The big reveal - Vintage Trunk

I'm so excited about this. I have been looking for one for so long and now that I wrote about it, I found one within a few weeks. (Just wait, I'm going to start writing about all sorts of other things too that have been on my list for a long time)

The cats have so far accepted the trunk as another place for them to nap on. Gossamer especially seems to like it, partially because he gets a clear view of the TV from the top of it. They haven't paid particular attention to it since it came into the house, but the second the camera comes out, they start play-fighting right in front. And of course, once the trunk was opened, I couldn't get Gossamer out of there. So, kitty-infused photos, s'il vous plait!


[Yes, that ball of fur on the left is two cats rolling around on the floor trying to bite each other. Not one large, oddly-shaped one]

Not only did I find one, but I found three trunks in the thrift shop. One green, one blue and one burgundy. The other two were in worse shape than this one, so I picked the green. It was the one I liked best anyway and it's actually a very similar shade of green I've painted the living room.


The inside is paper covered entirely and comes with a tray. The tray part has been re-enforced with duct tape, so I'll need to come up with a way to fix that. Besides that, however, it's in pretty great shape.


At the moment it's sitting at the end of the current coffee table in the living room. It's too small to work as a coffee table by itself, but I'm not concerned about finding uses for it. Right now it will stay where it is since it feels like it belongs there. Perhaps later I'll find another spot for it.


I will still keep an eye out for another one to work as a coffee table, but I'm just so excited to have found this one. Oh, and I'm always curious how much people pay for their amazing finds, so I think it's only fair to share, right? I paid $40. Which I find pretty damn affordable.

So happy!

Have you made any kick-ass finds recently?

Friday Inspiration - Alternate uses for a trunk

My love for vintage items is no secret. And I'm fairly sure neither is my love for repurposing and upcycling. I've talked before about finding the perfect coffee table and how I would love to find an old trunk for that purpose. Now, I recently made a major score at a thrift store. I'll show you proper photos soon, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen a peek already. (If you don't follow me on Instagram, go do it now: @brinnertime)

I am currently trying to figure out what else could one use a old trunk for besides the more obvious choice of a small table.

Source: thethreadaffect.com via Katri on Pinterest

This is still a table, agreed, but I like the added legs. That alone gives it a new twist. I'm thinking some wheels might be great. Think of the old, industrial style ones.

Source: bhg.com via Niki on Pinterest

I love the idea of turning it to a bench. These seem very sturdy though, so not just any old thing would work.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Katri on Pinterest

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is pure genius. This is the kind of use of an old item I love to see!

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Back in the day everyone (well, the wealthy) used trunks for travelling. They're a nod towards the steamship-transatlantic -era. This is cute for a kid, but I'm thinking how my shoes would love to live in a trunk like this. Just add shelves instead of the drawers.

In all honesty though, I love my current shoe closet.

Source: houzz.com via Amy on Pinterest

A nightstand is, as it so happens, also a type of a table. So nothing new there. However, I like this idea of the trunk being upright. My bedroom doesn't have space for large nightstands, but I didn't think if this. Pretty nifty.

Source: Uploaded by user via Brandy on Pinterest

And finally, something completely different. But so ingenious. Obviously works best if you own a large dog. Two tiny cats don't really get the full use of this kind of a set-up.

Can you think of other things to use a vintage trunk for? I'd love to hear them!

P.S. This makes me also think of alternate uses for old suitcases... Maybe I'll write another post on that topic...

Let's Partay!

Today is my birthday! I am now 33 years old. I could write this deep and thoughtful post about life and such, but instead I'm having coffee and chocolate for breakfast.

Source: parcelpost.wordpress.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

I will spend most of the day today crafting and whatnot. Doing all sorts of fun things. This includes putting together some very random snailmail-y things. So, here's my question:

Do you want mail from me?

If so, there's two things I'm asking you to do; 1) leave a comment to this post. Tell me how you celebrate your birthday, or what the weather is like, or what's your favourite chocolate. Anything really, I just want to hear from you! 2) Give me your postal address. Either leave it in the comment or send it to my e-mail brinner.shop [at] hotmail.ca Add a link to your blog too if you have one, I'm always looking for new things to read.

I'm not sure how many pieces of mail I'll send out. I'll just probably pick a few.

You have until the end of today (midnight EST), March 7th.

Scavenger hunt - part two

As I mentioned yesterday, I also sent out a package to my assigned partner and promised to share what I sent once I received confirmation that it had been delivered.

My assigned partner for the swap was Cam. He's a musical theater student living in New York. You can find his post about the package and his reactions to it right HERE. He has more photos over there, so I'll just share a few.


This is the city explorer's kit. I clipped some newspaper articles about language, photos and poutine (yes, very important). I added a few maps, one of the Plateau, a metro map and wrapped the whole thing in a larger map of Montreal. I also added a few flyers I really liked. I also included notes and comments on the various things I sent. And finally I topped it off with the favorite photo I've taken of Montreal.





Out of the list of 10 things, I ended sending Cam a package full of mail goodies, something not square or rectangular, a bad day survival kit, something describing me, the city explorer's kit you already saw and finally a small gift. You can see all the photos from Cam's blog.




I wrapped it all in tissue paper and finally a map.

I do think he liked it, which makes me very happy.

I would also like to mention that, YES! I am indeed a Tetris master! It makes so happy that you noticed that Cam! Seriously! Growing up in a culture emphasizing humbleness and teaching us that bragging and boasting is bad, this is the one thing I will openly admit being proud of! My spatial conceptualization skills are out of this world. I have mad packing skillz! And YES, I win at Tetris! Damn straight peeps!

Please listen to this while thinking about how amazing I am at packing my suitcases for traveling

Thank you!

Beautiful things in the mail

Today's post will be quite the treat, I can tell you that right from the start! To give you a bit of background, I recently took part in a scavenger hunt project organized by the lovely Fab (a.k.a WreckThisGirl).

The idea of the scavenger hunt was that everyone taking part would receive a partner and a list of 10 scavenger hunt items. Out of that list you select at least 5 to send to your partner. Most of the things on the list weren't a single item, but a collection of things, like a "city explorer's kit" to your home town. You can read all the details HERE

I received my package yesterday and have thoroughly enjoyed opening it. There are so many beautiful things in it, so I'll share the contents with you.


My partner was Andreia from Portugal and she sent me 6 things from the list and a gift. Don't you just love the packaging?


Paper ephemera and Postal goodies

Something with animals on it, something to represent her (the collages) and an additional gift.

A city explorer's kit from the city of Porto

This isn't even everything! There's still tea and candy and loads and loads of wonderful paper things. There's just so many things to look at and she's written letters explaining more about certain items sent. I loved it all! I will go through these again and many things will be put to good use. Thank you so much Andreia!

I sent a package to my assigned partner as well. I hope it has reached it's destination, but I won't show any photos or reveal my partner until they confirm it has been received. So, stay tuned for my contribution for the swap.

Did you take part? Please send me a link to see what you sent and received!