I love lamp (garage sale score No. 2), plus bonus scores

At long last, the photo of my second garage sale score from a couple weeks ago. [cue fanfare]

Picked up this sweet old hand painted lamp for $12. I could tell the shade was of good quality, but it's in poor condition so I will need to redo or replace. But the moment I saw this lamp I thought it would look pretty cool with a funky Anthro style topper.

Rose Landscape Shade – $98

Midnight Iris Shade – $98

Gualaguetza Shade – $98

Of course I would attempt to craft one myself, as I'm fairly certain I don't have the 98 clams to spare.

So now for the bonus scores. I went over to one of the more interesting thrift stores I've found in the area (it's a Habitat for Humanity ReStore) and found a couple little trinkets for a whopping $5 total sale.

Nice wood frame – $2

Asian cork art – $3 (a cool little scene with two cranes in it)

All in all, a productive trip! I've enjoyed this long holiday weekend. Do I have to go to work tomorrow? I could get so much more done around the house if I just had one more day off!

P.S. Can't help it. Anchorman's still funny, and I still quote some line from the movie at least a couple times a month. There. I've said it. Whew.

P.S. Pillows...

I am considering these pillow covers from West Elm for use in my living room.

Like them all. LOVE the gold.

Antique store prowling

Some items I spied at a favorite local antique store...

Painting of a young lady, circa 1930's – $20 (I think)

Seashell plaque – $18 (I think)

Pair of wood chairs with brass details – $100 for the pair

I've never heard of a "Tong" chair (Should I have heard of this?) and all my Googling turned up zilch on the subject. Still, despite their unfortunate upholstery, I suspect these could be the deal of the century. Why, why did I not buy these on the spot? Ah yes, because I don't plan on building an extra wing onto the house anytime soon.

Ginger jar – $20

Am contemplating this as another orange accent (along with my new World Market pillow on the sofa) in the living room.

Gold and turquoise painted tray – $20

Nifty jar from a bakery in Niagara Falls, NY – $25

I already have a cookie jar (although it holds cat treats, not cookies) but am wondering how I might use this in the kitchen.

How I spent my first day of fall

Making terrariums!

I've had this idea rattling around in my head for a while now, but never managed to execute on it. One reason is probably that I've had trouble sourcing an interesting variety of small, slow growing, moisture loving, low to medium light thriving plants through my local merchants. In fact, when I'd tell people at the garden store what I was aiming for I was often greeted with mild confusion or a dismissive, "I don't think we really have anything like that." Come on, folks. You can do better.

But yesterday I left the house determined to procure the supplies I needed. It took visits to a number of different stores (including the aquarium section of a pet store for some activated charcoal) but by late afternoon my mission was accomplished.

Now that I'm able to stand back and admire my handiwork, I think they're pretty darn cool. They're certainly classin' up the dining room table at the moment. I love the idea of having a nearly self-sufficient miniature garden inside my house. By nearly self-sufficient, I mean with proper setup and drainage you hardly have to water your plants since they're enclosed in a glass jar and retain moisture nicely.

In case you're interested, here's a list of my supplies:

• Inexpensive terrarium, glass jar and vase, from JoAnn, Old Time Pottery and the cabinet under my sink, respectively (Good candidates for containers can probably be found at thrift stores too.)
  
• Small rock chips, spaghnum moss, potting soil and coarse sand, all from the garden store
• Jar of activated charcoal from pet shop
• Rocks, shells and assorted decorative doo-dads

Here are the plants I got:

• Variegated Ivy
• Fittonia (Nerve Plant)
• Creeping Fig
• African Violet
• Selaginella (Club Moss)
  
• A purple and green leafed plant I can't remember the name of.
• Rabbit's Foot Fern (Didn't end up using it yet.)
• Maidenhair Fern (Didn't use this one yet either. Love these all by themselves, so I may just pot this moisture lover and put it in the bathroom.

There are some online retailers selling more exotic options like Jewel Orchids. Depending on how these plantings do I might be willing to experiment a bit more in the future. Also, there are a number of terrarium building how-to's out there on the interweb, but here's a website and a series of videos I found rather helpful:

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/terrarium.html
http://www.monkeysee.com/play/11233-how-to-build-a-terrarium

I may head back over to JoAnn next week, 40% off coupon in hand, and get an apothecary jar like this one:


So...heads up, friends and family! If I manage to keep these two alive (supposedly this is not too difficult if you've done your homework), you could very well receive your very own terrarium this holiday season.

A recap of the last 48 hours

• In an effort to introduce some contrasting color to the living room, I've been auditioning a new pillow and have determined that it pleases me.
  
  

• After careful contemplation I determined, "What use don't I have for a 28" x 32" wooden wall plaque shaped like an urn?"

note new bamboo floor

• Upon returning home from procuring the aforementioned urn-shaped wooden wall plaque at Tuesday Morning, I discovered that one of the dogs had managed to score a fleur de sel caramel (maybe more than one) from the dish on the console table and enjoyed it on the sofa. Since I did not witness the incident first-hand, I was forced to discipline both dogs then set about the task of picking shredded wrapper pieces from between the cushions and scrubbing at the sticky caramel remains. Grr.
  
  
• The dogs like their new bed — also from Tuesday Morning. So much so that apparently they didn't want to mess it up by eating caramels on it. Killing stuffed squirrels is another matter entirely.

1. Ants! Last night we washed out the hummingbird feeders (We have had hummingbirds again this year!) and put them in the dish drainer to dry. This morning? Ant infestation. I am by no means a hater of insects, but I don't want the little buggers in my kitchen. I read recently that cinnamon is a natural ant deterrent. For the sake of the environment (local and global) I'm generally in favor of trying natural, or at least not-too-chemically solutions first for household issues such as this. I began sprinkling, then realized there was probably no way to sprinkle cinnamon up the wall. That's when I broke out the ant traps. I still feel like they're crawling on me...
   

Toys for tots, or not?

I don't know about you, but there are some toys I'd rather keep for myself than give to children ages three and up. Case in point, these cute little wooden City in a Bag sets from MUJI, a Japanese brand that describes itself as "rational, and free of agenda, doctrine, and 'isms.'"

Your choice of:

New York

London

Paris

or Tokyo

A whole iconic wooden cityscape for just $14! I'd put these on a mantel, or maybe arrange them on the console table where I drop my keys, etc.

Also on a rational note: These sets may present a choking hazard so don't put them in your mouth. I probably didn't have to tell you that.

Neighborly decor

Since I seem to be in a bit of a slump for blog-worthy material lately (meh), I thought I'd share a little side project I took on. My neighbor is doing a whole lotta renovations to her house and one day we started talking about art and decor and things to do with her living/dining room. Just for fun, I came up with a sort of fantasy collection of items for her amusement, taking into account some of the furniture she already has. Here it is:


Lighting:
ALÄNG Floor lamp - IKEA, $39.99
Capiz Hanging Pendant - World Market, $69.99

Furniture:
Ikat Slipper Chair in Natural - Urban Outfitters, $325
Chrome Chinese Porcelain Stool - Overstock.com, $89.99
Smooth Suede Shorty Dining Chair Covers - Overstock.com, $19.99/2
Asian Black Wine Cabinet - Pier One, $299.98 on sale

Pillows (left to right):
'Sparks of Light' Pair of Cotton Cushion Covers - Novica.com, $20.66
Ikat Pillow in Green - Pier One, $17.21 on sale
Estrella Embroidered Pillow - Pier On, $34.95
Embroidered Paisley Pillow in Rust - Pier On, $34.95
Patchwork Cotton Ikat Pillow Cover - Fabricadabra.com, $35

Rug:
Hand-woven Dhurry Arrah (5'6 x 8') - Overstock.com, $139.99

Window Coverings:
Suzani Print Panel - World Market, $26.99 ea.
1/2 in. Slate Tortoise Bamboo Blind (72" long) - Pearl River Mart, $52.50

Accessories:
Novica.com - 'Windblown Leaf' Wood Statuette, $42.95
Decorative Glass Vase - Pier One, $35
Pair of Nickel Glass Wall Sconce Candleholders - Overstock.com, $69.99
Set of three Wrapped Mirrors - Overstock.com, $50.99
Decorative Glass Vase (left) - Pier One, $35

Paint:
Living and Dining Room main wall color - Shoji Screen, Sherwin-Williams
Fireplace color - Fenland, Sherwin-Williams
Living Room focal wall color - Lemongrass, Sherwin-Williams
Dining Room focal wall color - Sierra Redwood, Sherwin-Williams

Incidentally my own spectacular living/dining room transformations lag behind. FYI, I know I haven't posted proper floor photos yet (or even house paint photos) but I will. Really.

Thomas Paul at One Kings Lane

Hi there! Do you happen to know about One Kings Lane? I got hooked up with this site back in April after reading about it at Ali Mode's blog. As a former editor for Domino, I trust her judgment!

For anyone not in the know, the deal-io is this: private home decor sales featuring top designer brands for up to 70% off retail. You have to become a member to take advantage of these savings, but once you do you'll receive email alerts when new sales are starting. Sound good? Yeah, I thought so.

From now until 9/6, they're featuring a selection of pillows, totes and dinnerware by Thomas Paul. I've had a quick look and here are my faves:

Chrystanthemum Green Pillow – $22 (retail price $55)

Chinoiserie Corn Pillow – $49 (retail price $125)

Flock Black Pillow – $49 (retail price $100)

Goldfinch Small Tote – $29 (retail price $70)

Hong Kong Garden Melamine Dinner Plates, Set of Four – $25 (retail price $50)

What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

P.S. Please feel free to mention me as a referral: beautymeetsbudget@gmail.com :)

Homegoods Scouting

I went over to my local Homegoods to see what I could see. Here are some photos from my decor reconnaissance mission:

Black lacquer table with shapely legs – $199

If you want to personalize a bit, it would most likely look pretty-as-you please with this knob:

Anthropologie Gothic knob – $14
(Yeah, it's mother-of-pearl and although I'm not 100% sold on it I don't deny its appeal.)

Racy red lacquer chest – also $199

Methinks this one could use some different knobs too. Any of these would do nicely...

Anthropologie Pietre Garden and Flower knobs – $12

Anthropologie Toscana and Nacre Daisy knobs – $16 and $12

Anthropologie Royal Menagerie Crow, Ram, Stork and Squirrel knobs – $12
(Why not try one of each?)

Okay, moving on.

Nifty black lamps with shades that have pattern on the inside – $39.99 each

Lovely green lamps that would look pretty great in my living room – $39.99 each

This lamp on clearance sports a nifty textural pattern and a vivid turquoise shade – $32

These lanterns are HUGE and marked down – $30 each

Another shapely metal lantern on clearance – $15

Flame stitch patterned wing chair – $349
(This looked much nicer in person than in the iPhone photo.)

I like this patterned rug for a kitchen – $14.99

Not sure why it was sitting horizontally, but this gold chain link mirror is awesome – $24.99

I could easily be persuaded to buy this sunburst-y mirror and spray paint it the color of my choice – $24.99

I've had a soft spot for Poe ever since I did a term paper on him in high school. I dig this black bird figurine not only for its poetic significance but also for its slight resemblance to a certain Pigeon light I've been coveting – $12.99

Moorish pattern quilt – $39.99

Trellis pattern pillow on clearance – $7

Why, why did I not buy that pillow?

Oh and by the way. If you've ever wanted a moose sculpture that's roughly 3/4 actual moose size — and who doesn't really — you're in luck!

And for the bargain price of $249. Fantabulous.