Since I teach all forms of literacy and literary strategies, you would think I would have a pretty good handle on the cause and effect strategy. I understand how to identify the "domino effects" on a page, but in real life, I obviously need to go back to school. What am I talking about? Cause - I was given a baker's rack. It was a very non-assuming little piece of furniture. It wouldn't take up much space. I would have a spot for my dishes. It seemed like a worry-free endeavor to bring a new article into the home. Worry-free, maybe...but Cost-free, NO! Effect - I have a galley-style kitchen. On one side is the living room, dining room combo and on the other is a laundry room to the left and a multi-purpose room to the right. (In the past, it has served as an office, a bedroom, and a storage area, and now,it's waiting for a facelift and a new purpose.) Nothing seemed to serve as the right venue to showcase the FREE baker's rack! Wait! There was a closet in the dining room that always served as an area for non-seasonal clothing. In Florida, the seasons aren't as defined as they used to be, so it was time to shed some of the old garments! Well, taking the door off required some spackling to repair the holes, which then required a new coat of paint, which then required some new baseboards since the closet would now be an exposed nook, which then required more new paint for the adjoining walls! Should I even share (or confess) how I then bought a new set of dishes to go with the new color sheme? The only FREE things were my former needlework pieces that, coincidentally, were of baker's racks, and I placed three on the walls in the reformed closet. Add two super-sized margarita glasses from a former Tex-Mex restaurant, and the free piece of furniture came with a price tag of over $200! I absolutely learned my lesson and I completely understand cause and effect now, but wait...My boyfriend's mom is on the phone and she found a lovely brass piece that I'm going to love. All I need to do, is.........
24 May 2010
When "Curb Shopping" Starts Costing!
Since I teach all forms of literacy and literary strategies, you would think I would have a pretty good handle on the cause and effect strategy. I understand how to identify the "domino effects" on a page, but in real life, I obviously need to go back to school. What am I talking about? Cause - I was given a baker's rack. It was a very non-assuming little piece of furniture. It wouldn't take up much space. I would have a spot for my dishes. It seemed like a worry-free endeavor to bring a new article into the home. Worry-free, maybe...but Cost-free, NO! Effect - I have a galley-style kitchen. On one side is the living room, dining room combo and on the other is a laundry room to the left and a multi-purpose room to the right. (In the past, it has served as an office, a bedroom, and a storage area, and now,it's waiting for a facelift and a new purpose.) Nothing seemed to serve as the right venue to showcase the FREE baker's rack! Wait! There was a closet in the dining room that always served as an area for non-seasonal clothing. In Florida, the seasons aren't as defined as they used to be, so it was time to shed some of the old garments! Well, taking the door off required some spackling to repair the holes, which then required a new coat of paint, which then required some new baseboards since the closet would now be an exposed nook, which then required more new paint for the adjoining walls! Should I even share (or confess) how I then bought a new set of dishes to go with the new color sheme? The only FREE things were my former needlework pieces that, coincidentally, were of baker's racks, and I placed three on the walls in the reformed closet. Add two super-sized margarita glasses from a former Tex-Mex restaurant, and the free piece of furniture came with a price tag of over $200! I absolutely learned my lesson and I completely understand cause and effect now, but wait...My boyfriend's mom is on the phone and she found a lovely brass piece that I'm going to love. All I need to do, is.........
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Cindy...You and I were seperated at birth-ha!...First, I LOVE your style...The dishes look beautiful and were worth creating the aesthetic you were going for....I decorate the exact same way...I have 3 large wicker baskets under my sideboard that are busting at the seams with placemats(in an unhealthy way ;)....I am obsessed with dishes and tableware as well....I see thing things in magazines and have to recreate the look...I have a degree from House and Garden tv with all the hours I "clock" in...Like the song says "If it makes you happy, It can't be that bad"...Your efforts and money were WELL worth the result...Soooo pretty.
ReplyDeleteYou are very kind!!! My style is always evolving, but I got such a deal on the dishes at Belks...They were marked down from $38 a place setting to $10.50 and the little salsa bowls were next to nothing...Now I have to find some great fabric and reupholster my dining room chairs...They are going from a pale paisley to something that pops!! I'll try and send a report on the renovated brass thing that I'll be picking up this weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! How could you help it though? If you're going to do it, you've got to do it right! Sounds like it looks great; don't feel so bad we're all guilty of doing things like that. And there's no such thing as "free." Ever!
ReplyDeleteI'm with all of you! Since I moved into my boyfriends house almost three years ago, I took on the task of "brightening up" all the drab colors that his ex left behind...and it was a great way to make me feel like it was my home too! I picked some off the wall colors that may sound strange, but they work! In the living room we painted a "harvest moon" orange on three walls and a "fernwood" green on the fourth wall leading down the hallway. the kitchen, we just painted and re-floored this past february break. We went with a "tahitian" red on three walls and a "cashmere" brown on the fourth. I love all the colors and it really livens things up!! I dare say we would all make quite the colorful bunch if we were to get together!! Watch out!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Cindy...I LOVE your daughter's name! My mother's name is Charlotte and my daughter's middle name is Charlotte!
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