Anyway, He bought the little cart for fifty smackers and said to drive on down and pick her up. We grabbed it when were down visiting the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Yeah, it was that long ago. Here it is in all of it booze hound glory. Kindly ignore the vertical blinds. Please and thank you.

We did a little switching around in the kitchen to accommodate the cart. Our bookcase holding all our cookbooks is on the opposite wall and the little white wine rack that we had was sold (on Craig’s List, naturally) for $20.

It’s definitely not the glorious gold bamboo bar cart of my dreams (beggars can’t be choosers!) but it does a fine job of holding all our wine and spirits. Kelly, from Classically Eclectic hit the bar cart jackpot.

I think ours would be adorable on the patio out by the pool. You know, if I had a pool. Or a patio. But for now it looks nice and cozy in the corner of our dining room.

Artsy fartsy shot. Love that macro button. PS- Are we all in love with the teeny tiny Pellegrino bottles? I bought them to gussy up our guest room when Mel and Addison were staying with us. News flash- they taste awful. Only Matt has a sophisticated enough palate for them. At least they’re pretty!

So, thanks Dad for hunting down our little cart. What does everyone think? Love the throw back design? Think we might spend too much time trying to house our alcohol? What’s your biggest Craig’s List score?

From the moment I opened the box I knew we had a winner. Look, Target is actually congratulating me on such a fine decision to purchase their furniture. I was feeling pretty smug about my new fandangled chair.

On a side note, does anyone else think this packaging is a little on the gruesome side? Maybe it’s because we’ve been marathon-watching through seasons 1 and 2 of Dexter and we’re thinking more grisly than the average chair purchaser.

Anyway, there were 2 chair legs (surprise!) inside the box but that’s not the horror of the story. Oh no, this unassuming chair was a pain in the arse to put together. I’ll say it now and without guilt. I hate the cursed Allen Wrench! I love Ikea and Target and all of their glorious cheapness but god I loathe putting together the furniture. After a series of meltdowns Matt gallantly stepped in and finished the chair assembly for me.

Look at that fanciness! I moved our new lamp over there in hopes to convince the Allen-Wrench Hero that we need another side table with lamps on either side of the couch. The picture below is looking from the dining room back into the living room. See how we need more light? A call to the commenters…tell Matt us we need another table lamp!

So like any good love story, the chair and I had ups and downs but we are now living happily ever after. Tell me that I’m not alone in my with my Allen Wrench aversion. Have you bought anything with credit card points? Was it something you wouldn’t have bought normally? Do tell!

I was originally looking for a Des Moines map but couldn’t find anything out there. So I pressed purchase and waited for my gift to arrive. Well wouldn’t you know, the fates had aligned and Ork Posters and Raygun (Greatest Store in the Universe) collaborated on Iowa posters. Cue the Whomp whomp sounds. After getting our poster in a frame ($25!) and on the wall we’re convinced that we love it enough to add a Des Moines print to the mix. Check out Andrea’s here.

Not only is our poster cheering up our bland hallway, it hides an ugly apartment secret. Our circuit box is smack dab in the middle of that wall. Hello, architects, NOT aesthetically pleasing. Bottom line, we love our Ork Poster. Have you snagged your neighborhood print yet? Or better yet, are there any other map enthusiasts out there?

Then we spent the next couple of hours perusing through all of the vendors. There was a vendor stall for everything, vintage furniture, clothes, photographs and drawings. You name it and it was there.

My favorite vendor of the day was the last one we visited. They had so many different things in their stall but they were all so cool. I loved these buoys. If I had a lake house I so would have snatched those up!

I loved this cute retro fan. It was really hard to walk away from it but the frayed cord made me hesitate.

Check out these old sewing machine relics. I didn’t ask but I bet these babies still worked. They were SO heavy.

We walked away with a Christmas gift for my Dad (please remind me about this in December) and another cut crystal decanter. We may have a problem..but it was only $10 so we had to scoop it up. So unfortunately the bar cart hunt is still on but I’m so glad we found this flea market. We’ll definitely be back.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found at a garage sale or flea market?

Please tell me you all are as obsessed with all the glamorous boozing that happens on that show too. Our little wine and booze cupboard that we found at Goodwill just wasn’t providing the wow-factor that we wanted.

This is my dream bar cart (does that make me sound like and alcoholic?). So pretty and sleek! What’s not to love in this photo? Love the cart, the wall stencil, the champagne. Swoon-worthy for sure!

Unfortunately, I think everyone has caught the bar-cart bug and prices are threw the roof. Teensy ones are selling for $500 plus. The fabulous ones like the one above are over $1,000. Now Matt loves an Old Fashioned as much as the next dapper dude but $1,000 for a wet bar was getting crazy.

I decided to hit the World Famous Long Beach Flea Market. Luckily my blog pal was up for a thrifting adventure. We hit the flea market around 10:30 and it was packed! There were tons of fun vendors and a sprinkling of wth is that?! Unfortunately, I didn’t find the bar cart of my dreams. I did find some fun bar accessories though!

Proudly making my first flea-market purchase, an old seltzer water bottle.

Here it is all cleaned up and perched on our current wine rack. Please disregard the 2 Buck Chuck.

I picked this up for $10. A little research and somebody is selling similar found bottles for $49. I think we have an official bargain on our hands.

I love the old etched glass and the spout still works! I don’t think we’ll be serving seltzer water out of it anytime soon but I thought it was a neat addition to our bar.

Next week we’re headed to the Melrose Trading Post. It’s in Hollywood so I’m counting on some funky junk and crossing my fingers that I can find a bar cart to accommodate our fabulous new accessory.

What’s the best flea-market/antique/garage sale find that you’ve found lately? Any hidden flea-market gems in the LA area that I need to know about?

Socks! I love getting socks as gifts. I’m not talking about white tube socks, get creative and festive. JCrew and Lands End Canvas always have a fun selection.

I love getting emery boards or nail polish in my stocking. Such cute and inexpensive gifts. This 3 pack by Ms. Manicure is only $1.

Soap and body wash is another favorite in our house. I love this No Shirt and Tie Required soap by The Man Cave Shop  and Mojito Soap found via etsy.

I love getting lip gloss and makeup too (don’t all girls?). Admittedly, I help Matt out on the colors and brands. You can’t beat $3 for lip gloss at E.L.F. I usually giving him aftershave or lotion. He likes the Every Man Jack brand.

This might stretch the stocking stuffer budget but I’d love to see this print show up. How cool is the roll international flag? I think Matt would like this one!

We always add in an orange in the toe of our stocking and candy as filler. What’s your favorite stocking stuffer? Do you have a special holiday tradition between just you and your spouse?

The golf ball personalizer. A great gift for your golfer. Now he can be sure that his hole in one can’t be claimed by anyone else.

Here’s a fun way to make sure he really does know everything about his favorite sports.

A better way to commemorate his favorite sporting event than the cork board filled with miscellaneous tickets.

Have a ton of ticket stubs? Opt for the ticket stub diary. He can flip through and relive all of the past excitement. You can really ramp it up by including tickets to an upcoming game he wants to attend.

Give him vintage team apparel. I love this Iowa based company for all of our favorite team tees. You can’t beat the throwback style!

If you really want to make it to the top of his favorites list this year you’ll have to pull out the big guns. Get him the PS3. This thing plays Blu-ray discs, can download movies and games from Netflix and of course most importantly, has Madden, Nascar and UFC Undisputed. 

Hey all you sports fans, tell me what’s number one on your list (besides a Rose Bowl bid for the Hawkeyes in 2012).

A nice throw blanket instantly makes a room feel cozier. These throws from Pottery Barn are the perfect winter cuddle blanket.

This pretty pillow would look right at home in a dorm room or a living room. It’s girly-ness gets toned down by the dark grey. Love it.

An adorable print from this Etsy seller. I love the personalization, I think it makes any gift feel much more special. There are tons of different prints and colors to choose from. This is just the one that caught my eye.

The first Christmas after we moved into our house my Mom bought us towels. It might not have seemed like a big deal but it definitely made us feel oh so grown up to have matching towels and not our ratty mismatched ones from college. It’s the little things people.

I was just given this book for my birthday. Oh, how I wish I had owned it when we bought our first house. Nate Berkus breaks down home décor and design into manageable “rules.” He’s so darn adorable, you just have to love it!

So, there you have it. Easy, inexpensive gifts to make a house feel like a home. Any suggestions? What was your favorite house warming gift?

You can’t go wrong with a classic Swiss Army Knife. You wouldn’t want your camper to be without a wine bottle opener. The horror!

Get your guy a new tent. It’s time to ditch the old ratty one he’s been using since his Boy Scout era. This one sleeps three and will keep you dry in an unexpected rainstorm with it’s waterproof material and rain proof zippers.

I love the retro feel of this cooler. It’s not the most portable thing in the world but the cool factor more than makes up for it.

Every true outdoorsman needs a flannel shirt (I’m pretty sure it’s a rule). Snag one at Fred Flare for under $20.

So, that rounds out day 3 of our Gift Guide. Did I forget any go-to outdoorsy gifts? This isn’t my strong suit so I ‘m open to suggestions!

I love this game. It’s a perfect ice-breaker for the dinner party that’s getting too stuffy or to kick off a party with a large group of friends. The topics range from the tame Original to the risqué Not Your Mother’s Dinner Party. Pick your poison! 

I Like You. This book is written by David Sedaris’s hilarious sister, Amy. Her satirical take on entertaining will surely make your friend smile.

Jack and Lulu make the best note cards and stationary. This gift is definitely a splurge at $50 for 25 cards and envelopes but the quality is amazing. As a self-proclaimed paper snob, I can promise that these are worth every penny.

These monogram candles are perfect for the hostess in your life. She’ll love that you picked it out just for her and you’ll love that they’re only $10.

This simple cocktail tray will make any hostess’s gift list. Let her channel her inner Betty Draper and serve drinks in style at her next get together.

So there you have it. 5 easy, inexpensive gifts for the savvy entertainer on your list. Tell us what your must have entertaining item is!