It's The Little Things

It began with an itch to go thrifting. Unfortunately, most shops around here aren't open from Sunday to Wednesday. It's a total bummer for this second hand fan, but as luck would have it, while running an out of the way errand, I found a small TJMaxx, so my daughter and I popped in for a tiny trip.

Inside, the clearance section was loaded with little treasures.

First, I found this charming mini floral lamp and fell in love. It didn't have a shade, but that's ok, I have many.


It was originally $16.99, then $13, but I paid 8 bucks for the win.


Knowing what thrifted lamps go for these days, I didn't even flinch at the price. It was adorable, brand new (so no need to rewire it for safety) and honestly, made for my house. Total score.

Next up, I found this little teapot. How cute!

It was $16.00, also clearance.


It's stainless steel, super shiny and just the right size for two cups of my favorite beverage...hot water.

Plus, when it came time to check out, the cashier sang me a song. I got two verses of I'm a Little Teapot, as she popped it in the bag. Did I mention that I love this store?

My last purchase was not found in the clearance aisle, however, it was a bargain. It was a collection of little frames filled with little prints.

They were the perfect colors and style for my family room so into my cart they went.

Now, they weren't what I'd call cheap.

As a DIYer and an avid thrifter, I thought about making my own version, but when I started tallying the time and effort cost involved, I decided that $34.99 wasn't a bad price, at all.

Sometimes it really is cheaper to buy, than DIY.

Oh, and if you're a fan of gallery walls, and little prints, they had lots of them in all different patterns, some were even Halloween themed.

Spooky!

//Petal Lane Prints Here//

Of course, not all of August's littles were as sweet as my shopping finds.

Starting with these cute or creepy babies in my garden. The DIY turned out well, but the debate is still working its way out in the comments. So far I think creepy has a slight lead.

Did you weigh in?

And this little guy - my daughter's 11 month old fur baby - also provided us with one of August's less fun moments, so far.


You see about a week before my daughter left on a cruise, her kitty somehow got into a bag of pistachio nuts. He's very snuggly and has the sweetest personality, but he's a smarty and when he wants something he's relentless.

Apparently, he really liked them, because he ate a lot of them - including the shells!! A fact that was not uncovered until later in the week.

Five days later, to be exact, right before she left, when the definitive evidence that he did indeed eat them began to make itself known. The vet said he was ok, that he didn't need to be seen unless something changed.

And as luck, and Murphy's Law, would have it, things did change the moment she stepped on the ship. We popped by her house to feed him dinner, before the pet sitter arrived for the night, and ended up taking that tiny troublemaker to the ER Vet.


A 5 hour stint that luckily ended with just a few x-rays, to confirm that most of the offending items were gone, a directive to watch him while the rest of those shells made their way out.

And a not so little bill of $511...and 38 cents.

I'm happy to report that the week ended with a friendly little gathering at a neighbor's house for happy hour.

Where the first snacks offered up were...