New Dishes & Shopping at Discount Stores

On Sunday afternoon I ran some errands and one thing on my list was trying to find some new dishes.  I set out to find cute, inexpensive items that will spruce up my food photographs.

I mentioned on my Wish List that cute dishes were something I was in search of and not everything I found Sunday may necessarily be considered “cute” but they are functional.  And sometimes being practical trumps cuteness.  Sometimes.

Here’s the loot.

First up, a box for Skylar.  I love her little art projects and artwork that she makes.  But it’s everywhere. Not anymore.  Enter: This Box.

Now all artwork will be contained in this box.  I hate messes and random half scribbled on pieces of paper laying everywhere!  Clutter, no more.

Next up, some napkins/placemats that will make nice backdrops for blog pictures.

70 cents?  Score!

Next up: These pieces would fit the definition of “Cute Dishes” in my book.

A cute bowl with a ribbon threaded through it.  I wonder how this will hold up in the dishwasher?

A cake stand.  You know, for all those cakes I make.  Kidding.

I am more of a Biggie Microwave Banana Cake girl lately but for when I do make that cake, the stand will be perfect.

I wonder how Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies would look on the cake stand?   And call it a no-bake cookie stand, instead.

Finally, new plates for me!

I had no intention of buying new plates, but for $2.99 each, I couldn’t pass these up.

My everyday dishes are from Pottery Barn, circa 2005.  They have been washed thousands of times and have been wonderful.  But, they have seen better days.

Not to mention, the beige/pale yellow hue does nothing for food.  Read: it makes food look worse.

I have no idea how I’ve blogged for almost 2 years with these dingy yellow plates, but for $2.99 x 4, I am now in business with crisp, white, square plates.

I didn’t “stage” this lettuce, i.e. I threw it on a plate while I was unwrapping my loot and snapped away.

And the photo was taken at night with zero natural light coming in.

Then I put the new green 70 cent placement underneath.  And another improvement happened, I’d say.

Then,  I put it all away.

And I remembered that I have dishes I don’t use.  But should use.  I did a post on Shopping in my own Kitchen (and Closet) and need to re-read my own post!

From my last post on 6 Words, thanks to everyone who played along with your six word phrases to describe life, happiness, and love.  Some of you came up with some great ones!

Thanks for the compliments on the 6 word phrases I chose.  Honestly, I rattled those off in like two minutes.  That’s how my brain works. That type of stuff is easy for me.  It’s things like physics or calculus that my brain doesn’t do well with.

But let’s not talk about physics or calc. 

Let’s talk snacking: No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

These take about 5 minutes to make.  And I chose this dessert to show how the old yellow plate isn’t “bad”, it’s just the balls aren’t popping off the page or anything.

Questions:

1. Best thing you ate or did over the weekend?

Scoring at Marshall’s on my new dishes!

2. Are you off from school or work today?

I’m not.  So don’t rub it in.

3. Do you like shopping at places like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, etc. where you can find great deals but the inventory is unpredictable from week to week and while you’re there, you have to be willing to root around and dig for the deals?

I won’t lie, when things are out of order, messy, (i.s. Skylar’s artwork laying everywhere), and I get overwhelmed and want to bail or not shop in places like that.  And in my former life I did.  I never understood how my mother actually liked going to places like that.

Currently, however, for household goods like dishes, kitchen gadgets, bedding; socks, accessories, luggage, purses, those types of stores can be a gold mine and I can hang.  I scored all of my loot in this post for $32 bucks, after tax!

But I still am very overwhelmed by buying clothes there and usually don’t.  I see sports bras packed into racks with workout pants hanging off with a man’s cardigan sweater on the floor with an odd white tennis shoe nearby and I am instantly turned off and can’t even sort through the clothes.  Good deals and all.  Oh well.

What’s your comfort level with the disarray and one-of-a-kind nature of discount stores?

Happy President’s Day to all who are celebrating it.  Enjoy your day off!

P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts from the weekend, here are mine since Friday

• 6 Words
• Ketchup & Mustard Lover’s Protein & Veggie Mash
• Trader Joe’s Finds
• Rainy Day Projects
• Challenge: Zodiac Sign & Does It Fit
• Cookbook & Book Reviews
• Running Errands & Bringing Snacks