The Interior DIYer
Cora's room

Secondhand pink bucket chair

On Saturday we took a walk through the center of Ottawa with no set plans. We wandered down Bank Street and I saw what looked to be a secondhand store [within / alongside a shop called Picture Works, which has no details online]. It was full of a jumbled mess of secondhand pieces and I couldn’t not go in. 

I walked down one of the aisles and what did I see but a little pink bucket chair under a pile of chairs and stools. I cleared it off, sat down and decided I had to have it. It was so perfect and at just $30, I really couldn’t not get it. 

The shop owner was eccentrically honest and even offered to deliver it to me for “whatever price you want”. Last night he delivered it as promised and after a quick clean, it is now home in the corner of Cora’s room. It’s so perfect for her space and just what I was looking for in a cosy reading chair. It swivels and rocks back and forth and more importantly, is so comfortable [as I type sitting in it]. Cora’s had a few rough nights getting to sleep [fuck teeth], so it will definitely be a welcome place for us to sit with her until she falls asleep.
Secondhand FTW. 

Environmental Resolution

Charity shop tour – Bray edition

You know when you meet someone for the first time and you feel like you’ve known them your whole life? After geeking over charity shops online the past couple of weeks, Sadhbh* of Where Wishes Come From so graciously offered to give me a tour of ALL OF THE Bray charity shops last week. We met on Main Street in Bray and spent the entire afternoon shooting the breeze and touring the best second hand bargains Bray has to offer. Entertainment, great company, and it snowed. It was a pretty epic afternoon.

As Sadhbh so expertly advised, we started our tour at the McDonald’s [which is one of the top 10 McDonald’s in the world, if that’s your kind of thing] at the top of Main Street in Bray because that way, you’re walking downhill for the rest of the shops. That’s my kind of route.

Without further delay, onto all the second hand and charity good stuff –

1.Valentine’s Community Shop – a great selection of clothes, both old and new
2. Vincent’s – I hit gold here and bought 3 pieces. One of the larger charity shops with a wide variety of clothes, books, and knick-knacks
3. War on Want – a real gem. I bought husband the most epic tracksuit top, formally known as TraXedo [see photo below]. It was downhill after that. 
4. NCBI – lovely selection of accessories and clothes for all ages
5. The Furniture Barn – really unique and antique pieces of furniture
6. Enable Ireland – great collection of antique fine china as well as a tempting selection of clothes available
7. Oxfam – solid collection of second hand books and clothes for all age groups
8. Charity Begins at Home – an amazing collection of very affordable and upcycle-worthy furniture
9. Irish Cancer Society – also a go-to for fine china and ladies clothing 
10. Cast A Ways – excellent selection of second hand and shabby chic furniture 
11. Vincent’s – a great variety of clothes and knick-knacks. I couldn’t resist a print of the Welsh countryside from here
12. Florence Fortune’s – it was unfortunately closed the day Sadhbh and I went, but we spent about 5 minutes with our faces pressed up against the front window. If you’re in Bray, you have to go to there.

We took our time wandering from one second hand store to the other, rummaging through all the bargain bins, and were finished in under 2 hours. But this route could easily be done in half an hour if you were on a mission. And dare I say it, the Bray charity shops put the Dublin ones to shame.

It would be a shame to not share a picture of my most prized possession from said route – the TraXedo. It’s a mock-tuxedo tracksuit top. Behold …


In case you were curious as to how it works, the bow-tie is velcrow and detaches on the right hand side for ease of access. As it says on the cuff – TraXedo; when smart meets casual. I promise, I will try and get a photo of husband in it later tonight, so be sure to check later. This was by far the best 3.50 I’ve spent in weeks.

We retired to Dockyard No. 8 on Bray Harbour and warmed up with the most epic of seafood chowder. We could have sat chatting and eating for hours, but unfortunately I had to cut it short to get the bus home. 

I had an amazing afternoon and if it weren’t for my knowledgeable, cool and hilarious tour guide, I would have been none-the-wiser to all that Bray had to offer. Thank you again, Sadhbh xx

*as Sadhbh puts it, her name sounds like the number ‘five’ if it started with an S – ‘Sive’.