talk about stretching your dollar

Besides the warm sun beaming down and lots and lots of outdoor playing, the spring and summer are great times to check out yard sales. This past summer, my husband and I stopped off at a garage sale around our neighborhood. It's easy to spot the junk - and it's easy to get caught up in the junk - so make sure you walk right by the items that are going to clutter your space. Any item you are contemplating needs to have a known spot for your home or replace an item you are getting rid of (oh how I wish I had the space for that old school desk!)

We happened to come across a guy who was moving and he just wanted to get rid of his "junk". My husband was checking out some tool and I immediately ran over to this fantastic white lamp and guarded it with my life.

Before.

The owner priced it at a wopping dollar and when he saw that the toggle on/off switch was damaged, he felt bad and sold it for 75 cents! A huge victory party was going on in my head! should I mention that the light bulb that came with it costs more? what a steal! It came with an outdated lamp shade - I thought I could run to Target and throw a modern $25 shade on it - it didn't work out that way.

The obstacle: the neck of the lamp is extremely long - and shades with the length of a foot or longer are hard to find in stores like Target, Walmart, etc. Annoyed, I ventured off to the local lighting store and was so glad. They were super helpful there and helped me try shades until I found the perfect one.

After.

Because the linen, handmade shade was so large, it retailed at $55 dollars - not exactly what I had in mind when I first purchased the lamp (I could buy two at Target for that price) but well worth it in the end. I love the look of a classic lamp updated with a modern drum shade. And because it was white, it was the perfect accent piece I was looking for to bring some life into the room and contrasted perfectly with my black side table. Have fun and keep your eyes on the lookout this season!