I found a pair of lamps at my local Value Village Thrift Store.

This particular Value Village has not shown me any love in months. I didn’t even want to go in but my husband was looking for T-shirts so, I figured it couldn’t hurt.  And then the angels were singing and there was a bright light shining down.  Not really.  Contrary to cartoons, that rarely happens.

Here’s what I actually saw in the store.  Only they were separated by about 12 feet with a bunch of other stuff packed in between.  And remember the first rule of thrifting: everything looks worse in the store.  I had to look past these mildewed, rotted lampshades {anyone have a hazmat suit I can borrow to remove these?} and try to ignore the weirdness that is packed within. But, feast your eyes on a shapely pair of demijohn style glass bottles.  Truly a treasure hidden in plain site.  Whenever you find one lamp in a thrift store, always scour the store to see if there is another one, it’s even worth asking an employee just in case because a pair of lamps is thrice the find of a single lamp.  I’ve always wanted to use the word thrice.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would ever pay $279 for one of these bottles.  These lamps were a whopping $8.18 each.

They each have a hole large enough to stick my fist through. I guess that’s so people can stuff it full of junk.  I like them empty and you can’t even tell there’s a hole when you turn them around.  The wire is completely broken on one of the lamps so I’m going to attempt to replace it.  I’ll be sure to document that when I get to it.

Here are the lamps I had before.  I really like those lamps and I wasn’t looking to replace them. Although, ever since we got that Ikea shelf they felt less substantial than when I had them on the big dresser.  As you can see I’m trying to compensate for their scale by adding tchotchkes~a sure sign that something is amiss.

When I bought these lamps it was so they could sit on my $18 yard sale dresser flanking the $20 sunburst mirror I made. I loved these lamps on the dresser but we had to use it for our tv a few months back and then I got that Ikea shelf and it never felt quite right over there.  The shelf is a few inches shorter and I’ve considered adding casters to make it higher.

When I first saw the glass bottle lamp I knew it would be perfect for a spot in our breakfast area.  But, once I noticed there were two of them, I HAD to buy both.  And there wasn’t room for two lamps in the breakfast area so I popped off the shades from the lamps you see up there {including the harp that squeezes into the part the holds the light bulb and popped them onto the new lamp bases.

image via how stuff works

I’m going to have to change what’s on the wall though because all I see when I look at this is a cyclops with a moustache and embarrassing small antlers flanked by a pair of pears.  And that will be another post.

PS, does anyone else think that the word moustache/mustache is the funniest word in existence?

I hope you continue to follow my sister and the other compassion bloggers this week.  And if you haven’t experienced a good round of the chills lately, read this post.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

I blame the cottage.

Oh, I had seen these rustic dough bowls used before but always in an über crafty/country/dried flowers with roosters and other things that are pretty but weren’t quite my style.  But, once I saw one at the cottage, I decided that I could incorporate one or 20 into our home. I scoured the internets and shops for a large bowl but everything was over $100 and I am patient when it comes to searching for something that costs three digits.

Back in the fall I was shopping with my friends Caroline and Michelle at a Pottery Barn Outlet and I stumbled upon not one, but two dough bowls.  Pottery Barn carries some Found Objects that are the real thing, not factory made, like these bowls.  Each had a tag saying they were from Hungary and a date in the 1800′s, and since I am organized, I’ve already lost both tags.  They were on sale for $49 so I bought them both having no idea where I would put them. I just knew they were a steal and that they were something I’ve wanted for awhile.

Here they are together next to a soup spoon.

You can use a dough bowl {also called a trencher} to hold almost anything and they come in zillions of shapes and sizes.

One of mine currently sits within my glass coffee table.

The other one looks dwarfed but I assure you it’s massive and he’s all cozied up with some dried leaves.

Lovely.

Jennifer at The Old Painted Cottage incorporated her dough bowl into a beautiful Winter table scape.

Nell Hill’s Blog

Mary Carol says fall is her favorite time of year to show off dough bowls.  It is stunning.

Here’s the same bowl incorporated into a summer table scape.

Pottery Barn

Here’s an inspiring video about filling a dough bowl to make a centerpiece.

Dough bowls  are available on ebay. {search both “dough bowls” and “wooden trenchers”}

Dough bowls are available on etsy. And I’m sure you can find them locally if you are patient.  And hey, you know how much I love a spur of the moment linky.  If you have a dough bowl in your home and have a photo of it in a post or want to write about it, link up and show us how you use it.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

Remember how I promised to tell you how I shop at One Kings Lane? Last fall my sweet friend Jessica sent me an email about One Kings Lane and introduced me to them.  OKL {can we call it that from here on out?} is kind of an online sample sale that’s open to the public.  Their deeply discounted {up to 70% off} many times luxury items are listed for 72 hours and often sell out before the sale ends.  The only thing you need to do to have access to the sales is join by entering in your email address so OKL can send you sale emails {no worries, you can set your email preferences to get them less often, but I like to be reminded to check every day}.

OKL carries ALL sorts of items all relating to home.  These bakers seem to be one of the most popular~they always sell out within hours and see, only $18. But they carry much much more than $18 bakers.

I use OKL a little differently than most people.  I study it.  To me, OKL is like a home magazine/encyclopedia/home textbook that’s updated daily.  I feel like after looking at OKL every day for months, I have more of a handle on what my style is and I’m also better at spotting a great deal.   For example, see that vintage English laundry bin on casters up there for $549?

It reminded me of this one I found two years ago for $5 at a thrift store.  This has been sitting in the garage forever.  Thank you OKL for reminding me to use this.  Now I’m putting it in our family room.

You know how I’m all into the classy taxidermy because I live in North Carolina and my boys think antlers and horns are cool and don’t tell anyone but I do too so I want some but I’m not going to shoot an animal and I’m too cheap to pay hundreds of dollars for some of these?  I kept seeing them on OKL and I got familiar with their price point.

Well, back in November when I went shopping with Eddie Ross, there was a booth that carried all these mounted antlers and I got this little plaque for under $40.  I knew it was a good price because I had studied up at OKL.  Passed that test, right?  I feel like I’m getting a free edjumakation.

I also actually purchase things from OKL.  So far I’ve bought four rugs and I love them all.   It can be VERY scary to buy such a big expensive item that you can only return for store credit.  I have some tips.

First of all, I knew I was in the market for unique rugs so I kept my eye on OKL and watched a few of their rug sales.  There was one time when I missed a rug and I really regretted not buying it.  You can look at the upcoming sales page and find the name of the company for the upcoming sales.  So, the next time I saw a rug sale, before it even went live, I  googled the rug maker and got familiar with their items and the price points.  You don’t know exactly what items will be for sale but, you can get a feel for what might be available and if you might be interested in something this research can save you precious decision making time.

Like this Rug Market “Rome” rug I ordered for my son’s room.  First I googled it and found this image from Studio 10|25 .

This is a much better photo of the rug than the one OKL provided {a different colorway but that didn’t matter}. I could see that the rug had lots of raised texture and that was something I wanted.  I also found some of the retail prices of around $300.

When the rug went live on sale at 11am at OKL I went ahead and bought it.  Two hundred dollars for a 5 x 8 rug that I get to pick out that is graphic and that can act as a car maze for my 10 year old and also still look fine when he is 18 years old, is a great deal. Plus, one of my goals this year was to liven up our boy’s room and this one needed a rug.

As you can see, all of the wildest dreams that this rug has had about living in a fabulous immaculately decorated home with attention to every detail have clearly come true.  I think this rug just enrolled in counseling.

Another rug that I purchased through OKL was my Amy Butler Georgia Rug.

Layla Grace sells the same size rug for $676.  Again, the photo at OKL wasn’t all that telling so I did a google search and found many photos of the rug in real rooms and I knew this would be a rug that would give my office the personality that it needed. And, since my office was basically neutral but for the window mistreatments that were a dirty robin’s egg color, I took a gamble and decided that no matter what shade of robin’s egg blue this rug turned out to be in real life, I would be able to use it.

I think this rug makes the entire room come alive.  It was a great deal at $400. And it really needs to be vacuumed.

Let’s look at one more example::

Say I was on the lookout for a glass end table.  I would be able to see that an upcoming sale was being hosted by World’s Away.  A quick google image search would take me to Matthew Izzo’s site where you can see this pretty World’s Away table.

Now we have an idea of the items that might be listed and their retail cost.  When the sale goes live at 11am EST we see this

Wow!  It’s the exact same table for almost 50% off! Now, personally, if I liked this table, I would probably keep an eye {or two} open for it at Tuesday Morning or a local shop Black Lion.  Plus, if this were an item that I DESPERATELY thought was the only and best choice for a place in our home, I would know a good deal when I saw it.  So if I were at Tuesday Morning the next week and saw something similar  it for $59, I would know that is a good deal for that style of table.  However, if I saw it at Tuesday Morning for $200 I would know to be mad at myself for not purchasing it from OKL.  And, I’ve noticed that many times, the brands seem to relist every few months.  So if I were patient, I might find this deal again.  Ideally, I would know ahead of time, what I’m looking for and what I’m willing to pay, that way as soon as I see something at OKL that is a good deal, I could grab it up.

Now, remember, OKL services HIGH END designers as well as us normal folk.  So you will see some things that will seem outrageous in their prices.  Like pillows for $200-400.  And a pair of drapes for $1800 and a sofa for $12,000.  Yes you read that right.  But don’t throw the sofa out with the bathwater, there are deals to be had.

Remember my bedroom makeover? This chair was about $400, the side table back there was $169 and that huge 8×10 rug was less than $400.  All from One Kings Lane.

And at least once a week there are some really amazing finds at low low price points {I promise to try to tweet or talk about the great deals on facebook when I see them}.  And there are always great deals at higher price points, I’m just slower to make more expensive decisions.

And this is the part that makes shopping at OKL fun.  When you refer friends, you get a $25 credit after they make their first purchase.  Some of you made a purchase at OKL after reading about it here a few months ago, thank you so much!  I’ve definately used my own cold hard cash to make purchases but, having some store credit helps too.  Once you are a member, if you think your friends would like OKL, you can refer them with the URL they give you on “Your Account” page.

You can even personalize your URL and change it to your blog name or something fun if you want.

Here’s the part where I give you a link that is MY own referral code if you want to sign up at OKL and browse around and start your design education.  New sales go live at 11am today and it’s Tuesday so the are new twilight sales tonight! I’ll try to remember to post on the Nesting Place facebook page when there’s an extra amazing deal at OKL {right after I make my own purchases thankyouverymuch because the great deals always sell out super fast}. Good luck and hang in there!

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

This chair showing off it’s back side was $35, the slipcover chair $13 with a $50 slipcover, the sofa table was $20 {all thrift finds} are you so sick of me telling you the prices?  This room is turning into my second hand room.

Last week I dropped off a few things to my local Goodwill.  And, I never just drop off, I always go in as well.  I didn’t find much, a pair of uniform pants for my son {$3 compared to $15-25 new} and a pair of flippers for my boys to swim with also $3.  On the way home I passed the Salvation Army.  I’m pretty sure I haven’t found anything there for the last 6 times I’ve been in.  However, I have found stuff there in the past.  I almost didn’t stop because I didn’t want to waste my time, but the thought of passing up something great was enough to get me to stop.

I’m glad I did. This coffee table caught my eye.  It was marked $49 but, I could see the date it arrived on the tag and knew it had been sitting around for a little while.  I also know that my Salvation Army will discount items after they’ve been there a few days.  Especially things that are showing a lot of wear.

It had two great pair of legs complete with casters and a sheet of beveled glass on top.  The wood was in bad shape but, now that I know how to paint furniture, I wasn’t concerned about that.  $35 later it was mine.  And I was SO glad I walked into that store.

Ideally, I wanted a small round table.  But after looking for one for months, I figured this one would be worth the risk.  I knew I could fix it up and live with it for awhile and if it doesn’t work I think I could sell it at a yard sale.  But so far I really like it.

Yesterday, Sunday, my husband and I needed to run out to Target.  We passed the Goodwill on our way home and decided to stop in.  He’s a great thrifter in his own right only his finds usually are books, Carhartt and golf stuff.  I found this great lamp.  I saw it from afar and knew I had to have it.  It had a great drum shade and a glass bottom and was marked $10.  I grabbed it and quickly looked around to see if someone would yell “hey you can’t buy that” or give me a standing ovation.   Nothing like that happened but, I found that it still had the Home Goods price tag on it. Home Goods is part of the trilogy where pretty much all of my lamps are from {Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls}.

That’s right. $60.

The shade was a little dirty and the lamp looked like it had sat in a dust storm for a year but after I cleaned it up, it was perfectly acceptable.  Here’s the thing, I’ve never been to the Goodwill on a Sunday.  I didn’t even know they were open.

Value Village Thrift Store Dresser:: $80

When it comes to shopping thrift, the biggest secret to finding great stuff is persistence. Are you willing to pass by a ton of junk that you would never buy to find that one gem?

You have to keep going. Sometimes when I show off my great finds, I think people think that I find something great every time I walk in.  Not true. I’d just have a even more boring blog if I wrote about every time I walked into the Goodwill and found negative nothing.  I think I find something super great on every 20th visit on average.  I find something good enough to buy about half the time, but many times it’s something small like a book or a silver spoon or a white plate, or shorts for my boys. But for me, it’s fun to go.  And that great find is worth going and finding nothing. You can see that as an impossible feat or, look at it as an adventure and decide that every time you pass the thrift shop, you’ll peek in really quick and see what they have.

tall vase: $5, table: $7,  big basket: $6 :: all second hand

Depending on your season of life, you may or may not be able to simply drop in a thrift store every time you pass it.  It’s still worth going, even if you can only stop in once a month.  That’s 12 times in a year, odds are you’ll still find something pretty good after a few times and you’ll be glad you went, you can use that high to get you through the times when you find nothing.

I’ve never gone to a thrift store looking for a certain item and found it.  I go with a little cash and an open mind. 99.9% of the stuff  I see is stuff I don’t want.  You sift through a lot of junk.  When I do find something, I buy it because I like it, I can afford it, and I think I can make it work in my home.  I usually don’t know where I’ll put it until I get home.  But, I like the thrill of the hunt and I don’t give up every time I come home empty handed.

Just keep going.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

1. I got that urn about 6 years ago at Target for $39. The sticks are from Hobby Lobby and my aunt gave them to me after I used them in her son’s wedding. Score! The white table was a $5 Goodwill find.

2. The 4 shutters are from Value Village, another local thrift store. Yes, they are working plantation shutters. I painted them the same color as the armiore, Sherwin Williams Halcyon Green 6213–it’s the same can of paint that was color matched in BEHR with primer. The color looks much richer/darker/greener and greyer in this room and on these shutters. Remember, colors read differently in every room.

I hung an iron plate hanger with a nail in the space between the shutters. I think it was from Old Time Pottery and an oval white platter that came with a set. Total for all of it was about $7.

The light, which I don’t have a close up of, was hanging in my sister’s bathroom when they bought their house. The people before them had done up the house in entirely too much Chinese stuff so they had to remove all sorts of stuff. This bamboo style fixture was one of them and I snatched it up, cleaned it up, let it sit on the floor of our last house for a year, and now my husband hung it here. FREE.

The pillows were all 30 Minute Makeovers from old pillows I had.

5. The coffee table, seen here in the old house, I miss that room. The table is from World Market for about $200. My boys have played every game imaginable on it.

And on top I used an outdoor iron topiary form just for looks. $20 I remember not where I found it.

Now it’s your turn! Finally…

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

I try to keep the rules as minimum as possible so, as far as what you can share, please feel free to reveal as much or as little as you’d like. Just have a table you want to show us? Fine. Have an entire room you are dying to tell us about? Go for it. And remember, this is not just a place to brag about our bargains. {as much as I LOVE doing that!} In real life, lots of us do end up paying retail for some things, please feel free to tell us about those finds as well. We are being real here girls.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

My first priority was places to sit. So we started in the living room. I had a yard sale and sold our old furniture and we had no where to sit for a few weeks while we waited for our sofa.

1. Window Mistreatments: the fabric was $7 per yard {purchased at 1502 Fabrics in Thomasville, NC, 5 years ago} each panel is about 3 yards so each panel was $21 plus the trim at $3ish per yard so that is another $9 per panel. Each panel was about $30 completed. I bought the rod at Target for $30 and have used it in 4 houses so far. We’ve got another window that cost the same on the other side of the room. {See how to make them here.} Total for both windows: $180 These are my most expensive windows and have been used for 5 years in 5 different houses! And I wish I would have bought one more foot of fabric–then I could hang my rods even higher.

2. Sofa Table and stuff: Table $109 at a crazy unfinished furniture place that has since gone out of business. I bought it already painted black 5 years ago. Changed out the knob: $4. Ottoman was included in a set I’ll tell you about on down. Lamps, TJ Maxx, $39 each, 5 years ago–I moved them from my boy’s room. On the table there’s some red stuff I pulled out of this wreath and a box thing that I had in college sitting on a candle holder that is chipped that was $1. I painted the box blue last month. Pointy thing on the wall, Goodwill, a few months ago, $7. Total: $199 not including the ottoman.

3. Armiore: Purchased used from a friend for $75 –again, 5 years ago. I painted it last month with Behr Paint Plus Primer all in one stuff that was ??? Maybe $30ish. I’ll tell you more about painting it soon but here’s the before. It was super easy. I still need to find 3 knobs for it. Plates; the middle blue one was a gift to myself back when I had that big tassel sale I bought this plate for $13 at HomeGoods. I had the red ones {part of a set from Target 5 years ago 4 for $10} big green ones were $2 each from the rich Goodwill and the square one was $3 from HomeGoods. Total: $130

4. Fireplace Wall: Well, it already looks different up there. I’ll list what you see in the original photo and I’m still not happy with it at all so just so you know, it will keep looking different.

• mirror: $50 Garden Ridge 2 years ago
• white urn: $20 Hobby Lobby 6 years ago
• red plate: $2.50 part of that set
• white crock: wedding gift {one of my favorite things}
• books: .75 cents yard sale
• wood thing on the fireplace front $13 TJ Maxx 6 years ago {hiding an ugly little scroll thing}

Total: $86.25

Now:

• urn: $20 with free branches from my yard
• books: .75 cents
• shutters: $10
• wood thing: $13
• starfish: ?? I have no idea how that appeared in my house

Total: $43.75 and I like it better

So far we are at $552.75 and we don’t even have a place to sit yet. And if you want to see the photos closer in, you should be able to click them to enlarge. Go here for part 2.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?