First things first, we did a little spring cleaning so we have a fresh little header and a lighter-and-brighter site background up in hurr. Hope you guys love it as much as we do. Update: if it looks wonky on your computer, try refreshing and then clearing your browser’s cache/cookies/data :)
Speaking of apologies, it’s been way too long since our last window shopping adventure. As most of you know, these aren’t paid or perked or anything – we just walk through a store with a camera and take photos of whatever inspires us for you guys. This post is actually long overdue (woops) but now that I’ve uploaded the pics and sat down to write this post I’m all excited again. See, we got to stop at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Georgia back when we were visiting Katie Bower (and meeting Weston for the first time) and it was full of good stuff. So let’s take a spin around, shall we?
As soon as we walked in we saw this cute little heart chandelier for $14.99 (I bet you could make something similar with an embroidery hoop, fishing wire, and red construction paper (or felt). Heck, even a giant hula hoop could be the base if you wanted to dramatically up the scale!
This was a little $19 kids chair in pink that I thought was cute. Can’t you see it in a subdued space like a kitchen or an office for a pop of fun color?
These were $35 kids chairs that were a little more traditional and cottage-ish. They were nice and solid and definitely could slip into any space thanks to their neutral color. Wouldn’t they be fun with dipped legs in a bold color like red or turquoise?
This little red play kitchen was intensely charming, and it was marked down to $124 since the dial was missing. At first I thought that was steep (Clara’s play kitchen was $74 to make) but even places like Ikea charge $99 for their versions, and this one is extra cute thanks to the bright hue. And you could just pop a kitchen timer from Anthropologie into that missing-dial-spot in the middle and it would be all better.
These $4.99 alligators charmed me to no end. They’re the I-wish-I-had-bought-one item of the day.
These giant chunky floor lamps were expensive (don’t remember how much, but I remember my mouth falling open) but I think if you have some loot sitting around they’d be such awesome statements in a room. Kinda reminds me of something that would be on the set of Something’s Gotta Give or The Holiday (they have such pretty homes in those two movies).
These gleaming glass lamps were $49 each (and really big and gourdy and fabulous) so I totally would have snatched them both up if we had a spot for them. Miss you my pretties!
This $49 pendant was great too. Can’t you see it over a breakfast table or even in a bedroom? That long drop-rod wouldn’t work in our house unless it was over a table or a bed (eight foot ceilings mean things that you walk under can’t be that low) but it’s pretty awesome for a space where you don’t have to worry about clearance (like an entryway with a high ceiling or a breakfast nook).
These babies were $267 per chair (steeep!) but if money grew on trees I’d totally have left with a few of them. They felt super chic and luxe with the mix of leather, wood, and that antique-looking hardware on them. They were like something Restoration Hardware would charge $500 for.
As usual, there were some fun rugs – and this time I fell for this bold red guy with a crisp white stripe. I was telling someone the other day that I always thought of red as a traditional color (you know how traditional homes in the 90’s all had a red walled study or a red walled dining room?) but my eyes have been opened to how awesome and modern and fun red can be. Long story long, I’m a red convert and I wish I had a spot for that rug.
This dry erase calendar was around $40 I think, and it seemed like it could be pretty functional (and you could probably DIY something similar with a stencil or even with letter stickers from a craft store – especially since they sell dry erase paint now).
I thought this egg tray was cute for Easter. Picture it full of a ton of colorful freshly-dyed eggs as a centerpiece on the table.
The wish-we-had-room-in-the-car-for-this-item award goes to this $49 train table (well, there are four of them stacked in this picture). We brainstormed a few ways to squash it into the car with us, but we just didn’t have the room. It was probably cheaper than buying the wood to make a solid wood train table yourself and the ridge around the edge would come in handy for so much more than trains (Clara already has a train board, but I think this would have made an awesome coffee table in the sunroom and Clara could play games and color on it without worrying that all the crayons and markers would roll off the edge).
This picture of the $35 wine barrel tray that we found does it’s size no justice. It’s HUGE! Basically the size of the bottom of a wine barrel. It would be awesome on a large dining table with a few family-style dishes (like a giant bowl of pasta and crusty bread – mmm) sitting on it. Heck, you could even screw a lazy susan under it to create a monster barrel-looking lazy susan. Man now I wish we bought this too.
This $49 basket was also huge, and the large weave and the chunky handles were pretty cool. We have $30 Target baskets throughout our house for Clara’s toys, so $20 more per basket might be a bit much for us, but they sure were pretty.
And this $499 cabinet was definitely in the “aspirational” category. Can you imagine how organized you could be with all those shallow drawers? I’d use it to hold all of my art supplies and miscellaneous prints/drawings that I want to eventually frame.
Hope you guys liked that little virtual window shopping spree. It’s fun to duck into different places every once in a while (we usually traipse through places like Target, World Market, Ikea, thrift stores, and smaller independent shops). What stores have you been ogling lately? Are there any DIY versions of things that you’ve seen in stores that you’re getting ready to attempt like dipped chair legs, paper mobiles, or dry erase calendars?
I like the new header! Crisp and clean. :)
And man, I wish I were at that store – I LOVE that little pink chair! It would be so perfect for the little table I just painted with my daughter!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jkNGwp4tG6HfCph9pUuSk_cRrgELxpUjhp8SFW2xr0k?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TlKrs43WK4TJrB_b87oG2PcRrgELxpUjhp8SFW2xr0k?feat=directlink
She begged for a pink “oops” paint from home depot so I taped of her little table and let her go at it. I love that I can still see all the old painting/marker/crayon marks. :)
Aw, I hope you can track one down somehow!
xo
s
I oooooogle world market a lot. I want most stuff they sell esp. Big furniture… and food. Also I’m trying to find a way to get a big lazy Susan on a rectangular table.
I know its kinda off topic, but what camera do you use to take all these pictures when you’re shopping? The pictures look too nice to just be taken with a cell phone.
I am such a tourist! I wear my big DSLR (we have a Nikon D3200) around my neck and take pics throughout the store. They just smile at me like I’m a weirdo! Haha!
xo
s
The HURR and WONKY is why I love you guys. You are hysterical… thanks for always adding humor to these super fun blog posts! Have a great weekend!
Aw thanks Jackie!
xo
s
That cabinet with all the drawers is on my to-do list for my future sewing room. Ana White has the plans for a lower, wider one. I think all those handles are probably going to be the most expensive part of the project!
The train table would be super easy to make, too. Someday, when I have grandkids…
Love the wine barrel tray and at $35 it was a steal. I have seen them for well over $100.
Love the new look! :)
Love it all! Great picks. Now if only we had a pb outlet in Kansas City!
We went shopping at World Market this week and found a bunch of adorable yellow and blue things for spring. It was the perfect way to snap me out of my “It’s-spring-why-is-it-snowing?” funk!
http://lovinghere.com/makeshift-sunshine/
Great finds! I wish we had a PB outlet close by, but no such luck.
I tend to buy a lot from PBK’s since I love the embroidery and their products. I wish we had an outlet – I usually just go online and check the sale/clearance products. I do have to say though, the tables are not great quality. We bought a table and 2 chairs for our daughter for our living room (it matches the color and isn’t huge so it fits nicely in the room) but the finish is chipping after only a few months on both the table and the chairs and all I usually wipe them with is pledge or a feather duster. Very disappointing. We bought a small table and chairs for our daughters bedroom from IKEA and it’s in WAY better shape and we’ve had it the same amount of time.
Oh no, that’s sad!
xo
s
My parents got a regular pottery barn white kitchen table and matching wood chairs and it turned out that they were painted ever so slightly different shades of white. So be careful when buying. See it in person!
Great tip!
xo,
s
Two things!
First I am devestated Calgary Alberta does not have a PB Outlet. I would go and visit all the time.
Second, congrats on the shout out in Rsal Simple April edition. You guys rock!
Ahhhh, isn’t that crazy?! Made our month!
xo
s
That is a steal for that play oven. The whole kitchen set is around $800 from Pottery Barn! I’m building my play kitchen too but that oven is very cute.
Love it!
That egg tray is gorgeous. Am I out of my mind or would it be cute hanging on the wall?
That would be so pretty!
xo,
s
Thanks for taking us on a fantasy shopping trip! I am actually pleasantly surprised with the PB Outlet prices. Hmmm… sparking some ideas!
The first thought I had when I saw the wine barrel tray was “bet they bought that for the lazy susan they want on the DR table”! Is it too late to send Bower over and have it shipped?
I read somewhere a decorating “rule” was to have at least one thing red in a room. No idea where or why I saw that but I’ve tried to adhere, it’s just a nice pop of color sometimes.
And now my serious question of the day: How in the world do you keep nail polish on? So many shots you’ve got that great coral-y red polish rocking and I can barely wash a sink of dishes without chips!
Oh it has crazy chips all the time! I repainted them a lot and they get wrecked within 5 hours. Haha! So they only look good from far away and if you only look at certain fingers. Haha! And as for the wine barrel I don’t need it enough to make Katie drive to S.C. for it ;)
xo,
s
All the PB comments have me seriously craving some peanut butter, haha! :-)
Hi guys!
Thanks for all the great window shopping! if you ever want a local drop-in, we’d love it if you came to check out our new shop, Twig! We’re in Lakeside right by the farmer’s market and Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. I think you and your readers would enjoy the look — we call it Kicked up cottage living. It’s a mix of vintage, new and local/regional artists. Don’t mean for this to be a public plug — just wasn’t sure how to contact you so I went this route. hope that’s ok. Cheers and happy Easter! Jennifer
Sounds fun!
xo,
s
Pottery barn for the win. We’ve got an outlet north of here that has been on my list of places to visit for a long time now. This help inspire me to get my tuckus over there! :) Love the new header, BTW.
Love the PB outlet!!! And the header looks so lovely, nice job guys, the colors are so you!!! Have a Happy Easter!
Aw thanks Kate!
xo,
s
Great header! We just made our first custom header for our baby blog recently. It’s very simple too! … I was debating a trip to our outlets this weekend- I’m taking this post as a sign ;-)
Haha it’s totally a sign!
xo,
s
I had no clue that PB had outlets! Kansas just never gets the cool stuff.
On a totally unrelated note I saw this video and it is set in Richmond. I thought you would enjoy it!!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/man-practicing-kung-fu-in-a-fast-food-parking-lot
Holy cow that’s amazing!
xo
s
Unrelated question- my bedroom is currently a dark purple (kalamata olive by BM) but the room doesn’t get a lot of light so I wanted to go with a light aqua blue (Rain Washed by SW). How do you recommend going about painting over a dark color with a much lighter color?
You could do one coat of primer to help :)
xo,
s
Have yall seen this? white + ceramic + bees :)
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-ceramic-storage-dispenser-white/-/A-14465490#prodSlot=medium_1_17
xoxo, Michelle
So cute!
xo
s
I love the idea of the wine barrel as lazy susan. I think that might be my favorite thing in the whole post. I have a question for you…..do you ever find something so fabulous at such a great deal, even if you don’t have a spot for it right now, you buy it and squirrel it away for later use? Or are you straight up: no use for it now, no purchase ever? Just curious because I do try to have a purpose for the things I buy but sometimes something is just too good to pass up so I store it in my home decor closet where I rotate items in and out when I am bored with them for now but don’t want to get rid of them yet.
If something’s a crazy good deal (maybe under $5) and small enough to store we might grab it anyway, but if something’s big and more than $15 or so, I don’t think we like to hoard those things just because it all adds up and it’s space (and money) that we can’t use on something we need more, ya know?
xo
s
I just LOVE the window shopping posts- all the fun of shopping, but none of the guilt! The new header is nice, too. Happy Easter to all four of you!
Thanks Maureen! Happy Easter to you too!
xo
s
New header looks good, but there’s a super teenie tiny gap under the menu bar. That kind of thing would drive me crazy, probably mostly trying to fix it.
Oh yes, Kelly, if you clear your cache/data/cookies on your browser it should jump right back to where it belongs. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Dont know if they do it in every state but here in Indianapolis some of Targets unsold merch is sent to the area’s Goodwill stores. I recently picked up some Nate Berkus items there that I didn’t want to pay full price for at Target.
No way, that’s awesome!
xo
s
I love the kitchen! I have a 14 month old boy who loves play kitchen but we haven’t purchased one yet because they are all so girly. This one is adorable!! I also love all those little drawers in that final piece. I would organize my craft room with that!
Guys, I just have to say, if you’re thinking about more kiddos and staying in this job, it’s time to get a minivan! They’re dorky, but convenient!
Haha, scroll back in the comments for another chat about our car situation :)
xo
s
What fun stuff! I’m drooling over the red play kitchen. And drooling over the whole Pottery Barn Outlet experience – never been to one.
Hey, speaking of art supplies, where DO you store them?
Two of the cabinets in our built-in desk (the ones on my side) have all my art supplies in them :)
xo
s
Pottery Barn Outlet!?! Oh, I wish CA had one. So jealous!
Did you guys ever explain why you don’t have roof racks? For under $50 I just don’t understand why you don’t.
We usually just borrow bigger cars from family members to get stuff around, but who knows, maybe there’s a roof rack in our future :)
xo
s
Sorry, under $30, not $50
http://www.amazon.com/Highland-2005200-Black-Universal-Carrier/dp/B00002N9G1/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364593334&sr=8-2&keywords=roof+racks
I haven’t read all the comments, but couldn’t y’all DIY a lamp from a porch post or spindle from Lowe’s? Sure you could.
Ooh that would be fun! The key would be finding a super chunky one and having a long enough bit to get a cord through the whole thing!
xo
s
I love that idea! Maybe you could carve some sort of channel in the back to set the cord into if you can’t find a drill bit big enough?
Totally off-topic (hate to be “that guy”), but Groupon is currently having a deal with My Publisher- $10 for a Classic 20-page photo book. I know you guys get the 100 pager but just thought I’d share for others who may be interested :)
Thanks so much for sharing Alyssa!
xo
s
How about one of those multi-drawer chests for half price? Go to Richmond Craigslist and type in “chest.” Not identical, but similar look and function.
Love that!
xo
s
Love the refreshed header!
Thanks Jessica!
xo
s
I have a similar, framed version of that Marker board calendar from Pottery Barn. A friend of mine wanted one like it and I searched for something similar to give her but could never find anything big enough. And there it is in the outlet…miles away. I finally gave up and decided to make a printable the size of an 18X24 engineer print from staples, used a Micheals coupon and framed it in a glass poster frame.
http://www.iloverehabs.com/2012/12/04/advent-day-4-free-xl-printable-marker-board-calendar/
Love the other finds and love the new header!
I so hear you on the red issue. When Pantone came out in favor of emerald, my first thought was: Green??? no no no red my friends LOL… I even made a case for red back in February I believe. I take my red with a tinge of orange these days. Love red!! At the moment ha ha .
I love those folding directors’ chairs with the sheen-y leather. I see those chairs all the time on Craigs’ List, and I bet there’s cheap leather, or at least pleather somewhere. hmmm. Btw we are going to Jonathan Adler’s store in Georgetown today!! I will say hi to all the ceramic animals for you!
I tried to DIY a heart chandelier after I saw it in the PB Kids catalog, using an embroidery hoop, fishing wire, and construction paper, but the result was pretty disappointing compared to theirs. I’m skilled at DIY crafts, but not with that one! I snapped a “real” one up when it went on clearance. Worth every penny!
Aw, that sounds awesome T!
xo
s
Hey guys! Okay, I hate to be that person, but I’m like 90% certain that the kitchen timer is from West Elm, not Anthro. I only know this because I bought it for my bff’s birthday a couple weeks ago and totally want one for myself! Okay, done being that person. ;)
Aw thanks Ashley! Turns out it’s sold a ton of places according to commenters, which is pretty funny because sometimes the price really ranges depending on where you find it :)
xo
s
Regarding the header change, it got me thinking. Courtesy of the wayback machine I took a minute to peruse past iterations of your blog. Can I just say from the standpoint of a graphics/font junkie and the wife (and cheerleader of) a programmer, you guys have as much right to be proud of the site and you do of your home.
Seriously; it’s the vehicle that gets you guys and what you do to us in the first place and it takes a LOT of work that’s not easy to appreciate for a lot of people. John’s coding improvements are as obvious as his carpentry skills becoming the business over the life of this blog.
After however many thousands of posts you’ve done and however exponential your readership has grown, you’ve managed to have this amazingly user-friendly site doing its thing with vast improvements along the way.
I think what I’m saying is, I’d like to take a moment to praise your behind-the-scenes, inspirational nerdiness.
Aw thanks so much Kathryn, that’s so sweet of you to say.
xo,
s
I wish there was a PB outlet around CT. That wine barrel serving tray?! Yes. Lazy Susan. That’s exactly what I need to DIY. You have so much self control.
I love the new header. Clean and bright screams spring! I’m a graphic designer as well as a DIY blogger so you get a “great job” from that side of my personality as well!
Thanks Christina!
-John
How did I not know that PB outlets exist! The nearest one to me here in RI is NY state now I am thinking what sort of weekend trip could involve a window shopping trip of my own LOL.
I made a mobile that’s very similar to that chandelier for my daughter’s nursery! I imagine that this one is similar – since the hearts are attached with light thread, they seem to dance with the slightest breeze (or if you blow on them, which makes Anna squeal with delight!)
http://findingformerglory.blogspot.com/2012/08/just-add-baby.html
So sweet!
xo
s
These are such great finds! I wish I had an outlet like this by me … Or maybe I don’t. ;-) My paycheck can only stretch so far.
I just LOVE window shopping! I didn’t even know PB had outlet stores, but now I really want to go to one. I’ll have to look online and see where the closest one is to my neck of the woods.
I recently did a little window shopping of my own by visiting CB2 for the first time while spending a long weekend in NYC on a babymoon. I blogged about some of my favorite CB2 finds if you are interested in doing a little more window shopping: http://blueistyle.blogspot.com/2013/03/CB2LiveAndInPerson.html
While in NYC I also visited some high end design showrooms where I couldn’t afford ANYTHING. But I did leave with some fun ideas for DIY projects inspired by all the way-out-of-my-price-range-items I saw, including a to die for chandelier with gold writing all over it! (http://blueistyle.blogspot.com/2013/03/NYCDesignShowroomInspiration.html)
That’s so much fun Angela!
xo
s