Stag don't

Christmas sales in the UK are huge.  Most of them kick off on boxing day (the day after Christmas - also a national holiday.  Take note America - would it hurt to give us 2 days off for Christmas!).

It's like the UK equivalent of Black Friday.  So after Christmas I was prepped and ready to head out and grab the post Christmas bargains.  It's in my genes!

First stop was Target and their huge sale where I went straight to the home section and picked up a pillow, napkins, bowl, coasters and stag candle holder.  I always avoid the gift wrap and bags - there was a tonne left so I'm sure they will still be around when Target goes to 90% off.

Next up was Michaels where I scored some icicle house lights.  Everywhere else had just blue left, so I was pleased to find the white after rummaging through an entire shelf.  Plus a couple of boxes of glass baubles for next years tree.

I picked up the pink mercury glass pendents (in the pic above) from Walmart.  I'm thinking of turning them into this:

Pinterest.com

I got home and began to lay out all my bargains.  I still couldn't believe the stag from Target was still there.  And it had all it's antlers intact.  But it does look a little bit weird, I thought.  Oh wait, it's because it's missing an ear!

In my hurry to inspect the antlers I completely overlooked the fact that it is missing an ear.  An EAR people!!  What an idiot!


So now I'm left with 4 choices:

1 - leave it as it is.  It's unique and artistic, the Van Gogh of stags (plus, if I leave it at an angle you won't notice).
2 - snap it's other ear off - ouch!
3 - try and fashion an ear out of something (never going to happen).
4 - return it

Oh, the perils of clearance shopping!

 

Kate

xxx

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

When all's said and done, sometimes it's best to just lie down and take a nap :-)

 

Kate (& Murphy)

xxx

DIY Desk

I've been on the hunt for a sturdy desk since we moved into our house.  Target has some great deals on their ladder desks, but they have no storage - something we're in desperate need of.  Craigslist has an endless supply, but most are either too big or would need refinishing.  And I really don't need another furniture project in the garage gathering dust!

Luckily, I spotted Michaels semi-annual storage sale in their weekly add.  There were no prices listed, so I thought I'd pop in to see what the options/costs would be (as if I ever need an excuse to visit Michaels!).

They had an amazing selection of stackable storage.  Basically a square pod with all number of storage options; some with shelves, or drawers, or containers.  I calculated that by stacking 2 together (they come with special plugs especially for stacking) I would have a counter top height of 29" - the perfect height for a desk.  One style was on clearance for $15 so I bought three of those, and one that was originally $35, but $17.50 with my 50% coupon.  All in all it cost $62 for the base.

 

They were super easy to put together (if I can do it, anyone can!).  The three holes are actually a file folder, and the drawer with the long opening is for ribbon, but will be perfect for posting letters in.  I have it all planned out.  Organisation here we come!!

 

 

My next stop will be Home Depot for some wood I can stain and run across the top.

Kate

xxx

 

Another bedroom!

I haven't taken many pictures of our 2nd guest room as it's been a bit of a dumping ground for half finished projects, picture frames and of course the ironing board!

But it was time for a tidy, so I took the opportunity to snap some pics of how it is now.

 

 We decided not to paint this room (for now!).  It's a neutral beige so is completely livable.  I painted the headboard an off white (more on that here), and we added the cocoa bedding.  The orange chair was a flea market find and the cream pouf a Pier1 clearance score.  Ignore the weirdly low bed, we'll eventually get a larger mattress for the Master and the old Master mattress will be moved to this room.

 

 

 The pictures above the bed were originally cut from scrap booking paper (it took all my brain power to measure and hang them so they were evenly spaced.  I would tell you how, but I couldn't remember if I tried.  I seem to remember lots of tiny calculations on the back of a receipt!).

 

 

This is how the room looked when we went to view it:

 

 

When we moved in:

 

 

And now:

 

 

 

The next thing on the list in this room is to get rid of the hideous giant black ceiling fan.  It's far too big and far too black for the space.  It's like the Darth Vader of fans.  I can't imagine getting much sleep with that thing looming over you. 

 



 

Kate

xxx

 

I'm a big fan fan

I've been on the hunt for a vintage fan for months.  The word was obviously out as any I came across were always mega expensive.  Well, too expensive for me anyway.  Etsy had a good selection, but when you factored in shipping it just wasn't worth it.  So I couldn't believe my luck when I came across this beauty in my go to flea mall (Bama Flea Mall).

 

 

 

I have no idea if it works or not - I haven't risked plugging it in in case it shorts the whole house!

 

Hopefully it will end up in a beautiful vignette like these (nothing a globe, a few lemons and a cactus shouldn't take care of!):

 

 

The Painted Hive

 

 

Miss Mustard Seed

 

 

Smile and Wave

 

Kate

xxx

 

Maybe next time

Unfortunately, the trip to Mall of America didn't happen after all.  David will just have to wait to meet me - I'm sure he was disappointed!

I did, however, manage to pick up another source of design expertise at one of our local thrift stores:

 

It's funny to read how much decorating opinions have changed.  It was published in 1976, and has some real decorating gems, such as:

 

"Making a man suffer in a pink bedroom or, worse, a pink living room.  Think of others when you plan a scheme."

 

"Being afraid to cover everything in a living room in a bright chintz.  It can be charming."

 

I'm not even going to tell you what I thought a "lambriquin" was before reading this book - and now I know, and can guarantee we won't be having one in our house!

 

To see decor we would be horrified to find in a house today referred to as crisp and contemporary (yes, paisley fridge I'm talking to you!) is hilarious.  Makes you wonder if we'll look back on in 35 years and wonder "what were we thinking" about ikat or chevron or chalkboard paint!

 

Kate

xxx 

 

Loving YHL

I couldn't wait for Santa to bring me the YHL book, so I ordered it from Amazon about a month ago(I'm glad I did - its been back ordered for the last couple of weeks!).

It's basically an extension of their blog with lots of easy (and cheap!) decorating ideas.

A great place to turn if you need a little kick start in the inspiration department (sounds painful!!), plus it gives you a realistic time scale of how long projects are going to take and cost.

 

Young House Love

 

I've got a couple of their tutorials picked out, so watch out for how they turn out.

 

Kate

xxx