Feathering the Nest

In a radical departure from standard content, today I'd like to talk with you all about something very close to my heart: the Dollar Store.

I know what you're thinking.  The Dollar Store is for 3 year olds.  Or old women seeking faux flowers and crates of expired, off-brand Oreos.  But I'm telling you, there is more there.

So much more.

Case in point; yesterday, I made off with the following:

• 4 adorable, teeny maroon and gold glass hanging lanterns (made in China, of course) complete with 4 candles (lead filled, no doubt...  I solemnly swear never to light them)

• 3 unfinished natural wood-framed 8 x 10 mirrors (which I am spray painting burnished bronze and hanging in a staggered series on the blindingly-white blank wall in our living room - poof, DIY interior design!) 

• 1 perfect-shade-of-green-for-the-nursery oval tub which now houses Baby Bing's growing library (currently featuring such titles as "Guess How Much I Love You" and "Goodnight, Moon: an apologetic for nihilism - at least according to Chris Gilbert"

• 3 precious glass tea light candle holders in turquoise, clear and cobalt blue, now sitting pretty on my espresso wood armoire-turned tv/dvd/wedding china receptacle)

• oh, and a gallon of spring water, which I carried around and swigged out of the rest of the afternoon.  Mama was thirsty.

All for the low, low price of $14.99.   

Insane.

At least, that's what my husband must think when I lug home yet another flimsy plastic bagful of cheap, foreign-made goodies that help to add that "finishing touch" to various rooms in our home.  In my defense, I am of the opinion that the phrase "finishing touch" is somewhat of a misnomer when applied to any other domestic pursuit save for cooking, as the process of decorating a home is essentially a dynamic, not a static process.

I mean, I'm not the same person day to day, month to month...  so how can I be expected to keep my guest bathroom from undergoing a gradual, inevitable thematic evolution?

Impossible.  But also cost-prohibitive.

Enter: the Dollar Store.  Or Dollar Tree.  Or heck, even Dollar General (though don't let the name fool you, not everything sells for $1).

Whatever name your local discount knick knack retailer operates under, I adjure you pay a visit.  But you must be prepared to enter with an open mind, an open wallet (full of singles), and the understanding that a little high-end spray paint can, indeed, cover a multitude of sins.