The Evolution of my Front Porch

Sometimes, I see something at a store that I like—but leave it, and then keep thinking about it and envisioning it in a certain space.  When that happens, I know that it is something that I will like for a long time.

That is what happened when I saw these chairs.

I first saw them about 3 weeks ago, and immediately was drawn to them. 

But they were more than I wanted to spend, even though they were a pretty good deal for the type of chair.  So I left them.

And kept thinking about them.

Fast forward two weeks.

I was cleaning up a little in the backyard and decided that I was going to get rid of some of my wicker pieces.  I had a set {that was given to me} that was in kind of rough condition, but still has a few summers left, that I put on an online yard sale.  Within a few minutes I had multiple offers, and it was soon gone.

Another wicker loveseat that was in better condition but still needed a little tlc, I also put on the site, and again, had multiple offers and made 3x what I paid for it at the thrift store!

By then I was on a roll and decided to try to make enough to buy the other chairs.

So I put my bench rocker on the site and again had a zillion offers right away, and made way more than I spent on it at a yard sale last summer.

So I learned a few things here.

1.  Sell in season.  For example: in the springtime, people are super-starved for patio furniture.

2.  It is okay to price things low.  Be sure to price them higher than what you paid for them, and be realistic in what they are worth, but low enough that they will sell quickly}.

3.  ALWAYS put obo when you list something on line.  It means that you will take the best offer—lower OR higher.

3.  Never pass up something that you like at the thrift store or a yard sale that is a great deal; if you get tired of it, you can most often sell it for more than you bought it.

In the end, I made more than enough to buy the chairs that I wanted, even though it was hard for this bargain-minded {ie cheap} girl to pay full price for something—and even though they were a great deal at full price.

I brought them home, and although I originally planned on painting them white, decided on black in the end because I thought they looked better with my front door.

After painting them, I sanded and stained them and then placed them on the porch.   {photo credit for the super cute shot of my backside goes to my 4 year old daughter Bella}

I love that they are super comfortable, and exactly what I wanted in the space…which is another lesson: sometimes it is worth it to get rid of all of the not-so-perfect inexpensive pieces of furniture, and pay just a little bit more to have something you love. 

  

 

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