Archive for November, 2009
And Now A Letter To Ikea
Dearest Ikea,
We love you. We really do. But yesterday you exploited that relationship and I just can’t bite my tongue this time. Just because “some assembly required” is one of the terms of our relationship, it does not mean that we want to put together every single thing that we buy from you. This means you Kassett storage box.
Sure, putting together your furniture is often part of the Ikea fun. Not only do we gain an affordable and stylish item for our home, but it comes with a guaranteed sense of accomplishment. But there’s no pride in having to assemble my own cardboard box. None at all. Need I remind you that an item like this comes free (and fully assembled!) with the purchase of simple things like shoes and cereal? So why must each of yours require multi-page instructions, a dozen screws and 15 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back?
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a break from all that allen wrench action. But having to punch out 24 holes by hand was a bit ridiculous. You even went as far as to perforate the holes, but stopped short of removing them completely. Really? Or was that a bonus gift. I get a storage box AND complimentary confetti? No thanks.
In summary, it took me nearly an hour (and 48 screws!) to put together the four Kassett boxes that we bought this weekend. That’s more time than it took me to assemble the Expedit bookcase that houses them. They do look pretty darn good in the end. And I can’t complain about the $6/box price tag. But please, charge me the extra buck or two that it takes you to ship a pre-assembled box (I know shipping things flat saves me money, but a flat bookcase or bed is a lot more of a space saver than a 11.5″ box). I’m begging you. Help me help you help me. And I’m sure that loving feeling will come a-floodin’ right back.
Sincerely, John Petersik
PS: Thank goodness the top of the box came pre-assembled. That, my friend, could’ve really been a deal breaker.
Bethany’s Design Dilemma
This room off of Bethany’s kitchen and dining area is ready for a multifunctional makeover. Here’s her letter:
My husband and I are so excited to finally get one of your coveted weekly spots! We’d LOVE to add this large, first-floor room (which is adjacent to our kitchen and dining area) to our existing entertaining space. The room is fairly large but we have no need for a library, and while the room appeared to be perfectly suited as a dining room (hence the garish faux gold and plastic chandelier) we have yet to actually use it for that. As I mentioned, the location and layout of the room make it great for entertaining, but we’d also like to be able to use the space on a day-to-day basis. I enjoy doing yoga & making crafty things, so I’ve wondered if there was a way to turn the room into a multi-purpose area, suited to crafty projects and yoga in a day-to-day sense, but still able to be transformed into extra entertaining space (think buffet table and bar) when needed. Difficult, I know – but I have faith in you! We like a cross between traditional and modern and the built-ins must stay but everything else in the room can go: the terrible wall color, the desk, and the wingback chair. We wouldn’t mind using the wingback chair if it suits your plan for the room (I have another one and we could update them with new upholstery). We’re willing to paint the built-ins as well. One color that I’ve been loving is gray (and deep navy blue as well)- the room gets lots of light so it can take some pretty dark colors. I also love, love, love patterns (especially big, graphic and bold ones)! Breathlessly awaiting your help in Washington, DC – Bethany (& Blake)
Here’s the plan:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
Read the rest of this entry »
Window Shopping: It’s Target Time
We’re back with another fun virtual shopping trip to Target (like this one and this one of yore). We slipped through and snapped all the purrrty holiday and non-holiday themed things that tickled our fancy and John even got a chance to make fun of my Twilight obsession. Sure it felt a little soon for all the Christmas things, but there was so much good stuff to be found that we just kept clicking away. Let the fun begin…
In those impossible-to-resist decorative rows up near the front of the store there was suddenly lots of chic holiday paraphernalia to be discovered. And I was all over these amazing faux-bois silver vases (the picture doesn’t do them justice) and these gorgeous candelabras (one lays low with chunky pillar candles on it and the other stands tall with smaller tea lights glittering among the metal branches). They would both add so much festive sparkle and would even work well for the entire winter season (can’t you imagine them gleaming at New Year’s too?).
We also loved their take on holiday pillows. Not a big red santa in sight, but lots of silvery and icy blue patterns that would pair super well with the white cable knit sweater pillow beside them for a snowy winter feeling. And at $19.99 a pop, the price is right. Sigh.
And speaking of $19.99, this massive gold platter would be quite the statement piece no matter the season, but it sure would look festive full of metallic ornaments in the center of the table or even full of white taper candles glowing (gotta love instant ambiance that’s easier than lugging in logs and starting a fire).
And to continue the gold theme, we also gravitated straight to these gorgeous $15 and $20 amber-gold hurricanes (which can be filled with everything from a flickering candle or gold spray painted pinecones to festive mixed nuts (wouldn’t large walnuts and chestnuts turn them into great Thanksgiving centerpieces?). We also drooled over this lovely-in-any-season glass based lamp (we’re a little obsessed with glass lamps in general) and it’s just $39.99. Delish.
And we’re calling it. Warm goldy-green is going to be THE Christmas color this year. At least it will in our house, where we plan to add pops of soft leafy lime to our collection of glittering silver & glass ornaments. It’s fun yet sophisticated at the same time- and it’s definitely a way to wake up metallics and give them a fresh new look. And these pretty little trees in varying heights would make such a fun little accent on a mantel or the center of a table (sort of like last year’s dining room feather tree grouping).
We also loved this intricate china with modern little holiday prints on them (especially the ones with subtle silver snowflakes lining the rim). And at $12.99 each there’s no pressure to grab a full set of eight or ten- just snag one or two for laying out dessert (cookies? pastries? biscotti? brownies?) and they’ll instantly earn more attention than the sweet stuff itself. Well, maybe it’ll be a tie.
We also checked out the holiday vase filler options and walked away with two DIY ideas. Why not collect your own pinecones and spray them gold, silver, bronze or any other color you’d like (white? that always works for us). And likewise, we loved the idea of using cinnamon sticks to add texture and seasonal scent to a room (coffee beans also make for some cozy vase filler around the holidays).
We also made our way to the actual holiday decorating section in the back of the store, and although most of the stuff wasn’t set up yet, we did get a taste of some of this year’s ornaments- and we liked what we saw. All three of these awesome $9.99 ornament collections feel modern, crisp and super festive. So whether you’re planning to dress up your tree like a blue and silver ice princess, keep things white on cream or go festive and colorful… you’re covered.
We also made our way over to the holiday lighting section (which was set up, although the trees and most of the ornaments had yet to arrive) and we noticed that they had plenty of LED lights to choose from. They’re definitely an appealing option for their amazing energy efficiency. They even come in “warm white” and the crisp almost-blue “bright white” so you can choose the look you’re going for. And just to be thorough, we made our way over to the regular backyard aisle (you know, the one with the solar lights and the all-season-long string lights?). And there we saw pretty round bulb lights (exactly like the ones we used for our backyard wedding) which we think would also be super festive for the holidays. We just love those big round globes gleaming in the night…
Now this picture probably has you questioning my taste level, but these super cheap bows (10 for $4.99) are actually what we snagged in bulk last year to stick around our tree in lieu of traditional “garland.” And we loved the outcome! Just picture them all fluffed up among gleaming silver and glass ornaments as opposed to flattened on a red piece of cardboard (you can actually catch a glimpse of them in action right here).
And now for the non-holiday finds we were drawn to like moths to a flame. This brightly patterned green bedding was super fun, and of course would look lovely any time of the year- especially in a room that needs a hit of color and pattern to wake things up (read: a room with white or tan walls, matching wood furnishings, and not much else going on). Bam. Instant style.
And this oversized wire basket from Smith & Hawken (on clearance for just $17) was another lucky find. For the holidays it would look so pretty with evergreen branches and ornaments in it, and for the rest of the year it can hold anything from fluffy towels or TP in the bathroom to shoes, leashes, gloves and hats by the door in a laundry room or mudroom (or any makeshift organizational corner that you throw together).
And I finally got to “meet” these pillows in person after recommending them for many a mood board. We just love the chic circular graphics and the colors are perfectly neutral so they’ll work in nearly any room (oh and they’re just $25 a pop).
Last but certainly not least, John couldn’t resist an impromptu photoshoot in the art aisle. He loves to point and laugh at me for devouring four teenage vampire novels earlier this year and I can’t really say I blame him (but in my defense, they were very good). Just don’t hang this poster in your house. Ever.
So that’s what fried our bacon at Target this season. What about you guys? Any favorite items above that you’ll be dashing out to make yours? Any other Tarjay finds that you’re coveting these days? What did we miss? Let’s talk shop.
Psst – Already in the spirit of Christmas? Here are some fun decorating posts from last year to keep you humming “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer). First there’s this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one. Have fun!
Oh and p.s. – We have no affiliation with Target nor were we paid or otherwise rewarded for this post by the fine folks at Tarjay. We just love sharing things that tickle our fancy and we hope that you enjoy our little window shopping excursions.
Fab Freebie: Duet To It
***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries***
Sherry and I have a system when we paint a room. She edges (aka: cuts in) and I roll. We both claim to have the more difficult job- and sometimes I think we’re both right (hello painting brick?), but this week’s prize could prove us both wrong…
The RYOBI Duet Power Paint System is specially made for two people who, like us, enjoy tackling a paint job together. We haven’t taken one for a spin yet, but the idea that both of us could have fresh paint pumped straight from the can to separate his-and-hers painting attachments (a roller for me, an edger for Sherry) almost makes us want to break out our paint swatches again. Heck, there’s even a sprayer attachment if someone’s feeling particularly daring.
But since we don’t have any looming paint projects to tackle, we want one lucky winner (and their handy painting assistant) to try this puppy on for size. Here’s how to enter:
- PRIZE: The RYOBI Duet Power Paint System (valued at $116)
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “DUET TO ME” and…
- BONUS QUESTION: …tell us your favorite musical duet of all time. Are you all about some old-school Sonny and Cher? Or does the more recent Madonna and Justin Timberlake collaboration rock your world?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: Anyone in the lower forty-eight US states
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday. Good luck!
**Psst- Want more free stuff? One lucky local can snag two coveted tickets to R. Home For The Holidays where guest speaker Eddie Ross will be chatting about seasonal decor by swinging over to our Facebook page and submitting your entry. We wouldn’t miss it for the world!
Get more info on our freebies at our Giveaway FAQs page. Images courtesy of RYOBI.
Calling All Experts: Critter Control?
When Rebekah emailed us with a doozie of a question we were pretty much left scratching our heads. Here’s it is:
I’ve become an addict of your blog – just ask my husband! I can’t help but check it multiple times a day. Your posts are always so informative and they keep me motivated to keep working on our 1960′s home. Anyway, my husband and I purchased the brick ranch with a lovely yard about four months ago. My only problem is that we’re starting to see more pests (i.e. roaches… ewww!) due to the weather getting colder here in Georgia. I can’t live in a house and accept that the pests will always be there. We woke up at 4am last night because one crawled up my husband’s arm. Help! I was hoping you or your readers had some recommendations for in-house pest control. I know that pests might come with the territory of living in an older home, but I have to believe there’s a cure out there. I’m an uber-clean person (vacuuming & dusting once a week) plus we don’t leave food out and we keep everything off of the floor as much as possible. I hope my only option is NOT to hire a pest control company but if it is then so be it. Any advice? – Rebekah
Yup, we were stumped. Luckily (knock on wood, oops that spooked the dog and now he’s barking) we’ve never had to deal with roaches or other pests like (shiver) mice as of yet. But we did suggest that Rebekah try google-ing around for “natural pest remedies” or “getting rid of roaches” or even hanging out in the pest control aisle at her local home improvement store to see what she can find (maybe even asking an expert there what they recommend). We’re thinking there are little things like roach motels that can poison them or trap those creepy little buggers, so they might be nice to hide behind things and in corners- but Rebekah would definitely have to be careful that pets and kids don’t get into them!
In short, we tossed out a few paltry common sense ideas but wondered if any of our lovely readers had more tried and true advice to share. After all you guys were so helpful when it came to our annoying bathroom drain debacle (which we gleefully solved here), so we’re hoping that a few of you have some great ideas to toss out for Rebekah. Any natural remedies or not so natural cures that work like a charm? Any specific products or treatments that did the trick for you? Any ideas for finding the root of the problem (ie: holes? cracks?) and sealing things up at the source? Feel free to chime in and save the day. We’re hoping that regular “Calling All Experts” posts like these will become a great resource for anyone with common issues like clogged drains and pesky pets- and we definitely plan to rely on them whenever we need help right along with the rest of you!
Psst- And if you actually want to make a style statement with some roach china like this cup and saucer, you can find more info right here on Apartment Therapy.
