Tuesday, May 27, 2014

elephants trunk season

i love spring time for so many reasons; tulips budding, everything turning lovely shades of green, berries in season, sun brewed iced tea and to trump all of these things: elephants truck/flea market/garage sale season. i actually get all giddy with excitement when i see my first garage sale sign of the year. bring on the bargains!

so, naturally, i dragged the whole family along for a morning of extreme fun at the elephants trunk the other weekend. we left with a car full of goodies and stomachs full of typical connecticut fair food; apple cider donuts and fries.

bargain #1 - this beautiful, irish wool, plaid blanket. i was kind of obsessed with the color combinations and am totally picturing it pin cai's big boy room transformation




made in ireland exclusively for lord & taylor...and me

plus, i totally reminded me of these amazing blankets from terrain. seriously gorgeous. 


but i got mine for a mere $15 vs. $348. bargain? check!


bargain #2 - this little gem of a throw. seriously, look at these colors. and baby fringe! who doesn't love wool baby fringe?!  it's beautiful. it's pretty small, but perfect size for nia snuggles.






bargain #3 - metal magazine/book holders. they were priced $15 each, but it was late in the day and i got both for $10. score! i'm sure they were used for mail or something, but my plan for these bad boys i'm still deciding between as book holders next to the kids beds or near the guest room nightstand or as a magazine holder in the bathroom. (after 10 years together, stuart and i still aren't sure how we feel about encouraging reading in the bathroom, so we're still on the fence)





bargain #4 - hand painted, gold leaf box from florence, italy. so sweet, great size and in great shape. $7. currently housing pinecone treasures and special rocks :)





bargain #5 - really fabulous, super soft, red quilt. i love it. the colors are pretty simple reds, yellow and black + whites. it is an such great shape and is SO COZY. i was originally thinking nia's room, but her room is feeling a bit more french/pastel/antique to me, leaving me to think cai's future big boy room. clearly, cai is making out like a bandit; throw, quilt, (possible) book storage. 





i feel obligated to note that i do 3 weird/strict testing on anything fabric before i buy it. goes as follows, not always in this order...

1) sniff test. sounds gross, but i would rather do it that realize when I'm home it fails a sniff test. gross, but vital.
2) washable, or cheap enough that if its not washable and i ignore all laundering rules, wash it anyway that it's a not a huge loss, or if its just simply that amazing and can only dry dean, that i can afford to get it properly cleaned. 
3) judge. yup, i most definitely judge sellers.





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