Secondhand tufted office chair – before

As soon as I started working from home in October I was on the lookout for a proper office chair to use. I started off using one of our secondhand IKEA Tobias dining chairs [as seen here], which yes, I can physically sit in, but thanks to hip issues after having Cora, sitting in a hard chair all day wasn’t doing me any good. So, I took to Kijiji to see what I could find.

This was a search where my patience definitely paid off. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted so I kept an open mind, but at the very least I knew I wanted something padded [hello, hip separation], sturdy and if I’m honest, something that kind of looked amazing.

I was completely open to the idea of a typical ergonomic office chair, but of that type of chair I found, they were either in my budget, worn down and needed repair, or they were amazing ergonomic chairs but were way outside of what I’d be willing to pay for a chair. So I kept looking. Until I found this chair! It of course immediately got my attention aesthetically.

I arranged to view [and sit in] the chair last weekend and it was perfect and exactly what I’ve been looking for; comfortable and unusual. Much like myself I guess you could say.

I know I may not get a great response to this, but I am planning on updating it. Hold on, let me explain! The wood has a very orangey stain and has sloppy faux-aging technique added to it using a darker paint [you can see this in the first photo along the groove on the arm]. The shape is really beautiful and I’ve already tried sanding the finish off, which has me really excited.

Please, trust me. It’s going to look beautiful.

A trip to Rideau Antiques in Lombardy, Ontario

During the Christmas holidays Robert and I had one day where Cora was in playschool and we both had the day off. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but since moving to Canada two and a half years ago, Robert and I have had maybe three or four dates. That’s just what happens when you move to a different continent from everyone you know and you know zero people therefore you know zero babysitters. This is just our life now.

Moving on, because I don’t want this to sound like some sort of absurd misery-brag, but Robert and I had this one unicorn day and wanted to make the most of it. We started our day by going to the most adorable afternoon tea followed by going to Rideau Antiques in Lombardy, Ontario.

To say Rideau Antiques is intense and amazing is an understatement. It reminded me of some sort of abandoned Harry Potter set where all kinds of objects and treasures are piled up to uncomfortable heights and held together by magic and / or positive thinking.

When my parents visited us in October they took a trip to Rideau Antiques ahead of us and strongly advised that if we visit to not bring Cora, and they were right. It’s not the type of place you’d want curious little hands pulling at something from the bottom of a teetering pile.

It’s such a very difficult place to describe outside of the medium of gifs.

That sums up our entire visit. It was amazing and surreal and if I’m honest, overwhelming. Once you head inside the main building it’s stuff and things everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Neither of us could figure out how big the rooms were because it was impossible to gauge where the walls and ceilings were.

I will admit that at this point in our visit, I had a minor panic attack as I quietly questioned the structural integrity of the building. Look at how much stuff there is … Can the house actually support this much? I’m in the middle of the house RN and I have no idea where the closest exit is.

SPOILER ALERT: I survived completely unscathed and in perfect working order, so this may be a cautionary warning to people who may be sensitive to their surroundings or claustrophobic. And if I’m being honest, if you are a person that commands a lot of space or you are currently heavily pregnant, I would not suggest you go very far into the house. There were places where we didn’t go because the aisles were too tight or we felt that if we tried to turn around, we would knock into a lot.

If you stick with it you can find amazing things. If you go with a specific item in mind, I would urge you to ask the owner Clifford where to find a certain item and he can point you in the right direction. His knowledge of where everything is in that store is one of the lesser-known wonders of the world.

I’ll be heading back soon in search for the perfect door knob for our pantry door.

Value Village #ThriftieNominee2019!

I do not like award scenarios whereby you have to ask friends, family and members of the public to vote for you. I don’t mind voting for other people when they ask, but something deep down inside of me turns inside out at the thought of asking people to vote for me in any way. It’s probably something to do with social pressure and me hating ‘popular people’ when I was growing up.

As I was perusing Instagram on Thursday morning, I saw an update from Value Village about their Thriftie Awards and I was immediately like, hold my drink. Value Village are having their first annual Thriftie Awards this year and to become a nominee, all you have to do is nominate yourself and share a post on Instagram about why you should receive the award. Where do I start and remind me again – who’s holding my drink?

I’ve always been aware of shopping secondhand. My mom would bring us on occasion thrifting, but the older I became and the more aware I’ve become of the environmental benefits of thrifting and the more I’ve consciously chosen to buy secondhand pieces.

I would confidently say at least 85% of our our home [including decor, furniture, clothes and accessories] is secondhand and a huge part of that is from Value Village and essentially, my entire blog is proof of that. My dream is to renovate a home of our own and all the renovations we make to be secondhand pieces we find online or on the side of the road or thrifted. Next to nothing new [within reason. I mean, mattresses. I won’t be running too quickly towards a mattress that I find on the side of the road].

Today I’ll be sharing on my Instagram stories ALL OF THE THINGS WE OWN FROM VALUE VILLAGE in an attempt to solidify and prove my nomination as a #ThriftieNominee2019. There’s a lot. So much that I had to record it all in advance last night while Robert was putting Cora to bed.

I hope you find it encouraging to go out and make your next purchase a secondhand purchase. It’s the main reason I share all my treasures. That, and to brag about what I found.

I’ll be spending most of my day manifesting receiving that tiny golden shopping cart. I already know exactly where it’s going to go.