kitchen nook

My trusty assistant, Hazel, and I were over at Aunt Sarah & Uncle Greg's house yesterday, and we started chatting about their kitchen. They recently repainted their kitchen cabinets, updated the hardware, and added a great buffet that they painted a fun, bright color. I'm pushing them to add a small table and two chairs in there as well. I think it would create such a warm & welcoming breakfast area!

Bryn recently posted about these rattan beauties, on *major* sale at World Market...



I think the pair would look incredible with Ikea's knock-off of the Saarinen dining table...



I love the pairing of the modern table with more traditional chairs... Not to mention that this combo would give you a very high-end look on the cheap!







P.S. - I'm hoping to be back around these parts a little more often now! I received the sweetest email from a new reader, and it was just the encouragement I needed! Thank you for sticking around, friends!

craigslist find

Recently, I've been drooling over English roll arm sofas... Starting with my LEE Industries find on Craigslist a few weeks ago.  I have to admit that I am so glad my hubs didn't let me spring for that one...

Because I scored a different English roll arm sofa for a steal at $80!  ::{This is the part of my blog where I openly acknowledge that Jeff's frugality and patience waiting for a deal pays off for us both}:: When we went to look at the sofa, I caught a glimpse of the tag and immediately knew it was coming home with us.

Yep, for $80 I finally got my LEE Industries sofa!  I've heard so many good things about the quality of this furniture and definitely feel like it will be a sofa to keep for many more years.  But, like most good deals, there is one slight difference between this and the $1200 find (or a brand new one for around $5000)...

Our 'new' sofa is a little rough around the edges, to say the least.  But for the low low purchase price of $80, the hubs has agreed to having this beauty reupholstered.  And honestly, that makes the find all the more exciting... Not only do I get the style I want, but I can customize the color and fabric too! 

Now to just find the perfect fabric!  And I'm challenging myself to get a great deal on discount fabric too... Any suggestions on where to look in Charlotte? 

womp womp

... That's the sound I heard as soon as I got the disapproving email from my husband.  And since the verdict is in (or out, as the case may be) on this amazing Craigslist find for my house, I'm hoping someone else can take advantage!

An incredible Lee Industries sofa for sale, just under an hour outside of Charlotte...

{rolled arms & casters for legs}

{fabric detail}

You may recognize it as the sofa featured in a handful of my favorite design bloggers' homes...

{Pure Style Home}

{Little Green Notebook}

Keep me updated if one of you lucky readers takes the plunge for this great find!

Recent Finds

Despite my break from blogging, I've still been browsing the thrift shops this summer.  A few of my favorite finds at the moment...

A ceramic animal head at Salvation Army for $4.99.  I know, I know... It doesn't exactly scream chic (it's a little more southwestern now), but I think a few coats of high gloss white spray paint would have it back in shape.  And it was 5 bucks, who could say no to that?

And I've been seeing these everywhere recently, from West Elm ($20-$150) to Pinterest...

{via}

 {via}

 

{via}

I must admit that my first thought was how I'd love to put this in a baby boy's nursery.  Then my second thought was, too creepy for babies?  Pinterest to the rescue again...

{via}

{via}

Definitely used in nurseries before, so maybe not as creepy?  Jury is still out on this one...

Moving on.  I also found these framed puzzle pieces of North & South Carolina for less than $10.  I thought they looked vintage and fun.  Still deciding on whether the frame should get a bright coat of paint... Maybe orange?

Hoping to hit a few of my favorite spots this weekend to add more finds to the list...  Happy Friday!

Double-Take

My heart skipped a beat when I found this leather couch on Craigslist, currently listed for $900:

Why?  Because I think it's doppelganger lives at Anthropologie for $6,000:

Tufting, rounded arms & nail head trim?  Check, check, check...

While we Whittakers have reached our couch quota, I'm not above begging one of you to consider a purchase.  It would make a nice addition, don't you think?

Say Hello to my Little Friend

Over the weekend, Sarah and I hit some of our favorite thrifting spots... Tons of ideas and inspiration (which makes me happy), but only one purchase (which makes the hubs happy).

This little elephant came home with me for the grand total of $12!

He is in need of a coat of bright-colored paint, but I think he'll look incredible by the chairs planned for our sunroom addition.  He reminds me of these guys...

{Lonny}

{Matters of Style living room}

{Matters of Style nursery}

{Domino}

Then, of course, I had to do a quick browse around the internet...

At William-Sonoma Home for $160:

And at Inspired Living for $169...

Can't wait to get our little elephant table all cleaned up... Now to decide on the color!

Metrolina Deals!

My mom & I headed to the Metrolina Expo on Saturday for the Fall Antiques Spectacular.  Browsing any type of antique show, consignment shop, yard or estate sale is quickly becoming my favorite past time.  And finding an incredible deal on something makes it all the more fun!

My mom is kind of my lucky charm... She found the world's best deal on our Henredon dining room chairs at Sleepy Poet (among many other finds).  But this time, I spotted a mirror from a few feet away, looked at her and said, "I'm going to buy that."  The best part?  I asked the price... $10!

The only downside is that it appears to have been rained on (or somehow gotten wet).  The actual mirror is fine, but the back is a little warped.  For $10, I think we can spring to get this fixed at the Frame Warehouse in town!

Is it not a dead ringer for the mirror below from Lonny?

Or this similar mirror from Go Antiques?

Deals for Your Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Be sure to check out our church’s consignment sale!  Friday, August 13 from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, August 14 from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm deals will be available.  All are welcome!

I’m so upset to miss it, especially since I missed the last one also!  I have a feeling that there will be some great items, mostly household, furniture, and kid’s items... Plus a portion of the proceeds go to St. Nektarios!  Click the link above for directions, and mark your calendar!

{view of St. Nektarios}

More Bang for Your Buck: Garden Stools

I've been pretty lucky in finding great deals on garden stools twice... The first time was last year at an estate sale. The last day of the sale I was able to negotiate this blue & tan garden stool for 50% off... grand total: $30.

Compare this to:

Floral Blue Chinese Porcelain Stool at Overstock for $102.99

Garden Stool with Flower Design at Target for $219.99

Hand Painted Garden Stool on eBay for $188
Then yesterday, I reread this post from Bryn on garden stools for $30 at TJ Maxx. I noticed that someone left a comment that Big Lots also had them... but for $20! As extra icing on the cake, High Heeled Foot in the Door posted about these around Christmas too.

I called several Big Lots in the area, finally found one with some actually in stock, and took home a carload! Yep, I purchased 4 garden stools... one in white for my bedroom, one for my mama, one in red for my ma-in-law, and one to grow on!



All 4 of them were purchased for less than 1 of these...

Chinese Garden Stool at Wisteria for $129

Drum Garden Stool at Target for $189.99

Ceramic Garden Stool at Pottery Barn for $159
Needless to say, you can find these at several places for much less than at chain stores (or even eBay)! I never would've thought about Big Lots on my own, but it ended up being a great deal, and left me feeling pretty good about my Monday purchase!
P.S. - Karen & Sophia, let me know where you decided to place your garden stools in the house!

More Bang for Your Buck

I have to admit that before I met Jeff I was not much of a bargain shopper. While he would argue that I’m still not, I’m definitely on my way (as in, I no longer think that ‘sale’ means that no one else wants it and I shouldn’t either).

One of my biggest breakthroughs was finding the joy in yard sale and estate sale finds. I have to admit that estate sales are my favorite, especially when you can find beautiful old china, serve ware, and accessories. Hopefully, ‘More Bang for Your Buck’ will be a recurring feature – with lots of estate and yard sale finds, tips, and deals to be had!

My first estate sale purchase was a set of silver plated Rogers Bros flatware. I’m so excited to use these for Christmas parties, baby showers, and other Eddie Ross style events. What really sold me were the iced tea spoons… Where can you find these anymore? It made me think of holidays at my grandparents house, and I was hooked.



Fortunately, we were there on the last day of the sale – So bargains were ours for the taking! Lesson Learned 1: Never be afraid to ask for a better price. I’ve now gathered up the courage to ask for a specific price, but at the time all I offered was, “what is the best you can do on this?”



Next thing I knew, I was walking out with an 89 piece (oh my gosh!) set of antique silver plated flatware in a nice wooden box for a little less than $100. You may be thinking that I got taken… But here is a search around the web for comparable deals.

Rogers Bros silver plated flatware set in the same pattern, only 55 pieces: $175 on eBay

The same set with only 47 pieces (almost half of what we got): $99 also on eBay

Not to mention the find that had me giddy… On Replacements Limited, a brand new set of the same pattern (62 pieces) for $699!

Sometimes asking is all it takes to score a great bargain!