Friday, April 30, 2010

Because the House Just Isn't Crowded Enough

Why do you always find things when you aren't looking?

We seriously downsized from Texas to here. Fitting our belongings in this place was a challenge. It's a good thing I like jigsaw puzzles...because that's how I had to put it all together to get it all in.

So, we found this forgotten flea market in a dead part of town. It's actually a depressing area. There is a MASSIVE GMC plant that has closed and has grass all growing out of the parking lots....acres of them. Talk about a sign of the times. It makes your heart ache to see it.

So one of the closed down furniture stores close to the plant has become a flea market. Off the beaten path and has never been crowded when we have been there. Not even a little.

Back in a shadowy dark corner I stumble across a corner curio that matches the china cabinet we pulled out of Hubs great grandmother's house after his great uncle passed. And I've always wanted a corner curio...but have never been able to get past the prices they always have on them...new or antique.

Y'all....it was $100. I looked at it several times thinking I was reading it wrong. But, it really wasn't a color match..just an era/design match. And it was $100. Sure, I could pay cash for it...but was it a NEED. No. And I showed it to hubs and had this conversation with myself in front of him...and moved on. After all, WHERE in the world would I fit it in our current home? Nowhere.

And we kept browsing.

And I ran across a gossip table. For $35.

The movers busted up my bench but good. So now I have nowhere to sit down and take off the snow shoes on the tile in order to keep the carpets safe.

And that gossip table? It would fit right in next to that old radio we pulled out of hubs great grandmother's house. It was even a close color match. Hmmm..

So, I bought the gossip table and brought it home. And it fit right where I wanted it to fit. And now MM takes her shoes off there and throws them in the middle of the hallway instead of the middle of the dinning room....which is actually more dangerous in our setup.

What is it with that kid and throwing her shoes everywhere????

The next morning hubs wants to know if I want to go back and get the cabinet.

Really?

We could put the extra dining room chairs that are against the wall in the dining room out in the garage, shift a few things and it would fit.

True.

But no, it really wasn't a need and as much as I liked it, we are already so crowded.

So I say never mind.

After church he asks if I don't want to just go look at it. I didn't think it was the right color, but hey, it won't hurt to go look again...we have nothing else we are doing.

So we go.

And we use our cool new phones as flashlights to get a better look at it. And we notice that if we clean it up...it IS actually the same color as the china cabinet.

So of course we bought it.

Because I need more furniture like I need a hole in the head.

So, no, this isn't one of those ultra cool stories about the major find for $10 bucks at a yard sale. But man. I love this piece. And right now it is still in the garage waiting for another oil bath as it sucked up the first one.

And after I cleaned it....wow. I do have one spot to repair on the front, and a couple of spots to recolor on the gossip table...but otherwise I'm rather happy with my $150ish weekend finds.

But if I ever tell you about more furniture I buy while in this house. Please, someone call me in an intervention!

5 comments:

  1. Yes, you live in a small and crowded house, but perfect finds are perfect finds and you won't live there forever. Worst case, you can sell it and get at least what you paid for it. But I wouldn't do that. It's a good find. :)

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  2. that curio is beautiful. i'm not very knowledgeable about eras and stuff like that, but it reminds me of art deco. i'm glad you went back to get it!

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  3. The curio is so beautiful! I wish I had an eye for things like you do! And Tricia is right- you won't live there forever. Remember, soon you'll be back in Texas anyway where everything is bigger! :)

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  4. that curio is beautiful and indeed a good find! like the gossip table too! it is good to be inventive and figure out what goes where and what can be moved, etc. I think you did great with this one :)

    enjoy the weekend

    betty

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  5. Where have I been, and how did I miss this post? Oh my goodness, that cabinet is beautiful. That is one of the greatest joys of military life - sure, we have to move it all the time, but we get to go to new places all the time, and scout out their thrift stores, and consignment shops and see what people in different parts of the country/world are getting rid of. (and collect them for ourselves...) Good find.
    I am actually trying to clean out this weekend while the boys are gone, and realizing that we have way too much stuff for the next move. Ouch.

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