We're big believers in trying to only surround ourselves with items that we truly love. It keeps the clutter down and our closets a little less full, always leaving room for something new. But what happens when a design choice goes wrong? Instead of tossing your purchases aside in hopes they might work later, try hosting a home decor swap party instead!
We've all come home from a day of shopping, only to to discover our choices weren't so great. The placemats might not match the wallpaper just right, or the small birds you bought for that bookshelf... well they kinda give you the creeps (it's not their fault their little beady eyes follow you everywhere you go).
Most of us will take the time to return a major purchase, no one buys an $800 rug and then tosses it in the closet when it doesn't work, but what about those small items? A creepy bird statue here, a decorative plate there, a thrift store or auction find that although wasn't pricey, just doesn't look right?
Try hosting a get together of your closest friends and ask people to bring their unloved items to the swap. It's a great feeling to know that others can put to use the items you bought with good intentions, all the while, you get something great back in return.
It's easier than selling things off on Craigslist, plus hopefully your friends have the same fabulous taste you do, so clear up some closet and drawer space and get your friends and family a swappin'!
(via: Decorate It Online)
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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Comments (16)
Dear Apartment Therapy, what a terrific idea! We love to recycle, re-use & save. Boston Consignment in Needham, MA will host an event at our retail store - bostonconsigns.com. We'll share the details on our facebook page when we iron out the specifics. AT is a terrific resource!
That duck looks like it should come with a plastic paint brush and six little pots of acrylic.
But I'll trade you dogs :)))
Buhh. Color me crazy, but how about saving money and not buying crap you're going to give away in a year? I'd much prefer that over a swap.
I love this idea!!! I'm going to do it.
When my husband and I moved in together, we had 2 well-established homes and merging our stuff left a lot of duplicates. Plus my decorating tastes are ever-evolving. If it's been in storage in the basement for more than a year, it's going to be in a yard sale or at a swap.
Plus, let's admit that swap meets like this are just a glorified excuse to drink wine with the gals. :)
-Alana
http://www.waterspiper.com
Every few years, we and several of our neighbors hold a joint garage sale. Mostly we just end up buying each others stuff...
"Color me crazy, but how about saving money and not buying crap you're going to give away in a year? "
Indeed - I'd like to see a whole lot fewer "Look at this new Must-Have product" posts here on AT and alot more "How to Make Do" or "Great Vintage Finds" such as the current Craigslist Scavenger -
- Perhaps a new feature profiling great local fleamarkets or posts of fantastic eBay finds?
This post at least seems to be moving down that path...
@bepsf - so your telling me that you don't end up with things that you no longer wish to keep? you're home is perfectly edited and it will never, ever change? your comments here are almost always critical.
i think this post is right along the same lines of fleamarket/craigslist finds, though using friends as sources. i think it's a great no-cost, and eco-friendly idea which also happens to be an excellent excuse to spend time with friends.
The "advice" "how about saving money and not buying crap you're going to give away in a year?" and bepsf's follow up are like telling an overweight person they shouldn't have eaten as much in the past. Not so helpful.
And, hey, AT--
I really hope you take BostonConsignment up on the offer... I think it could be a very cool regional thing... and very much "on brand" for you guys.
Sort of like Domino's (RIP) shopping event. But, not.
Charge $5 a person to contribute/attend, donating a portion to a worthy local cause.
Btw, Oprah and Nate facilitated this idea in a neighborhood, with great result.
@jick- criticizing bepsf about being critical? Really? Nice.
I love the BostonConsigment as amended by patrick (the other one) idea! I've never heard of the Oprah / Nate thing, so this is a brand new idea for me.
I love this idea! I'm totally doing this.
@radioriot - good point, but still ... just calling it like i see it. it gets tiring to see the same judgemental comments from the same people on each post. i'm going to go back to enjoying AT now and will just keep my comments to myself from now on.
I think it would be a blast for AT to loosely organize city-by-city swap meets. Heaven knows, if anyone is likely to have crap I would want, it would be the users of this site. :)
-Alana
http://waterspiper.coom
jick, don't keep your comments to yourself! We're all allowed a voice.
I think this is an awesome idea, just the excuse I needed to host a girls' night!
Kitschykitten, you are so right. LA is a huge place, with such varying tastes, it would be a hoot to have something like that here!
Just an aside about being critical: I told a friend of mine that her purse looked like a dead cat, and I thought that was the funniest,most clever thing I had ever said. She responded that a friend of hers gave it to her. The friend was in the room looking right at me. Awkward! She told me the bag used to be her deceased mother's bag. See me putting foot in mouth?
But I still call it the dead cat bag when my friend & I am together. I mean some stuff is just butt ugly!