Sure it’s Sunday, but how about a little bonus behind-the-scenes tale of hunting down clothespins for the Pinterest Challenge light fixture that we have in the works? Other considered titles:
- “The Petersik Clothespin Tour of Richmond”
- “Wow, I’m a really patient husband.”
- “Sorry environment, we vow to plant three trees to make up for all that driving”
Okay, so here’s the deal. When we first started our clothespin light fixture (first mentioned here), we snagged four bags of clothespins at Ben Franklin just to get us started. We knew we’d need more, but we didn’t want to go crazy buying them until we decided on a pattern and had a better sense of how many we’d need. Oh, and Ben Franklin only had four bags at the time too. Minor detail.
Once we started clothespinning away, we realized we’d definitely need more. LOTS more. So just as Clara went down for a nap, Sherry sent me out on a quick errand to get more packs (8-ish was my instruction). Neither of us knew my “quick” errand would turn into a 2 hour, 54-mile trek around the Richmond suburbs.
Since we had already started using the four packs that we bought at Ben Franklin, I needed to get more packs of the exact same sized clothespins to add to our collection (which sadly meant places like Target and the dollar store were out due to only carrying pins that were too large or too small). So I decided to hit up the same Ben Franklin from before [Marker “B” above] hoping they had been restocked. They hadn’t. Zero clothespins secured.
I only knew of two other Ben Franklin stores in our area, so I stopped by a nearby Bed Bath & Beyond (“we don’t sell clothespins”) and Michael’s that shared a shopping center [Marker C]. Michael’s carried another brand of clothespins that came in large, small, and mini sizes. Wouldn’t you know we needed the medium size (since those fit perfectly into our wire light fixture frame and would look consistent next to the pins from the four bags that we already had).
Sidenote: And yes, my wife has me labeled as “Husband – John” in her phone. Like she knows so many other Johns that she would get confused withouth the whole “husband” part.
But back to my hunt. Thanks to failing at my first few stops, I realized that I needed to expand my errand circle to the next Ben Franklin [Marker D]. Score, they had three packs of mediums in stock. Maybe they never stock more than 3 or 4 at a time? But that would mean going to the only other known Ben Franklin store [Marker G] wouldn’t get me up to my goal of 8 packs. Crap. Time to break out the big guns: JoAnn Fabrics [Marker E] and Hobby Lobby [Marker F].
Though they were both far out of town, they’re both really big and located off a nearby highway with a high speed limit and low traffic volume. So basically, the need for speed* tricked me into what I would later find out was a bad decision.
*If you’re rolling your eyes because this sounds like a typical testosterone-fueled poor decision, allow me to remind you the decision was also swayed by the possibility of finding CLOTHESPINS at a JOANN FABRIC or a HOBBY LOBBY. I was deserving of a masculine moment, okay?
Anyway, you’ve probably guessed where this was going. Sherry actually did some calling around and they both said they had clothespins, they just didn’t give her specifics on size or brand, so I had to check those things out myself. Spoiler alert: both JoAnn and Hobby Lobby failed me (once again, only large, small, and mini sizes). At least the Burger King I stopped at in at between them didn’t let me down (it had been over an hour of clothespin hunting and clearly I was growing weak). So with almost all hope lost – and visions of a half-filled clothespin chandelier creeping into my mind – I trudged my way to my last Ben Franklin [Marker G] where Sherry had also called ahead for me (but couldn’t get any assurance that they had the specific brand and size that we needed).
Here’s where I should’ve been ecstatic: they had them. But here’s also where I felt like an idiot: they had nine packs. NINE. Yep, had I gone here in the first place (a mere 8 miles from home, no less) I would’ve found all of my clothespins in one spot. No two hours wasted. No getting tired of cashiers joking “you must have lots of laundry to do!” No Burger King-induced stomach ache.
Oh well. Shoulda, woulda, coulda right? Even by calling ahead and identifying places to avoid (Target, the dollar store, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc) it was still was a pretty exhaustive tour of my fair city. The bright side is that the chandelier is shaping up to be really cool. Sherry and I have been experimenting with a lot of different clothespin patterns and we can’t wait to finalize things, hang it up, write a picture-riffic tutorial, and share the results on Tuesday morning (and hear what all of you guys tackled if you opted into the whole Pinterest Challenge thing too).
The only bummer? We have four leftover packs of unopened clothespins to return to Ben Franklin, my new home away from home. Yup, there was a mild to moderate over-calculation. So we really only needed four more packs in the first place (as opposed to the eight that I bought home). In the words of the always eloquent Homer Simpson: d’oh.
Emily says
Yea, this sounds like something I did. I spent 3 shopping trips and countless different stores to find a wicker basket with a lid that’s toybox-sized but not an ottoman. Finally a Ross (Dress for Less) had several. I called my husband to figure out which one to get since they didn’t have the exact toybox-size I wanted, and suddenly we decide that we want to BUILD our daughter a wooden toybox instead! Talk about wasted trips, lol!
Emily says
Oh, and alternate title for this post: Clothes Encounters of the
ThirdSeventh Kind.Because you made seven stops, get it? Um, never mind…it’s not funny when I explain it :-p
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I get it and I like it.
xo,
s
Monika says
Oh John! That sucks. At least you got’er done! I’m excited to see the completed fixture. :)
P.S. I love $herdog and J-Fizzle!
jen mathers says
Oh no! Thats so funny..and I took it more like Sherry had more than one husband hence Husband- John not Husband-Fabio.I hadn’t even noticed the contact info until i read that, and please tell me you have her in your phone as $herDog.. which is actually less embarrasing then “Shmuffin” which is what I call my husband and he is listed as in my phone :) Can’t wait to the see the finished product!!!
Kayla says
great job, John! i can’t wait to see the finished product :)
also, i have to share my YHL moment of the weekend. My husband and I needed a piece of plywood at Home Depot. We found the size we needed and it was $10. THEN I spotted a similarly sized piece on the Culled Lumber cart – and everything on the cart was $1. It was a little too big but thanks to reading your blog I knew that they could cut it down to the size we needed! So we walked out spending only $1 and I told my husband John and Sherry would be proud :)
Ann says
Walmart has them all the time…about $1 a pack
Hannah says
I totally know what it’s like to go into a million stores looking for that one specific item. Last summer I needed 68 buttons that JoAnn’s sold in 3 button cards and no store seemed to have more than three cards at a time. I ended up with this “scenic route” on the way home from work to stop at all the JoAnn stores in the area. My mom even stopped at a store to buy some for me when she was out of town! So frustrating…
Megan says
Do you all have a Walmart? I would have tried them, but at least you found them. You definitely win The Good Husband Award!! My hubs is named by his first name. I think I’m “Wifey” in his phone, not sure though.
YoungHouseLove says
We do have one, but it’s not really that close (Target is, but the size they had wasn’t the right size for us).
xo,
s
Jeanne says
I do the “ICE” thing, too (In Case of Emergency). How did you get a screen shot of your text messages?
YoungHouseLove says
On my iPhone when I hold the top button (on/off) and the little square under the screen at the same time it makes a snapshot sound and takes a screen grab. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Pam says
Whenever I would get frantic looking for something as a kid, my mom would tell me, “Don’t worry, it will be in the last place that you look.” Not exactly a helpful statement, but it did make me smile at my own frustration. Glad to see you can do the same!
YoungHouseLove says
My mom said that all the time too! Hah.
xo,
s
Lizzy says
haha! my mother always said the same but then i would point out that everything is in the last place you look because why would you keep looking for something after you’ve found it! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I have a similar theory. Haha.
xo,
s
Amanda says
After the first couple failed attempts, why didn’t you take a break and call all the other places you thought they might be?
YoungHouseLove says
I actually did some calling around and everyone said they had clothespins, they just didn’t give us specifics on size or brand, so John had to check those things out himself. Wish it was easier but glad it’s all over and we’re on our way to a finished light that we love!
xo,
s
Hally says
My husband says Cooper-Emergency in my phone. You know, just in case. lol
Julia @ Chris loves Julia says
Ahhh!!! It’s like Sunday dessert when you post on the weekends….and I guess on a Sunday makes it even more Sunday-dessertish (we only had dessert on Sunday growing up). Can’t wait to see this chandelier and can’t wait to share what I have been working on for the Pinterest challenge. This was such a great idea!! And the “summer edition” tagline makes me excited for future seasonal challenges.
Cherri Porter says
It’s so funny it did not occur to you to try the grocery store or the hardware store. In Sacramento, both places carry wooden clothes pins. This sounds like something my hubby would do, except with less enthusiasm and humor.
Erica says
Well I can see I’m late to the party, but I was going to say that I totally understand the Husband John. I have my husband listed as Ben ICE (in case of emergency) so they know who to call if worse came to worse and I was ever in a situation where I couldn’t tell someone who to call.
JMay says
Bed, Bath, and Beyond didn’t have clothespins? What the eff? That sounds like the exact perfect store to carry a gaggle of all different types of pins. So weird!
YoungHouseLove says
I know, right?
xo,
s
Amanda says
And charge an arm and a leg for it! Haha.
Tasha says
I also have a clothespin project planned and got my clothespins at Dollar Tree. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, you should def check there first. I recently bought light bulbs a Walmart ($5 each) and then a few days after that found the same kind at Dollar Tree! Learned my lesson the hard way!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Tasha! We actually looked at the dollar store near us but they had big and small but no medium ones like we needed.
xo,
s
Sarah D says
Just for future clothes pinning needs….most of the Dollar Trees in Richmond have clothespins…hehe
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sarah! They sadly weren’t the right size for our metal fencing!
xo,
s
Nicole says
It’s okay. I made my boyfriend buy me tampons the other day. I think he would have preferred to drive around for 2 hours looking for clothespins. so, you see, it could have been worse. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So true. I can appreciate that.
-John
Diana says
Checking on your blog on a Sunday and seeing that you’ve posted is always a special treat!
This hunt for clothespins sounds so familiar…. I believe my husband and I have gone on a few hunts of our own, always with certainty that the next store will have what we are looking for! Good Job John!
Angela Kintner says
While I like the natural look, I think it would be cool to dye the clothespins.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely having fun entertaining multiple possibilities (dye, stain, paint, etc). Wahoo!
xo,
s
Barb says
I am so not used to the Sunday post….I was just checking…and kept pressing the HOME tab, thinking this was an old post. Then checked the date. TODAY…Sunday.
LOL!!!
Laughing at your marathon trip and knowing that we all do this kind of thing.
Looking forward to seeing it. It must weigh a ton!.
B.
Pam the Goatherd says
My hubby is a Medical First Responder and he says that the ICE(in case of emergency) tag is what they look for in a phone contact list. So that’s how my man is listed in my phone.
I totally understand, can empathize with the trek for just the right sized clothespins. I looked all over the place for 7″ pie plates to use for making round loaves of bread that I sell at our local Farmers Market. I searched stores as far as two hours drive away, specialty kitchen shops, WalMart, Target, all sorts of places. Thankfully I wasn’t in a rush to complete a Pinterest challenge project so I wasn’t on a time limit. Then one day I was in a local shop in our small town that has anything and everything for your house, from furniture to home decor to small kitchen appliances, and happened to come across a stack of 7″ pie pans. I bought all they had and asked them to order more and kicked myself for not looking there in the first place!!!
Pam the Goatherd says
Oh,and THANKS for the Sunday post. I was bored and came to visit your blog cuz I figured if nothing else I could cruise through a couple house crashings. It was a nice surprise to find the chronicle of John’s clothespin search adventure. I’m really looking foward to seeing the finished lightshade.
Jillian says
I have my hubby listed in my phone as “Scott my love”, an idea I stole from a friend of mine. I never thought about it as a safety issue! But, I agree with you…if my husband ever texted asking about a PIN or SSn or something I would definitely be suspicious!
Amy says
I totally have my husband labelled “Husband-Andrew” too! :)
Bagley818 says
Someone may have already mentioned this, but Sherry, your “Husband-John” phone ID is a great idea. Especially – God forbid – if you are in an accident. And can’t talk. And your phone is there for ID and shows who to contact. I actually have my husband’s ID as “1 Husband”, so he shows up first in the contacts alphabetical list. Paranoid much? Maybe, but better safe, easy access info to my loved one than sorry. ;)
Jessica says
Two comments (and hopefully I’m not being too repetitive of previous comments. I’m not in a comment reading mood… ):
I think it’s funny you made the joke as though she knows so many Johns and would mix you up with them but the way I initially saw it was in the multiple husband interpretation. As in ‘Husband-John; Husband-Peter; Husband-Greg’. Strange mixture of women’s studies and Big Love?
I’ve also heard it’s a good idea to have the person who should be contacted if something bad happens to be labelled as ‘ICE’ in your phone (In Case of Emergency). Without the name connected to it the situation may be safer?? Just a thought…
Taylor {The Proposal Enthusiast} says
John. You are a good husband. I can’t wait to see the reveal on Tuesday!
Zoe says
wow. I know this is probably not worth mentioning – but I am totally tripping out.
we call those things PEGS in Australia, clothes pegs. not pins.
pins over here are what you use for sewing. you know, with the sharp point and round plastic end.
so when John was going to shops asking ‘clothes pins’ them I was thinking “no wonder you are not finding them – your asking for the wrong thing” hahahaha was waiting for the suspence of the post where you texted him to say he was asking for the wrong thing- hence the 2 hours. But he knew what he was doing….
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! We call what you call pins “safety pins” and “clothes pins” are the wood ones!
xo,
s
deena says
Good grief! I had a similar experience today with 2 stores not having what I needed. Had to travel a bit further to get them. Wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t 900º out.
Laura Daniel says
You have a Ben Franklin?? Oh…but you are lucky…ours closed years ago…I miss it. :{
YoungHouseLove says
It’s the best! They recently upgraded to actual cash registers (used to hand write receipts on pads). So old school!
xo,
s
Mary says
ha ha ha I laughed when I saw Husband-John because my husband is a john and he is labled THE EXACT SAME WAY in my contacts! He laughed at me once for it. My reason is that incase something ever happened the police or whoever could look in my phone and find the right contact responsible for me :) Crazy, probably. But that’s how I roll!
IKL says
Once saw a story here on the news in nyc that you should label your emergency contact as “ICE Name” so mine is ICE Michael and ICE MOM (in case of emergency=ice…some sort of emergency response team code that would easily help anyone in an accident/etc)When I was pregnant I quickly changed my husbands and my moms to this and thank god have not needed anyone to use it (knock wood)
*Love the blog, just a side note about living room- the whole art thing has me confused…and in fact now that I think about it, you guys have so much art throughout your home but NO PICS of beautiful Clara (except for hallway gallery??, where they are not front and center) You should do large 8 x 10 black and white and color prints of Clara on the “over the karl sectional frames” instead of those tiny notecards..and you should totally frame those notecards in tiny frames and do an over the doorway little gallery entering kitchen or bathroom..just suggesting;)
plus how did u get so lucky to have such a good sleeper? my 20 month old wakes up about 4 times between 8pm and 12pm! no time for diy.
YoungHouseLove says
You can actually see the hallway frame gallery when you face the sofa and look at the art above it, so we thought it would be overkill to have family pics there and also see them about eight feet to the left in the hallway frame gallery so we opted for something else. But we do have family/Clara pics in our bedroom (on the dresser) and in her nursery (on the wall in the dresser) too. We’re also planning to add even more family pics to our laundry room makeover (since John’s mom had family pics in her laundry room growing up so he thinks that’s a cute spot for them- and I agree). We’ll keep you posted! And as for Clara’s sleeping, we just totally got lucky. My mom thinks if we have another baby someday that he or she will be a terror just to make up for Clara’s amazing sleeping. Haha.
xo,
s
Maggie says
Hmm. I’ve done the same thing, driving all around in search of something, but only after checking availability and getting bad info. And to me, the most salient thing about the clothespin chandelier project is someone of you two knew you needed to wear gloves and have metal snips to cut the hardware cloth without poking and scratching your hands with sharp wire. The first time I used hardware cloth for something, I ripped up my hands but good. (And I just use initials for people on my cell phone.)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s all John! He’s the brains of this operation!
xo,
s
Tanya says
We’ve been on vacation (with really intermittent internet) and missed this challenge. Dang!! That one pic you pinned has been on my must-do list for many months, now. Can’t wait to see your finished product :)
Nancy says
You have a PRECIOUS blog!!
http://www.houseofhudspeth.blogspot.com
candace @ thecandace.com says
DOH!!! Ahhh, such is life, eh? At least a funny post emerged from that painful experience. Can’t wait to see how it turned out!
Robyn says
Mother Hen reader here trying to keep you and your readers safe if you use the acronym ICE (in case of emergency) that way a police officer or EMT would know who to call. I have ICE1 Jack ICE2 and ICE3 so if they can’t reach ICE they can have 2 back ups. Read this somewhere, also it isn’t as easy as Erin said to get in touch with John and ask him for ransom money. Not sure how many of your readers will see this as I’m kinda far down on the list commenting. Maybe sometime you could share this as part of a post….just thinking it might be nice. Looking forward to seeing the lamp shade! Go John for being such a trooper.
Donna Jean says
I remember being somewhere around 36 weeks pregnant with my son and going around to pretty much every Michael’s in the Richmond area looking for a specific basket. I had been given one as part of a shower gift and the fabric liner perfectly matched the decor for the nursery. I didn’t do it all at once, but if I was out and there was a Michael’s anywhere even remotely close to where I was going I would stop in to check ans see if they had what I was looking for! Not sure if it was a desire for the perfect nursery or hormones doing more of the talking!
Also, if you even need it, I believe that there is a Ben Franklin’s in Mechanicsville on 360.
Jessicah says
I also find the Husband-John thing hilarious!!! Makes me think of my little sister who always signs birthday cards with her full name, first and last. Like we’d think a different Meagan got a “happy birthday sis” card? Ah well, if Husband-John helps you remember who’s who, go for it! :)
Amanda says
Love the surprise weekend post! I also have a wonderful husband who traveled to four different Targets to find the special ORB curtain rings I needed. Can’t wait to see the finished fixture. Keep up the good work!
Veronika says
Doesn’t it surprise you that people actually check your blog on a Sunday. I mean it’s Sunday, an NPE day (No Post Expected)! lol
See, for me, it doesn’t matter what it is I check your blog every day. And you know what I do on weekends? I check to find whether there are any old posts that I haven’t read yet (of course I always find one)! You know it’s so much fun, it’s like sneaking into someone’s home when nobody is home and checking the drawers for fun things (creeeepy…i know i know). So I do my thing as always this Sunday and Bam! There’s someone home! I got caught! And it turns out I’m not alone 133 people got caught along with me (or maybe more, but there just hiding in the closet waiting…)! HAHA! See you guys tomorrow and good luck with the Pinterest challenge!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yes, it totally surprises us. We toss up the occasional weekend post and wait to hear the crickets chirping. You all snuck up on us. Haha.
xo,
s
Ashley Bird says
I seriously have been dying to see this thing! I’m totally inspired to do one in my laundry room ASAP!
ideaswoman says
On our phones, we also have I.C.E after each of our names – in case of emergency
RachelSD says
Yay, a weekend post! Can’t wait to see the finished product, but the story behind the story is always the best part.
I’ve labeled my husband as “husband” also. When I email him from my iphone as part of a larger group of recipients, I always get comments about how I must need to keep all the men in my life “organized.” :)
Thais Bessa says
This was the funniest post ever!
About the phone name label, when I took a safety course they told me it is always useful to do that in case of – touch wood – emergency, so people can take your phone and know to call first.
x
D'vine Living says
This post seriously cracked me up. Remember that tweet I send you, about my DIY project driving me insane, it goes something like this post. One too many drives to the Builders store, no electricity to use my glue gun, which turned out: no electricity for the whole day, underestimated the materials… the list goes on. You will be able to read my whole ordeal on my blog tomorrow. good luck
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my! Funny part is that we had a power outage this past week too, but fortunately it didn’t get in the way of anything major (except moderating a few comments). Can’t wait to read more!
-John
Kim says
Hey…how did ya’ll capture that screen of iphone messages?? Did you just use another phone to take a picture?? Just curious.
Thanks.
ka
PS…You guys rock…You all are such an inspiration.
Thanks again.
ka
YoungHouseLove says
On my iphone when I press the top button and the square below the screen at the same time it makes a snapping noise and takes a picture. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jen says
I just wanted to say thanks for the laugh. I think I’ve been on that same kind of hunt before. I was also going to tell you about ICE, but apparently you’ve already heard.
Annette says
Wow, you are persistent. I probably would’ve called it a day after the few failed attempts. But then, I don’t have a car, so it would’ve been a bit more complicated.
BTW: Talking about the Pinterest Challenge: Sherry, you know you are top in the “Tastemakers” section of Pinterest People? In Home+Furniture, DIY and Crafts as well as in the overall category.
Way to go!
YoungHouseLove says
That is so crazy to me! Shh, don’t tell them I’m totally not fancy enough for that title!
xo,
s