Take a look, it's in a book! A Reading Rainbow

Why, hello there. Welcome to my secret cove of handheld delights.

It's super convenient that books are available electronically now, and I no longer run the risk of smearing chocolate all over the cover, or accidentally lighting pages on fire.

But beautiful and absurd books are my weakness. Sometimes I actually avoid stepping into used bookstores, because I might want too many of them, just based on their looks. Living in a teeny apartment means no storage, and no room for such stray dogs I want to claim as my own.

The thing about those paper pups... is that they always find their way to me somehow.

These relics are my little treasures. I always try to downsize my stuff upon stuff, but I just can't toss these:


101 Glamorous Gifts to Make by Miriam Morrison Peake, Scholastic Book Services 1967

Design by Roger Heins, Photograph by John Gruen 

Found: Garage Sale (I think), from when I was 9ish. I tried to make some of these crafts, but only got 1/8th of the way through, every time. Love the *glamorous* cellophane lion. This handy book also includes plenty of gift advice, such as:

The Masculine Approach
"Men, it has often been said, are really just grown-up boys. For them, humor, hobbies, and sports replace the little fripperies that delight a woman's heart. You should flatter their egos, appeal to their sense of fun, and cater to their preferences [...] Wrappings can have masculine flavor."



Cavalcade of Comedy by Louis Kronenburger, Simon & Schuster 1953

Design by Seymour Robins

Found: Last year I went to a Korean restaurant, and for about 15 minutes no servers seemed to notice us. So we left, and lying outside was this court-jestery consolation prize.

Carefree Gardening by Jean Hersey, Van Nostrend Reinhold 1961

Found: Value Village in Barrie, Thanksgiving 2008. My bedroom is adorned with many faded old photos of sunny gardens and fields, and this cover + the typography = slam dunk. I've been meaning to frame it. Alas, I can be pathologically lazy sometmz.

Heloise's Hints For Working Women by Heloise, Simon & Schuster 1971

Found: Recently a neighbour was moving, and tried to give me a ton of her old things. Then she asked me for a monetary donation for them. This book was worth it, I think. I dig the title typography. The content is a confused little mix of sexism and go-get'em-gal-ism:

"It's unfair that working gals, who have to be seen in public so much, are the ones with the least time for beauty and grooming. Though we all want to look nice for our families, they'll always love us, even if our nail polish is chipping a bit. But appearance on the job really counts! If you work in an office, naturally, your boss is going to want a well-groomed, attractive you to welcome his clients."

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Pan Books 2001

Found: Antique Store on Queen West, on a summer stroll in 2009 (although it's not exactly an antique, as this commemorative edition was published in the current decade). This cover looks like a photographed tv screen, in friendship bracelet colours. Neat science fiction type treatment.



Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Doubleday and Company 1945

Pride and Prejudice, inside cover

Found: Junction Value Village last year. There seems to be a dust jacket missing, but we don't need it. It's so cute, it looks like Pride and Prejudice for Newborn Baby Girls. Oh, the lessons they'd learn.



Vivre en Amour by somebody amazing, 1974

Found: Value Village in Montreal, summer trip 2008. A ton of NSFW illustrations inside, with French Canadian couples frolicking in bed and doing stuff. It's a seriously informative book, but nothing beats the ridiculous photographs:

Oral Contraceptives

Fantasies

In-Laws

Hand Intercourse

Fantasy-Horror of Thrift Shopping

It sounds like a miracle, a wonderful thrift magic time. Shopping at different Value Village, Goodwill, and Salvation Army stores, many many evenings in a row. A treasure hunt paradise...

Except when I absolutely cannot find what I'm looking for. A simple, common item that shouldn't be this hard to find. All I'm asking for is a Grandma coat. A beige, shoulder-padded, shapeless coat for a main character in the short film I'm collaborating on (with Sofia Bohdanowicz), called 'Dundas Street'.

She needs to fade into the background. A forgettable woman. I'm sure you've seen this kind of woman many times before on the mean streets of Toronto. They walk to the grocery store in small steps; they sit at the front of the bus with their loafers and lady purses. They're nice and quiet (and probably have a whole circus going on in their heads but they hide it well).

And one would think that thrift stores would be filled with coats these ladies would wear. Wool, trench, cotton; Easy pickings, am I right? Like shooting fish in a barrel of monkeys (or something).

I'm so wrong. It's been extremely difficult. We have a wardrobe fitting in 2 days. I've been dragging myself all over the city, and not even stellar vintage finds have been able to console me.

So here was my latest mission: Venture out to the sweet spot in the Junction, where there is a Value Village, Salvation Army, and other little thrift stores all within walking distance of each other. And I solemnly swore to relish the opportunities presented before me; Embrace the outrageous, the hideous, the fantastically horrific. Here are the best finds of my super thrift adventure:

Why yes, this teddy bear is in fact glued to the frame.

Super glamourous garden party hat.

The best effin Christmas vest I've ever laid eyes on (yes I bought it).

Psychedelic needlepoint (bought this too).

Hard to believe this is real. Must download 'Sammy' from iTunes.

Fruit giftbag*. With tape all over the corner.

*Note: When I lived with my friend Gwen, we collected photographic fruit decor. I miss our old place, it looked like a supermarket from the 80s.

And as for that Grandma coat?

Right here. Plain as a vanilla wallflower. I think it'll be perfect for the woman in our short film, 'Dundas Street'.