We stumbled on a lucky find at a neighborhood yard sale: a huge piece of framed art priced at just $20. This thing is massive—over three feet wide and more than two feet tall. The frame had a small dent, but that was no problem for us, so we bought it.
John wasn’t crazy about the painting itself, but finding a canvas this size with a solid wood frame for $20 made it a smart purchase just for the base. We could always paint over the artwork or mount a large print on top later. While we thought about what to do with it long-term, I leaned it against the back of the buffet to test the scale, since we planned to hang it there eventually. In the process of propping it up, I accidentally knocked a glass-based lamp off the left side of the buffet.
Luckily, Clara was sitting safely in her yellow highchair at the dining table, so there was no risk of bare feet and glass. To complicate things, we were having a short power outage—about an hour—so I had to sweep that corner thoroughly until the power returned and I could vacuum. So that was two annoying problems at once: a broken lamp and a temporary outage. Not the end of the world, but definitely a bummer.
Then the unexpected happened.
While I was finishing the cleanup, the large picture I’d leaned against the wall shifted and sent the other lamp, the artwork itself, a bowl of postcards, and a small resin pineapple tumbling off the buffet.
Miraculously, the lamp’s cord was just short enough to stop it from smashing to pieces. #LuckyLittleLamp
A few of the pineapple’s tips broke off in the fall, but it’s hardly noticeable. The framed art—which doesn’t have glass, only a wood perimeter frame—and the ceramic bowl full of postcards were unscathed. Big relief. Seriously, can things stop jumping off this buffet?
John arrived home from an errand and got the full rundown of chaos. By then the power had returned, so I vacuumed the corner while John used a heavy-duty anchor to hang the painting securely. That seemed like the only reliable way to keep it from becoming a repeat offender.
I sighed with relief when it stayed put. It’s not the kind of artwork we’d buy at a store for $300, but for $20 at a yard sale it’s perfect for now. Eventually we’d love to use it as a backdrop for a print that fits our style better or paint over it to create something more “us.” For the moment, I’m just glad it’s hanging on the wall and not crashing onto the floor again.
I may have jinxed the lamp when I mentioned we’d had it for over five years in a previous post, but at least its twin was spared this time.
All the items on the buffet are temporary arrangements since we’re working with what we already own. Someday I’d like to upgrade to matching lamps with sculptural bases or bold shades to make the vignette feel more intentional. We’ll share updates when that happens.
I still can’t believe the frame somehow cleared the faux coral and the ceramic leaf dish and only knocked over the bowl and lamp—neither of which broke. Maybe a few fortunate things balanced out the unfortunate ones that afternoon.
For anyone wondering where Clara was while I photographed the aftermath, here’s a hint:
She likes to run through my shots—sometimes carrying her iPad—so she provided some comic relief. She shouted from her highchair, “Oh no, it fall down!” and then muttered something about “the picture fell down and hurt the head.” Sweet and funny, and exactly the kind of moment that made a chaotic afternoon feel a little lighter.
Have you had any fortunate or unfortunate events at your house lately? I didn’t expect the third mishap after the first two, and it definitely startled me. But everything turned out okay in the end, and that’s what matters.