Saddened by the realization that a super high 100" inch long black leather couch might turn my living room into a funeral home, I have turned to the shopping dark side. Friends, I have gone on a thrifting rampage -- a thrampage if you will. Historically this is what happens when I almost spend a lot of money but am thwarted for some silly reason -- like measurements. Instead of spending all that mentally allotted money in one fell swoop, I fritter it away on $5 Murano candy dishes and brass spiders. Although let's not kid ourselves, a brass spider is something to behold and well worth $5.
A sparkly gold crystal spider. What's not to love?
I thought maybe I'd take you on a mini tour of the fruits of my thrampage. Please do not assume this represents even a fraction of the stuff I have thrifted in the last month. I just dumped two giant boxes full of Italian pottery and mid century sculptures on a client that I was too tired to shoot (the thrift wares, not my adorable client people).
This here is an awkward space, therefore I made it awesome by surrounding my crazy Mark Sabin print with equally awesome stuff that I nabbed at thrift stores and on craigs. I would never advise my clients to attempt this at home, because honestly sometimes you have to drop some major cash (and even buy new furniture... gasp!) to pull a room together. I think I just have the thrift disease. I probably (definitely) should take my own advice and spring for a new couch instead. Or at least a better cabinet.
But this is how I feel when I thrift... like I'm in a magical forest wearing a floral headdress. You didn't think I was waxing metaphorical, did you?
These didn't photograph well but I am obsessed with my new $4 alabaster elephants. I have no idea who made these, but they are gorgeous and HEAVY.
Apparently I need to stop buying white elephants because I have four of them within view. But who could resist this guy?
If you follow me on The Gram (that's what all the kids are calling it these days, right?) then you already know about this vintage Kurdish rug I scooped up on Ebay and put down in our foyer.
I'm loving it with this amazing gouache painting I bought at a consignment store. And let's not overlook my brass candlebludgeons... the baby is not yet tall enough to reach them, but soon I will have to move them lest we reenact a scene from Clue.
Ok, so I didn't thrift this wallpaper but I felt you must see the most mangled ridiculous socket wallpapering job in the history of humankind. It looks like Michael Myers from Halloween (not to be confused with Mike "yeah baby!" Myers). This makes me laugh. I really should have paid my amazing wallpaper dude to do this but I cheaped out. Bad. Idea. Jeans.
To make matters worse I might have found this enormous insane ridiculous brass lamp a home in our living room, even though I swore I would not put another brass lamp in my house.
"Seriously Mom, stop with the brass!"
Have I mentioned that Ike and Luke are a little tired of being dragged to every thrift shop in town? Luke just turned 13 months old but he knows exactly where we are as soon as I pull into the parking lot. You'd think the lure of cheap plastic toys and the promise of air conditioning would be enough to stave off their dissatisfaction. But no.
Did you know that Round Top is coming up... I am getting itchy just thinking about it. Are you making mental wish lists for my house like I am? Does it include a brass chiavari chair? I bought one of those, too. Because it's brass.
It is vexing me sorely with a bad case of flaking lacquer that I can't remove, and also you should never clean brass with steel wool (apparently I slept through chemistry).
Let's talk about how to fix this situation.
Let's also talk about how there is a set of FOUR immaculate chiavari chairs on craigs right now... Someone please buy them and save me from myself. Please.
The thrampage continues!
