Mid-Century Bullet Light

You see what I was hopeless to resist? That's right-- the mid century bullet light came home with me. If you follow me on Pinterest, then you've probably seen my search for a replacement porch light. I've hated the builder-standard one we've been stuck with, despite spray painting it silver.

And upgrading the light allowed me to finally install our new house numbers without feeling like they clashed too much with the rest of our exterior. {The picture shows J doing the drilling, but trust me- I did my fair share of work.}

 Et voila! It's a simple change, but one that makes me very happy.

I still have to do a little bit of paint touch-up, {I was too excited-- I had to take pictures before waiting for the caulk to dry} but otherwise, it's all good. Maybe someday I'll get a new doorbell button?

Happy weekend, all!

Treasures at the Antique Trove

Yesterday, J took two of the kids with him while he went off-roading and train-filming. Anytime I'm left with only half the kids, I feel liberated and take on things I wouldn't normally-- like antique shopping.

Usually, my method when shopping is to load things I like into the cart, then take a final assessment before checking out, weeding things out until I'm left with only one or two items that really speak to me. That's hard to do when antiquing, so I take pictures instead. I loved these black and white gloves for $16. And they actually fit! {Is it just me or did ladies in the past have freakishly small hands?}


These sets of children's books give me warm and fuzzy memories of reading similar volumes on the steps of my grandmother's house. Plus, the colors and illustrations are awesome. $10 each. Ack!



Don't they look like they would appeal to my boys? Stories of adventure! Brave deeds! Famous explorers!



What's this? A Herman Miller chair? $250 but surprisingly comfortable even without a pad.



And a hairpin leg coffee table! I've been eyeing hairpin legs on ebay because I'm dead set on making something similar for our house. Another high-ticket item. I believe it was $150.



Oooh-- here's a lovely typesetters tray. I can imaging using it as an advent calendar-- all those beautiful compartments would be perfect for tiny wrapped packages or simple little candies and ornaments. $25.00 isn't cheap, but it's better than paying the shipping on ebay or etsy....



A mid-century bullet light sconce! I die. Seriously.



Two pinecone shaped taper holders. I seem to remember them being $7 each, but that tag says $2. Too early to be thinking about Christmas?



I saw a bunch of vintage floral frogs, but this copper one was especially pretty. I like the bowl shape, and the patina on the copper is kind of intriguing.



Enamel pendant light for $25. I'm a total sucker for pendant lights and enamel, so this really caught my eye. Where would I put it?



A completely amazing Danish planter. Seriously so beautiful and would fit right in with the mid-century backyard I'm designing. Dang that $149 price tag! Dang my empty wallet!!



And can I get a collective gasp of nostalgia? My brothers and I were obsessed with He-Man and She-Ra and the Masters of the Universe. I think we even had one of these play castles. {Mom? Any idea where they went?} Look at the prices! $66.00! That's amazing to me.



Though I had vowed not to actually purchase anything, one of these items came home with me and tomorrow I'll show you what it was and what I did with it. Hint: it wasn't Scull Mountain. :)

Where do you find your treasures?

Weekend poll

These shoes are undoubtably sexy-- the question is are they trampy-sexy or sophisticated-sexy? I can't decide {and don't want to spend $30 if they're in poor taste}. Vote in the comments!

$5 or less

One of the ways that my mom and I coped with being constantly around children during our two months together was rather cliche but very effective-- we shopped. Neither one of us were/are rolling in the dough, so to speak, so our retail therapy consisted largely of bargain hunting at Goodwill and the like. Here are some of my inexpensive {$5 or under!} finds and a few tips on how you can do the same.




Brand new Converse sneakers for Baby R: $4.99 at Goodwill. August is a great month to look for clothes and shoes at thrift stores-- all the big retailers start donating unsold clearance items to make way for the Fall lines, meaning you can find items with tags still attached but pay only a fraction of the cost!




Wooden Pirate Puzzle $4.49 at World Market. I always check the clearance section at this store-- they have cute toys that work perfectly as stocking stuffers, Easter basket fillers or small birthday gifts.




Mirrored Pound-a-Ball Toy $4.99 at Goodwill. Another item I found brand new in its box at a fraction of the original price. A tip with thrift stores-- find one or two locations that cater to high-income neighborhoods and then visit it once a week. Usually, the best deals I've found have only been on the sales floor for a day or two, so it pays to visit often.




Diggin' Car Boxset. This is one of those brilliantly designed toys that I love and would usually splurge on come Christmas, but I found it at Goodwill for $3.99. It was missing a few pieces, so I emailed Diggin' about buying replacement parts and they sent them to me for free. Sweet!




Build and Grow Projects at Lowes- FREE! Sign up early and your kids get to build anything from a tow truck to wooden binoculars that really work! The toys are unique, of good quality, plus the kids get an apron, goggles, and ofttimes a snack-- all at no cost to you.




Striped Espadrille Shoes-$4.97 at Old Navy. Though I get frustrated with the 'disposable' clothing found at Old Navy, things like shoes and accessories can be had for a song, especially if you haunt the clearance section.




Mason Jar Drink Dispenser $4.99 at World Market. Did you know that if you join their Explorers Club, World Market will send you {really good!} coupons as well as a $10 gift certificate on your birthday? I signed up every member of the family {even the baby!} so that 6 months out of the year, I have $10 to spend! This drink dispenser was under $5 thanks to Little Miss C's birthday credit. :)




Remember how much E loved the Rush Hour Jr game? Since then, I've found the full sized version as well as the Railroad version of the game {both in box!} for under $5 at thrift stores! I'm saving them as Christmas gifts....




Lastly, this wasn't $5. It was $19. But it's a Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair, which normally sells for well over $200. I couldn't believe it when I saw it sitting amongst a bunch of junk at Goodwill! My initial plan was to turn around and sell it for a quick profit, but it turns out that it really is well designed... I think I'll use it til baby R outgrows it and then I'll sell it. Perhaps a paint job is in order? :)

Next week: fashion for less! Happy weekend all,  and happy bargain hunting!

Vintage Pendant Light

J and I went thrift/vintage store shopping last week and among the many treasures we discovered was this pendant light:

It reminds me of Jonathan Adler's Parker Light, which I've been coveting for a few years:

But since it's not a flush-mount like the Jonathan Adler light, I declined to get it. Still, I can't help being tempted.... What do you think? Is $100 a good deal? Could I make it a flush-mount? I can't help but picture it in the powder room. :)




Decisions, decisions...

Weekend Deals

Speaking of clothing cravings, right now there's a great Groupon for $20 at Old Navy for only $10. Score!

Also, if you live here in the valley, the Children's Museum of Phoenix is free tomorrow from 6-10pm for First Friday.

And, if you have a Bank of America card, you can get free admittance to the new Musical Instrument Museum this weekend.

Go forth! Have {inexpensive} fun!

Edit: We spent an hour and forty-five minutes in line before giving up on the Children's Museum and getting ice cream instead. :( I wish they'd get a clue and have at least an entire day of free admittance rather than just a few {past their bedtime!} hours a month. 

Glass Storage Jars

I've been dreaming of a pristinely organized pantry {like this one from the woman behind EmersonMade.} One with glass jars, vintage metal baskets, and enamel bins. Especially now that I'm doing so much cooking and baking. Wouldn't it be heartening to open the door to this every morning?

However, glass jars {and wire baskets, enamel bins, etc} can be expensive. I've been keeping my eyes open at thrift stores for interestingly shaped or large glass jars, saving and washing out spaghetti sauce jars, and collecting canning jars.

The smaller ones are easy to find, and economical choices are available at places like IKEA. The large ones are elusive and often cost upwards of $20 each. I wanted two {for my white and wheat flour} and was thus thrilled when I found these at Cost Plus World Market:

I can't find them online, but in the store they sell for $15 each. They are 12 inch tall, 2 gallon capacity jars and hold about two bags of flour {or a whole lot of freshly ground wheat flour!} Best of all, you can use this coupon to get $10 off of your $30 purchase, making them just $10 each. 

Now to make some simple labels {I want something similar to this, but with frosted decals instead of etched glass} and I'll be well on my way towards finishing my pantry makeover!

How do you store pantry items? Did I miss any great resources?

Watercolors

I'm really loving the watercolor trend that seems to be popping up this season. It's summery, simple, and so accessible. I'd like to make my own coral print like the one above, available from Driftwood Interiors.

These are such pretty little vases. I want one in every color.

David Stark's Brushstroke Dinnerware has that greek seaside feel. The bowl is my favorite.

Many of you have already seen these watercolor paper cups from Love and Lace. Simple, inexpensive, yet stunning.

These painted yellow-striped melamine platters are so cheerful. They make me want to throw a garden party. 


What about you? Are you feeling the watercolor trend?

PS- Just saw this watercolor-dot cardigan at Target. I told you, it's everywhere I look!

Going to Extremes

Yesterday, J and I watched a few episodes of TLC's Extreme Couponing online {which we found here}. It was CRAZY. In a horrifying-yet-fascinating, finger-pointing, oh-my-gosh-I-think-I-want-to-try-that kind of way. 


I've spent the morning looking up couponing websites, reading local couponing blogs and generally getting a massive headache. I want to save money, but don't want to buy a bunch of junk food. {We try to eat as fresh and organic as possible-- especially after watching Food Inc again} 


Anyone ever tried this? Is it worth all the math hours of effort? Considering that we're living off of our {dwindling} food storage, I'm willing to give it a shot... I'm just rather overwhelmed and grumpy about it at the moment.

Weekend Deals and Steals

It's Friday! That fact makes me smile despite the cold I'm catching and the lack of exciting plans. I'm still on a spending hiatus, but I can't help 'browsing'. If I were shopping, this is what I might be buying this weekend:


Vintage Kitchen Scale $35

 Small Brass Snail $10 {I would use this technique on it}

 Art Deco Heels $12

Ginger Jar Lamp in Robin's Egg Blue $25

 Brass Pear Dinner Bell $12 {again, I'd use this technique}

 Pair of Yellow Lamps $10

 Petri Chair $380

Freehand Tartan Belt, on sale for $19.95


Perhaps one of you can benefit from my wish list. If so, let me know it went to a good home! Happy weekend, all!