I want this for Christmas!!!

I was bidding on this item. The start was $9.99. I think I bid $10. It went for $10.50 while I was away from the computer.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Poops. When I first saw that it sold for only 50¢ above my bid, I was a bit gutted. Then I got over it. After all, shipping was $9. So it wasn't SO great a deal.

What a pretty design, though! Jeannette Cherry Blossom. I'm used to seeing it in pink, clear pink, but I love the delphite. :(

Maybe there will be another one. I just think $10.50 is a very nice price.

It is $35.99 on replacements.com, and the picture shows an interesting shade:


I think, given the right accent pieces, it could work with this:

Yeah! Another Jeannette Harp pattern cake plate, in PINK milk glass! Whee. I think it was $25 at Gum's Antique Mall. Gosh, that place is neat. Apparently it was built to teach children about rain forests? No wonder it gets so hot and muggy all up in there.

I still pine for the oak dresser that was only $50, including mirror. :( I had no where to put it, though.

And the big long shelf at the thrift store ... only $15. I could have very easily painted it. It would have made an honestly lovely display piece for my dishes, etc. I am glad that at least I took a picture of it, to remember it by.

At any rate, I still find this picture:

to be very inspirational, and I just LOVE that pattern. Not so fond of the butterflies on the inside rim of the bowl, and on the big dinner plates, but I love the floral pattern. I think the blue tray might have gone well with that. With some red gingham flatware.

I have so many cute things I want to put together to take pictures of, but my actual productivity level is like, dipping into the negative.

Anyhoo.

Speaking of Christmas, I hit another one of Tom's estate sales on Thursday. Thursday. One of those long, drawn-out, take a number affairs. I happened to have had a training that day, so I was able to head over there relatively quickly. It was in the neighborhood. Because I CONSTANTLY seem to have this picture

in my head, I really sat up and took notice when a guy came out with a basket of boxed Christmas ornaments. Some people call them ornies?? Oy.

Anyway, after half an hour's wait, I was ready to charge down the door. The guy stopped to chat to another lady waiting in line to get in, and he said he bought 2 boxes for $20. I think he is a dealer/re-saler. He said those sold well. I think they do. I don't know WHY people are so frickin' addicted to pink Shinybrite, but they are!!

So, the plain colored glass balls were 20 for $1. I think I got 25, and they only charged me $1. Actually, though the price tag seemed a bit steep, if I'd added everything up and paid what it was listed, it'd be a lot more.

I ultimately put down a twin size quilt. Giant star in the middle, and it was backed on peach fabric. Cute. $30. But no border. $30?? :(

I was tempted to go back today to see if it was still there, since last days are often half-price. I didn't feel like getting up and wasting the gas, though. I did call the number I had from an email, but it went to voicemail.

I guess I will just have to be happy with the 3 quilts I bought on Sunday that were only $15 each!! Hee. I like talking people down. If they're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Nobody's twisting their arm to sell it to me for the price I offer! :P

Off take do a little photo shoot of my Thursday goodies, and maybe some Sunday goodies, before it gets too dark.

Random stuff. Whee, disgusting.

OK, this first part's not disgusting.

Also, those that know me, well, know I have a full on horrifying streak about a billion beeching miles wide. That's how it is. Grotesque, and a little macabre and warped.

Happy Halloween!!!

:)

So, I visited the lovely Olive, and saw she had a quiz up on there. So I took it too.

You Belong in 1954

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

OK, first of all, well, of course, I like diners. (Check the quiz.) Also, I TOTALLY grew up on oldies music (thanks, Dad!), and find it the most consistenly INoffensive type of music.

And my all-time favorite song in the whole entire world (I would consider playing it at my wedding but it is SUCH a lovely song that it has been totally scavenged and chewed up into a predictable trite cliche by movie after freaking Hollywood movie) is most definitely an oldie.

Anyways, how cute is that chick?? And look! The background of the picture totally matches the background of MY blog! It also reminds me of my costume for the New Year's "Washed-Up Celebrities"-themed party - Amy Winehouse. Ha!!

I have never, ever, ever considered myself a freaking romantic, though. What the heck. OK, maybe I'm in denial. A chick? Who loves Shabby Chic? And doesn't consider herself ROMANTIC? :)

Also, it was probably no small coincidence that I got a hankering for Pyrex eye candy and was trolling some sites and looking up random Pyrex phrases and pictures on google this afternoon.

:) Go, 1954!!

I have actually not yet taken inventory of my Pyrex stash, but I know the pieces I am looking for, and I know what pieces I am considering getting rid of. Facing facts, I HAVE PLENTY OF STUFF. Maybe I should share it with someone who would love it better!!

If you love something, let it go ... but this should not apply to people, unless previously agreed upon by mutual consent!!!

>:@

On to the disgusting. OK, so exactly a week ago, I woke up with a sore throat. Blech. It's been hot, heat-wave-ish, then the Santa Ana winds came gusting around, and we also had wildfires. I gargled immediately, and HALLELUJAH! Never came down with anything. I love having a full-on wicked immune system, which I believe I do have. Maybe I'll get into that another time. Also, it's convenient, since I work with (literally) snotty little germ buckets.

However, this morning, I woke up, laid in bed too lazy to bust a move, and came to the gradual realization that my nose felt stuffy.

I sniffed, and holy moly!! Bolus of mucus. Blech.

I won't tell you what I did with it. Proper disposal, let's just say. But it totally reminded me of this stuff:

I bought it on Target clearance, of course, along with this:

Now, the scrub? Is awesome. Must be the mint. After a long day's work in the 90-degree classroom, my footses are generally NOT minty fresh. Short of a white vinegar soak, this stuff is amazing!!! But still, a vinegar soak is GUARANTEED nast-destroying. :)

Anyhoo, I am not particularly fond of the body wash, because it smells too strongly like honey. There is a weird, tickly smell to honey (sometimes) that I just loathe and abhor. I hate the indistinct stench. To be honest, it smells like sneeze. Nasty, dried, putrid, didn't-cover-the-mouth aerial-spray sneeze.

Le gag.

Interesting enough, sometimes I catch a whiff of the same odor on money. NOT THAT I WALK AROUND SNIFFING AND INHALING THE SCENT OF MONEY, OR ANYTHING. Gross.

I mean, this stuff also has overtones of citrus, so it also reminds me of lemon tea. WHAT A HORRIFIC COMBINATION! So, I've been trying to use the stuff up in the shower just so I can get rid of it. I feel good about using what I have before buying more, and lemme tell you, that is not habitual for me. But I have finished off the Rusk purifying shampoo (nice stuff! I was crazy and washed my face with it, for a little while - tired of THE GREASE!) and the Victoria's Secret Love Spell creamy body wash that doubled for shampoo, too. Looooooooove that Love Spell.

However, every STINKING time I squeeze this citrus honey concoction out into my hand, it quite literally looks like a gob of snot that I'm about to smear all over myself. Sooooo unpretty.

And it's not the first bath item to remind me of URI sputum!!! This stuff did, too:

Once I discovered this brand, I fell in love. I used the blue Curls Rock stuff, mostly because I thought it smelled nicely of grapefruit, and that was nice. I got a great deal on this stuff, then I noticed what the shampoo looked like. Well, it was semi-clear, so that was okay, and at least it smells like pineapples - or pineapple flavouring. The thick, opaque, conditioner though????

Gobby loogie, AGAIN.

OMG, so disgusting. So, I actually held on to the two GIANT bottles I got on sale, for like, years. I ended up being freaking lazy, and bringing the ENTIRE giant bottle of shampoo with me to New Zealand last year, even though I was only staying a week and am not a fastidious, OCD shower-taker to begin with - useless! Uncalled-for! But at least I could share some with my pastor and his wife, because they ran out during our trip there.

Earlier in the year, I finally gave them to my friend Wendy (looooooooooooooove her), because she needed some. And it's not like I was going to use it. I have more hair stuff than you could stuff into the trunk of a car, overly-long hair notwithstanding.

I will say, however, that I LOVE the Bath and Body Works 3-in-1 Temptations that I use basically as shampoo. The Peach one is my all-time favorite, and I never thought I was going to like it that much.

I actually pretty much love and adore anything apple-scented, and was ecstatic to find this stuff:

But I actually don't like it that much. The peach smells more like what I thought the apple would smell like. I also have iced tea. Jenny from New Zealand loved this stuff. Hee!

Anyway, late last year, I saw that Target had the TIGI Bedhead shampoos and things! I think they may have even clearanced. I missed all of them on the shelf, until ONE DAY:

I found that, and it rang up $0.00. Oh, that's generally a very good sign. I ended up getting it for $2.00. She made up the price. I didn't argue. Wasn't it at least $19.99, full price??

So now, that is my shampoo of choice. It is seriously the nicest stuff I have used in a very long time. Maybe the moisture thing is the key. I don't even hardly have to use conditioner afterwards. My hair tends to get greasy, anyway (and I don't mind, to be honest - at least I know it'll deter the freaking LICE that I get exposed to on a regular basis, teaching little kids). It has turned out to be a nice discovery, and I will keep my eye out for it in the future.

Nothing beats the KMS I got at Target for another Christmas clearance, though. Wow. The straightening stuff is seriously mindblowing.


Today I also dug into my hearty Burt's Bees stash, and tried some stuff that I have been loathe to use, because for some inexplicable reason, I felt like saving it. No way! I have enough Burt's Bees (all 75% off clearance at Target!) to last 3 years. I have enough lip balm for the entire nation of India, probably. Savannah Bee Company tinted ones are my freaking favorite right now, though in a state of mild desperation earlier this week I opened up an ancient pack of Lipsmackers to get the cherry cola. Who does not love cherry cola flavored lips?? Dear Hillary also gave me TWO tubes of the C.O. Bigelow Black Cherry Soda lip gloss for part of the bridesmaids gifts.

Anyway, I apologize right this second for my completely out-of-control ADD right now!

Moral of the story: I think Burt's Bees is a little overrated. I don't LOVE the stuff. I love the idea, and I love the packaging. Man, do I love the packaging. I don't even know why! But I haven't tried anything yet that I am IN LOVE WITH. It would make nice presents, though, I suppose. I tried a couple lotions today, and they are okay. Good enough to keep in the purse, in the little bottles, for emergencies.

I had a Domino's Pizza again, today. I think I have had it at least 12 times in the last 2 months. I love their thin crust. And it happens to be across the street from the thrift store, so I ended up getting an ADORABLE Christmas plaque (hand-carved, and SO vintage and kitschy! Can't wait to use it) and some Shabby Chic window valances. And YES, they ARE the pink quilted ones that were selling briskly on eBay! They actually are way cuter than I thought they were. I thought they had the ugly pink chenille on them like the quilt does, but they do not. So a set of 4 valances was $12. It was just OKAY. With the extra clearance at the Target that was closing, I could have gotten them for less, but that store only had one, anyway. And I scored MAJORLY on other stuff, so that's okay.

It was quite scary to drive off afterwards, though, because my mind was all over the place. I decided I absolutely HAD to have some Pepsi, I'd denied myself quite long enough. I thought the Smart and Final was just up the street, but it was closed! I headed to the left-turn lane, when I spotted the new location, just up the street! Whoo, then I pulled out into traffic (non-existent, I mean), and finally made it over there.

It was a bit of a hectic afternoon. That's what happens when the thrift store only takes cash but all you have on you is 2 dollars and change, and you plead with the cashier to hold the items for you for just five minutes so you can run up to the Washington Mutual up the street for some cash, and you get out of the car and try to go in the foyer, only to realize that your debit card is not there.

Oh, it's in your PURSE at your HOUSE and all you HAVE is you WALLET with you because ... the day before you bought some lovely salads at the lovely Elephant Bar with some seriously attractive young bartenders, and a silly, goofy young hostess who laughs when you call the onion soup "bar-made" after she calls it "home-made," because that is what they call it on the menu ... and after hemming and hawing about why the price on the receipt is different than the price on the menu, but receiving an essentially acceptable answer, you throw your debit card into the side pocket of the purse instead of putting it right back in the wallet where it belongs because ... no rhyme or reason, but perhaps a twinge of laziness.

I need to go to bed :P.

Goodwill and Shabby Chic

Goodwill has been blessing me with lovely Target cast-off Simply Shabby Chic-ness lately.

Today, I found a Simply Shabby Chic table lamp (no shade) with little porcelain roses in three tiers. I have two already, which I madly hunted for at various Targets when they clearanced, and I love having an extra. It is honestly one of the most gorgeous, pretty lamps I have ever seen. Along with it, I bought a Simply Shabby Chic damask lace curtain sheer for $4.99. I think regularly they were at least $24.99; maybe even $29.99. Whee!

Last week, I also found this lamp (sans shade):
for $4.99. It had no price, so I had to ask about it. The cashier had to ask her boss, who replied "$4.99. It's probably more, but she can have it for $4.99!" Hooray. I did end up getting a matching one for $9.98 at another Target a couple days ago. I think I'm kinda set on lamps, now, though some are just SO dang irresistible!

In other news, I still totally loooooooooove my Chelsea dishes from Target, and remember being SO excited when it came out over a year ago. I noticed that this set was clearancing a few weeks back, so I kept my eye on it.
I found it for 30% off, bought it and kept it, and kept hunting around - last I saw, it was 50% off. I can live with $20 instead of $40. So now I have a FULL dot set, 3 large serving bowls, 2 sets of serving spoons, 2 extra dinner plates (random Goodwill finds, always $1 each), maybe 5 or 6 of the lovely, adorable, mixy-matchy place settings/flatware, and my various Chelsea floral dishes. Soooooo cute! I also got some adorable blue floral napkins on clearance at Marshalls, but darn it, I could only find three. Four would have been perfect. :(

LASTLY! SUCCESS!! 2 Simply Shabby Chic bookcases (love those things!!!) for 75% off - $49.98, on Friday. That plain and simply ROCKED. What did not rock was not having any help to move them out of the car earlier today. I had to drag and maneuver them to my neighbor's back patio by myself, since she busted up her neck and froze it up again, and he just had freaking hernia surgery 3 weeks ago.

I need to get to the storage and clean.

Hooray for Shabby Chic! Dang, this stuff is addictive. And I pretty much only shop for her cheaporama stuff from Target, not even any of her other lines. I found lots of great stuff for 75% off recently - mostly curtains, and valances (yay for the green ones! I've been looking for some more for the bathroom), and some curtain rod rings.

Now I just want to sneak out some of those lovely pastel-striped curtain samples hanging in the stores, because they would be completely PERFECT table runners. So pretty, SO gorgeous, and perfect for a pastel cupcake party. They have the ruffle all around. I am in love with that.

And ultimately ... TJ Maxx is providing no little inspiration these days. After staying at the General Warren Inne for Hillary's wedding in Pennsylvania exactly a month ago, I am in looooooooooove with the look. The place was gorgeous, the service was genuinely lovely, and I was treated so well - including getting such a deal on a massive suite upstairs - the one with the cathedral window and leather sitting room!! The bedding from the gorgeous inne? From TJ Maxx. I RECOGNIZED it. The throw in my neighbor bridesmaid's room? I HAVE IT. And just bought some pillow shams to match it during their extra 25% off clearance sale this weekend.

OK, so I don't have all the nice FURNITURE and four poster BEDS ...

But considering the prices at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, I have to give props to this eBay seller who sells $19.99 quilted cotton throws (or $15.00, with an additional 25% off, if she's lucky and hits the sales like I did) for $79.99. Without shipping. $79.99? For a quilted cotton throw??? Is it because people just do not know where to buy this stuff themselves, for way cheaper? And even bedding sets - Q to K, usually are max $79.99 at TJ Maxx/Marshall's, and go for $179.99 in her store. Granted, she has some very lovely things that I have never seen in the stores, personally, but I haven't been looking for this stuff for too long, really.

Now I wish I'd bought up more of the Simply Shabby Chic patchwork valances. I had no idea they were selling on eBay for 4 to 5 times what Target was clearancing them for!

If I ever open up a store or have a yard sale (which my neighbor keeps hinting at me to do), I would have Shabby Chic stuff out the wazoo.

ANYWAYS. Bravo to making moolah on eBay in these sour economic times.

:)