Dead Rat Around Your Neck

This is one of the only areas that Jane and I disagree on. I think that taxidermy is beautiful; Jane thinks it is weird and disgusting. I don't care though, I still think that accessory lines like RP/Encore who use found animals in their designs are kind of awesome. So there, Jane. You can't stop me from blogging about it.

Via: Boing Boing

Welsh For Me

A while back, Hollie posted some beautiful blankets from Re-Found Objects that I think we all drooled over. Lucky for us, they've done it again with these also absolutely beautiful Vintage Welsh Blankets. I would like them all please. For a picnic.

In Bloom

Saw these on Oh Joy! yesterday and had to repost. Absolutely adorable pothole gardens by Pete Dungey. Super genius.

Speaker Alley

Random fact about White Elephant: we destroy speakers. Since New Year's, we've gone through three sets of speakers. THREE. And one more, shortly before New Year's.

This picture was taken by my sister, Nikki, after the last Art Crawl. Exhausted, and a little tipsy, we decided to dispose of the speaker graveyard piling up in our back room/bathroom. It's pretty tight in there.



Our friend Kieran was in the store at the time, and insisted on a photo of the three of us, before the photo of Jane and I was taken. We told him he had nothing to do with speaker alley, but he would hear nothing of it. You could have at least held a set of speakers, Kieran.

New Mexico

Dear Modcloth, I hope you don't mind that I took this picture from your blog. I needed to take it to show how AWESOME the Albuquerque Coat is. So so awesome.

Dear readers, there is only one of these coats left. Go buy it, immediately.

Boobs Plzz

Warning... this post is NSFW.


Lately I cannot get enough of Chat Roulette.

I can't go on by myself without feeling SUPER creepy, but with one or more people present, Chat Roulette is kind of amazing.


What amazes me most is how quickly the Chat Roulette demographic is changing. Two weeks ago when I went on, you got an old man every 1 in 50 people. Now it seems like they are everywhere. See those men above? The man on the left is my new friend from Italy, and the two on the right were from Turkey and playing us musical instruments.

There was also this guy, who may have been some sort of new age light sabered ninja.


Don't get me wrong, there are still a million and a half dudes jacking it. I guess they're getting off on the stranger thing? Don't worry, I censored this for you, but it's still not entirely safe for work.


I think this guy was my favorite, because he asked me to show my boobs plzzz. With three z's. That is very polite.


Plzz.

I Love Alpacas

I'm a sucker for a man in a cardigan. Especially if that cardigan is the Alpaca People Cardgian from Hickoree's Hard Goods. Swoon.

Vis-a-Vis

A light within a light! What a concept! Vice Versa! Need I say anymore? I could just add a couple more exclamation marks on here I guess...!!!

Back to the Grind

Oh, you know, this weekend was just like any other weekend around here. Fish Man pilot hanging around in our backyard, same old.

Mike and Andrew have been working for the better part of the last nine months on a short film. It's getting close to being completed. This weekend, they were doing a shoot on the green screen that Mike painted in his studio. I really should have taken pictures of that, because it was so crisp and perfect, but I was busy preparing a feast of great proportions!



Which, I didn't actually take photos of either. Since I'm working afternoon shifts (3pm-11pm) on top of working at the store in the morning, I NEVER cook anymore. And it kind of breaks my heart. I took some days off last week and I decided to dedicate one full day to cooking and baking and throw a little dinner party. I roasted my first chicken (two chickens actually, with vegetables), roasted beets, roasted sweet potatoes, and baked three pies. And I think everything turned out pretty well.

It must have been in my euphoric state after a successful dinner that I dumped all the chicken grease down the kitchen sink. I've realized my thought process must have been "OUT GOES THE HOT CHICKEN WATER!" So now our kitchen sink is completely clogged (taking apart the sink was Sunday's chore) because there are two sticks of butter stuck somewhere in the pipes.



And I can't bring up this weekend without mention of bowling night. James Street North pooled together and rented Martin's Bowling Alley (929 King Street East) for a night of Lebowski themed bowling, complete with White Russians. Martin's is amazing. It's tiny and it's five-pin and it's totally old school. You should check it out. Or maybe join the league that we'll be starting up shortly.

I work for the weekends.

A Total Friend Crush

Photo - Hollie Pocsai

It's time for another rousing rendition of meet our neighbours. This one is a little hard to write without feeling slightly like I am asking for hipster cred, but you guys... Jeremy is one of our most lovely and fabulous neighbours.

Photo - De:Bug Magazine

You may know him from a little band called the Junior Boys, but around these parts we mostly know him as the person on the street with the single most excellent restaurant recommendations. Trying something new? Make sure to take Jeremy with you and you will walk out of that restaurant with the best meal of your life. That's how Hollie and I discovered Rouge River anyway.

Photos - Brad Isaacs

Aside from being a super successful musician, Jeremy is an entrepreneur. Along with two other swell people (who we will feature in these segments later on), he is opening an amazing new bar on the street called The Brain. We've spent a few nights there so far, and let me tell you... I can't wait until it is opened full time. It's pretty much exactly what I am looking for in a hangout spot. The only thing it's missing is a VIP area roped off for Hollie and I. Perhaps this post will seal the deal.

A couple other things to know about Jeremy: he makes Chat Roulette really fun, he doesn't really like when girls get bangs, and no matter what any other publication says, he doesn't wear chemises.

Photo - Hollie Pocsai

I knew we were pretty lucky to have so many great people to count as both friends and neighbours when we started writing these. But now, only a few neighbours in, I'm really in awe of just how lucky we are to have people like Jer only a few buildings away from us, stopping in for a coffee and a quick chat roulette session almost daily.

Cystoseira

I think these works by Jessica Polka over at The Curiosity Shoppe are a little big magical, a little bit scientific, and a lot my style.

Blanche Devereaux

We've added some seriously lovely things to the shop this week....

Gorgeous 1970s Prue Acton Country Dress

That dress there... I could kill for it. It's designed by an Australian designer who Wikipedia tells me was often referred to as Australia's "golden girl" of fashion' during the 60's. GOLDEN GIRL. OF FASHION. I NEED IT. If it fit me you can safely assume it would not be for sale.

Lots more loveliness in the shop this week below... and our first model!

1950s Peach Full Circle Skirt

Soft Yellow Scalloped Gloves

Romantic 1970s White Lace Dress

Periwinkle Dress with Art Deco Details

And just think... in a few months we'll be able to have all these beauties on display in the shop!

Our Big Announcement

We've been hinting at making a big announcement for a while now, and today seems as good a day as any. Are you ready for this, Internet?

White Elephant is moving!

Don't get too worried though, we're just moving across the street. To a much bigger space. If you look at that picture above, you can actually see the current White Elephant location across the street. That's how close we are.

We're moving into an old 1940's diner that Hollie and I have loved since the first moment we saw it. In fact, almost 2 years ago Hollie and I took a drive down James St, saw that building and that purple tile, and said to each other "one day White Elephant will be there".

I'm going to start saying "I am going to be a millionaire" and hope for the same success.

Anyway, we love the diner as is, but a lot of work has to go into it before we move. We're 99% sure our big move day will be May 1st... and we can't wait! The space is much bigger, which means we are going to be able to merge Ainslie Wood Co. and White Elephant into one big beautiful store. Are you excited? Because I am dying.



(Black & White Photos by Peter Michael Wilson)

The diner was opened this past artcrawl for a one-night-only tribute to it's former glory. Our dear friend Amy strapped on a pair of roller skates and served beer and pie all night long, and people got to get acquainted with our future home. It was a lovely evening, and we can't wait for many more to come.

Here's to you, future home.

Rapunzel

I think I found my new dream necklace. Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Thank you, Pixie Market.

Do It Like This

This is Joe. Joe runs Canadian European Fashions at 142 James Street North. Joe was actually one of the first neighbours that Jane and I met when we moved in because he was always stopping by to see how the renovations were going. And they could always be going better with the advice Joe brought and insisted that we took.



We hung out with Joe a lot this summer, as he liked sitting outside as much as we did. He's funny and friendly and says hi to everyone passing by. He's kind of like the foreman of the street. Joe frequently directs the traffic at the James-Cannon intersection when the GO buses try to turn left and the cars on James pull up too far. He is convinced that chandelier crystals, rosaries and espresso makers will do well in our store, and can get us a good price for them. He has fired and then re-hired both Jane and I from White Elephant more times than I can count.


The inside of Canadian European Fashions is amazing. I don't know if you'll actually find anything that you will take home, but it's pretty great. I personally love the Communion dress section. I feel like you could fall through the racks and re-appear in a whole other magical world. And, I'm a sucker for his handmade signs that litter every square inch. Spelling mistakes and all.

He's actually retiring this year, after being in business for over 50 years. It's definitely exciting to have new development and younger entrepeneurs and creative directives on the street. But what has always been a big draw of James Street to me, are the old businesses that are responsible for the diverse culture and character that the street already possesses.

CBC 3

Cardinal blogging sin! I saw this CBC Radio Design a while ago, loved it, but forgot to blog it! Someone needs to pay this person serious money to put this baby into mass production, stat.

(via Canadian Design Resource)