Q: Love your website and when I hear you on the radio. I was wondering if you could recommend any stores where I could find some inexpensive contemporary artwork such as posters, prints, acrylics etc. I’m looking for items (preferably ready to hang) similar to those found at Winners, Structube, Pier 1 or Bombay & Comp.

A: There is a series of Household Liquidation stores which have inexpensively priced paintings. Here’s the list from  my 14th edition:

1500 Sauve Est., (514-225-1352)

6505 boul. Metropolitain Est.;

Brossard , 9105 boul. Taschereau

Laval , 875 Montee Saint-Francois

Pointe-Claire, 181 ave. Oneida

2935 de Rouen

3295 Masson

Q 1: It’s holiday time for a lot of people,  you have some ideas of outings that are cool and FREE to the public?

With money for vacation fun limited in a tight economy, you can enjoy a holiday in your own city. Museums which are cooly air-conditioned have a FREE days, and you can spend hours exploring.

Q 2:  Of the art museums, which ones are open for FREE and on which days?

Musee d’art contemporain du Montreal focuses on  modern art, so the color and forms are usually quite appealing to children and its always FREE for kids under 12.  Right now the exhibit “With Glass, Under Glass, Without Glass” focuses on glass, neon and mirrors in sculpture, architecture, furniture and films. Kids might like the shattering mirror one. There’s a Projection Series about Music Video.

Location: 185  Ste. Catherine  ouest
Tel: 514-847-6226
FREE Hours: Wednesday 5 – 9 pm. Always FREE for children under 12
www.macm.org

Musee des Beaux Arts’ entire permanent collection in the building on the  North side of Sherbrooke is always FREE to the public. You can see Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Rembrandt, Renoir, Dali, Corot, Courbet and more.

One show on now is a collaboration between Cirque de Soleil and the House of Bourgeron, the Parisian jeweler, with 20 necklaces on view. You can also see  Ben Weider’s Napoleon collection.

Location: 1379 Sherbrooke ouest
Tel: 514-285-1600.
FREE Hours: Everyday for the North side main building. South side Demerais Pavillion which houses temporary exhibits are ½ price Wed evenings 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Children under 12 are always FREE
www.mmfa.qc.ca

Q 3:  Some people don’t enjoy going to see artwork, what other options are there for them?

At the McCord Museum of Canadian History you can see see costumes, textiles, decorative arts, ethnology, drawings, photographs and First Nations  collections from the 18th century to the present. On now: Dream Weavers – Costumes by Cirque du Soleil which salutes the costume designers and artisans by opening a window into Cirque’s costume workshop. You’ll see  the various steps in costume and accessory production, from dyes and design to hats, lace and shoes.

If you like photography, Nance Ackerman traveled to all parts of Canada to capture faces and expressions of about 20 Aboriginal women.

Location: 690 Sherbrooke ouest
Tel:  514-398-7100
FREE Hours: 1st Sat each month 10 a.m- noon. Children 5 and under are always FREE.
www.mccord-museum.qc.ca

The Canadian Centre for Architecture focuses on architecture, urban planning, landscape design research and collection dating. Surprisingly the show on now is “Other Space Odysseys”: Greg Lynn, Michael Maltzan, and Alessandro Poli developed unique and imaginative approaches to the questions of space travel and the habitation of new, extraterrestrial areas. Expect to see models, collages, animation, and drawings both real and virtual, from the simple tools of a farmer to the digital animation of a science fiction film.

Location: 1920 Baile St.
Tel: 514-939-7026
FREE Hours: Thurs eves 5:30- 9. Students and children are always FREE
www.cca.qc.ca

The Redpath Museum on the McGill University campus is in a gorgeous grand home. It holds real gems, dinosaur bones, sea shells, skulls, skeletons , stuffed animals, fossilized plants, Egyptian mummies as well as African musical instruments.

Location: McGill Univiverstiy, Sherbrooke St. at McTavish St.
Tel: 514-398-4086.
FREE  Hour: Always Free
www.mcgill.ca/redpath

Q4: You haven’t spent anything for your entrance but you haven’t yet stepped into the gift shops, is it good idea to shop in them?

At the Musee des Beaux Arts de Montreal you can buy prints of the artwork. At their jewelry counters they showcase original designs by Quebec artisans, toys, stationery and serving pieces.

Since the Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal is so modern, the items sold here are cutting edge designs like  zipper necklaces,  costume jewelry designed by Anne-Marie Chagnon, Vanessa Yanow, Michel de Bellefeuille, Sonia Ferland, Racine, Marianne Alexandre, and Carole Rivet. There are purses made out of recycled 45-rpm records, pens and desk accessories, Atelier Entre-peaux re-cyled sacs, Toma vases, glass objects, kitchen gadgets, Scrap Postal albums, key holders, Cloe dolls, wooden mind puzzles, note cards, and toys.

The Musee Pointe a Calliere focuses on archeological history so you can buy Amerindian jewelry, wampum pouches, quill pen sets and Inukshuks.

Magasin Festival Store,  owned by a manufacturer of corrugated boxes,is the place to buy (ask about the liquidated ones) boxes (1.5 to 6 cu. ft) for moving, storing and shipping, with special ones for mirrors, artwork, lampshades, golf bags, bicycles, dishes and crystal and wardrobes. Protective packing supplies are here, like bubble wrap, inkless newsprint, tissue paper and foam chips.  

Prices:  liquidated boxes  $.20-.40,  new boxes 1.08 & up. Festival will buy back their boxes at greatly reduced prices. You can even order custom boxes for strangely shaped objects

8286 Cote de Liesse, Ville St-Laurent
corner: Montee de Liesse
Phone: 514-340-1119
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-5
www. festival.ca

Other moving tips:

First box/last box. Label a box “first box” and put in the last things you packed so you can quickly access your sheets, covers, toothbrush, toiletries, phone, toilet paper, towels, cutlery, dishes or paper plates and shower curtain. On an exhausting moving day, you just want the basics quickly accessible to fall into bed.

Packing tips:

Pack 2 or 3 boxes a day, starting as soon as you find out you are moving and they will be magically done by the time you have to move. Save packing space and money by wrapping fragile things in towels, sheets, duvets and blankets. Don’t leave suitcases empty, move your clothes in them. If you don’t want to buy wardrobe boxes, for hanging clothing, tape hangers together and move in bundles.

I get calls during the year from people needing help getting rid of their household items due to a move, a senior transition or for a an estate situation. They just don’t know what to do with it all.

I just got an e-mail from a gentleman who calls his company, Money for Clutter. What he does is help people sell furniture, antiques, china, books, artwork, clothing, tools, appliances, jewelry, collectibles, pianos, garden equipment and almost any household items.

He goes  into a home and photographs the items they want to sell. Then he prices them at market value and advertises in local Montreal web sites, on his site and to his own e-mail list of regular buyers. He negotiates the price before the potential buyer goes to the seller’s home so there are no surprises. If there is a lot involved or if they are elderly, he will accompany the  buyer to the seller’s residence.

He works on a commission basis and takes a percentage of the  final sale. If needed, he can set them up with a mover. For seniors, he offers a packing service, the sale of unwanted belongings or can hold an estate sale.  He likes to say that he make  a hard time a lot easier.

Mark Hodess
http://moneyforclutter.com

Q 1:  We’re tired of  being stuck in our homes all winter, you have some ideas of outings that are Free to the public.

With our budget stretched tight after paying for holiday fun, it’s terrific to be able to go out on the town and not have to pay a cent. Museums which are nice and warm inside have a Free days and you can spend hours exploring.

Q 2:  Of the art museums, which ones are open for Free and on which days?

Musee d’art contemporain du Montreal – This museum focuses on modern art, so the color and forms are usually quite appealing to children and its always free for kids under 12. This month there is an exhibit on urban architecture that dominate modern life. It examines the city, its buildings and its activities.

Location: 185 Ste. Catherine St. W.
Phone: 514-847-6226.
Free Hours: Wednesday 5 – 9 pm. Always Free for children under 12
www.macm.org

Musee des Beaux Arts: The entire permanent collection in the building on the north side of Sherbrooke is always free to the public. You can see art work by Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Rembrandt, Renoir, Dali, Corot, Courbet and more. Temporary shows are 1/2 price on Wednesday evenings.
Showing now is an exhibit on Global Warming: Scenes from a Planet under Pressure and Ben Weider’s Napoleon collection.

Location: 1379 Sherbrooke St. West
Phone: 514-285-1600
Free Hours: Everyday but temporary exhibits are ½ price Wed evenings 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Children under 12 are always Free
www.mmfa.qc.ca

Q 3: Some people don’t enjoy going to see artwork, what other options are there for them?

McCord Museum of Canadian History: Come here to see costumes, textiles, decorative arts, ethnology, drawings, photographs and First Nations collections. Collections goes from the 18th century to the present. On now: Being Irish in Quebec and one about Norman Bethune.

Location: 690 Sherbrooke St. West
Phone: 514-398-7100.
Free Hours: 1st Sat each month 10 a.m- noon. Children 5 & under are always Free.
www.mccord-museum.qc.ca

Canadian Centre for Architecture: It’s focus is architecture, urban planning, landscape design research and collection dating. Nowadays the CCA galleries are transformed into cinematic screening rooms to present a range of artistic, scientific, and experimental films on speed and space. Selected by curators from the archives of NASA, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and UbuWeb, the films explore the impact of velocity and technology on our past, present and future.

Location: 1920 Baile St.
Phone: 514-939-7026
Free Hours: Thurs eves 5:30- 9. Students and children are always Free
www.cca.qc.ca

Redpath Museum on the McGill University campus is in a gorgeous grand home. It holds real gems, dinosaur bones,  sea shells, skulls. skeletons , stuffed animals, fossilized plants and Egyptian mummies as well as African musical instruments.

Location: McGill Univiverstiy, Sherbrooke St. at McTavish St.
Phone: 514-398-4086.
Free Hour: Always Free
www.mcgill.ca/redpath

Q4: You haven’t spent anything for your entrance but you haven’t yet stepped into the gift shops, is it good idea to shop in them?

At the Musee des Beaux Arts de Montreal  you can find prints of the artwork., jewelry counters sporting original designs by Quebec artisans, artist-inspired objects such as the brooches from parts of Impressionist paintings, toys stationery, serving pieces.

The Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal gift shop showcases cutting edge designs: costume jewelry designed by Anne-Marie Chagnon, Vanessa Yanow (look at her zipper necklaces), Michel de Bellefeuille, Sonia Ferland, Racine, Marianne Alexandre, and Carole Rivet. There are purses made out of recycled 45-rpm records, pens and desk accessories, Atelier Entre-peaux re-cyled sacs, Toma vases, glass objects, kitchen gadgets, Scrap Postal albums, key holders, Cloe dolls, wooden mind puzzles, note cards, and toys.

At the Musee Pointe a Calliere  which is all about archeological history, you can buy Amerindian jewelry, wampum pouches, quill pen sets and Inukshuks.

Q: With Moving Day 4 weeks away, people are getting into panic mode about all the work that has to be done in order to make the move. Let’s start with the basics, the boxes.

A: Gem Entrepot, 4732 Boul. Thimens, Ville St-Laurent. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10-3, Fri 10-12. Here, you can buy slightly used moving boxes for $.25 and paper for packing: white tissue or white kraft paper

Magasin Festival Store, 8310 Cote de Liesse, Ville St-Laurent. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-5. Owned by a manufacturer of corrugated boxes, this is the place to buy (ask about the liquidated ones) boxes (1.5 to 6 cu. ft) for moving, storing and shipping, with special ones for mirrors, artwork, lampshades, golf bags, bicycles, dishes and crystal and wardrobes. Protective packing supplies are here, like bubble wrap, inkless newsprint, tissue paper and foam chips.  www. festival.ca

Owned by a manufacturer of corrugated boxes, this is the place to buy new and liquidated boxes (1.5 to 6 cu. ft) for moving, storing and shipping, Protective packing supplies bubble wrap, inkless newsprint, tissue paper and foam chips.
Prices:  liquidated boxes  $.20-.40,  new boxes 1.08 & up. Festival will buy back their boxes at greatly reduced prices.

Q: What if you have other kinds of things to move?
Festival sells special boxes for mirrors, artwork, lampshades, golf bags, bicycles, dishes and crystal and wardrobes. You can even offer custom boxes for strangely shaped objects

Q: Do you have any other moving tips for us?

First box/last box. Label a box “first box” and put in the last things you packed so you can quickly access your sheets, covers, toothbrush, toiletries, phone, toilet paper, towels, cutlery, dishes or paper plates and shower curtain. On an exhausting moving day, you just want the basics quickly accessible to fall into bed.

Q: Any packing tips?

Pack 2 or s boxes a day, starting now and they will be magically done by the time you have to move. Save packing space and money by wrapping fragile things in towels, sheets, duvets and blankets. Don’t leave suitcases empty, move your clothes in them. If you don’t want to buy wardrobe boxes, for hanging clothing, tape hangers together and move in bundles.