Putting Out An APB On Jute Braid Pillows

I have been meaning to go to Homegoods for the past 2 weeks to get baby boy a Christmas stocking.  I finally made it there this weekend and they had SO MUCH good stuff I had to really restrain myself to not make unnecessary purchases. This has been a very hard skill to learn.  In another life (read: pre-baby and pre-unemployment) I would have bought everything.  Just because.

Look at this cool trunk:

Anywho, back to the matter at hand.

I've been coveting these Jute Braid pillows at Pottery Barn,

but didn't want to spend $39 for the 4 that I need want. 

And then came across almost identical ones at Homegoods for $19.99!

I want light blue to continue my light color theme in the living room.  A year ago I would have bought the ones that "kinda" met my needs and then bought new ones 2 months later because I couldn't fool myself into liking them anymore.   I didn't see that color choice in the rows of pillows so decided to move on.  See my progress here, people?

Then I saw it........sitting in the little boy bedding section......

However, it was not the size I wanted and it had a stain on it.  Again, the old me would have purchased it.  Commence the applause for my dedication.

So - I am calling out to you, dear bargain shoppers, to keep your eyes out for the square blue jute framed pillow at Homegoods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls on your next visit.  I'd like 4, 2 would suffice.

Thank you.

Deal of the Day

You can keep using the coupon code all day.  I placed 2 separate orders over $25 and got $10 off each transaction.  Plus free shipping on any order!  The Dr. Weil line is magical.

Deal of the Week

For you Cyber Monday shoppers, I thought I'd start off the week with a deal for you.  I hope you had a great holiday weekend!

I've always loved Alan Campbell's Zig Zag fabric, but not the price tag.  I had bookmarked this similar fabric and finally got around to ordering a sample to compare the two.

Unfortunately, I only have the regular "Zig Zag" and the sample should be more appropriately compared to the "Petite Zig Zag".  You can kind of get an idea of the difference in the images below.

Zig Zag

Petite Zig Zag

My two sample pieces

Alan Campbell's is a beautiful blend of 55% linen / 45% cotton while Alexander Henry's Zig Zag is 100% cotton.  The Zambia also has tiny turquoise dots scattered over the zig zag.  If you can get past that, the much cheaper version would be a great impostor for throw pillows or window dressings.

I also think this would be a fun DIY:

Photo Courtesy of Coastal Living

Table Scaping

I am lucky enough to live down the street from South of Market and visit the store from time to time to drool over the merchandise.  While I love everything in the store, I often find myself saying "Really?" after looking at the prices of things.  $400 for a large throw pillow that isn't even double sided or have piping?  I'm in the wrong business people.  Well, I'm currently in NO business, but you catch my drift :)

I have seen these placemats in another store so it got me thinking that I could easily make these.  If I was hosting Thanksgiving, I'd totally whip these up for an easy, simple table-scape.

How you ask?  Well, I still have to put it to the test, but I'd find me some thick burlap (usually sells at fabric stores for about $1.99 a yard) and a stencil online.

I like this pilgrim hat stencil:

or this pig  (I know, nothing to do with Turkey Day, but it's cuter than a turkey stencil):

Print out a large image (on stiff cardstock if you have it or, better yet, stencil paper) , cut it out, tape to the pre-cut fabric, and paint it on.

I'll have to add this to my growing list of projects.

Off the Atlanta tomorrow morning.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

I Knew It Looked Familiar

I finally caught up on Parenthood over the weekend.  Do you watch?  It is so good: heartwarming without being cheesy and entertaining without being totally unrelatable (is that a word? spell-check doesn't seem to think so).  Kind of makes me wish my family was huge and all lived in the same area. Kind of.

Anywho, I couldn't help notice the rug in Billy Balwin's office (yes, a Baldwin brother other than Alec is in it.  I promise it is a good show).  My instincts said "West Elm" and I was right:

On sale!!

Hi My Name is Katie and I'm a Chair Addict

I l-u-v.........

the color (elephant!), the fabric (kid-friendly!), the nail head trim, AND the price ($599!).  Thank you, West Elm, for feeding my needs.

Oh, man, a pair of these would look so cozy in front of the fireplace.  Too bad the fireplace doesn't work :(

I have an urge to purge my other furniture and buy new (or, new to me), but no one buys furniture from Craigslist down here.  How does one unload their good stuff without giving it away?  Also, how does one buy new stuff without any money?  Riddle me that dear readers.

Happy Friday!!!!  Let's hope this weekend is better than last.  Let's just say I lost the battle with a spilled can of paint.  Did I mention is was GREEN paint?  We now have daily reminders of the incident everywhere.....:)

Deal of the Week

Mitchell Gold is having a 25% off all in stock upholstery sale! I have to go check out this Cara Collection in person and add this couch to my ever growing list of wants.  Hello perfect shade of grey!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Let's Try This Again

My sister has informed me that my last post made me sound like a Debbie Downer ("Bah Humbug"? Really?).  What are sisters for? It is a dreary day here in Charleston so let's blame it on the rain.

Sorry the color chart wouldn't post below.  It showed up in the edit, but not in the published post.  Oh well, I'll probably use Valspar anyway because they have prettier colors.  I am trying not to go too spray paint happy around the house, but I already have 4 separate projects to do (yikes!).

While I'm contemplating color, you should check out these cute fabric prints at Premier Prints.

I'm loving:











Happy Thursday!

A Rainbow of Options

Life in the Knowles household has been hectic lately.  With visitors, a cold, and a 3 night trip this month, we've had no sleep.  Needless to say, I am feeling very uninspired.  I'm contemplating where this blog is going now that the upholstery projects are on hold indefinitely and the renovation is over.  We have no money to decorate at the moment so perhaps we'll switch gears to a few DIY/Use-what-you-got projects.  I see a can of spray paint in my hand in the near future.  Which RustOleum color swatch do you like?