Friday, January 7, 2011

Favorite Things Friday: Ebay.

The fabulous lady at Quilting in My Pyjamas has brought back Favorite Things Friday. I'm coming late to the party since it was Friday in Australia yesterday, but it's still not too late to join the fun. Mrs. Pyjamas is not a stickler for which Friday we observe.  Click on the button on the right if you want to play.

Okay, so my favorite thing this Friday is Ebay.  I've sold items and I've bought items.  The things I've bought in the past are usually along the lines of ink cartridges for my printer, soft paws for my cat (back when it wasn't against his policy to wear them), and the like.  Generally cool, but not mind-blowing.

Now, I know you're looking at the picture of the lamp thinking I bought it on Ebay, and you'd be wrong.  I bought only the lampshade on Ebay. 


Here's the story:  My grandparents have had this lamp in their house for the past thirty years (perhaps longer, but that's the limit of my knowledge).  Once upon a time, it looked like it does now.  And then the lampshade got broken.  I never saw it in its original form.  By the time I had knowledge of it, it had a replacement shade that was plain white because a matching shade could not be found.

When we made the move from Nevada to Kansas, the replacement shade got broken.  Not really a big surprise.  The thing is pretty fragile.

So I went searching through Ebay looking for yet another replacement.  I was just hoping to find another plain white shade that fit.  You cannot imagine my shock and surprise, when I came across the shade that was a perfect match to the base.  And it cost me $10 plus shipping.  Unbelievable!

19 comments:

  1. That is unbelievably, incredibly, serendipitously AWESOME! I love happy endings like that! It's such a beautiful lamp with those lovely yellows and greens! Good for you for finding it on eBay!

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  2. that was certainly a great find - amazing after so many years to find the same kind that you wanted.
    Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  3. Whoohoo! That's great! It's amazing to find something vintage and perfect to replace the piece that was broke!

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  4. That is so amazing, Michelle!

    We have had some successes on ebay (actually a few of our last cars were purchased through the site) - but this purchase of yours is so special because you've restored an heirloom. love it!

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  5. Woo hoo plus everything that P said. How absolutely amazing.

    I have to ask......., soft paws for your cat?? What the? I need an explanation please?

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  6. Lucky you...that is a really amazing bit you made there.

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  7. I was wondering about the soft paws as well. Its great that you found such a good match. Well done.

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  8. Well done ! I bet they were pleased. The internet is a wonderful tool, isn't it?
    Cheers
    Helen

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  9. Fabulous favorite, Michelle! :o) I love eBay too. I buy and sell, though haven't been doing that as much the last couple of months. My best eBay story so far is the yarn swift I bought with an estate lot...$10 for a huge group of crafting items. It started at $10, and at the last minute the bids went up and up. I sold that yarn swift for $115!

    Your lamp is very pretty. Your Grandma would love that you took the time to not only find a place for it in your home, but that you found a replica top to restore its beauty. Thanks for sharing. Happy FTF! :o)

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  10. My Name is Shay and I am a complete eBay addict. I am one of those people that has a score well into the hundreds.

    I love that you can find all sorts of things there just like your replacement lamp shade. Wonderful! I bet you're utterly stoked!

    These are my favourite kind of FTF posts !

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  11. Ebay is a wonderful thing! What great luck to have found the exact matching shade! Good job.

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  12. Your capacity for so many things such as this is touching, and appears boundless.

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  13. Isn't eBay amazing! I swear you can find anything on it!! I've had really good luck buying limited edition art and even originals, by known artists, for a steal! And my husband is a sucker for cymbals for his drum set....

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  14. lucky girl... i've been finding fabric deals...

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  15. How cool! I need to check out eBay more often. Thanks -- it's still Friday here while I'm reading this so I think you're still in time.

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  16. I love ebay - you really can find anything there! That lamp is gorgeous, so glad you found the right shade!

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  17. Lady luck sure was on your side to find that shade!!!!
    Elzaan

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  18. Awesome eBay find! That is really wonderful!!

    xo -El

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Your comments brighten my day. :-)