Mod Mischief

While Chris and I obviously make most of our costumes, often it is considerably easier and surprisingly cheaper to buy some pieces premade. This year we’ve gone to so many different stores that I wanted to take notes, so I’ll remember where the best deals are for next year. And if you haven’t finished your costume shopping, maybe you can benefit from this too. Value Village We always start with the thrift and vintage stores. While there are plenty of thrift stores that have better deals and politics than Value Village, VV always has the biggest selection of second hand stuff. So if we don’t have a full day to spend combing through the racks of Ottawa’s vintage shops and charity stores, Value Village is the best bet. Starting in September, VV stocks a wide selection of brand new costumes and accessories, but you’re usually better off looking for the real vintage items. Case in point: this authentic military cap cost less than $3, the cheap vinyl costume version was closer to $3...

I want this dress . The Hitchcock by Suzabelle , over at Victoire Maybe I've been watching too much Mad Men , but I feel like my new promotion calls for some retro-inspired business clothes. Let's just ignore the fact that my current wardrobe took 7 suitcases and 3 big boxes to move into the new place...

I have a sneaky suspicion that whoever is behind the fabulous new window display at Canteen is also responsible for my favourite Ottawa street art .

I’ve put together an entry for Canteen’s next Sweet Jam . This month’s challenge: Book Ends::sdnE kooB I’m not entirely happy with how it turned out. If I had more time I would redo the right one, but entries are due tomorrow so it will have to do. Word is the CBC might even be covering the event.

To celebrate Etsy Day I’ve been perusing the site’s undiscovered shops . That’s where I found these : Won’t they be the perfect little add-ons to any future steampunk pieces ?

Exciting news! I responded to a kijiji ad this weekend that was offering free records. When I didn’t hear back from them right away I assumed that someone else beat me to it, but then I came home to a message on my machine on Tuesday. It turns out the ad was posted by Legend Records . Not only did they still have boxes of unplayable records left for me to pick up, they were also interested in seeing my paintings and putting them up in their store ! Yesterday I got a ride out to their Wellington location and picked up as many free records as we could fit in the car. I also dropped off a couple painted records I threw together in a hurry Tuesday night, and a stack of business cards. We’ll see if anything comes of it. If nothing else, I now have enough vinyl to keep me busy for a long time. It looks like I’ll have to start branching out into other used-record crafts. Butterflies perhaps? "My Back Pages" by Paul Villinski

I want everything in this store . Decollect is in Port Hope. Time for a road trip? Thanks StyleNorth for making me drool over deco this morning.