The chest

I'd like to believe that I'm a proponent of Things Can't Buy Happiness, and Experiences Can Buy Happiness. But I'd be wrong.

Case in point: I'd been looking for weeks for a piece of furniture that would alleviate this pile problem we've had by the front door. It's mostly baby bags and gear, all of which just sits on the floor with no real home and looks horrible. It was driving me crazy. I looked around the house for some furniture to reappropriate, and checked the garage for something that'd do the job. Nothing.

IKEA put out its new catalog a week or two ago, and I found a few items that would solve our problem -- a bench, some shelves, a bench/shelf combo. But buying something from IKEA seemed quite uninteresting, and would require more cash than I was willing to shell out.

I checked Craig's List a few times, and found a couple promising items, but no must-haves. Then last week I tried two furniture stores and the antique mall in the Junction. I found three possibilities at the antique mall, and after checking out the furniture stores, I went back to pick up this slightly interesting cast-iron bench thingy. On the way I noticed another tiny antique store, one that didn't seem worth going into as they have a lot of shabby-chic style things (which isn't exactly my style).

But lo...what have we here?

Amidst the white-painted vanity benches and smelly lotions, there it was, sticking out like a Christmas wreath in April: a chest. And it was perfect. Asian. Detailed. Lacquered. Interesting. Less than $100 (slightly). Lined with some kind of metal. Quite interesting. And the pile? It would be completely hidden. Jackpot! Here's my money, Lady!

The seller didn't have any info on it other than it was a Tea Chest. I had to know more so I took a picture and stopped by a few Asian antique dealers. From what they could tell, it's probably Chinese, made in the 1930s or 40s. And worth at least the amount I spent on it. Whew.

So, anyway, yes -- experiences can make you happy, as this experience did for me. But I must admit that I get little warm fuzzies every time I look at that chest, and almost better yet, I don't have to look at that annoying diaper bag clutter any longer.