Welcome Sponsors!

 

I’m happy to partner with these great, new sponsors and hope you’ll take a minute to check out their sites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, thanks to my renewing sponsor:

 

 

Bedding Style Labor Day Sale!  Save 15%  with code Labor15. 

(Offer ends September 4th and excludes all Marimekko and candles.)

 

 

Send Me a Picture: The Last Thing I Bought Online

 

 

 

Continuing with yesterday’s theme of online shopping, I asked ten design bloggers to share the last thing they purchased online for their home. Great pictures and resources ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last online purchase I made for our home was this very reasonable striped runner from Crate and Barrel.  It is so versatile!  It's lived in my bathroom, my twin girls' room, and could just as easily be moved to the kitchen or hallway.  A runner has the unique ability to visually lengthen a space, but with the horizontal stripes, this rug also visually widens -- a win-win!

Camille Snyder, The Vintique Object

 

 

 

I recently purchased several yards of this Duralee Fabric – Loop de Loop/Smoke - from Fabric.com. When I found these two garage sale side tables for $5, I knew I wanted to transform them into beautiful bedroom stools for the end of my bed. After a little paint and creativity, I am so happy with the way they turned out! Online fabric sites are the best way to browse for fabric, with hundreds of brands and styles available at the click of a button.
 

Laura, Elegant Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

A custom pillow in my favorite RicRac fabric from the lovely AriannaBelle. I had been talking with Arianna about making this for weeks and my sneaky husband busted into my Etsy account and bought it just in time for my birthday. Classic but fun, I think it is a great alternative to chevron.

Elizabeth, little black door

 

 

 

 

 

I bought this octopus shower curtain from Cafe Press a few weeks ago for my kids' small bathroom. I knew I wanted something bold and graphic, but curvy and organic to contrast the the smaller scale angular patterns of the basket weave tile on the floor and the subway tile in the shower. This octopus was perfect and it's fun for the kids without being really themey.

Lane McNab, Urban Orchard Interiors

 

 

 

 

 

God knows it's the perfect month for me to participate in your "Send Us a Picture" series; I buy EVERYTHING online ;) The last thing I bought, that has actually arrived, is this gorgeous Moravian Star Pendant from Joss & Main. The entryway in my new home is a little understated to say the least. It needed something dramatic to make it stand out from the two rooms flanking it, the living room & dining room. This pendant definitely does the trick!

Reichel Broussard, Copy Cat Chic

 

 

 

 

 

I love my Dorothy Thorpe lucite pretzel candleholder. I am obsessed with vintage accessories and find most of mine on Matters of Style Marketplace. After Sarah let me borrow her candleholder, I had to have one of my own, so I found this one on Etsy. Best of all, lucite isn't easily broken, so even moms with young twins don't need to worry!

Traci Zeller, Traci Zeller Designs

 

 

 

 

 

The last thing I bought online for my home was this braided jute rug for our family room. My old cream colored shag rug was a little too small for the space and had started looking more beige than cream thanks to my two boys' dirty little feet. :) This rug fills the space nicely which really pulls the room together- and it hides stains!

Kate, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

 

 

 

 

 

The last purchase I made online was my Summer area rug for my family room. I got a great deal through Wisteria. I still can't believe the price.   I got my 9X12 striped cotton dhurrie rug that retailed for $899--and I got a 70% discount because it was the end of the season—so I paid $269.70!! Best deal I think I have ever purchased, plus I love the fresh look it gives my family room for the Summer.

Kathysue, Good Life of Design

 

 

 

 

I recently added the navy & black tassel lamp from Shop Ten 25 (Does that count since I own the Shop? Ha! )  I am in the process of remodeling my design studio and recently installed these gorgeous lamps on the built-in desk!

(PS—The pink velvet beaded pillow can be found here!)

Abbe Fenimore, Studio Ten 25

 

 

 

 

Hi Emily A Clark fans! Kate here from Centsational Girl, participating in Emily's series! I'm always nervous about online furniture purchases but last year I took a leap of faith and purchased two club chairs from a Joss & Main sale. They are the Lenox Club Chairs and available at several online sites, including Wayfair. (Search "Lenox Club Chair" for other online sources). The chairs are smaller in size than the average club chair and the seat is more firm than I expected, but they're the perfect pair for our living room and I'm delighted with the purchase. I cozy them up with pillows and a throw blanket each season!"

Kate, Centsational Girl

 

 

What’s your latest online find? 

If you’ve ordered something great lately—or if you want to share your favorite online shop—feel free to share on my Facebook page!

 

Shopping (Online) for Your Home

 

It should come as no surprise that I’m finding it easier and easier to shop online for my house these days.  It’s that, or take five kids with me to TJMaxx. . . Now, that would be a treat! 

The world of online shopping no longer means that you will have the same Pottery Barn pillow as everyone else (not that I don’t love Pottery Barn pillows!).  Flash sites with their ever-changing and one-of-a-kind items have changed all of that.  Not to mention what you can find from other shoppers who go out and search for unique pieces for you and sell them on sites like Etsy and Ebay.

 

A pair of pretty chinoiserie bowls I’ve been admiring on Etsy

 

 

The downside, of course, is that touch and feel element of in-store shopping is missing—which can lead to guesswork.  And, returns can be a pain to repackage and costly to ship back.  (I’m so bad about keeping and not returning, even if I’m not 100% sure about something.  Are you?)

 

 

 

 fabric from here (and a quick look at my girls’ headboards)

 

 

It’s also interesting to think about how people’s homes have changed in the last decade or so thanks in large part to accessibility to online shops.  No longer are your big ideas limited by your geography.  Do you ever wonder what your home would look like if we didn’t have access to all of the online shopping sites that we do now?  (Not to mention inspiration via blogs, Pinterest, etc.)

 

 

 

 Rug from Overstock; Nightstands and curtains from IKEA

 

 

And,of course, there’s the thrill of getting a package in the mail or on your doorstop.  (Surely I’m not the only one.)  Like a little present (that you picked out and paid for yourself).    

 

 

 

 

But, without a doubt, the best part of shopping online is playing in the peanuts once your packages arrive.

 

 

 

 

When it comes to decorating your home, do you find yourself shopping more online or in-store lately?

 

 

PS—Speaking of online shopping, check back tomorrow for my Send Me a Picture series.  Bloggers will be sharing the last online purchase they made for their homes.

Little Updates to Our Living Room

When it comes to our house—especially our living room, I’m forever adding, taking away, fluffing, rearranging, and editing.  Do you feel the same way?  Hopefully, you don’t get tired of seeing my little changes.  Personally, I eat this stuff up when it comes to other people’s blogs.  So, here are the latest changes and additions I’ve made to our family’s main hangout:






I restyled our bookcases—again.  It was just never quite right, but after the addition of more white pieces mixed with some texture and a little green, I’m feeling better about it.  (Btw, I find that it helps to take everything off and start all over when I’m restyling.)

I have a lot of old family pictures that I dropped in this glass cylinder:

And, since I didn’t have enough milk glass for all of the shelves, I grabbed some glass candlesticks and a small vase and sprayed them white.  Spraying them with a flat paint gave them a similar milky look.

Stupid book title?  Just flip it so the pages show instead :)

I also added some punches of black and white with these large chevron pillows (from Etsy).

 

And, the IKEA Eivor throw:

I hung these two pieces of art together that I bought at the flea market:

And, I’m thinking of adding a collection of baskets on top of the bookcases, so I’m testing this one out for now:




 

PS--Linking to this fun party.

Plaid Rugs & Other Impulse Purchases

 

After purchasing and living with the colorful kilim rug I purchased as the jumping off point for my son’s room last year, I’ve done it again.  Yes, I found a different jumping off point in the form of this plaid rug I found on Joss & Main last week:

 

 

 

 

I never even knew I liked plaid rugs until I saw this one.  It just seems like the right amount of masculine and preppy mixed together. 

 

 

 

 

The deal with sites like Joss & Main is that you have to act pretty quickly since the sales only last a few days and quantities are usually limited.  This has been a good and a bad thing for me.  It has resulted in a few impulse purchases that are now sitting unused in a closet. . .  Fortunately, I had some referral credit in my Joss & Main account which helped me to jump with less hesitation when I spotted this rug.

 

And, beyond that, I haven’t gotten very far with his bedroom (as he likes to regularly remind me).  We did buy this bunk bed from Overstock last summer (because he really wanted bunks).

 

 

 

image: Overstock

 

 

I haven’t touched the walls but am thinking about painting the room a fresh white:

 

 

 

 

 

And, he currently has the green campaign dresser (from our last home office) that I really, really do not want to repaint.  (Storage is a must-have.  He has a slight hoarding problem, as evidenced by the top of the dresser.)

 

 

 

He has also requested a desk and bookshelves in his (small) room.  I’m hoping that I’ll be hit with some great inspiration once this plaid rug arrives later in the week. 

 

Now, back to my impulse purchases.  The problem with not having a plan before you begin is that you sometimes end up with random things that sit in your closet and you never end up using.  This is exactly why I’ve listed several items under the Shop tab that I’m ready to send to a new home.  Take a look, and maybe you’ll find the perfect start to your next project.

 

A Few More Days. . .

 

One’s choice in backpacks says a lot about where you are in life.  Don’t you think?

 

 

 

Enjoying the last few days before school starts on Monday, and trying to “get ready” to go back on a regular schedule with five kids in tow.  I was so miserably pregnant by the end of the past school year that I’m thinking this has to be easier :)

 

 

 

I could be thinking wrong.

 

 

Have a great weekend,

Lucky Girl

 

One perk of this blogging gig is that you sometimes get to “review” products. . . It’s even better when it’s for one of your fellow blogging buddies that has just started a new Etsy shop.  I got this pretty “Jada” bracelet from Lakeitha in the mail earlier this week:

 

 

 

 

I love it.  It’s chunky without being too big, and she was able to make it fit my strangely small wrist (you just have to let her know).  It’s a great mix of dressy and casual, and goes with just about anything.

 

 

She has lots of color options and styles in her new shop:

 

 

 

 

These bracelets add a little glam even when you have a Gatorade mustache and haphazard pig tails :)

 

 

 

Check out Wrist Soiree here.

 

An Office Inspired by My Own

 

I love hearing from readers who have used something they’ve seen on my blog or in my home as inspiration for one of their own projects.  So, I was flattered when Nicole used our home office as a jumping off point for her own office redesign. 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s her original idea board for the space:

 

 

 

 

And, the final result:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money-saving idea. . .

Instead of built-ins, she customized a combination of  Billy and Benno bookcases from IKEA with crown molding and trim.   (See more of this process here.)

 

 

 

 

We also used the same resource for our farmhouse tables/desks—Craigslist!  Hers wasn’t the finish she originally wanted so she fixed that with some major sanding and a miniwax stain:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She also included display space for her pillows that she’ll be selling on Etsy starting next month:

 

 

 

See more of Nicole’s work and office redesign on her blog.