Retail Therapy Thursday: TJ Maxx

Don't you just love the Maxx? Our local store was recently remodeled and it's so fabulous! More housewares, more furniture, and just an overall order and intention to the displays which used to look more like a thrift store than a retail store. (Not that that stopped me.) Last week, the girls indulged me and let me drag them shopping so I could spend my birthday money that was burning a hole in my pocket. (I may have had to bribe them with lunch at Chick-Fil-A but that's not bad parenting. Right?) Would you believe I got 3 shirts, 2 vases, a pillow, and a BENCH for 180 bucks? The bench was over $100, so I got all that other stuff for like, $65. Crazy cheap. Anyway...here were my favorite things from our excursion.

First off, these vases wrapped in willow branches. The glass inside them is so thick and heavy. I loved them for their beach-y feel. Bought the square one you see up front there for $6.99.

These were similar to the vases above, but they're candlesticks. How pretty would these be on a mantel or outdoor table?

This tree stump end table felt like real wood. Not sure if it actually was, but for $69, who cares?

Storage ottomans and benches were a-plenty this trip. Hello, Chevron! $99, can you believe it?

I loved this metal drum table. It was $39.99, I kid you not. Its color would work anywhere, but you could easily spray this a bright color, too. Neon is hot right now, that could be fun.

Here's my sad story of the day. This lamp. I loved it. And it was only 40 bucks with a mercury glass-type base which was kinda golden and a drum shade. It had a chip out of its base, though, so when I took it up to the register, the dude told me they couldn't sell it to me because it was a safety hazard. Huh?! "It's a TINY chip," I pleaded, to no avail. I even asked if he could just pretend he didn't see it but he just stared at me. Sigh. I'm on a hunt now for that exact lamp. Maybe HomeGoods? My point, however, is that The Teej has great lamps for cheap. You just can't have this one. And neither could I. Sigh again.

And now for this bench. It was marked down to $119, people. Wouldn't I have been crazy to pass it up? I bought it for the end of our bed, because I'm trying to spruce up that room a tad while we decide what to do with it. Our bedroom has remained the EXACT same since the day we moved in 2 years ago. No bed skirt, just a metal frame, no pictures, no pillows, not even a comforter that fits our king-sized bed. I can't take it anymore. (Pictures of the bedroom in progress someday soon.) So I bought this beauty and joy of joys, it fit in our minivan.

Oh, how I love a chair upholstered in a fun, bright fabric. And this one has nailhead trim, even! Calico Corners sells a similar fabric, I think. I forgot to take a pic of the price tag for this beauty. Sorry.

And finally, feather-filled, generously-sized chevron pillows in awesome colors for $16.99 a pop. Wow.

So there you have it. TJ Maxx was in fine form, wouldn't you say?

Oh! I forgot to mention my owl vase! I also forgot to take a picture of the display of these guys in the store, but here mine is all gussied up with some black-eyed Susans. Isn't he handsome? $9.99! They also had smaller ones for $7.99, I think.