Budget Finds of the Recent

A pair of brass stag-head bookends, $7/pair at Goodwill

Upholstered x-bench from HomeGoods: $70!

Sadly, my shopping days are over...I need to save my pennies for bigger projects and delay the gratification just a smidge.

Best $20 Old Navy Buy...

These flats are simple, cute, comfy and affordable.  Old Navy stuff is so hit or miss and these are definitely a hit.

 

I tend to be pretty hard on flats, I wear them out.  So to find a cheap, cute solution at Old Navy chuffs me greatly!  Can't wait for the leopard pair to arrive. And to think I considered, ever so briefly, some Tory Burch ones. My senses abandoned me momentarily.

World Market Finds

One of my favorite easy-access sources is World Market. Remember when it was just Cost Plus and sold mostly imported foodstuffs? Along the way it's morphed into more of a "lifestyle" store, and a stylish one at that.  Although you can still get those darned papasan chairs there.

They have some really cute stuff right now:

The pouf is indoor/outdoor!  So smart.  I covet that bookcase. It would be nice in my office. And the four-piece patio set is $199?  A steal.

*this is not an ad, I just really like World Market.

New Target Collaboration

Missoni for Target!

I've been underwhelmed by Target's past collaborations with designers, so I am keeping my expectations low on this.  But I love that stripey throw in the photo above. I haven't checked out the Target Calypso stuff yet though I am hearing "eh" reviews.

Their zig zag stripe is pretty chic in almost any application, no?

Pier One Hits

I have a love/hate relationship with Pier One. Some of their stuff is beyond cheese, like rooster canisters and other ugly kitchen stuff.

But then they have some funky accessories and furniture. Who knows what to expect from them?


I found this neat mirror/wall art:

And these pretty drapery panels:

I Suwannee found this great rug, too.

Anything I missed?

Lands' End Canvas

Last week, I took advantage of a sale at clothing retailer Lands’ End. I don’t typically shop there but they were offering an additional 25% off end-of-summer sale prices and there were some serious markdowns to be had.

I placed my order, received my items and was happy. A few days after my items were delivered, a small brown note card arrived in my mail box hand-addressed to me. Inside was a hand-written thank you* from Carol, a customer care specialist at Lands’ End. The note praised my choice of an orange cotton cardigan and includes an email address for any feedback I have about the products.

Wow! From a biggish brand like Lands’ End, this personal touch really impressed me.

*I was inclined to think it was a really good print job, but this blogger received a card and the handwriting and content are different.  Looks like a real person is writing them!

A few thrift bargains...

Framed Asian (Japanese?) bird print from church rummage sale. Marked $5, paid $2

Cool industrial adjustable metal stool. Church rummage sale - a different one - $2

Yellow polka dot tray, church rummage sale $1. Rose is from the climbing rose bush in our backyard that's already chock full of blooms.

Care for a Cocktail?

I picked up this sweet little bar cart at the flea market yesterday. It's certainly not the sturdies item I've ever bought but for $15 and a couple coats of spray paint, I think it might be cute!

Bar carts seem to be having a renaissance right now. And I love it! I'm not a big drinker but I do like me a cocktail so I think this will actually get used in my house.

HomeGoods visit

There's been lots of love for HomeGoods out in blog land lately and I have to admit I am addict as well. I have 2 nearby so I can get my fix pretty easily. There is some great stuff to be had and the clearance aisles can be awesome, if you hit it right. I stopped by this week before my scout leaders meeting and caught a couple of cute things:

$20-$40 nesting tables with bamboo legs.

$299 mirrored bureau. I would put it in my dining room.

Pattered baskets would be colorful clutter catchers. Didn't catch the price on these.

As with all things in life, there's a dirty underbelly. On to the bad:

The shape of these chairs are perfectly fin, but the fabric is straight out of a Red Roof Inn circa 1992.

Sarah Palin's book. Blargh. Gotta hand it to her, though, she's a good lookin' grandma.

Of course, I grabbed a couple of items I'll show off a little later.

These Alpha bookends from Crate and Barrel are very cute (and only $30)!

Tabled

I picked up this coffee table in a warm honey-ish brown from the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams outlet in Hickory over the weekend. It was $50! Apparently, it sells for much more than that retail. I can't even buy a crummy table from CL for that price. Jake is always annoyed by my bargain hunting, especially when he has to unload the car + dog to make it all fit. But I just can't help myself sometimes.

Footie

Saw this charming little ottoman over here. It's from HSN - the Nate Berkus line! At $399 it's not a huge bargain but might be worth watching to see if it might go on clearance.

We Had A Lassie

Bamboo magazine rack: free

Paint-by-Number from 1959: $1.50

Forgive me, I have sinned

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Who knew this super cute skirt is from WalMart?! I avoid the place with a passion but I had to hit up their pharmacy today for my $9 script (Walgreens charges me $30) and I almost bought this. It's perfect for me - A-line, floaty with a touch of pink! But then I remembered it was Earth Day and I really shouldn't have been in WalMart anyway so I moved along. But it's cute, no?

Sartorial Thoughts

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I scored this J Crew dress off eBay for this month's wedding we are attending. I need a cardi to go with it. image

These are the shoes I think I am going to wear. Though mine aren't patent and are more of a nude. $6 brand new at Goodwill, baby!

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I'm thinking of a clutch, too. Maybe I can score something at the thrift. I'd never use a clutch for day to day stuff so there's no way I'm spending more than $20 on one.