I win!

I couldn't help but laugh (and do a silent victory dance) when I logged onto Joss&Main one morning last week and saw this cute little piece of furniture for the outstanding price of $479.95.

Really? That's the best yah got?!? I've got an identical twin in my entryway that I swooped up for more than half of that price from Marshall's!

They always have some great stuff, I just am up in the air about how great their deals really are? Have you shopped with them? What do you think?

Regardless, I think my Flokati rug was a steal, and now that the address mishap is sorted out I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival!!

Spilling my secret

I've got a secret to share! I've been bursting at the seams, but decided to keep it in til now.

And this is the part of the post where you have to promise not to judge.

Cmon, put your three fingers up (Girl Scout Honor) and repeat after me... 'Chelsea, I will read this post and not think any less of you for you and your famililes' actions'. Oh, and you have to promise not to tell the authorities.

A few weeks ago, I got this table....

Well actually my mom got me this table. And technically it was just the top of the table. And it was out of a dumpster. (hold your gasps in!)

It's big too... like standard dining table size (hah is there even a standard size?). And heavy! Real wood for sure. I am gonna check out Lowe's for a base! I tracked it down online and found out it retailed (no longer in stores) for $350!

Ready for me to explain? My mom's salon is in a strip mall about 4 doors down from a home goods store we will call Dock2 (because, honestly, I don't want them tracking me down!). They are bitter, nasty, snooty people who work there (honest) and when they (for whatever reason) throw perfectly good furniture and other home things out they purposely break/scratch/spray paint them. Probably so people like us don't walk out the back door of mom's salon and see all these wonderful things sticking out of the dumpster and take them. Oh, and if you get caught... they will start locking their dumpster and then you have to pout around for a year until they get a new manager who doesn't know people, like us, recover things from their trash pile!


Also pulled from the glorious waste bin of delectable home goods...

This three tiered shelf (it's a little messy right now!)

This bookshelf holding my Jamaican wood carvings and board games (two things I love!)

This lamp next to my reading chair (although my dad had to run a new wire through it -easy fix)

This big wooden patio table (that you can sorta see in this photo) on my parents deck. They had scratched it all up so my dad sanded & repainted it

And this white pedestal table that now lives at my brother & sis-in-law's kitchen. Seriously. This whole table... in a dumpster. It's got a few knicks in the side but besides that, it's fine!

Now, I'm not telling you to go jump in every dumpster you see behind any furniture or home furnishing store... I don't know if most do this? But ours does... and you better believe I'm taking advantage of it! I can live with a scratched up table knowing that it retails for $400some and I got it for free! (plus that just gives me more practice in refinishing furniture!). And if you do... don't get caught. They get mad ha!

I'm a Maxx-inista!

Ok, so technically I would be a Marshalls-ista, but thats not nearly as catchy. Don't you love it?! I do... and let's be honest, that's all that really matters ;)

Cheers to the New Year! I can't wait to plop my butt in this chair in my *SOCLOSETOBEINGDONE* living room!

(And the important details, it's a Lane chair like I referred to in this post, and it reclines. Double whammy baby!)

PS I've added (and entered, of course!) some super cool giveaways to my sidebar - you should check them (and the blogs that are hosting!) out! Who wouldn't want to win some free CSN goodies?!

A place to dine

Last night I scored a dining table & chairs. Oh how I love Craigslist! I bet you're thinking "I thought she got a table and chairs a few weeks ago (circa this post) however, I decided I just didn't LOVE the legs on the table, and I bailed.

Then I found another set that was even cheaper, however the guy was a J-E-R-K and sold them out from under us without even telling us (literally we had borrowed mom's suv and hooked up the trailer and were on our way to pick them up, and Chris called just to clarify on the address and the guy was like "oh sorry, I know I told you I'd save them but I just sold them" - grrr)

Regardless, last night this set came home to live in my house! I plan on giving her a fresh coat of white paint once it warms up outside (spray painting large pieces of furniture in the house just doesn't sound like the best of ideas). I love the detailing in the back of the chairs and can already picture some super cute fabric options to replace the kelly green that graces it's presence now.

She'll be going in here once the chair rail gets put up, and the mini fridge and camping chairs get removed!

Back to back, butt to butt

Did anyone else used to sing that on the school bus? Back to back, butt to butt (or maybe it was bottom to bottom) that's the way we sit on the bus...
Our bus driver relentlessly tried it everyday, but I'm sure we all showed our 4th grade rebellious side sitting backwards, in the aisle and every which way but the "safe" way.

Speaking of bus, I am pretty sure this school bus yellow chair would look AMAZING in my living room, with my "spa" couch (note: NOT seafoam green, Chris!)

It's reclines too. Not just adorably chic, but functional too. Have you ever sat in a Lane chair? They are to die for. die. Honestly. So stinkin comfortable. When you're stuck waiting and hour and a half for the HH Gregg guys to deliver your appliances, you can dang near fall asleep in it, THAT'S how comfortable they are.

Unfortunately, it's not cheap. Directly from Lane it is just shy of 10 Benjamins, and the cheapest I've been able to scope out was $641. I just don't think I can justify that much for one chair. Sniffle.

I scored two other Lane brand chairs for my sitting room from TJ Maxx for way way less than the original price, so here's to hoping this little daffodil beauty finds it's way into my local Maxx!

Couch commuting

My couch made it's pilgrimage home this Saturday!


Do you know how stressful it is to have 2 pieces that size on a trailer driving 45minutes on the interstate in cold weather and rain?! And I wasn't even the one driving!

I still can't believe Chris didn't just pull over and leave me on the side of the road after all my 'SLOW DOWN!'s hah!



(PS There is an AWESOME $500 Sear's giftcard giveaway going on at Flying Giggles & Lollipops - but I really need it, so don't enter! hehe)

My version of bargain shopping

I'm a sucker for a bargain. It's part of the reason I love antiquing, thrift stores and CraigsList! I just love the thrill of the hunt. One of my good friends, Jenn, and I spend most days exchanging CL links on gchat! (By the way she just spruced up an incredibly fun 6-person dining set, you should go check it out!)

So of course my brain went into overdrive as soon as I closed on my house! It's not even move-in-able yet, but I've already got some key pieces taken care of. You saw the couch, which I purchased from an outlet here in town (used couches give me the heebies unless it's from a friend or family... is it just me?!)

I happened to fall in love with this china cabinet at a local antique mall. It was actually a few weeks before I even closed on the house, so SHH don't tell my realtor, he would have scolded me if he knew I bought furniture before the deal was even finalizied. But when I noticed the price tag said $145 I thought it had to be a misprint! A solid, wood, well-built china cabinet like this does not go for that cheap! Needless to say I had a HOLD tag on it immediately, and now it's sitting in layaway waiting to be brought to it's new home!

I am thinking I want to paint it white, similar to this beautiful piece I found online one night (I can't remember which blog I saved it off of though! Help identify if you know please!!)

This console was for sale by the same seller at the antique mall, and only $16. You can always use an extra side table, right?!
The intricacies of my console remind me of this yellow table from All Things Thrifty... I want to do something similar with mine!

I've been perusing for a dining room table and chairs too. Out of sheer luck (or the CLgods smiling down on me) I hoped onto Craigslist after lunch and the very first listing in the Furniture section was for a dining table and 4 chairs for $80. I got excited. I clicked. I fell in love. I imagined twirling in fields of sunflowers together.

No really...

I immediately emailed the post-er, and am picking it up tomorrow! I have big plans for this little lady!


Have you found anything good lately?

(You can also check out my thrifty master bedroom set we scored last spring here!)

Sit and stay a while

Yes, I was one of those people on Black Friday... shopping my little heart out!

One of my favorite purchases of the day -

A couch for my living room! I lovvveeee the color (it's a tad more teal than ice blue in real life). Everything about this couch is so me!

I win!

Look at these goodies I snagged off eBay....

The set of a queen-size headboard, long dresser & mirror and the chest/dresser for a whopping $449! That's over $1100 cheaper than the set we were looking at last weekend at a furniture store in town. AND this set is real, heavy wood, as in not the cheapo MDF like ChrisChris's last bedroom suite that now features lovely broken drawers.

I was so excited I won the auction. So what if I was the only bidder! Hah!

I'm in love. We're going to pick it up tonight! I didn't expect to find a little treasure like this on eBay, but I'm one happy camper!