Vintage shows in the 613

March 19, 2017 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Vintage, Vintage Accessoires, Vintage Art, Vintage Bags & Purses, Vintage Clothing, Vintage Collectibles, Vintage Electronics, Vintage Events, Vintage Fashion, Vintage Figurines, Vintage Furniture, Vintage Glass and Porcelain, Vintage Hats, Vintage Jewellery, Vintage Shoes

It’s a busy weekend coming up for all things vintage in Ottawa, Ontario.

There is the Vintage Pop-up 613 taking place on Saturday (25th) and the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show on Sunday the 26th.

Quick dish:

The pop-up will have the following:

Books & vinyl
Furniture and Antiques
Games and Comics
Repurposed gift items
Toys & Collectibles
Vintage Clothing & Accessories
Housewares

The clothing show will have items such as:

Vintage clothing
Accessories
Jewelery
Designer Vintage

I hope you have a blast and make it out to both events. I have never been to the pop-up but will keep you posted on it.

Also, I just got back from the Ottawa Nostalgia & Collectible Show 2017 and can’t wait to show you what I found. Stay tuned by checking out my instagram feed on the blog.

Have an amazing rest of weekend.

Weekend Recap – Killer leather chairs!

November 8, 2016November 9, 2016 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Antique Furniture, Find of the week, Vintage, Vintage Furniture

14962611_10157760177400584_2623954443011584843_n

Monday – is my least favourite day of the week, I must say…I just hate it. Everyones’ in a rush, works busy as f*ck and rush hour seems to be 5x worse than usual.

Via this post, I am going to put a positive spin on Mondays and say it is what you make it and I am going to make it awesome.

I cracked open some wine, made breakfast for dinner and played in my head how freakin wicked the weekend was because I picked up some sexy wood (featuring leather) chairs.

I paid $10 for these bad boys (or girls) at a garage sale on the weekend. It was hella cold but worth it as the sale had some noteworthy things. Chairs are pretty plentiful these days [in my life] however these ones really stood out.

I was told they were antique, though I would say that they are more circa 1940’s. They have Spanish styling and appear to be made of Venadillo Wood. Based on my research and what I have seen on the market, they are from either Columbia or Mexico. I will keep you posted if I learn anything more on them.

I hope you turn that Monday frown upside down and have an excellent evening. My glass of wine is now finished but the jazz is still playing.

It doesn’t matter if its black and white

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Antique Furniture, Vintage Furniture

I work in colour sometimes, but I guess the images I most connect to, historically speaking, are in black and white. I see more in black and white – I like the abstraction of it.

-Mary Ellen Mark

A few weeks ago the snow started to melt and I was eager to hit the road, garage sale season was upon us.

I jumped in the truck and flew down the street to a garage sale I knew was happening from signage I saw posted earlier in the week at four way stops in my village.

I arrived at the sale and it wasn’t long until I purchased some light bulbs, a neat vintage medicine cabinet for $4 and other household goods I found in the homeowners garage and on the driveway.

As I went to leave I paused instantly as my eyes were fixated on a shelf hidden on the front porch behind some other “SOLD” furniture.

I asked the gentlemen if the shelf was for sale, he said I could have it for free and it came from an early 1900’s farm house that was once inhabited across the street. You could imagine how quickly my curiosity face was replaced by an ear to ear smile. The shelf made it home and it wasn’t long until I found it a free table friend (three days later on garbage day) from a different farm house on the same street.

I always think to myself, if an item were shown in only a black and white photo would it still be beautiful? Could you still see the craftsmanship and guess the age of the piece?

I really gravitated to the shelf and this little table because the lines were not only incredible but they both brought me back to a moment in time where the hand would touch the piece of wood and beauty was defined not by machinery perfection but by an imperfection of authenticity here or there.

When was the last time you laid eyes in something that made you see it’s beauty in black and white?

Springtime and the side of the road

March 23, 2015 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Vintage, Vintage Furniture

Spring cleaning – a suggested time of the year and activity whereby humans clean up their homes and toss out “their trash” and other people hopefully give what can be salvaged a new life.

I think my little words above are more of a dream of mine- what I would like to see. Most of the time perfectly good things get thrown out completely making their way to the landfill prematurely when they are in a good enough condition to be reused.

Giving stuff to second hand stores, a friend or leaving them [or it] at your curbside a day or two [at least] before your garbage pick-up day is definitely the way to go.

On my way to get groceries today I spotted some furniture on the side of the road a few minutes up the street. I left the coffee table and night table for someone else but snagged this wonderful solid dresser. Clean lines, rich details and storage all in one piece.

I wanted you guys to check out the superb detailing on this dresser so I took a few photos.

If there is something I like more than chocolate it is when other people spring clean and toss out their trash that can be turned into a treasure with a little bit of TLC and elbow grease. This dresser needs a good wipe but other than then that it is good to go.

I am going to take a close look at it tomorrow to determine age, furniture style etc. Right now all I have to go off is the 315 stamp on the back.

Looking at something and need some help determining if it is real of fake check out my tips of how to tell if it is antique.

Don’t forget that your trash may be someone else’s treasure.

The Free Files – Glam, Bam and thank you ma’am

January 18, 2015 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Furniture, Vintage Furniture

This week proved to be very fruitful and allowed me to furnish the few remaining nooks and crannies in my home for zero dollars. It feels really good to give all this furniture and decorative bits a new home.

If you want to fill your home with gently used gems for little to no cost

try the following (below) I have also included some of my random tips as well:

Check your local classified (buy & sell) websites and browse the free section often.
Leave your laptop/computer open all day long on the weekends (when you are on the free page) and hit refresh button ever so often. You really have to be on the ball (or the mouse) to be the chosen one – the person who emails or calls the owner first.
Before emailing the owner/seller make sure you check to see the location of the item first. Sometimes you may spend more money in gas and time than the item is worth. *Schedule a few pick-ups in one night and plan your driving (stops) accordingly.
Make sure your vehicle (or a friends vehicle) can safely and securely transport the item(s) to you. It does not hurt to ask for measurements if you are unsure.
Be sure that you can lift the item and it will fit in your home. There have been times when I have needed to bring my own dolly since the item was way too heavy or could not get it upstairs as easy as I had hoped.
Lastly when you are on your merry way to pick something up (free or not)- always tell someone where you are going (send them the address and name of person) or keep a record of the person’s details in your email. You never know who you are meeting right? If you are getting used vintage clothing it is always good to meet at a coffee shop or somewhere public. You can buy a coffee and try the items on in the bathroom there.

What did I snag this week?

This really old chair and ottoman. I was told it had been re-covered within the past 10 years and had made its way through the family tree. The elaborate woodwork and legs (see photo at top of post as well) made me smile and it is actually super comfy. My cat has already claimed this as her new puuuurrrrfect spot.

The next lady was on the move and could not fit this ornate 70’s dresser (seen above) into her new place. It sure is solid and I fancy the mirror. It also has those really handy pull out sock drawers.

Lastly I came across a really big picture frame (seen below) which I thought would fit this jazzy photo. It sure did!

If you like getting free things or buying used items check out my past tip of the week – how to become a great picker.

if you are a seller and want to know more about selling check out how to sell vintage, antiques and more like a pro.

Have a great rest of the weekend and come back real soon for more on records, vintage clothing and my latest furniture finds.