A little bit of this and a little bit of that

First off, in case you missed it on the Facebook page yesterday, the chair I was (and still am) in love with at the thrift store turns out to be eerily similar to my favorite chair in our house. Like someone said … you like what you like. Guess we know what I like. And yes, I’m still having to practically tie myself down to keep from going back and getting those chairs.

On the left, the $6 chair from the thrift store. On the right, my favorite (soon to be reuphostered) chair in the living room. Look alike much?

All of a sudden I’m a bit obsessed with vintage stuff. I went to two other thrift stores yesterday. One was a complete fail but the other was quite nice. I’ve not been to it before but they actually arranged the furniture (and they had a lot of good stuff) into little vignettes which is so much better than the oak graveyard that seems to be so popular at most stores. I found a lamp that looked amazing like this lamp, or would, at least, after it was painted. It was $5 (vs. the $340 price tag on the new one) and I carried it around for half an hour before deciding that it was too large for next to the couch and remaining firm on not buying things I don’t have an immediate use for. Look at me and all my willpower!

In addition to scouring the thrift stores, I have been all over Etsy and eBay this week. Just days after whining about how much I detest shopping for lamps, I somehow discovered that I LOVE shopping for vintage lamps. Who knew? These are a few of the lamps I currently have on my watch list on eBay. I’m even finding lights for places I didn’t realize I was looking for light fixtures for.

I have no need for sconces, but these are so fabulous that I’m watching them just to see what happens with them.

Lindsey over at Better After featured my chair redo today, except she put in a not-quite-after picture before I put the double welt on. Still, it’s always a thrill to have your projects recognized by someone else and Lindsey’s commentary is worth the price of admission any day of the week!

All done, WITH the welting.

It is amazing when and how inspiration strikes. I’ve been half looking for mirrors for the bedroom. This is  not a high priority project, but it’s one of those things I always have in the back of my head to keep an eye out for. Suddenly this morning it occurred to me that what I’m looking for is probably simple enough that I could make it on my own. I called the local glass supply store and they can sell me the mirror in the size I need for $15 a pop. If I can find the rest of the parts for a reasonable price I think I’m going to have one crazy cool project on my hands.

And lastly, a gardening note for you. Heather at New House, New Home, New Life posted the very good reminder this morning that it’s time to start amaryllis bulbs. I picked up a handful (well a couple handfuls since amaryllis bulbs are pretty big) from the plant co-op that I need to get planted this weekend and get them growing in time for Christmas. So if you’re planning on starting some amaryllis (and why wouldn’t you?) get yourself in gear this weekend.

Speaking of plants, I love staghorn ferns. I think they are so cool and I really want to grow one. Do any of you grow these? It sounds like they can be pretty particular about humidity which can be hard to manage in winter inside.

Photo from Logee’s Greenhouse

Oh and don’t forget to enter to win the vintage botanical chart if you haven’t already and have a great weekend!