Yard Stock

Here’s a fun fact about me: I suffer from a great deal of social anxiety. It’s getting worse as I get older. On the other hand I love going out and discovering new things. So basically, I hate leaving the house but I’m always glad that I did.

I mention this because I went out for my first garage sale safari of the season on Sunday. There was a community wide sale in Kensington Market. It was also a beautiful day and Pedestrian Sunday in the Market, so the place was packed with people. Crowds make me panicky.

I almost turned tail to go home many times. But I stuck it. And it was worth it. I scored 10 bracelets for $10. Plus, while I was digging, I found the host’s bag of macadamia nuts, which made him very happy.

The highlights of my hunt are the sterling, Southwestern style cuff and the Bakelite bangle in the first and second photos. I also got some always delightful  Ketty Dalsgaard for Buch + Deichmann bangles, two mid century modern copper bracelets  (always love me some Cu), and two other retro wrist baubles.

I followed up my yard sale trek with a visit to a curated vintage fashion show at the Gladstone. There was a table with some gorgeous jewelry, but nothing under $100. I’m sure they were worth the price, but I still can’t bring myself to spend that kind of moolah on things. I prefer the thrill and the story of the hunt.

The Gladstone is close to one of my favourite Chinese Canadian restaurants, so I went to use their retro Formica tabletops as a backdrop for a little photo shoot of my finds.