$18.00

I'm participating in Raechel's garage sale tally this week, and I'm actually going to lump together my finds from the last two weeks, since I really only visited one sale last weekend and only found one item there. At least I think I found just one item. These things are hard to remember after I've slept.

Anyway, remember these chairs? From this post?

I found those behind a house in a nearby neighborhood, and last Friday Steve and I stopped by that house again because the owner was holding a yard sale. Lo and behold, she was selling the pair's older brother, a rocking chair! I don't have a picture of it, as it's not in my possession anymore (I'm going to refinish it for my sister), but it's in slightly better condition and I can't wait to transform it into something pretty and useful. Oh, and I paid $2.00 for it. I know, I know, I got the first two free, but I didn't mind paying a little. Let's just say I was tipping her for her previous error from which I benefited greatly.

Okay, on to this week's finds. First off, an Eiffel Tower lamp (remember these from Target?) for $1.00. My sister has had one of these bad boys in black for years, and I've always coveted it, so I snatched this one as soon as I determined it still works. I don't know where I'll put it, but it will find a place for its quirky self, I promise.

Our garage sales were sparse this weekend (the season is winding down here in Chicagoland--it was 72 as a high yesterday, so fall is definitely coming), so I only visited one or two more sales before giving up and going home. But the good news is that I found exactly what I've been needing. In fact, I had let myself get my little heart set on it, and I actually prayed yesterday morning that God would help me be content with whatever I have, even if it didn't include these particular items.

Y'all, it's hard not to get your heart set on things when you find such good deals. Prayer is in order, I assure you.

What was this spectacular find? Two cheap particle board bookshelves for $15.00!

(Pay no attention to the water leaking

into my nasty basement.)

I am going to use these bad boys as shelves to organize toys in our sunroom, which is a disorganized, jumbly mess at the moment. Two separate dear families in Nashville inspired us on a recent visit (thanks, Baker and Myers families!) to make our kids' playroom a kid-friendly, kid-centric place. I know, novel idea. Sometimes it just takes a little inspiration to kick me in the pants. Anyway, we have lots of low-lying windows in the sunroom, so I'm going to turn these guys on their sides and use them length-wise for low shelving. I took out the shelves so that I can just stick baskets in there for easy organization. I might stack them on top of one another or I might have them on opposite sides of the (narrow) room. We'll see how it works.

And yeah, I kind of paid a lot. So sue me. I made a rookie mistake of getting my heart set on it, and I didn't want to let this slip through my fingers. They're cheaply made and probably not worth $15, but I would have paid $30 apiece (or more) in the store, so I'm okay with my rookie mistake.

And why are they lying on newspapers in our nasty basement? Just take a guess...

I'm kind of cheating with this final find, as I actually found it at someone's curb and not at a sale. But it was FREE and just too good to pass up, and I'm super excited about it.

(Say hi to Franklin! Hi, Franklin!)

It's another cheaply-made piece of furniture, this time a chest of drawers with a missing drawer. (I had already taken one out when I took this picture--there are four, I assure you.) Evidently whoever destroyed drawer #5 didn't have any vision. BUT I HAVE VISION, and this thing will be perfect in our sunroom. We are going to get rid of the desk in there (by putting it in storage for now) as it takes up room and isn't being used for anything but storing files, phonebooks, and paper clips, and I'm going to use this chest instead as an unobtrusive storage system. As you can see, it's also in the basement, awaiting transformation. Hmmm.

And lest any of you think I lead a perfect life (Does anyone really think that? Because if you do, please slap yourself firmly across the face.), I'm going to reveal something in the interest of full disclosure. Deep breath.

My ironing board:

This thing hasn't seen the soft side of a shirt nor felt the warm pressure of an iron for nie on three months now. I keep layering it with crafting supplies (spray paint, floral wire, various screws and hardware, ribbon), and it just keeps getting worse. And I'm okay with that. Also, I probably just gave my mom an anxiety attack. I'm okay with that, too.

Because, you see, I iron as little as humanly possible. You would, too, if your ironing board were relegated to the dank, cricket-infested bowels of our basement.

I hope everyone had fun living vicariously through my finds and my less-than-perfect housekeeping skills. Let me know if you found anything of worth this weekend, too! Better yet, link up on Raechel's post. It's a fun way to spread the cheer.

Happy Sale-ing!