, full of vintage French linen goodness.

Laura bought a gorgeous bag here that was sewn by the charming owner of the shop, from a vintage linen dress. I am sure Laura will be posting about it soon on her blog so do stop by and visit her.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to meet with such a lovely, talented and warm kindred spirit in person, that I got to know through blogging. Laura, we will definitely be getting together again sometime, perhaps to go to a flea market...?

Mlle Magpie

Pearls for Projects

I try to be a savvy thrifter. When I spied this pink cotton sweater, my first thought was - that's a lot of pink pearls around that v-neck!

And since Mlle Magpie is always collecting things, trying to build up her crafting supplies, this sweater was perfect.

 
After cutting off the pearls, I ended up with a nice bowl of them to add to my crafting room supplies. And the sweater, after a quick wash, was all spiffed up and ready to provide raw material for other projects - maybe a stuffed animal or a little pink cable throw pillow for my littlest one's room?

Mlle Magpie

My Latest Salvation Army Store Finds

I just love thrifting at the Salvation Army Store. This is hands down my favourite place to shop. I love the search, the digging, the wondering if I'll find anything this time... Inevitably, I always do.

Mlle Magpie