Summer Sales, Cute Birdies and Dish Storage Update

Birdie Update

Mr. Snake has not been back. I guess he doesn’t want to encounter that psycho woman again who sent him sailing off the top of the bench and into the shrubs when he tried to make a dinner of the Eastern Phoebe birds nesting in the corner of the front porch.

The birdies have made quite the mess up in that corner of the porch, but you can’t mind too much when you see these sweet faces. Just look at that adorable hairdo the one on the right is sporting. 🙂

They have their eyes open now, I don’t think it will be too many more days before they leave the nest. I just hope Mr. Snake doesn’t make a reappearance about that time. I’ll be trying to keep an eye out, I hope they don’t spend a lot of time on the ground once they do leave the nest. Wonder how birds know when it’s time to take the big leap? I guess it’s just instinctual.

Eastern Phoebe Baby Birds in Nest

 

Storage Cabinet Update

I don’t have the best news on my garage cabinet storage. These are the dead bodies of all the cabinets that have arrived in the last few days. They are all three chipped and dented, awaiting UPS pickup tomorrow.

 

In all, I ordered six cabinets. The two that arrived via a professional shipping/moving company on a giant truck/pallet, have arrived in one piece. The four that arrived via UPS and FedEx, have all arrived damaged. The boxes always look beat up upon delivery and inside I have found chipped and dented cabinet sections. So disheartening!

 

I would have been willing to accept a couple of chipped pieces if they were on the back side where they weren’t visible. But all the chips are right on the front of the cabinets where they are very obvious, especially since many of the cabinet parts have 2-3 chips/chunks taken out.

 

I was hoping I could find enough non-chipped, non-dented pieces out of these three boxes to at least put together one whole cabinet. Nope. It’s pretty bad when you can’t even assemble one good cabinet from the parts for three cabinets. In one box, 7 out of the 9 pieces were damaged, plus one of the hinges.

 

I can’t tell you how discouraging this has been. The boxes are very difficult to get into because they have to be opened where I can get all the pieces back in if they have to be returned. So I can’t just rip into them. It has been brutal on my fingers/finger joints.

Then there’s the sorting and moving around of all the heavy components, only to discover many are badly chipped and dented. Each box contains so many damaged pieces that Ameriwood, the company that makes these cabinets, won’t send replacement parts. If more than half the pieces in a box are damaged, they won’t send replacements…and every box has had more than half damaged.

Now Amazon is out of the cabinets, so I’m waiting for them to come back in stock. I’m hoping when they get more in, I can convince someone at Amazon to ship the four that I need via the company they used for the larger units with the drawers. Apparently, it’s more expensive to ship that way but I can’t imagine all these returns are very cost-effective, either.

The cabinets with the drawers that I shared in THIS post, are the only ones that have arrived undamaged. These have been delivered on pallets, so they haven’t been thrown around on trucks and man-handled to death.

 

The other drawer cabinet (like the one above) is awaiting assembly in my garage, so that’s what I’ll be working on today.

 

The dishes I brought out in anticipation of having cabinets to store them in, have come in handy for sorting and organizing some of the parts. Tip: Shamrock bowls make great sorting dishes with their three-leaf shape. Just something to keep in mind the next time you need to sort screws, cam bolts, compression dowels and the like. 😉

 

I took this photo when I was assembling the first cabinet. One hinge came with a dented cap and another was missing it’s cap entirely. I’ve swapped those two pieces out from the damaged cabinets that have arrived.

 

I really can’t recommend ordering this unit from Amazon until they stop using UPS and FedEx for delivery. I ordered four, and all four have arrived badly damaged, one so bad, the package was broken in half and bent over. That one I refused at delivery.

Cabinets for Storage in Garage, Basement or Home

 

Amazon delivers this unit (with drawers) below via a professional moving company. It has arrived undamaged both times. Just passing this info along in case you plan to buy any of these cabinets on Amazon. You’ll find this cabinet available here: Storage Cabinet.

Storage Cabinet with Drawers for Garage, Home, Basement or Office

 

Awesome Summer Sales

I just discovered one of my favorite stores, the one where I’ve purchased my wicker bags, is having a 40% off flash sale right now. Check it out here: 40% Off Flash Sale.

Cabinet assembly can wait a little bit. This is the time of year so many of my favorite stores have their summer clothes on clearance.

J. Mclaughlin Wicker Bags and Sunhat

 

Big Sale at Talbots!

Also, Talbots is having a big summer sale right now. These cute wedges that I just purchased recently are included in the sale. You may remember when I shared how they look on in this post: Stylish Summer Sandals.

Shhh, don’t tell, but I ordered a pair for my daughter-in-law, a little surprise that she should be getting in the mail in about a week. I love my son dearly but he’s just not into Espadrille Wedges and such…have no idea why! lol I’m enjoying having someone I can talk fashion with. You’ll find these cute wedges here: Wedges.

Espadrille Wedges

 

My local Talbots had a fashion show recently and one of the ladies was wearing this skirt. It was soooo cute! I almost bought one that day but I was hoping it would go on sale…and it has! It’s on sale right now for more than 50% off! I may just have to go for it! You’ll find it here: Summer Skirt.

 

Love this cute ruffled sweater-jacket that’s also on sale. It available in four colors.

Ruffle Sweater-Jacket

 

I’m super tempted to get it in black. I had a sweater similar to this in black years ago. It was by Ralph Lauren and I wore it completely out. It was so flattering on, very feminine and comfortable! It would be a great transition piece for going into autumn. You’ll find this sweater-jacket here: Sweater.

Sweater Jacket in Black with Ruffle

 

Eyeing this raincoat for Ireland. It doesn’t look heavy or like it would be too hot and the length looks perfect–not too short and not too long. It’s currently on sale here: Barbour Raincoat.

 

I’m a big fan of Frye bags and just discovered their shopper tote. I think it would be great for travel or as a carry-on bag. It’s available here: Shopper Bag

 

 

Enjoy the summer sales, love this time of year for finding great deals!

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



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Comments

  1. Kathy Griffith says

    Getting large items as your storage cabinets is not done well by Amazon or its suppliers. I have had the same experience. I decided to go to Home Depot and purchased a similar cabinet (no drawers style) and brought it home with it all in great shape and all the pieces in working order. So maybe if you have a Home Depot close by and can transport the cabinets home (maybe even if one at a time) you might be better off instead of just hoping the UPS delivery goes well.

    • Thanks for the suggestion, Kathy. I looked at the ones in Home Depot a few months back and the ones on display were all broken across the bottom. Also, the employees there didn’t have good things to say about them. Plus, the reviews online were not good. Also, I didn’t like how they sit on the ground. I like how these are up off the ground just in case in water gets near them in the garage. So I really do want these. I may have to order them from another place other than Amazon.

  2. Sorry to hear about your shipping woes, things that seem easy are never that way. Bummer!
    I want to be adopted as your daughter in law. How about it? You are so sweet to buy things for her, all my mil ever gave me was a hard time. lol.

  3. Sorry about all the damaged goods…..so discouraging. Several years ago we purchased similar cabinets from Ikea, and they were delivered to our home undamaged. We hired someone Ikea recommended to assemble them as we are not as handy as you! I love the cabinets, which hold most of our Christmas decorations. Good luck.

  4. Eileen Jalet says

    Susan,

    How frustrating! Just when you think you are going to get organized – whamo!

    I have noticed that the last 3-4 times I have used UPS, boxes have been toln open, bags have been ripped and things have been dirty and/or broken! These guys are made to deliver so much in one day they really don’t have the time to be careful any more and that is the fault of UPS (and no I have no relatives that work for them. Fed Ex is just as bad. One day they delived to my office on a Sat. Instead of re-delivering the item on Mon the driver decided to send it back so, I never received the item (what a mess that was). So, good luck and I do hope you get those cabinets together.

  5. Bummer!!! You do all the research, make a decision, do the ordering, get excited, and then it all comes to a screeching halt!!! Not fun!!

    A few years back, I ordered cabinets from Home Decorators catalog, they are part of Home Depot, they arrived just fine and they had glass doors too. Had to hire a handy man to put them together, just too much for me to handle, but was well worth it to me!!

    Hope this all has a happy ending for you!!

    • Ohhh, I love the glass panels idea, that sounds so pretty! How were they delivered, Cleo? Did Home Decorators use their own delivery?

  6. I’m sorry to hear you are having such problems with shipping. This comes as no surprise, though. I have hit & miss with FedEx and UPS. I won’t get into the problems with USPS! 🙂
    Keeping my fingers crossed for you that your next shipment of cabinets will arrive dent free. The storage arrangement you have set up in your garage will be awesome.

  7. I have received so many broken items that were seemingly well packed. So they must be throwing boxes against brick walls, or from the roof, to cause so much harm. It would seem that by now there would be many horror stories out there from former employees explaining why and when it all happens.
    Hope this is resolved sooner than expected; I know you must be anxious to have it done and forgotten. But, calm yourself with more shopping 😀

  8. I really enjoy all your posts. I love dishes, birds . . . and the list goes on!
    My comment is “for the birds.” My aunt lived in a condo and at the entryway into her house (on the covered porch), she hung a large decorated grapevine wreath. From her kitchen window, she could see the wreath and was SO excited to notice a little bird was building a nest in the wreath. Over the weeks, she watched the wreath closely and could see several eggs in the nest and eventually, there were baby birds. She was enjoying her “bird’s eye view” of the little family of birds evolve. THEN, her house became infested with mites. The exterminator was certain they had come from the wreath that housed the bird’s nest. What an ordeal! The entire house had to be treated for the infestation – – – all the bedding had to be washed, etc. SO a word of caution: Be very careful how near doors and windows you allow your feathered friends to take up residence!

    • Yikes! That’s awful! I had House Finches build a nest once in a basket on my door. So glad it didn’t turn into a mite situation. That sounds awful! Thanks for the warning, Betty! My babies have left the nest now, they did it yesterday morning. I waited to make sure none of them would return or try to sleep in the nest at night. They haven’t been back so I removed the next this morning. I wore gloves just in case there were any little bugs hiding out in it. 🙂

  9. One can only say one thing to mangled shipments….Grrrrrrrr……
    Then of course up the decibel speaking to a manager.

  10. Susan, I’m so sorry the latest cabinets arrived in such poor shape. I can just feel your frustration coming through your words. I get so many boxes labeled “Fragile” from UPS that are dented, open, or crushed. We all need to get on them. I’m sorry to hear FedEx delivers packages in the same shape. I just must not order from companies who use FedEx, so I don’t have the experience I do with UPS. I know how discouraging it is to be all ready to organize and get stopped. When we get that urge, we need to be able to carry through with it! I’ll bet you can find the name of the company online who manufactures these cabinets and have them sent to you. I’ll bet if enough of us complained about these delivery services, some improvements might be made. I hate that UPS never, ever knocks on the door any more when a delivery is made. With so many packages being stolen off porches these days, that isn’t very smart. At least the snake hasn’t reappeared! I always fear so for baby birds on the ground. We have some neighborhood cats I try to watch for when the fledglings are out of the nest. Nature can be so cruel. But beautiful, too! I have to say you have some adorable hardware holders. If you have to work so hard, it’s nice to do it “in style!” Best of luck in the coming days on your cabinet search.

  11. We have had cabinets in our garage from Home Depot for years. They even survived our move from FL to GA. They are plain fronted so nothing fancy. You could always put feet on the bottom of cabinets, or even casters, if you wanted a cabinet elevated off the ground. After all the trouble you have had with the previous deliveries, I would be done with them. You have more patience than I do.

  12. Jill from Southern NH says

    We have Phoebes in our yard here up North too! I love everything Talbots has this summer. I used to shop mainly at Ann Taylor but I’ve become disappointed with their inconsistent sizing and experimental silhouettes in the past few years, which leaves me driving 45 minutes to return an online item that didn’t fit to the store. Also, on a recent mall trip I was blown away by the service I received in comparison at Talbots – the attitude of the associates, even the atmosphere of the store (and little conveniences like water in the dressing room and a store restroom!) I visited on a recent sale day and got some cute tops I’d been eyeing all summer, and a ruffle striped v-neck dress that absolutely works miracles! So I am officially a Talbots convert! I love your tan wedges but need to take a step back since I work for a women’s shoe company and have lots of sample styles and items I’ve bought with my employee discount. Thanks for turning me on to J.McLaughlin this summer too – can’t believe I’d never heard of it before. Traditional Home did a story on their family’s rowhouse a while back and it’s online here if you’d like to see it: http://www.traditionalhome.com/design/beautiful-homes/stylish-playful-new-york-rowhouse

  13. Susan thanks for the updates on the bird family (I do like the ‘do on the left baby bird; he looks like he just woke up and had no time to style his hair before sitting down for breakfast!). I do appreciate Betty’s comment; I would never have thought about the mites situation and I do keep a wreath on the door.
    When I decided to go the garage cabinet route several years ago, I went through the closet people (many make garage and pantry organizational systems). I knew I had room for six cabinets and I got several quotes (the prices varied widely). For about $1,000 I purchased six identical cabinets (I did not need any drawers) and they installed them (happiness and joy). I enjoy their usefulness in storing my seasonal items and they have held up well these past 6 years or so. They sit up on a little lip that the water from the cars does not seem to bother. You can buy more shelves depending upon your storage needs (the cabinets each come with three adjustable shelves in addition to the bottom shelf). Since I store many things in plastic containers, I just stack the containers and to date have not ordered additional shelves. You can order in a variety of finishes. I went with kind of a blonde wood look (not oak), but you can get cream, walnut, etc. Maybe you could explore that route. That way you can spend your days getting your dishes and all in order and not having to deal with the delivery issues. I am looking for an outdoor seating set for our lower deck and have seen some pretty ones online, but I have read reviews about delivery issues with furniture as well and it does make one hesitate. Can’t wait to see it all once you’ve got it worked out though!

    • Wow, sounds like you got a great deal! What are the dimensions on your cabinets? I would love to just have cabinets built-in down that whole wall but the thing I like about having individual cabinets is when I move one day, I can take them with me. When I got a quote for cabinets from a closet company several years ago, it was a lot more than $1,000. I’m amazed they were able to provide 6 cabinets and install them for that. The prices here in Atlanta are usually so much higher when I’ve looked into it in the past. Thanks, Roxane!

  14. Mary Boger says

    How annoying! What a waste of time and resources. Boo
    to Amazon delivery. I got a couple glass door Hemmed
    cabinets from Ikea. Delivered promptly by their private
    carrier. Perfect condition and a snap to put together.
    I would not hesitate to use Ikea again. I don’t know if
    they have anything that could hold the weight of what
    you want to store but I love these cabinets. They often
    have good sales. Took almost a year of shopping to find
    these. Good luck!

  15. Marlene Stephenson says

    I am so sorry you are having trouble with those cabinets, its a pain i know, i hate sending things back. At least you have your shopping and cute birdies to give you something to smile about.

  16. It’s a bummer about the cabinets…feel your pain…think we tried FIVE times to get our kitchen cabinets )(American made, too yet!!!) delivered without incident. Whew…not easy…a lot of times it’s the packers *sigh* Good luck! franki

  17. Margaret Robinson says

    Hi – This probably doesn’t help deal with the basic issue of having things from Amazon delivered destroyed, but it may help identify something. Here in our part of California most things are delivered UPS or FedEx. However, in the past month of so I’ve had items delivered by people in vans from Amazon (all paperwork correct), but with no name on the vehicle. I’ve checked and complained to Amazon about exactly the same type of problem you and everyone else seems to be having. Their reasoning is that using a company that doesn’t charge as much when UPS or FedEx is overloaded helps keep items being delivered “on schedule”. This is totally bogus because as I explained to a higher up at Amazon, it doesn’t help anyone if items are damaged. I watched this one delivery person crawl over things to find my package. It was a small package just thrown in amongst everything and all the boxes were just a hodgepodge of a mess. Contrary to what you’ve experienced, UPS and especially FedEx have been great over the years, even on holidays. If you and your followers are sure it’s UPS/FedEX, there is a real problem as these companies have enjoyed a long reputation for delivering goods on time and intact. I hope you’ve let someone other than “customer care” reps know.

  18. Thank goodness for those super cute clothes and accessories; otherwise, this would’ve been totally depressing. I hate that for you on the cabinets. What a mess, and UPS/FedEx are awful about throwing things around. I hope they enjoy picking them up. That might teach them to handle a little better the first time around.

  19. Nancy Trotta says

    Susan,
    Today I found the Talbot polka dot shirt at a local thrift shop. The label and size tag had been cut off. It was never worn or laundered. I tried it on and it was snug on me but I bought it for $5 and took it home. I let out the back darts completely and it fits fine since I wear my shirts open with a camisole under it. Since I follow you, I got a new blog today. Reading through it I came upon your recent story about the runny polka dot situation. I had read about it at the time, but had not realized it was the same garment. I will wash it with the color collectors you recommended. Wish me luck. You and I have similar passions–travel and DYI projects. Thanks for your great blog.

  20. Oh, Susan, I am so sorry your efforts to get organized have been thwarted! I know how it is to get one’s mind set on accomplishing something, and then not be able to continue because of someone else’s actions. I think shopping is a great way to brighten the day!! Love that ruffled sweater. Here’s hoping your next shipment arrives safe and sound. We’re all pulling for you out in blogland!! Rosie

  21. Have you thought of checking out IKEA for storage cabinets? Sorry. For your hassles.

  22. Kay from Kansas says

    Susan, you might want to look at the Nordstrom Summer sale starting tomorrow for everyone. There is a Diptyque tiny candle set in the sale, too.

  23. So sorry for all of your frustration with the cabinets. If your two cabinets with drawers were delivered by truck because they are heavier, and were delivered in acceptable condition, I would be tempted to order the rest of them with drawers so you can be sure they will be handled with care. I know you wanted more shelving, but drawers can hold dishware just as well as a shelf. Could be one solution…..

  24. PatinCal says

    This is the kind of phoebe we have here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_phoebe They are my favorite birds. I love watching them take off from elevated sprinkler heads, catch bugs on the fly and casually return to the perch.

  25. Hi Susan
    Have you tried IKEA? They have some nice cabinets, however I do not know how sturdy..

    Loved the shoes and clothes, I’m going shopping.

  26. Tammy S. says

    Hi Susan~. So sorry about your cabinets. I saw a tv investigative program where FedEx just threw stuff onto the recipients’ property. My husband used to work for USPS and he said the major problem is unproper packaging by the company; however, it’s just my opinion that such large boxes should be freight shipped. Best wishes for a speedy correction.

  27. Susan,
    I love hearing about & seeing photo’s of your new birdies. We were on vacation in early May and when we came home I noticed my beautiful wreath on my front door was hanging crooked. A mama Robin decided to build her nest in the wreath. (I guess it was easier for her to build there rather than steal all the dried flowers and carry it to a tree). I became very protective of those babies. I took daily pictures for progress and am amazed at the whole process. I posted photo’s when they hatched (not the prettiest before they get their feathers) and continued until they flew the nest. Sadly, there was one little fatality. I’m not sure if his brother pushed him out too soon or he fell. I was heart-broken. I now see them in my yard and am sure next year they will be back to have their own little babies.

    About your cabinets – I know how frustrating it is. At this point all you want is your cabinets delivered (in one piece), assembled and your garage set to rights. I would tell amazon not to use UPS for this shipment. Hoping it all gets sorted shortly. Love the sale items! 🙂

  28. Karenann says

    So sorry to hear about your cabinet dilemma. I did the same thing as you and order white cabinets for my basement for extra pantry storage. I looked at Amazon first, since I have gotten beautiful extra storage units for our nursery at Amazon, but I was a little hesitant after reading some reviews of the pantry storage there. I ordered my beautiful pantry storage units from Target.com, and they came in excellent condition, were easy to put together and are very sturdy. Perhaps you should check out Target.com to see if they have similar pantries. I know it is so frustrating when you have a plan and the only problem is getting in damage-free units so you can finish your project! Good luck and I hope to see your beautifully finished storage area very soon!

  29. It’s a pain when things don’t go together as they should. I was thinking that since you have a stainless steel cabinet in the garage already…did you see about getting a stainless steel cabinet style? Even if it did sit on the floor, water wouldn’t damage it. Just a thought.
    rls

  30. I think that the problem with the shipping of those cabinets is that they aren’t packaged properly to be shipped individually. Items like that are generally shipped as freight, on a palette, directly to a retail store. They aren’t floating around the back of a UPS/FedEx delivery truck, going through those sorting facilities, etc. I hope that you can get the units you want, but I think that other posters have had great ideas about looking elsewhere. Hope it all works out!

  31. We have such high expectations when we find something we like and such disappointment when the other side doesn’t come through. You can go online to Consumerfinance.gov and make complaints.
    Afraid to tell you, creepy crawlies are territorial and stay close to where they were born. I keep using chopped garlic in oil and it seems to redirect them. With heavy rains, it washes away, so I have to keep putting it down. Now I have a baby opossum that is looking for the stray cat’s food.

    • I really don’t mind snakes since I know that eat the things we don’t want around like rats. Since I feed the birds in my backyard, I’m sure that draws mice and such, so glad they are here in my yard. I just don’t want them going for the birds. The birds fledged today and I missed it both times. 🙁 But at least I don’t have to worry about them anymore and can put my benches back on the porch. lol

  32. SANDY PARK says

    Oh Susan, I’m so sorry that you are going through all this trouble with these cabinets. How frustrating you must feel. I know I would be too. Especially when you want to get started on this big project. Hang in there, maybe you’ll just have to order the drawer cabinets.

  33. Thanks for the baby bird photos…so cute. Yes, adorable hairdos. I almost bought that pretty black ruffled sweater, but have purchased so much lately. Bought sale things from Anthropologie, Talbots, and Kate Spade and now Nordstoms sale started today. Oh dear. The shoes are cute, too. Nice for your DIL that you are so kind to her. Well the cabinet thing sucks. Amazon may be getting just too big, but they are great with returns. I try not to buy things that are big online. I bought an 8×10 rug online recently but was really nervous about it. I would have had to pay to return, but luckily we liked it.

  34. So sorry to learn Susan you are having delivery upon receipt woes. As for the damage you are describing; the old T.V. commercial for American Tourister Luggage with a Gorilla as a baggage handler comes to mind. (You can probably find it on YouTube.) As for your feathered babies …. oh so sweet. -Brenda-

  35. Love the bird babies !

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