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.

:)