Anthropologie and TJ Maxx

I was really excited Friday when I checked the mail because the knobs I ordered from Anthropologie were there. I didn't have time to look at them before work so I took them with me. Thats okay because my job is literally waiting for the phone to ring, then answering it, and giving it to someone else because no one calls a car dealership to actually talk to a receptionist. So I spent a lot of time just looking at my new knobs and I showed just about everyone who would look because I was really excited. Finally I got to go home and I immediately put them on the table.

I was a bit uncertain at first but I'm fairly sure I really like them and will just like them a whole lot more when the house is painted and they match the decor better. Hopefully it won't be much longer until we get that room painted at least. We've picked out a color but we aren't 100% certain we will be going with the Valspar paint. It is the easiest for us to get but we're going much lighter than the walls are right now so it will take at least 2 maybe even 3 coats to cover as we would like to. And that could be a bit pricey, especially considering we're going to hire someone to paint the room for us. This is the only room we're not painting ourselves because I'm afraid of heights and the 18 foot ceilings are a bit scary. That and I'm not about to buy a ladder that big just to paint the ceilings (and someday soon hopefully switch out the chandelier over the dining table that I'm not all that fond of.)

But the real exciting purchase was something Drew and I stumbled upon ourselves! Monday when we were out buying his birthday present (a new computer chair) super early because he really needed it Drew and I decided to wander through TJ Maxx because it's my favorite and it was on the way. We found this super cute coral lamp that BOTH of us actually thought was pretty cool. It was $40 with the shade which is actually an awesome price for a cool lamp, but I didn't feel like spending $40 at the time. So we wandered to the clearance section and it was love at first sight with this ADORABLE giraffe lamp. I'd been looking at one online a year or so back that wasn't even as cute and I considered paying $150 for it after shipping.

This little lamp had seen better days as it was cracked and dirty. I wanted to bring it home and save it but Drew was convinced if he picked it up by its neck the head was going to fall off and that the wiring was probably damaged. I disagreed but left the giraffe lamp anyway.

Fast-forward to yesterday (Saturday). I woke up in the morning and couldn't stop thinking about that coral lamp so finally I frantically dove through a shower and headed out to TJ Maxx as it is Memorial Day weekend and shoppers are crazy, that and I had plans in the afternoon. But I just HAD to have this lamp. I got there (in the pouring rain) almost slipped and fell on my butt, but I made it back to the lamp section. And it was gone. To add insult to injury though they had other aquatic lamps and figurines. They had an ugly white statue of coral (blech!) an even uglier cobalt/teal metalic spray painted realistic coral lamp on a black base with a white shade (double blech) and then a lamp with a starfish that was spray painted silver... I grew up on Cape Cod. Starfish are not silver.

I was sad... so I wandered around sad trying to find something to buy as a pick me up, so I headed to the clearance sections again (for some reason I generally find it a waste to buy anything that isn't on clearance at TJ Maxx... except I would have made an exception for that lamp.)

Then I suddenly got super excited and rushed past to ladies that were moseying over to the clearance section. Why? Because there was ANOTHER GIRAFFE LAMP! And it was waaaaaaay less broken than the other one. A bit more dirty, and still a little broken, but I could totally glue it back together and give it a new coat of paint! Yeay! The best part? It too was marked down to $10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I plan on (maybe) switching out the shade but keeping this little guy as my desk lamp until I have kids, and then this will be a nursery lamp. He's just so cute though, I fell in love.

I was still a bit sad about the coral lamp though, but I just clutched my giraffe lamp and kept wandering around the store, checking the kitchen clearance aisle and so on... and then... Hidden behind a bunch of other stuff... I found MY CORAL LAMP!

 

Sorry the picture is a bit dark, it was still 6 am when I took this picture. But it really is splendidly cool. And as I approach the register with these two ultra funky lamps I look like either A. I have a very interesting modern/contemporary style that people WISH they could duplicate, or B. My house looks like a 5 year-olds imagination exploded onto it. I'd like to think more of option A. And it did seem that the cashier really liked the lamps too! She said nice things.

So then I packed my new lamps carefully into my car and headed home. Even called Drew on the way home to be excited because I couldn't wait til I got there. Victory.

Seriously, though. When was the last time you got two awesome lamps with shades for $55 including tax? The ones at Target that are super plain cost about that much just for the base! I call this... success!