Little things that make me happy

Whad up, yo? I hope everyone is having a great Easter weekend! I went to Estherville, Iowa with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and parents to help my sister and her husband move into their (ridiculous, stunning, gorgeous) new home. They will be there for 3 weeks while he works at the hospital in town and they're moving there for good in July. It's bittersweet. I am so happy for them because I know this means great professional strides for my brother-in-law, but I will miss them more than I can say. I've been so lucky to see my niece two or three times a week since we moved back, and now they're going to be 3 1/2 hours away. But life goes on, and we will try to make the most of this summer.

That oddly sad intro was all to say I am freaking exhausted so this will be a short post. I did my usual drop-in at the Salvation Army across the street from work on Friday and found a couple of really cute things, starting with this cloisonne-style trinket box for $1 (yes, I hate the word "trinket," too):

The base is brass. Obviously I could not leave it there.

I thought it was really pretty and it's a good size - probably 5 or 6 inches in diameter. I can use it to store coasters... when I buy some damn coasters.

It has a happy new home on my incredibly dusty and finger-printy end table. 

Next up, I found two cute things for the upstairs. This watercolor/pencil drawing had the price tag halfway scraped off, so I asked the checkout girl how much it was. Similar items there go for between $10 and $15, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. She gave it to me for $2!

Sorry so fuzzy - camera's still acting up.

I planned to paint the mat something less 1980s cornflower blue, but someone had it custom framed and I didn't want to mess with the pristine kraft paper backing. For $2, I can live with it.

Pretty, huh? I like it, anyway.

Lastly, I got this heavier-than-it-looks floral figurine, I think made out of brass with some badly chipped enamel on the flower petals:

Wow, that is an awful picture. It's the little doo-hickey on the left.

It cost me $1, and I just thought it was pretty. For some reason I am obsessed with weighty stuff. If it feels like I could clock an intruder in the head with it and really do some damage, I will usually want to take it home.

So for $4 total I got three things that pretty much made my day. That's less than some people spend on coffee. I mean, I don't know anyone who spend $4 on a single coffee, but that's what you're supposed to do. Feel holier-than-thou because I spend less on junk from thrift stores than some people do on coffee.

This weekend I think I am going to try out the Goodwill Wearhouse, a Goodwill "outlet" of sorts where they just have waist-high bins bigger than a studio apartment through which you have to dig for your treasures. I went to one in Queens with the ladies of AuH20, the world's best clothing store in the East Village in NYC. Seriously, they are fabulous girls with amazing taste and I have never left their store empty-handed, even on the many occasions I dragged Alexis there "just real quick" before brunch.

Anyway, it was an awesome experience and you pay for your junk by the pound, which means I spent something like $17 for several pieces of clothing (including a Tory Burch coat that was sadly beyond repair), an art deco beaded purse and a pair of shoes I wear at least twice a week. Love it.

Have a great rest of the day!

xoxo,

Leigh