Blake and Deborah in Hawaii: Only $5.00 could that be right????

DEBORAH WRITES

Shopping...... its seems that is all I talk about to you right now..so sorry...but wow! It just gets better all the time! I have been on the mad search for useful items to make our Ohana feel more like a home,our home; and also be more comfortable. The postal service has been kind enough to manage to deliver so far; 21 of the 60 boxes we have mailed to ourselves and that sure helps.

This place had very little furniture which was fine with us because I wanted and need to start the process of collecting furniture and other useful pretty things for the house for when it is finished at the end of this year. That takes time if you are doing it mostly second hand. I do have plans to buy some things new; like mattresses, the sofa for the living room, linens and things like that. But the rest, second hand is perfect. This way I won't feel bad when I paint it or make slipcovers; lets me be an artist of sorts. Most of my adult life at least 3/4 of the things I owned were second hand anyway; its what I know. And what I realize is for sure what I really like..

I want to decorate in an affordable way and yet still have things we love to use and look at. I am not one of those people who likes everything to match perfectly; I just like my things to have a good visual relationship with each other. I like that look of the house looking as though I have been collecting over time. That says home to me...I do however like a certain comfortable elegance to be achieved when possible. My sister and best friend Jan always call me Martha. That is the best compliment I can be given.

Hawaii has the reputation of being a very expensive place to live and that is true for many things;we live on the big island of Hawaii ,where is it more affordable and also rural on much of the island. Thanks to places like Costco, Target, Ross, Walmart, Kmart, Macys - they are all on the big island now - there are many options that are fair prices, if you want new and affordable. I also really like all small/local businesses too. They have unique, albeit more expensive items but worth the cost . Homes and things one may need for décor fall under the category of costly for sure; unless you are clever; if you have handy skills and have good visionary ability, it can be done in a fairly affordable manor. And it's fun!

Craigs list as we all know is a good source for finding things you need or want. I was looking at crags list because I want to find a rattan sofa for my future lanai; better know as a porch to most of us. I always hear about people buying used furniture from hotels and wondered how you find out about it. Well, I found an ad about a sale on craigs list; 2 sales to be precise;one on Friday and one on Saturday. So I went.....It was fabulous! I spent $77.00 on Friday, I got 15 pieces of furniture and 2 lamps: every item was $5.00 each. I purchased 4 chairs; I would describe them as oversized rattan Club chairs. I got a round rattan glass table and 4 chairs with cushions to go with it; I purchased 4 more of the same chairs. I got 2 deck chairs with cushions for sunbathing in the yard and 2 brass floor lamps with really nice linen shades (the lamps were only $1.00 and I will paint them ) The Saturday sale was disappointing in comparison only because the prices were higher and they did not have anything I liked or needed. I did get 2 Mr. Coffee machines there for $2.50 each.

We went to Kona on Friday for the other sale and I always stop at the Goodwill when we are there. I have been looking for a table or a desk to place in our office area here in the Ohana. I only wanted to get something that we will use again. I found a modern glass topped small computer desk that fits perfect in the area we need to put it. It is not my taste in furniture but it made great sense for our current use. It was $20.00 so that made it a great choice. When we got home I realized it will make a great craft/sewing deck for me to put in the loft of the new house in my studio space; it has wheels so I can move it around easily. I got a beautiful never used tablecloth $4.99, 2 nice decorative pillows $3.00 each and a cute like 12 inch square storage ottoman $4.99. And now for some pictures.