A time never lived

I guess the majority of my thoughts occur while in transport, travelling from point a to b.

I was listening to the radio and started thinking to myself, whats makes one artist more memorable than another? Why is it so many artists from the past remain a solid staple in history, while others come and go with little recognition. Is it the quality, quantity or what? What music of significance has shaped the last twenty years of my life? I am separating consistent catchy tune-makers from music icons, the greats.

Then my mind really started going, what furniture and clothing designers would be described having derived from this same period 2000-2019? IKEA, replica Teak, Shabby Chic, online shopping giant retailers?

I was feeling a bit confused…Were my teenage years til now a mash-up? A mix of modern, retro and antique all in one, replicating years the past to create a new overall style? It is strange to think that the significance of the 2000’s would be pulling pieces from other periods to create something but this appears to be what is happening. I could say this has always been the case but I don’t think so. Sure, time periods have influenced later decades but the revival of all things (music, fashion, decor etc.) has never been as great as now.

When technology innovation appears to be at an all time high you would think everything would be entirely different but items of popularity seem to have a gravitational pull towards the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. All the old shows (I watched originals of)  are even having reunion remakes, they call them comebacks. I have never seen so many radio channels dedicated to music from other generations. I can’t find a good pair of older Levis to save my life, why because they fly off shelves.

Is there a lack of creators, having the ability to create. Or perhaps we are moving backwards (to the old things) because they were better than what we have now for one or many reasons. Listen to the musical talent, look at the stitches in your clothes and the fabric on that chair. We want authentic, not synthetic and the proof is in the pudding.

A time I never lived is all around me and what I will do is continue to share quality in hopes more quality will come and shape the 2000’s as its own ground breaking time.

Flooding in Ottawa, Garage Sales & Wet Weekend Woes

I just put down the hammer for a few minutes to write this post. I am building a boat “an Ark” that me and my animals can use perhaps at some point this weekend. Noah and I aren’t friends, so I can’t call him up and I believe you should always be prepared.

Ottawa, ON is getting hit with more rain and has already been hit pretty hard. The river on my property is the highest its been in years and my dad lives near another river which is slowly swallowing the land around it. Flooding is scary and being someone who has experienced a flood in my basement only (which was terrible enough) I feel the need to talk about this a little…flush it out

Not only is garage sale season a.k.a. the best time of the year to grasp vintage & antique finds being delayed & shortened due to the weather but it’s got me thinking about the environment. I’ve seen a drastic change in the weather even over the past 2 years…

  • Crazy ass wind and stronger storms! My trees are all broken, breaking or falling over on my property!
  • One hot summer last year and a record hot summer for some areas (good for peppers in my garden, not so good for lettuce)
  • Large amounts of rainfall right now and flooding all over the place
  • One-day nuts snowfall records

Global warming, climate change or a coincidence – call it what you will but something is up. In an effort to save our planet or do what I can to make a difference, I am turning it into high gear fellow vintage & antique friends.

Here are some small things one can do to make a difference:

  1. Buy used clothing ONLY (get on the vintage bandwagon with me or get some nearly new finds at thrift stores) – Fast fashion as they call it is causing mega problems. Clothing ends up in the trash in astronomical amounts and due to the way most clothing is made it does not compost/biodegrade properly.
  2. Repurpose furniture, purchase used furniture ONLY or properly recycle your belongings When items are manufactured (created, shipped etc.) they create some sort of emissions and when you buy stuff second-hand you are cutting that out to some degree. You are also using something for a longer duration (extending its lifespan) which is great! You can also feel good because you are saving landfill space & perhaps saving some trees going this route. I am only going to buy used! I am only going to bring my unwanted items to a thrift store or give away- on Kijiji Free.
  3. Cut down on my meat intake (LESS MEAT TO EAT) I did some immense reading after a horrible fishkill in my river and found out Cow poo poo is more of a threat to the environment these days than car pollution. I love me some beef but I eat it way too much – I over consume and as a whole we (the world) over consumes. Everything you see around suggests take a bike to work, carpool blah blah blah (which yes will help too and is great) but I discovered livestock contribute more to our earths destruction than cars currently do. Perhaps this is up for debate but the latest facts don’t lie!

I personally love antiques & aged clothing because I find the quality much better, they are original and I do feel they contribute to a greener earth. I hope to share some of my thrift store & garage sale deals with you all very soon, in the meantime try to stay dry. If I spend this weekend indoors I may just go stir crazy thinking about if this rainfall warning is part of a bigger problem – I need to care (and do) more about.

My thoughts are with those dealing with Flooding (Floods) in Ontario, Québec and abroad.

 

Prep for the 200th post & more action

pendalumDear cherished readers,

I wanted to tell you that my blog is undergoing some major design/ usability construction right now.  I am approaching my 200th post and I am streamlining a few things to make your experience here truly amazing.

Guess what? I am also getting a new cellphone (mine is a dinosaur but I had become so attached) so I can get on Instagram in a big way.  You will see some new things (not the stuff, it’s always antique or vintage, but the content haha) in March! Get ready for some wicked times together!

I appreciate you continued views, visits and shares.

 

Antiques & Animal Exposure

elephantsR.I.P HARAMBE (17 Year Old Western Lowland Silver-Back Gorilla) – Cincinnati Zoo 

This post was inspired by recent events and people relaying that all zoos are bad zoos and serve no purpose.

When I was a child I grew up with no money to travel, never went to Africa or anywhere I wanted to go. Even as an adult I struggle to find the extra income to go off and see all the beautiful animals of the world in their natural habitat.

If it were not for zoos, I do not think that elephants would be my favourite animal, nor do I think that I would have ever seen one (in person) in my lifetime so far.

I am learning right now about the ivory trade because of my work in antiques and because of my love of elephants have become a strong advocate against the sale of items using animal parts for profit.

I would say that what occurred (at the Cincinnati Zoo) is tragic but the pro to having zoos is that they are not only used as a educative piece but give exposure to many people that otherwise may not have the opportunity (to view these animals and creatures) which in the end may assist with developing a larger following of animals lovers in the world.

A child falling into a cage at the zoo is one part a parental observation problem, one part child not listening (likely) problem and a one part zoo does not have proper measures or security in place problem. Secondly a series of people screaming problem (and worrying the gorilla) and a quick decision making moment – wrapped up into one unfortunate scenario.

I am upset about what happened but I would still say that zoos serve a purpose even though some could for sure be better managed. I understand “the cons” of the zoo but was feeling the need to share one big pro. Love elephants as much as I do, check out my past elephant posts:

  1. PBS Antiques Roadshow Takes a Stand for Elephants
  2. Find of the week: Vintage (1987) Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus King Tusk Elephant Plush Stuffed Animal (April 28, 2014)
  3. Part 2: Key Antique Objects Made from Animals and Plants

Wishing you Happy Holidays & a Wonderful New Year

ID-100303498Dear Readers,

It has been a rollercoaster of a year full of ups, downs, and turn-arounds but we have made it and 2014 is coming to an end.

Plenty of discovered items, many mysteries and a few moments of wonder. I am glad to have shared my many vintage and antique finds with you and look forward to 2015 and another year full of buying and selling (coming soon).

What can you expect in the upcoming few weeks? Bloggin about many, many, many things to name just a few:

  • Records mania – I got boxes full of some rad “n” rockin tunes
  • Vintage Mens Clothing coming to you straight from the 60’s-70’s
  • Lets talk about coins and currency!

Come back soon to read all about it! Thank you for swinging by and all the best for a magical holiday season and exciting new year.

Cheers,

Julie