Ugly Buddies

Have you ever looked at something at a yard sale, or a store, or at your Mother-in-law’s house and turned to your friend and said, “Jesus, that’s ugly.” Well, what if I told you that my Mother-in-law, Marian, has the UGLIEST stuff you’ve ever seen? (I technically have all of it, since I have the room for it and a good sense of humor.) 

Maybe I should explain that Marian actually has really good taste (in case she reads this). The ugly things she had were the result of years of antiquing with her best friend, Mam. The pieces in this collection were all acquired with 2 rules as their guide: (1) The items had to be identical, and (2) The items had to be less than $5 in total. You would be surprised at how easily you can find things with these criteria when you start looking.

Once proudly displayed on a glass-shelf bookcase, they are now in bins in my garage. Even though I was given the go-ahead to toss them, there is something about the collection that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Maybe it’s because I can picture Marian and Mam finding a perfectly atrocious set of something to add to their display, imagine their conspiratorial glances when they spot their mark, and hear their giggles while they haggle over the price, and rearrange other uglies to make room for the new ones. 

As collectors, we just get it!

So now they are Paige’s and mine, and soon they will be flung far and wide into our community of ‘id’iots. 

Here’s how it works: Some of the products in our online shop will come with one of two matching Ugly Buddies as a bonus with your purchase. When your Ugly Buddy arrives, take a picture of yourself with it and email it to info@thehouseofid.com along with your Instagram username. We will connect you to your Ugly Buddy match on Instagram by posting both pics and tagging you. This way our quirky community gets to know each other a little better, and the collection finds a new home other than in my garage. Win-win.

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One ugly buddy per household, please. Honestly, these are really ugly and more than one will throw off your pH balance.