Garage Sale Bliss

I am addicted to garage sales. The fact that I keep finding such good things will keep my addiction going for ages. I like to go on Saturday mornings when the weather is nice. This weekend, the weather was fabulous. I had a hair appointment and was bummed because I wouldn't have much time. I checked Craig's List and found 2 sales that were on my way to the salon. No need to feel blue. These two sales were enough to make me wonderfully happy.

Click here for more on this room.

First, let me explain that I have been looking at the above photo from Southern Living for well over a year. Why? The chair. The chair cushions. Two chairs with cushions I could slipcover with washable fabric would be perfect for our family room. I knew that one day I would find two chairs to fit the bill. I didn't know if they would be ladderbacks like the ones in the photo, but I knew the chairs I was meant to have would come to me one day.

Yesterday, I found my chairs waiting patiently for me at a garage sale.
They don't look very big in the photo above, but they are fairly large and heavy and wonderfully sturdy. They came from Ethan Allen. One was painted by the previous owner. She had been using them in two different rooms. No problem. I want to paint them both - black probably, but a deep, dark brown is a contending color. Now I need to get some cushions and make my slipcovers. I have so many projects waiting to be done, but this project just went to the top of the list.

Oh, and another blissful tidbit about the chairs - I got them both for a grand total of $25. Not a piece. Both. As in $12.50 per chair. Like I said, these chairs were just waiting for me to come pick them up.

I could have gone home happy at his point, but I had one more sale to stop by.

At the second sale, my big find was this vintage stool. It must have been waiting for me, too. The color matches my loft floors EXACTLY. The stool is heavy. It swivels. Not the annoying swivel that moves too easily. Not the irritating swivel that you have to force to move. This stool swivels perfectly just when you want it to. It's wonderful. It was 5 bucks. (I didn't even try to bargain on the price.) I'm using it as my sewing stool and it's the perfect height. Of course. After all, it was meant for me.

When I go to stores to buy things brand new, I have such a hard time finding what I want. And if I do find something, it's usually wildly expensive or it looks fine but is cheaply made. But if I'm patient, I usually find the perfect thing second hand for next to nothing.

My name is Denise and I am an addict.

Skip to the Loo

The bathroom in the loft was not a room I was in a rush to decorate, so of course I keep finding things that work perfectly there. A few key items have made this room downright cheerful! It still needs some extra touches, but I no longer have the urge to leave the door shut.

First, my good friend, Judy, made this fabulous rug out of sheets. It's so soft and cozy under bare feet. Judy is truly a pro knitter and she's always making the most creative things. I'll treasure this rug forever. The colors are wonderful. One day I took the rug upstairs and realized that the colors are perfect in the loft. Now, when I wash my hands, I almost always take off my shoes just to fully appreciate the rug.

Here's a closer look at the rug. It's nice and thick AND it's washable!

Next, I found two black wrought iron racks with hooks at a consignment shop. I had hoped to use one of them in the downstairs bath, but alas, it was too long. It was the perfect size for the loft loo. A few coats of paint later and I finally have a place to hang towels. The geranium picture is not staying there. It's just there for me to think about using it somewhere in the room. I haven't made up my mind yet. Eventually, I'll place a shelf over the hooks. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the area there will hold a 4 inch deep shelf. Also, I'm pretty sure I'll eventually get new towels - not white. The white just doesn't look right.

Then, this past weekend, I found this Pottery Barn shower curtain at a thrift store. I love the colors. They are perfect for the loft. The colors pick up colors in the papasan slipcovers I made last weekend without being too match-y.

Speaking of colors, I've become obsessed with the color red. I feel a strong urge to have some red in every single room. I've been looking at decorating photos for ages trying to figure out how I want to decorate our home. I've noticed that rooms with no red (or colors near red on the color wheel) seem to look a little lifeless. They may be very pretty, but they are a bit dull. I love that the loft now has touches of red here and there. Red brings out creativity and energy and passion. I could use more of all those!