The Great Panty Debacle….

I really love a good sale, so on Monday, I hit the local shopping center to see if anyone had any exciting Labor Day discounts.  Victoria’s Secret came through.  They had bins full of bras marked down to $12.99.  I found one I liked (original price $45!) and then scoured the store to find undies to match (I know, I know, I am weird like that.)  Also, on a  strange side note, I was looking for some undies to match a light green bra I purchased a while ago.  For some reason, I can’t find 3 pairs of underwear I purchased to go with that bra.  It is really weird.  Anyway, I left the store with a bra and 10 pairs of panties.  

When I got home, I realized that I had been charged full price ($12) for a pair of underwear that I had pulled out of the sale bin and were marked $5.99.  So, I left everything in the bag and went back today to let them know that I had accidentally been overcharged.  The nice ladies working in the store apologized and worked to correct the discrepancy.  Meanwhile, I decided to spin through the sale bins again – I mean, $12.99 for a bra – come on!  That is a good deal.  Today, I found two additional bras and 4 pairs of underwear.  While checking out, they credited the $12 back to me and re-charged me the $5.99 for the panties that I purchased on Monday.  They put everything (3 bras and all the assorted underwear) back into the same bag.

I got home and took everything out.  I clipped all the tags off and before I threw them away, I decided to just add everything up quickly to see how much I saved ($268 original retail price – $126 sale price!)  That is when I noticed that I was again charged $14 and $12 for the panties I purchased today that should have rung up at $5.99.  Seriously?  Who is more stupid – Victoria’s Secret for ringing up wrong prices two times in a row or me for not double checking this while I was still in the store?  To add insult to injury, one of the pairs of underwear didn’t even make it in the bag!  Ah!

I am so irritated that I have to go back there again.  Wonder what the odds are that I can make it out of there without purchasing additional merchandise….

More yard sales…

It is time for the weekly edition of other people’s trash to Mandy’s treasure!

Despite the fact that I am suffering from a summer cold (hate those!), I managed to get out of bed on Saturday morning and head over to a neighborhood yard sale.  If it hadn’t been a neighborhood wide event, I probably would have skipped yard-saleing this weekend.  I also had to make an appearance at a barn work-day, so I couldn’t spend the day lounging in bed as I would have liked.  As it was, I got a late start (after 7:00!) heading to the yard sales and I was worried that I might have already missed out on everything. 

I hit many, many sales – I think eight or nine in all.  Sometimes I found a few things, other times I did not.  I did not find the elusive belgian waffle-maker, but never fear – I am sure persistance will pay off in the end.  Here is what I did find:

Two gold plastic chargers for $.75 each.  I use these alot during the holidays as underplates at the table or candleholders.

A set of ceramic pumpkin salt and pepper shakers and a little ceramic lidded pumpkin designed to hold a tealight inside.  This will go great in my fall decorations and I LOVE all things pumpkin.  $.75 for all.  This was also the sale where I gave the cutest little girl one dollar for the tiniest, yet tartest cup of lemonade.  I am a sucker for cute kids selling un-palatable drinks.

Costume jewelry set of pearls for $.75.  I love pearls - but already have several strands.  I am thinking of giving these as a gift or using them in some other creative way.  Wrapped around a package?  Especially a wedding shower gift?  If you have any other great ideas, be sure to let me know in the comments section.

This cute little lamp for $3.00.  I have been on the lookout for cute little lamps – now I have two.  (I found a little pineapple one last weekend.)  I feel a change of lampshade coming on, but the base is cute as is.

How many of these cheese servers are out there?   I have seen them many times in the past and on many of your blogs.  Of course, I bought it for the glass dome (the wooden base will probably be trashed).  There are so many cute uses for cloches out there.   Now I have one to use when the inspiration strikes me.  $2.00

These little sherbert dishes were only $.10 each.  In my best blog-stalking, copycatting mode, I plan to use them to create pedestal dishes the way I have seen many of you more creative bloggers doing.  Now I am on the lookout for cute (paintable) dishes. 

This pair of paintings was $2.00.  I bought them for their gorgeous frames:

I wasted no time in popping the paintings out and covering them with chalkboard paint.  Now I have two of these:

Some of you might remember this – I picked it up a few weeks ago for $10 at a yard sale.

(sorry about the fact that this picture is so huge compared to the others in this post – I must have been feeling generous when I took this one!)

I removed the mirror and covered the painted back of it with chalkboard paint (I am hoping this holds up).  I removed the hardware, lightly sanded the piece and spraypainted it a light green color. 

It looks good from far away, but up close there are two spots that look like this:

The paint is all buckled and crackled.  This didn’t happen until I applied a top coat of poly.  My other foray into spray painting yard sale finds was a valet for my husband.  I did many light coats of a brown spray paint.  It wasn’t until the very last coat (no poly involved) that this happened:

Has this happned to anyone else?  Can anyone help me?  You all make spray painting look like a cinch. 

Oh, one other thing – I found this sitting out by the road on trash pick up day.  I thought it would make a nice printer stand in my office.   Of course, it needs a fresh coat of paint, so I need to be schooled on my painting skills before I tackle it.

Of course,  I am linking my finds with the fabulous Southern Hospitality blog’s .  Man, she found some AMAZING stuff this weekend.

The lust list…green is my favorite color…

I recently read an article…somewhere…(if you read it – tell me and I will give credit where credit is due, but I honestly can’t remember) that talked about getting a shopping high without spending any money.  My trick for this used to be going shopping with someone who had more money than I did (or was just more willing to part with it).  One memorable shopping trip to Milan (yes, the real Milan in Italy!) comes to mind when my very good girlfriend and fun shopping buddy decided to buy a handbag at Prada.  Helping her pick it out and flitting around telling her she should try this one and that one while a very cute, very young Italian man rushed to help us with our every desire was perfection!  And, my husband wasn’t mad at me when I got home.   

Anyway….the point of this article was that sometimes the act of shopping is just as fun as actually buying something.  Hmmm….I am not so sure about that.  But, I do enjoy shopping, even when I am helping someone else find what they are looking for.  I also like creating wish lists.  And, I have seen many bloggers out there highlighting things they like.  So, drumroll please…..introducing “The Lust List.”  These posts will highlight things I have found that I love.  Some of the things might actually end up being purchased by me, but I imagine that most of the things will remain tucked away like little jewels here in the blog.  I will just have to get back to you on whether or not the pleasure level to collect them here is equal to actually purchasing them.

I am dedicating the first installment of TLL to my favorite color: green.  To kick it off, here is a delicious apple green tote from Cole Haan.  Sometimes I forget about Cole Haan, but they make a high quality product – and sometimes it is SO me!  I would look adorable using this as a carry-on or running to the library to bring home a load of reading material.  It is big enought to hold a laptop!  Retail price on this was $375 and it was posted on eBay for $280 or best offer.  I know in time, it will come down, so maybe there is a chance.

How about these lovelies from Christian Louboutin?  Is your heart beating faster?  Mine is.  Retail was $795 at Bergdorf Goodman, but they were on sale for $385.  Good thing they are sold out.

 

Alexa from J Crew….retail $225…..

 

Here is a lovely necklace made of one of my favorite stones, chalcedony.  It comes from an Etsy seller – YSDesigns.  She has beautiful things.   This retails for $185.

Also from Etsy and something I might actually be able to afford…the Chloe Vintage Apron from Boojiboo – retails for $28.75.  And, you really should go check her out – she has SO many cute aprons in several styles and many different fabric choices.

A yard sale with benefits…

Rain was forecast all weekend – so, not the best time for yard-saleing.  However, a local church was having an indoor yard sale – with the proceeds to benefit missions.  I ask you, what can be better than great deals for oneself while at the same time benefiting others?  I set out early this morning quivering with delight at the thought of treasures to be discovered.  I was vaguely disappointed in the selection, but managed to come away with a few finds nonetheless.

I found this little pheasant salt or pepper shaker (I am sure once part of a set).  I thought it might look cute as a part of a fall/Thanksgiving themed table.  Plus, my husband likes pheasants – well, he likes to kill them and eat them.  I have never eaten a pheasant, and anyway, I prefer the porcelain kind.  I paid $2.00 total for this little guy, a canning jar  for my grandmother-in-law and the framed picture below.

This olive picture will work perfectly in my Tuscany themed bathroom.  I even have an olive oil soap/lotion dispenser set that looks as if they were made to go with this picture.  It is in such good shape that I don’t even have to do any work to it to start using it.

As  I was checking out, I saw this old metal flower frog sitting up by the register.  I asked if anyone had already claimed it – the kind lady said she didn’t think so and went ahead and sold it to me for $2.

And, finally, on my way out the door – this little lamp caught my eye.  As I have been reading about the benefits of lamplight vs. overhead lighting in beautifying a home,  I have been on the lookout for little lamps that can go in unexpected places (i.e. the bathroom, the kitchen counter, even a bookshelf).  Please visit the Nester’s blog for more information on lamps and how to use them.  I also watched a little video tutorial online today (http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-a-lamp-with-household-objects-208624/) and am inspired to look around my house to see what I might have to use – or to keep my eyes open for lamp worthy items at future yard sales.  It came with the cheesy looking green shade, but I think using one of the left over black and gold chandelier shades I found last week (10 for $3.00) will give it a sleeker more modern look.  I am even contemplating spray painting the whole thing – maybe flat black.

One of the things I am scouting for as I hit these sales is an old style Belgian waffle maker.  My mom makes delicious waffles for our family whenever we get together and I want to be able to do the same thing.  However, the cheap version I bought at Target just doesn’t work well.  I noticed one of you bloggers out there found one at a thrift store – I am so jealous.  So, imagine my excitement when I saw one peeping out of a box full of junk.  I ran over and grabbed it up, but it was not the deeper-welled Belgian waffle style – and I decided to put it back and wait for the right one to come along.  I have faith!

This sale also had something else that I really want – cardboard shoe holders.  I bought some of these years and years ago (like maybe 10+) to hold shoes and they have been doing their duty ever since.  If you want to see what I am talking about, look at this postwhen I re-organized my closet.  There were two of these (in green, no less!) but they already had someone’s name on them.  Drat!  It gives me hope though that I might be able to find some more – I have looked for them new everywhere, but apparently, they are no longer being produced.

On Friday morning, I stopped in at a small garage sale on my way to the stable and found this:

It is one of those plastic jewelry holders with clear pockets that fastens onto a hanger and lets you see all of your jewelry at a glance.  I really need one of these and have been wanting one ever since my friend Becky mentioned it to me last year.  Now I need to find another one that I can send to her!  For $1!  I am not going to tackle this project until after our move in June – no need to get all the jewelry out of boxes and organized only to have to put it back in boxes in a week.  So, stay tuned. 

I am getting rather excited about the challenge of fixing up my new house.  And, it will be a challenge as we will be living in the rather old-fashioned and unexciting government housing.  So, stay tuned for before and after pictures to come in June.

And to get some really great ideas about what you might be able to turn from trash into treasure, please check out the blogs listed on Southern Hospitality

 

Swagbucks…

Have you heard of this yet?  Once you register at Swagbucks, you can download their search engine toolbar and conduct your internet searches through them.  Not always, but sometimes, you will be notified that you earned swagbucks when you conduct a search.  Usually, it is just one, but sometimes it will be two or three and once I even got a fiver!    You save them up and redeem them for prizes.  There are all kinds of prizes, but perhaps one of the most useful is a $5 gift card to Amazon (45 swagbucks).  You can find almost anything on Amazon.  And, if you start collecting swagbucks now, you might have enough saved up by Christmas to get some Amazon (or other retailer) gift cards to give away as gifts.

There are other ways to earn swagbucks too.  One is by recommending it to your friends – or posting a link – like I have done here.  When you click my link and start earning swagbucks, I will earn some too.  It is a wonderful thing.  Happy searching!

Yard Sale Bonanza…

For my entry to Southern Hospitality’s Thrifty Treasures party  (and you really should click over there to check out what Rhoda and all the linkers found this weekend too – so much fun!) I submit the following “treasures”:

I bought 10 of these little lampshades.  I have read several blog posts regarding these little beauties and how they might be painted and have tassels added to be totally transformed.  But, I don’t even mind them the way they are – black faux alligator on the outside and gold on the inside.  I just popped them up in the dining room to show you what they look like, although since we are moving in a few weeks, I will very quickly be taking them down.  Anyway, I got 10 of these for $3.00 – that is 30 cents each! 

I couldn’t pass up this little note card set (11 in all) with coordinating lined envelopes for $1.50.  I can envision hosting a girls night in or a cocktail party or a bachelorette party at some point and these will be perfect!  At the same sale, I also purchased a spool of blue ribbon for $.25 – I really want to bulk up my stash of ribbon for use in wrapping lovely presents.  For examples of what I aspire to create, but really have no hope of reproducing, check out :

It is truly divine!

At my third stop (a local subdivision was having a community yard sale day – yay!), I found this shelf for $3.  While it is cute as is, I could paint it – it all depends on where I decide to use it in my new house.

Here is the bread machine I bought.  I just took the picture a few moments ago and as you can see, it is sitting on my kitchen counter – what you cannot see, or more importantly what you cannot smell (and I am sorry about that) is that it is making bread.  I have toyed with the idea of a bread machine for a while and was even thinking about researching them and adding it to my gift wish list.  When I came across this, I thought I should give it a try.  It was priced at $15 and I am sure they would have gone down, but unfortunately, I had run out of cash and I had to ask them to hold it while I went to the ATM.  When I showed back up with a $20, I didn’t think I had a firm bargaining leg to stand on.  Too bad.  But, good lesson learned – not to self: never go out thrifing or yard sale shopping without lots of money in small bills. 

The last stop (with my newly replenished wallet) yielded some fun results.

Basket – Free!

I am thinking that this would be so cute if I painted over the mirror with chalkboard paint, which of course, I learned from reading all of the crafty/decorating blogs out there.  Can I paint directly over glass?  I guess I will find out…I think it will be cute in a kitchen or entry way.  The front has a compartment divided into three spaces that might work for sorting mail or something.

And, finally….

This croquet set, which I thought might be a fun activity in the yard, especially when we have family visiting or are hosting an office party.  I paid $10 for it and when I got in the car, I started wondering if that might have been too much.  I had visions of all the $3 furniture you guys have gotten!  But, when I got home and looked it up online, I saw what appears to be an identical set at LL Bean for $129!  Exciting!

All in all, I spent about $40, but I had a wonderful morning and I think I got some really nice things.  I will let you know how the bread turns out – keep your fingers crossed for me.

Flea Market Finds…

Inspired by Rhoda’s weekly challenge at Southern Hospitality    http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/2009/05/thrifting-with-daisy-cottage.html I went out “thrifting” again on Saturday morning early.  I hit a few yard sales and didn’t find anything, but I was able to pick up a few items at a flea market held in the parking lot of church.  Here is what I found:

This cute little topiary for $.75!  When I took it up to the church volunteer to pay for it, she said, “well, this is darling.  How did I overlook this?  I wish I would have picked it up.”  Too bad sister – it is mine!  Ha, ha, ha.  Doesn’t it look darling in this horsey grouping in my office? 

This picture frame was $.10. A dime people…I am not sure it is going to work out for the project I had in mind, but I am sure I can use it for something at that price.

This bag/purse was $2.00 and was the most “expensive” item of the day.  I think I will use it as a re-usable gift bag.  You know, you would pay more than $2 for a paper gift bag at Target.  I think someone will be thrilled to receive a gift from me in this cute bag.  (If it turns out to be you, and you are reading this, act surprised and charmed.)

I think this was the deal of the day.  This sage green and gold table runner with a fern print was $.50.  It looks great on my kitchen table and the color ties in perfectly with the framed spoon project I completed last week.

I didn’t come back with anything big or splashy, but for spending only $3.35 – I would call it a successful shopping trip.

After thrifting, I was still in a shopping mood, so I stopped in at a lovely store here in Montgomery called Southern Homes and Gardens.  I wanted to purchase a Hydrangea for my mom.

Check.

I also found this iron towel holder.  It was on sale for $11.95 from $19.95, so I grabbed it.  It is an example of something that I wouldn’t have known to look for.  But, I hate how kitchen hand towels have to hang on the handles of drawers and cabinets.  They are always getting in the way when you want to open or shut a cabinet and/or dropping onto the floor.  This solves the problem in a very cute way.  And, cute or seasonal towels can be more prominently displayed.  I think it needs a bow or something to dress it up…

I also found these wood colored Styrofoam eggs on sale for 50% off of $4.95.  I thought they were cute as is, but they also might be fun to paint next Easter.

After finishing at SH&G, I headed over to TJ Maxx.  Read about my success there in a separate post:http://mandyhuckins.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/to-the-maxx/

To the Maxx…

I LOVE TJ Maxx.  But, she is a fickle friend – sometimes she has tons of things I love and sometimes she has nothing.  That is part of what makes going there fun and exciting – you never know what you might find.  I have learned that it is best not to go there with an agenda.  Just have an open mind, see what you can find and have lots of fun!

On Saturday, I had what I would call a very successful trip.  Here are the things I decided I couldn’t live without:

 

“Home” Sign $4.99 – this inspired me to clean off the junky top of my refridgerator and repurpose the blue and white vase filled with lemon branches for a look that makes me happy every time I look at it.

 

Hand towels for the bathroom $2.99 each (I think I will have the striped one embroidered with an “H” in brown thread)

Tea light holder $2.99 – this can be used for candlelight baths or in other displays around the house.  They  only had one, but if they would have had more, I would have bought them.  The tag says it is from Williams Sonoma Home and was originally priced at $12.99.

Picture Frame for Dancer’s photo $7.99

Adorable bunny figurine $6.99 – I have been wanting a little bunny figurine for the house.  I saw one I liked at Target for $14.99 and I was keeping my eye on it to see if it would be marked down, but I like this one even more. 

Sports bras on clearance for $5 and $7 each – I need these for riding.  I recently discovered that the bouncing “girls” (small as they might be) aren’t so attractive.  I hate to spend a fortune on something so utilitarian, so I was thrilled to find these marked down even from their original TJ Maxx savings.  The manufacturer’s price tags are $28.00 and $30.00 respectively – they were $12.99 regular TJ Maxx price.  So that results in an 82% savings on one and a 73% savings on the other.  That is hard to beat!

Ceramic grapeleaf platter from Portugal $12.99 – this would make a nice Mother’s Day gift (they also had a beautiful leaf shaped one that I might have to go back for), but I am keeping this one.

I also got a 50 count package of raspberry flavored white tea and something else that I am sending to my sister (because of her dedicated readership of this blog, it cannot be posted yet, but trust me, it is very cute and I think she will love it.)

As I checked my google reader in the midst of preparing this post, I noticed that one of my favorite bloggers, Layla from the Lettered Cottage, also has a post on TJ Maxx.  Check it out here:http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/2009/05/drop-cloth-drape-update-trip-to-tj-maxx.html

Isn’t it interesting that two people can go into the same store and see totally different things?  Because she and I live in the same area, it is likely that we were even in the same store.  I did see those pillows and admired them.

Some flea market fun…

On Saturday morning, I went to the Eastbrook Antique Mall’s flea market.  This event had been heavily advertised in the local area on the radio and on television.  After reading lots of wonderful blogs such as 

    (http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/) and

    (http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/) and

  (http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/)

which talk about home decorating and finding things you can re-do and re-use at yard sales and flea markets, I was totally looking forward to going.  It was a little disappointing, but I still managed to find a few treasures. 

Also, Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality has decided to do a  party each Monday where bloggers can connect to her site and everyone can show off the treasures found during a weekend treasure hunt.  So, if you are into that sort of thing click on over there to see what everyone else was up to this weekend.

In one book stall, I was able to purchase some really nice hardback books for$2 each!  Didn’t take any pictures of those, but how can you beat that price for hours and hours of entertainment.

The next thing I found is this beat up valet/suit stand.  We have looked at these before, because sometimes my husband will wear his uniform twice before it has to go to the cleaner, so it is often draped over a chair in preparation for the next day.  But, they can be kind of expensive.  This one was $3!  A little sanding and some brown spray paint and it should be ready for use at under $10.  Unbelievable.

Inside the antique mall itself, I found a plastic ziploc bag with six place settings of this green handled silverware.

What a lovely little tablescape these will make for a small dinner party, don’t you think?  I paid $9.99 for all six place settings.

Finally, I found this cute little green bubble glass creamer.  It was $12 – a little pricey perhaps – but I loved it and when I found a little flower frog that fit perfectly inside, I couldn’t resist.  This is going to make the cutest little flower arrangement.

I’ll give you three tries to guess my favorite color….

It was a very fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

My Saturday…

Saturday morning dawned bright and early.  I was at the stables around 8:00 am and helped my friends with the morning feeding and turnout.  Then, I groomed Dancer and worked on her mane.  She HATES to have it pulled, so I have to resort to cutting.  It doesn’t give quite the same results, but if I am careful, I can make it look a bit more natural.  I got her tacked up and at 10:00 I gave a balance lesson on the lunge to a lovely young rider.  Dancer was very well behaved, but because she is such a big mover, I am afraid the rider is going to be sore in the morning.  After the lesson, I hopped on and rode her for about 30 minutes.  She wasn’t as silly about cantering, but she was very, very strong – not nearly as balanced and slow as she has been.  So, I either get strong and pulling, or slow, light and crazy.  I really need the lesson with Emma!

The barn group decided to go to Five Guys Burgers & Fries for lunch.  (We eat there quite a bit.)  It is interesting when we invade wearing various articles of horse clothing – all dirty and smelly.  I am surprised the owners haven’t asked us not to visit their establishment in this attire, but then again, we probably are their best customers, so maybe that is why they put up with it.  I felt like I was really getting a lot of looks – I was wearing my Kerrits Sit-Tights.  They are pretty flattering pants, in general, and I was the cleanest of the bunch (except for one of the mothers who had not been riding).  Here is a picture of the back of them (mine are a lighter tan color):

After lunch, one woman did come up to me and tell me that she liked my pants.  So, maybe that was it – maybe everyone just liked them and thought they were a new fashion trend!

I came home, changed into shorts and a tank top and got started on one of my least favorite chores of all time: washing the car.  But, my poor car really, really needed to be washed and I promised my hubby that I would do it this weekend.  He is a self proclaimed car washing expert.  I got started and after I had been scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing for about 40 minutes, he came outside to help.  The first thing he said was, “you are still one the first wash?”  {Timeout: 1) a few days ago, my car had been covered in a mist of some type of spray some workers were using on a fence a few houses down – so it really required a lot of elbow grease to get all of that off the paint and windows, 2) “first wash” refers to the plan hubby had outlined for my car wash – first wash with dish washing liquid, next wash with clay bar, third wash with car wash soap, hand dry with towels, apply 2 coats of wax}  The next thing he did was to get a sponge and act like he was going to start washing the car on the side I had already done!  I said, “what are you doing?!?  I already finished that side.”  Hubby (looking sheepish) replied, “oh, sorry, maybe that is just the way your car looks.”  Me: “you better watch it buddy.  I am about to kick you in the nads.”  You don’t need the whole car wash litany – in fact, hubby stepped up and did most of it – the end result, 3 hours later, was a very shiny car.  It allowed me to apply my Charleston Southern sticker (purchased almost a year ago, but never applied because the car was never clean enough – I told you it needed to be washed!)

I love it! 

Next, I showered and got dressed and headed over to the Montgomery Antique Mall.  I have always wanted to check it out, but some a blog posts I read recently about finding treasures really lit my fire.  It was wonderful!  I found some furniture I want: a sleigh bed, a curved-front sideboard for use as a TV holder and an adorable, adorable desk painted in a French style – cream and green.  So cute!  I had a ball walking around and around (you have to make at least two laps).  I bought this:

Isn’t that adorable?  I am considering it a belated Easter present to myself.  And, I thought I might just put it out around Easter, but the more I see it, the more I love it and I am probably going to have to find a permanent place for it.  We saw paintings just like this at the flea market in Tongeren, Belgium and I always wanted to buy one, but we always ran out of money, so I never did.  I was so happy to find this.  I also bought a tie-back tassel in brown and aqua that will look great in my bedroom (exact use to be determined). 

We finished the day by hitting the all-you-can-eat buffett at the casino in Shorter, Alabama with some friends.  Fun company and a few too many crablegs make for a good night.

All in all, it was a good day.