Archive for the ‘thrifty’ Category

Thrifty!

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

I headed out with Laure, Abby and Beth to Palm Springs last week to shop, eat and do girl crap.

We scuttled around to all our favorite vintage haunts and they found things here and there, but ultimately, I was the greediest girl when it came down to buying some stuff and then mushing it into Laure’s poor car.

First to be shown off (of my recently attained loot) is this brass lotus lamp from the 1960’s. I’m not sure what designer or manufacturer it can be attributed to, but one of my favorite expensive vintage ateliers has a bunch that I can’t afford – you know, if I wanted a pair or something. I found it at the Revival’s Thrift and selfishly yelled “DIBS” when I saw it hanging from the ceiling by all the bric-a-brac.

The Boy and I installed it in the hallway. Once again, we had to resort to weird ceiling covers and lots of finagling to figure out how to properly mount this bad boy. With vintage lighting its always such a hassle to get all the mounting stuff right. The nipples and hex nuts and other titillating pieces are like a puzzle of sexy despair.

I need to patina that bright brass ceiling canopy. Yikes. It didn’t even bother me till I sat and really looked at these pictures…

Getting a really good shot of our main hallway is impossible. There are five entrances in the space of like 100sqft and the combination of all the walls, angles and doors create a labyrinth of impractical camera blocking horror.

The lotus lamp is the perfect scale and more interesting to look at than the boring ol’ Ikea Fado lamp that had been installed in the hallway for the past three years. I think I’m in love and I think I’m keeping it forever and ever and always. I don’t say that all that often, seeing as I love switching stuff up, but this time I think I may actually mean it. Maybe.

Not Thrifty!

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

This is an ode, an ode to the things we left behind…because our rental car was a Chevy Impala and was not good for transporting sofas.

Not everyone’s cup of tea, but that upholstery was in PERFECT condition and the base was amazing, but weirdly, it was also on wheels. Take the wheels off and you have this incredibly perfect vintage sofa with so much style and flair that your boring room is suddenly made resplendent. I loved this thing, even if it is all brown town.

This is like my chesterfield sofa, you know, if it had been a long time drug user and was down on its luck and eating way to much sodium. It needed a little love to get cleaned up, get it off the streets and reintegrated it into society. Ok, maybe a lot of love.

This is the one that got away. I know you’re thinking, “Morgan, girl, you are crazy. Look at that crazy floral fugly mess happening all over that sofa.”

Yeah? Huh? What?

BOOM. This thing was $55. Fifty Five Dollars. FIFTY FIVE DOLLARS.

I was dying. Dying to take it home, but every which way we tried to swing it, we just couldn’t get it back to California. All I could think was that reupholstery doesn’t cost a whole lot for something this simple and the frame is in perfect shape. And it’s fifty. five. dollars.

Have you guys been watching Secrets From a Stylist with Emily on the HGTV? Guess what – this same sofa was in the most recent episode with that couples loft. I know! Crazy right? What a weirdo coincidence. As soon as I saw it on her show I got all pissed again that we had to leave it in Arizona. Next time I bring a van. Next time I will not fail.

Then I saw a coffee table that was cute and some man sized geode things…

…and rows and rows of turquoise…and got yelled at for taking pictures and had to get all sneaky with my iPhone…

…and more rock things…

…and all kinds of petrified wood.

Have you been to Quartzsite, AZ? That place is insane. A little scary…and totally insane.

Ugh, still beating myself up for not renting a van or something, but those things are annoyingly expensive. Next time, oh you silly willy next time, I need to bite the bullet and just come up with a better plan. I miss you sofas…

Thrifty!

Monday, March 14th, 2011

We just got back from a quick business trip to Phoenix, so get ready for some boring Arizona related bizzness up here on the bloggity. Don’t worry, I’ll try to power through it.

Firstly, OF COURSE I went thrifting but more importantly what made it back home? Sort of unexciting stuff. We had a super duper tiny rental car so no giant treasures could make it back with us – which I have to admit, completely broke my heart. I sulked and pouted and was in psychotic distress to leave a few things behind that I’ll post about later on…

What a dirty tease.

Textiles are small and foldaway so I bought a few pieces including this wall hanging and a pretty rad macrame piece that I’m currently attempting to untangle. Whoops.

I love this bad boy and hung it immediately in our weird hallway, total score for $1.50.

This was another weird textile weaving thing that I’m not quite sure what to do with. I love the graphic pattern and nubby texture.

I have it chilling on the dining table for now, but it seems a tad strange there…like what is the function?

Not really a complete runner. Cute little weaving though in need of a better space.

I also grabbed this portrait painting of this amazing girl – check out that sweet-ass sweater and bowl cut. How could I leave her behind? I know my art choices are nothing if not controversial, but trust me, I’d way prefer something wacky, handmade or unique to some tasteful poster. I love looking at things people have made out of love and by hand that just have enough wrongness to make them right.

I also grabbed a chunk of Desert Rose, which seemed appropriate for where we’ve been and where we are going…