Lower Canada Post Rates For Canadians Shopping on eBay

Are you a Canadian who would like to shop on eBay? Did you know that shipping in Canada via Canada Post has become more affordable for small, lightweight parcels? Do you want to know the secret? Finding an eBay seller (like me) who has teamed up with eBay to offer the heavily discounted rates that eBay has negotiated with Canada Post. 

CANADA POST EXPEDITED LITE

The new rates have made it more affordable for many classes of Canadian shipping but for the purpose of this page, I am talking about Canada Post's Expedited Lite service.  For that service, small items are defined as those less than 250 grams, with no dimension more than 41 cms and all dimensions (L x W x H) equaling less than 3,200 cubic centimeters.  

This service is an obvious choice for achieving low rates with tracking and insurance up to $100 on items like trading cards, postcards and jewelry but it also works very well for small toys, replacement game pieces, lapel buttons, small pieces of art and so much more.

This month I used this service to ship a pair of six-inch dolls to Cranbrook, British Columbia from Ottawa, Ontario for $6.81; a Tupperware measuring cup locally in Ottawa $4.69, a small creamer to Renfrew, Ontario for $6.09, replacement game pieces to Vancouver, B.C. for $5.92 and an Honest Ed's transit token holder to Lindsay, Ontario for $6.09. Previously, those packages would have been much more expensive.

I should mention that the partnership between eBay and Canada Post has also increased the savings on parcel services for packages over 250 grams.

All of these rate improvements have definitely increased the number of Canadian eBay buyers that visit my eBay store. You can benefit from them, too plus a a bonus for Canadian buyers is that sourcing in Canada means no customs fees plus, of course, the pleasure of supporting small Canadian businesses.

Find some examples of these rates by checking out the small, lightweight items in my eBay store, Treasures By Brenda.

Do drop in
to my eBay store!
Brenda

DISCLOSURE: Image created with AI. 

Tim Hortons Etched Brown Mug 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Cup 2014

Today, I am sharing with you a handsome brown mug that was designed in celebration of Tim Horton's 50th Birthday in 2014.

Fairly simple with a stylistic white number 50 etched out of the brown area, it is bilingual in English and French and also reads Since / Depuis 1964. The reverse side has Tim Hortons etched in a vertical, cursive print and the bottom denotes the status of this mug as a Limited Edition item. 

I love the chocolate color since it reminds me of a steamy hot cup of hot chocolate. The bottom does not say dishwasher or microwave safe and while I am certain it would suit the first appliance, you'd have to test it out and see if it suits the second. 

It is reasonably sized measuring 4 1/2 inches tall and 3 1/4 inches wide across the top without the handle and holds 16 ounces of your favorite beverage, whether that be Tim Hortons' coffee, steeped tea or something else. Personally, I am a tea drinker so you will find only tea and hot chocolate in my mug!

As I write this seven years have passed since the release of this mug. If you want to own it you will have to look at the secondary market and I recommend looking for it here, on eBay.

Tim Hortons' fans will want to raise this mug in celebration of  the 50th birthday of their favorite restaurant.

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy your Tim Hortons Canada 50th Anniversary Coffee Mug on eBay.
Find more new, used and vintage Tim Hortons items in my eBay store.

Discover Tim Hortons Canada 150th Birthday Coffee Mug.

Canadian Artist Elizabeth Hoey Art Pottery Tile

ELIZABETH WILKES HOEY (1915 – 2012) was a Canadian artist who graduated from the Ontario College of Art. 

She ran a textile printing facility and eventually was involved in the printing of fabric for various institutions like Thor Hanson, Westinghouse Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, University College Women’s Residence in Toronto, Hart House and the Windsor Arms Hotel. 

She was a muralist who created a mural of old Toronto for the King Edward Hotel. 

With her daughter, she became a potter, producing art pottery pieces that included both plates and tiles like the fabulous owl-themed tile shown on this page. 

She painted with watercolor and her image, Wild Flowers of Canada, was distributed via the Toronto newspaper, the Globe and Mail. 

She illustrated books including Folk Songs of Canada and Chansons de Québec. 

Her works were shown at the Art Gallery of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, Royal Botanical Gardens, Edwards Gardens, and MacDonald Art Gallery and the Textile Museum named her "a pioneer silkscreen printer and designer."

She was a talented artist who was creating art in her sketchbook until almost the very end of her life. 

As I write this, I can see a few samples of Elizabeth Hoey's art tiles including this owl on eBay.

You never know what 

I might have in store for you! 

Brenda

Canadian Province Coffee Mugs

We celebrated Canada Day 2020 quietly at home because of the virus situation throughout the country and the world and lifting a Canadian-themed coffee mug seemed appropriate though of course, it is appropriate all year long.

I know that I should have shared these fun provincial mugs in advance of Canada Day rather than afterward. They are a wonderfully simple tribute to Canada and its provinces and territories though I do not actually know if the mugs produced included Canada's Territories.

For those who do not know, the Canadian provinces and territories are thirteen in number and include Albert, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.

Each of the mugs features a white exterior and a different color on the inside. On the outside, they have black illustrations of items that you associate with each particular province. For instance, the Nova Scotia mug, features the ocean and a lobster, a tall ship that could be Nova Scotia's iconic Bluenose, a whale and a lighthouse.

I love that you can pick the province that you were born in, the one that you lived in or the one that you visited, which makes them a wonderful souvenir or a gift idea for everyone on your list.

These mugs are sold out from Canada's Indigo but some are available on eBay.  Find your Canadian province coffee mug today on eBay by clicking right here. 

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What I
Might Have in Store For You!

Quick Links:

Canada Day 2020: Together, Apart.
Awesome Things You Will Only See in Canada.
Tim Hortons 150 Days of Canada coffee mug.

Canada Day Together, Apart 2020

Canada Day is always celebrated on July 1st, no matter what day of the week it falls on. This year, 2020, sees our great Canadian holiday fall on a Wednesday so on that day will don our Canadian colors of red and white and take to the streets. We celebrate with fireworks, concerts, fairs and picnics. We celebrate with big or intimate gatherings, whichever is our cup of tea. July 1st, Canada Day, is Canada's biggest party.

But hold on a minute, Brenda. Wait right there. Before you go any further, remember that this is 2020 and everything is very, very different because of the virus. You should not go downtown or out anywhere to celebrate. You should stay home, stay safe and help keep our case load low.

To your objections I respond, don’t worry, staying home is exactly what we have planned and as a matter of fact we do not have much choice since all official Canada Day celebrations have been rightfully cancelled. With those official celebrations called off,  I think and I hope that for most people the party is going to be at home with a few people from one's own safe personal bubble and maybe enjoying the virtual celebrations. Perhaps we will also invite a few people to drop over via Zoom.

As proud Canadians, we will not exactly let this contagion stop us. We will still don our red and white, display our Canadian flags, prepare our favorites on the barbecue and raise a toast to Canada from coast to coast to coast. We are still going to be celebrating but definitely in a different manner.

The official virtual party includes many options but most interesting to me is the evening show, that airs from 8 to 10 p.m. Why not tune in to CBC and watch Canada Day Together with me? The show promises to be packed with many of Canada's artists and is hosted by Serena Ryder and Pierre-Yves Lord. Together apart we can enjoy live entertainment from coast to coast to coast.  If you cannot access CBC on your television, you can find the show online on CBC’s GEM.

The show closes with a fireworks presentation put together from Canada Day fireworks displays of the past.

How will you be celebrating Canada Day 2020?

Happy Canada Day!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Find a host of Canadian themed items in my eBay store!

Terry Fox 40th Anniversary Orion Running Shoes by Adidas

Yes, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to buy myself a pair of Adidas Terry Fox 40th Anniversary Orion running shoes. I would have had to take a wild guess as to size but I just might have been willing to take that chance. These limited edition shoes are replicas of the ones that Terry Fox wore in his Marathon of Hope.

They’re designed to commemorate his 1980 run for cancer research that covered 5,373 kilometres or 3,339 miles in Canada starting in St. John's, Newfoundland and ending 143 days later outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, when Terry could no longer run.  Cancer had spread to his lungs. The distance he covered is like running a marathon every day and he did it with one leg. My generation, teens at the time, watched his progress daily and I and so many others will never forget his journey.

Adidas was initially connected to Terry Fox's story in 1980 when it is said that Fox wrote them a letter asking for shoes and they sent him 24 pairs of the now classic Orion running shoe.

WHAT ARE THE SHOES LIKE?

The 2020 commemorative release sneaker, released on May 20, 2020, features Terry Fox written on the side, a liner marked 40th Anniversary and shoelaces printed with one of Fox's favorite quotes. (I am not sure what that quote was. If you know, do tell.) The color combination is collegiate navy, cloud white and blue bird. Definitely a denim lover’s dream. The shoes arrive wrapped in tissue paper printed with Fox’s original letter to Adidas.  Adidas said that the unisex sizing was for men that women need to size down one size. They limited sales online to two pairs of shoes per buyer and rumor has it that they sold out in minutes.

HOW MANY SHOES WERE PRODUCED?

The net proceeds from the sale of these shoes went to The Terry Fox Foundation to support cancer research. I am unsure why Adidas produced 6,500 pairs of these shoes when many more of us would have liked to buy a pair. Why stop at 6,500 pairs? Why not 10,000? Why not even more? Proceeds from more sales would have meant more money for the charity.

WHERE TO BUY TERRY FOX SHOES?

Anyway, if you are seeking a pair and you have deep pockets, you can buy them on eBay right now by clicking right here. Be forewarned that because they were a highly sought after, limited edition release, the price has been driven up on the secondary market.

The Terry Fox Foundation would like us to be heartened. They reached out on Twitter and said that “these shoes sold out quickly but that more will come.” I am not sure that they meant more shoes or rather that they were referring to the fact that the shoes were the initial piece in a nine-piece collection. Fingers crossed that the pieces yet to be released are not limited edition.

This retro blue suede shoe appealed to me, a 50-something woman. I would have worn them. How about you? Did you manage to buy a pair? Do you want a pair? If you purchased a pair, will you wear them yourself, gift them or maybe even sell them?

You never know
What I might have in store for you!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Terry Fox’s Orion running shoe on eBay. Yes, you may find the 40th Anniversary t-shirt and the collection at this link.

Stronger Together Benefit Concert Review (2020)

We are STRONGER TOGETHER. In this difficult time when people around the world are staying home in an effort to stay healthy, people in the entertainment industry are adapting and finding new and different ways for us to come together.

Last night, April 26, 2020, Canadian artists performed Bill Withers' iconic song Lean On Me as the closing number on the virtual Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble: Canadian Artists, Athletes and Activists Salute Front Line Workers Benefit Concert. It was a beautiful ending to a very well produced show.

LEAN ON ME VIDEO

I hope you saw the whole concert but if you did not, here is the closing musical number, a montage of many, many Canadian artists.

After the performance, I was asked by my sister-in-law if I knew all of the artists. I did not. She then asked if my husband, who often knows who is who, did and I said that he also did not. Canada has so much talent! We recognized many artists but the list of participants was long and we met a few new faces as well.

PERFORMERS

In no particular order, some of the musical performers included Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan, Geddy Lee of Rush, Buffy Sainte-Marie, the Barenaked Ladies, the Arkells, Sofia Reyes, Justin Bieber, William Prince, Drake, Avril Lavigne, Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane, Randy Bachman, Measha Brueggergosman, Burton Cummings, The Tenors and the Voices Rock Medicine female physicians choir.

Note that not all of these singers actually sang. I was disappointed that Celine Dion did not have her own song on the show and my older friends and family wish that Anne Murray had sang a song. However, The Globe and Mail voted for Nova Scotian Anne Murray as the Best Moment when she addressed the pandemic and the mass shooting in her home province and introduced the virtual choir of female physicians (Voices Rock Medicine) who sang the anthem Rise Again.

The list of non-musical performers included actors like Eric McCormack, Jason Priestly, Hamza Haq and Mike Myers, author Margaret Atwood, comedian Howie Mandel, astronaut Chris Hadfield, scientist David Suzuki, Cirque du Soleil's Atherton family, HGTV's Scott McGillivray  and Drew Scott and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canadian lifestyle magazine Zoomer  call the concert possibly "the greatest one-night performance of Canadian musical talent in history." I agree. Definitely one of the best Canadian concerts ever and obviously this show comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me. The goal of the concert was two fold. First, to thank our amazing front line workers and I believe that they did a fine job in that regard and second, to raise money in support of Canadian Food Banks. I hope the concert proves to have been just as successful in that regard.

Take care and
stay safe everyone.
We will meet again!
Brenda

Canadian Artist Claude Le Sauteur (1926-2007)

This year I discovered or rather expanded on my interest in art. While I have always been generally interested and have had the opportunity to visit art galleries around the world, my focus spilled over into my eBay store when I had the opportunity to buy and resell a few interesting pieces of Canadian art. I subsequently took the opportunity to learn more about art in general by enrolling in a couple of art classes through Carleton University's Learning in Retirement program.

Most recently I found this limited edition signed print by Quebec artist Claude Le Sauteur (1926-2007). His work can be both figurative and abstract in style as I think is the case with this picture, which is called DONATE and I expect related to Le Sauteur's social consciousness. The image features both a male and female violinist portrayed in a definitely abstract way.

In the 1940s, Le Sauteur studied at L’École des beaux-arts de Québec and his lifetime's work included pieces oil on canvas, oil pastel, charcoal on paper and engravings.  He  received both the National Order of Quebec and the National Order of Canada and he was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.    According to The Order of Quebec website, his works appeared in 13 solo exhibits and more than 80 group exhibitions and today, his works are held in various museums and important collections.

As I write this post, a quick peek at eBay by following this link shows a couple of Claude Le Sauteur's paintings available on eBay. Because of the framed size, my limited edition print, shown above, will be posted locally here in Ottawa on a couple of resale sites. Hopefully, it will eventually find its way into the collection of someone who appreciates the work of Le Sauteur.

As in my previous art-themed post, I will add here that I am not an art expert. What I share here is from research that has been done online and I am always wanting and willing to learn more.

Until next time,
Brenda

Quick Links:

Claude Le Sauteur Paintings on eBay.
Art in my eBay store.

Awesome Things You Will Only See in Canada

In 2017, this page shared a video called 21 Insanely Awesome Things About Canada. I believe that there are WAY MORE than 21 insanely awesome things about Canada but I still enjoyed this video list put together by Talltanic. However, the original video is no longer available. Instead Talltanic offers you this video called Things you Will Only See in Canada. If you are Canadian, you will likely know some of these facts but I bet there are some that you do not know, too.

I won't spoil the video for you but I bet that you have heard of many of the items wherever you call home.

If you have heard of the soap flavored gum, I need to hear from you because that is something I definitely have missed.

Here's the video of Things You Will Only See in Canada. It is about eight minutes long and includes some interesting facts about Canada. Ice truck, anyone?

Did you learn anything new about Canada and Canadians?

Brenda

Quick Links:

Find a host of Canadian themed items in my eBay store!

Tim Hortons Canada Celebrating 150 Years Coffee Mug

It has been awhile since I have posted a mug here on this blog. However, that is not to say that I have not seen more than a few fabulous pieces. I just stumbled across this totally terrific Tim Hortons mug, which celebrates Canada's 150th Birthday Party. The party is happening July 1, 2017 and I am sure that if you are in Canada, you have not missed the fact that we are celebrating though you may have missed this mug.

Because of this huge celebration, there are a lot of red and white merchandise options out there but I know that this officially licensed mug, with the cool comic-style patriotic images of the loon, ice skating, maple syrup, the maple leaf, beavers, curling, etc., is the perfect souvenir choice for many of you.  Of course, it also includes images of Tim Hortons coffee, Timbits and donuts, an important tradition in Canada.

The text reads, "CANADA celebrating 150 Years – Tim Hortons."

I love the red interior, too, which features a maple leaf in the bottom and I also love that it is dishwasher and microwave safe.

It is reasonably sized measuring 4 inches tall and 3.75 inches wide (without the handle) and holds 14 oz of your favorite steamy hot beverage, whether that be Tim Hortons' coffee or something else. Personally, I am a tea drinker so you will find only tea in my coffee mugs!

This mug is a limited edition mug and available only while supplies last. I suspect that it could be a hot seller since Canada really is gearing up for a fantastic party. If for whatever reason you are unable to find this mug locally, know that you can find it readily available on eBay by clicking right here.

How about it? Would you like to lift a Tim Hortons' mug in celebration of our national holiday and the birthday of our nation?  Are you a Canadian in Canada, a Canadian who lives away or just someone who loves Canada?  Be sure to take a moment and say hello and tell us where you hail from and whether or not Tim Hortons figures in the mix when you think of Canada.

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy your Tim Hortons Canada 150 Coffee Mug on eBay.
Find more Tim Hortons items in my eBay store.

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: Marc Tetro Coffee Mugs

I love Marc Tetro's Canadian themed artwork and therefore I love these coffee mugs.  Marc Tetro is a Canadian artist whose images are collected around the world. Typically, his images are a picture outlined in black. They can be found on many products but this page is dedicated to the handsome and collectable coffee mugs.

The Walt Disney Company is Marc Tetro's licensing agent. Tetro is the first artist to receive this honour while he is still alive. He has also been commissioned to do work for The World Wildlife Fund and the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.

Marc Tetro's artwork includes many Canadian themes \like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Native American Indian and Eskimo peoples, the Canadian sport of hockey, Canadian wildlife and dogs including but not limited to the Siberian huskies. The subject matter of his work makes one of his mugs a most suitable way to show your love of our great Canadian country or to celebrate a visit or past connection to Canada.

What follows on this page is a number of coffee mugs featuring the work of this artist, that are or were available in my eBay store. You can click through on any of the large pictures on this page to see the Marc Tetro mugs available in my eBay store today.

You can see all of the Marc Tetro mugs available on eBay by following this link.

I enjoy all of the Marc Tetro mugs that I have seen but from the ones I have showcased here on this page, I might pick the Native American mug as a favourite. Or the moose one or possibly the R.C.M.P. one. Well, you get the idea. I cannot pick. I love how these cups and the artwork on them represent Canada. Can you pick a favourite mug from this selection?

You never know
what mugs I might have
in store for you!
Brenda

More Reading:

The Muppets Most Wanted Coffee Mugs

All images shown on this page are from my own pictures and were at one time available in the coffee mug department of my eBay store.

Author's Note:  This page originally written elsewhere in 2012.

A Bloom Of Friendship by Anne Renaud

A non-fiction, children's picture book written by Anne Renaud and illustrated by Ashley Spires, A Bloom Of Friendship: The Story Of The Canadian Tulip Festival tells the story of the history behind the world's largest tulip festival held every spring in Ottawa. It is thus far the only book about the Canadian Tulip Festival that I have been able to find. Therefore, we are extremely lucky that it is such a great book!

Let me start by saying that I am not a history expert and this is in large part a history book. It is perfect for children aged eight- to ten-years old, but it is also great for adults who want to learn a bit about the history of the relationship between Holland and Canada and the tulip festival. It is beautifully illustrated with pictures that have been painted and with both historical and modern day photographs, newspaper articles created to tell the story and lots of historical tidbits woven in and around the main text.

This page can serve as an introduction to the history of the Canadian Tulip Festival (which is sometimes incorrectly called the Ottawa Tulip Festival) as well as a review of this book. I am actually giving more of the history of the tulip festival than is normal in a book review because I think that this page will also be good for people who are looking for this background information who are planning to attend the festival. I would, however, encourage you to check out the book whether or not you have children. It is really very beautiful; I think the artwork would be lovely framed. It also tells a beautiful story ~~ the history of the Canadian and Dutch friendship.

This book was republished in 2014, hence the two images to the right. The top picture is the new cover. The second picture, the original cover from 2005. You can find A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival on Amazon by clicking right here. The more recent book is only available in paperback. If you want a hardcover copy, you will have to buy the original book.

"The Canadian Tulip Festival is a celebration of the friendship between two countries more than 50 years ago."

The Canadian Tulip Festival and Barbara and Malak Karsh

A Bloom of Friendship opens with a letter from Malak Karsh's wife, Barbara Karsh who tells of their discovery of the thousands of tulips in Ottawa in 1946. The pictures that Mr. Karsh took that day have since travelled the world telling Princess Juliane's Canadian story. Eventually, in 1953, his interest in the tulips would cause him to be instrumental in the creation of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

The Second World War, The Dutch and The Canadians

A LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP IS FORMED OUT OF THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES...

On May 10, 1940, the Dutch people were awakened by the sounds of airplanes and the sight of hundreds of soldiers parachuting to the ground as Hitler invaded Holland. This was the beginning of a horrible five-year period for the Dutch people.

The Little Princesses: The Story Of The Queen's Childhood By Her Nanny Crawfie by Crawford, Marion (2003)

 Buy Now

Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family Escape

Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family escaped to England but even England was not a safe place to be. The Queen's daughter, Crown Princess Juliana, nine-month old Irene and a two-year old Beatrix found a safe place to escape too and that was Canada. They arrived in Halifax via the dutch ship Sumatra in Halifax in June 11, 1940 and from their proceeded to the home they would live in, which was located in Ottawa.

Perhaps the most notable event while they lived in Canada, was the birth in the spring of 1942, of Princess Margriet Francisca who was born a Dutch citizen because Canada named the place of her birth extraterritorial -- meaning outside of Canadian territory.

At Home, The Dutch People Struggled

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, life was very tough and the Dutch struggled to survive under the Nazis. Living conditions were terrible; supplies scarce. Eventually over 100,000 Dutch Jews were sent to Nazi death camps.

The Battle of the Scheldt, The Battle of the Rhineland and Freedom

In support of the final phase of the war in Europe, the allies needed to get supplies to their advancing troups in Belgium and The First Canadian Army was tasked with clearing the banks of the Scheldt of Nazis so that supplies could arrive through the Scheldt Estuary. For two months, the Canadians fought the German army along the Scheldt. In the end, more than 6,000 Canadian soliders were killed or wounded but, thanks to their sacrifices, the port of Antwerp was opened successfully. These Canadian soldiers rested in December and January; many of them in the homes of the Dutch where they made friends that would be remembered forever.

Rhineland, however, was one of the places that remained in German control. On February 8, 1945, the First Canadian Army once again was tasked. This time with clearing a passage for allied troups. At the end of this campaign, more than 5,000 Canadians were dead or wounded but at becauase of their efforts, the Allies were able to defeat Hitler.

In March of the same year, the First Canadian Army freed the remaining parts of Holland and, when it was clear that the war was nearing an end, a truce was made allowing for the dropping of much needed food and supplies to the Dutch. This time it was the Royal Canadian Air Force 405 Squadron that helped out by dropping 12,000 tons of needed items.

The Gift of Tulips

Finally on May 8, 1945, the war in Europe was over. Princess Juliana's family returned home and discovered a people who were extremely thankful to the Canadians. In 1945, the Dutch Royal Family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada by way of thanks. Every year since then, they have sent 20,000 additional tulip bulbs. I am sure that I will remember this story whenever I see tulips in the future. Will you?

Buy A Bloom Of Friendship on Amazon

A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival

 Buy Now

A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival (My Canada)

 Buy Now  

I am especially interested in this story because I reside in Ottawa and am able to see the tulips every year. Have you ever visited the tulip festival?  What did you think of it? Are you interested in the history behind the tulips and this book, A Bloom of Friendship?

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What 
I Might Have in Store For You!

More About the Canadian Tulips

• The Canadian Tulip Festival
  The Canadian Tulip Festival (sometimes called the Ottawa Tulip Festival) has become the world's largest tulip festival and takes place in May each year with more than three million tulips in bloom. It runs for three weeks every spring and this...

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: A Squirrel Mug

We regularly watch the antics of our neighbourhood squirrels out our kitchen bay window. They frequently make us smile although sometimes they make us frown. This week they have not found a way on to the bird feeder yet so we're still smiling at them.

The episode of the never-ending show outside our window this week involved a black squirrel carrying a bagel all over our yard. We were not sure what he was up to nor where he found the bagel so we presumed that there must be a squirrel coffee shop in the neighbourhood that we do not know about but that the squirrel does. Maybe it came from the same 'shop' from which he was given a muffin a few days ago.

Anyway, after much fussing, Mr. Squirrel finally stopped running about the yard and carefully placed the bagel in a crook of our smaller tree and left.  I was amazed that he would abandon such an obvious treasure. My husband figures that he could only eat so much at a time and that he had to put it down somewhere.  I thought it was more likely that he had forgotten the peanut butter and had gone back to the squirrel coffee shop to retrieve some...

Remarkably, the bagel sat there untouched by other squirrels and birds for hours.  Someone eventually removed it because when I looked again it was gone.  Hopefully, Mr. Squirrel returned with his peanut butter and finished it off.

Anyway, it was because of that squirrel that I went in search of a squirrel themed mug for this post, the seventh in my series, the 31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS.  I found a couple of mugs that I liked, including this lovely, realistic squirrel mug by Emma Bridgewater but I settled on the mug shown on this page because of the humorous slogan and handsome design.

The mug shown here is by Canadian artist Mia Lane and Wild Wings reads, "This place is a nut house."  Even if that is only sometimes the case in your home, you are bound to like this mug if you enjoy the antics of the squirrels in your yard.  I love the image, the quotation and the sculpted handle. You can find it on Amazon by clicking right here.  It turns out that Wild Wings has a large assortment of sculpted Canadian wildlife themed coffee mugs and even a couple of very interesting mug racks. You can see them all on Amazon by clicking here.

I know that the quotation on this mug was not intended to actually reflect the action in my backyard this past week but if the shoe fits...

Are squirrels a source of entertainment in your home?

Brenda 
Treasures By Brenda 
You Never Know What I 
Might Have in Store for You! 

P.S. If you'd like to see all of the mugs featured in my series 31 Days of Coffee Mugs, you can click on the tab at the top of this page.

Quick Links:

Order this mug from Amazon.

Canadian Pickers Television Show

SPOILER ALERT! This post discusses the places the Canadian Pickers visit and the people they meet on the first episode of Season 4.

I just watched what may be the best-ever episode of the television show Canadian Pickers. The show always resonates with me because it's filmed in Canada and I'm a Canadian and because I have travelled to many of the places that hosts Scott Cozens and Sheldon Smithens visit. However, there was something about this show that made me really, really, really, want to go picking, shopping, thrifting or whatever you call it right NOW...

I love how the show started out in a barber shop in Toronto that celebrates the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey team in full color, even though hockey is not my favorite sport.

I also enjoyed the second visit in Toronto to the kind of antique store that I would like to shop in, one that's filled to the rafters with stuff including odds and ends and interesting bits and pieces. Both Scott and Sheldon met the challenge of finding a great item for resale purposes at a cost of $50. I am not sure I could have met the challenge but it would have been fun to try.

Next the show took us to visit a couple who built a home of logs. The couple also constructed the garage to look like an old-time service station. How cool is that? I'm not so interested in the stuff that the Canadian Pickers picked here but the location was pretty interesting and I think it would make a good set up for an eBay seller, but I digress…

Next we visited the home of a 16-year-old who both collects for himself and operates a business buying and selling antiques. We enter a suburban home not unlike the one that I live in, and there are no collectible items in sight. It turns out that the young man keeps all of his antiques in his bedroom. If you ever get the chance to see this episode, prepare to be amazed. I think it is really great what this young man has learned and accomplished so far about antiques and about negotiating. In the show footage, he appeared to have no trouble matching wits with the Canadian Pickers.

It was a fabulous episode of an always interesting show. If you haven't tuned into the Canadian Pickers, which I believe is known as the Cash Cowboys in some markets, what are you waiting for? At each pick you will meet some interesting people, learn a great story and uncover some history.

I know from experience that it is not as easy to gather a bunch of great places to “pick” as this show made it look. On a recent vacation, when we had a few hours to shop, we struggled to find some good stops because we had not done any advance planning. We did not come home empty-handed, but we weren't as successful as we could have been.  

We did find some collectible Alexander Keith's products as well as some beautiful handmade baby quilts, which are nothing like what you usually see the Canadian Pickers picking but nevertheless are still quite interesting and will make a beautiful addition to a baby's nursery either as a crip or lap quilt or as a wall hanging. As an added bonus, these purchases will pay for the gas for our Nova Scotia vacation.

How about you? Do you watch any of the shows about antiques, collectibles, auctions, collecting, picking or even just vintage-style? Which ones would you recommend?

EDITED 2019 to note that the Canadian Pickers program finished and the Facebook page wound down around 2014.

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

You never know what treasures

I might have in store for you!

Rare 1936 Canadian Cent At Auction

Here's a rare penny to be on the lookout for, a 1936 Canadian cent. However, given that it is one of only three known examples ever produced of the coin, finding one just isn't going to happen.

It's a complicated story entwined with the royal family.  The Royal Canadian Mint was concerned about a coin shortage in 1937 and so minted this coin using a picture of the old George V coin because they did not have an image to use of the unexpected new king when Edward VIII abdicated and George VI took the throne. 

Because the Mint did not want this coin to be confused with earlier pennies featuring George V, they put a dot under the date, which you can see in this image from the Ottawa Citizen. 

However, the shortage of pennies never happened and only three samples of this coin were ever made, making them extremely rare and sought after.  Some believe more coins may have been made but eventually used to create another coin.

This rare 1936 'dot cent' is expected to sell for as much as $250,000. 

If that's a bit out of your price range, but you're interested in seeing what Canadian pennies usually sell for on eBay, click here to see a sampling of one cent Canadian coins available right now on eBay.

See you
at the auction!
Brenda