Bar carts and the one that got away...

Every few weeks, if not weekly I'd stop by my favorite thirft store to see this:

She's not perfect (she had a small chip on the underside of one of her glass shelves) but there was something about her that kept me coming back for 5 months. Recently the Mr. and I have gotten into the show Mad Men and with their crazy drinking habits it only reinforced my desire for the above beauty. I should however tell you this, I don't even drink alcohol. Like not at all. And we have a 15-month old so it's beyond me what we'd put on it that she wouldn't want to touch and break.

But the allure of the bar cart is still strong. I want one to put pretty straws on, monogrammed napkins, glasses, maraschino cherries, sparkling water and grenadine for making Shirley Temples. And maybe I could put Fiji water bottles on the bottom shelf or something else that the bug couldn't break.

With my 3rd wedding anniversary just around the corner I knew I had an excuse to ask for something that otherwise the Mr. would certainly veto, so I decided to call the store to make sure it was still there before I began convincing my husband that I needed this piece in vain.  I called and talked to the manager who said she believed it to be gone. But I wanted to be sure, so I went in and looked myself and surely, it was not there.

I decided to talk to the Mr. about it anyway because the way I looked at it, I could ask for the opportunity to snatch the next one up I found and maybe it would even better than the one from the thrift shop. But vintage bar carts are seemingly sparse, and spendy if bought new. I searched all of the Seattle area Craigslist and could only find one, and it wasn't vintage and it wasn't brass, and it was $150. That's $110 more than my bar cart.

But I know that if I had just brought my little beauty home without an okay from him, the Mr. would not have been a happy camper. So she's gone (I do hope she's found a wonderful home that will adore her as much as I did), but the search will go on...



P.S.
Watch for week one of the Budget Room Design Challenge On Monday where I take on a guest bedroom for under $2k! Wish me luck, and don't forget to shot me an email with a room in your space that you'd like done on a budget and I'll send you a mood board free!