Shopping PSA: Horchow 40% Sale

Consider this a public service announcement: the Finder Keeper sale at Horchow ends Friday at 8 a.m. 

Here are a few of my 40% off favorites from the sale. Let's start with the splurges.

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This gorgeous iron fireplace screen. No need to even light a fire to enjoy looking at the hearth!

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I should have led with this Bernhardt Davoli Chest. Even at 40% off it's nearly $700, but so perfect in every way. It would l0ok great as a bedside table, in an entryway, or wherever your little heart desires.

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I love the lines of this mid-century modern sofa on its own merits. It's also cheaper than this one from JCP on sale. 
 

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The front two pillows are each $57, which is a splurge for a cheapskate like me, but not at all a bad price considering it includes the pillow inserts.

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This wool rug is a different sort of zebra print and decently-priced.

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The pattern is called Jungle Boogie, which would be so fun in a kid's room. The duvet cover is only available in queen size, but they are also selling three yards of the fabric for less than $100.

chow // blue paisley // white // chinoiserie

I can't get enough of lamps. It's an obsession, really. These four are my favorites and represent a range of price points. 
 

blue & white // leopard

This is a super fun idea for meal times. I can't decide which I would like better in my house: the blue & white trim or the leopard. Besides runners, similar placemats are also on sale.

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Can anyone have enough blue and white dishes? I don't think so. Which is also a reminder that The Pink Pagoda's Blue & White Bash is this coming Monday, May 5.

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Just this weekend I read that elephants are lucky in home decor when you point the tail toward the front door. Anyway, I'm much less like the long-memoried elephant because I cannot remember where in the world I read that. But since having cookies is also lucky I think there's not much better than this cute cookie jar.

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This Leo ice bucket and tumbler set would be perfect for anyone born under the sign of the Lion.

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Since this is the Year of the Horse I feel that I should have something equine-related in my home decor. These bottle openers are only $15.

More than 950 additional items are marked 40% off... but only until Friday morning! Are you buying anything in the big sale?

ORC Week 4: Wallpaper, Wallpaper, Wallpaper

This is week four of the One Room Challenge Link-Up and the hardest because it's where I have to come to terms with the reality of what I can do (and NOT do). I am transforming the little room off the kitchen that I call the Keep: short for Keeping Room.

Reality, for me, is all about the wallpaper. 

Albert Hadley via ec dicken

I desperately want this one called Bamboo & Birds by Bob Collins and Sons. 


It is the desktop image on my computer monitor and there is a tiny print-out of it in the room I am re-making. I have scoured Etsy and eBay for just a little bit of it. I begged here and there, and Andrea suggested I try to find samples to purchase. Brilliant! I went directly to the source -- the Bob Collins and Sons website -- where I saw some perfect-sized samples! They are in the right corner of the photo below, nearly hidden by the sofa. See all the different colorways? I think I could do my whole house in their patterns!!

So, I sent a request through the online contact form and got an email back from Layla Collins(!), Bob's widow who now runs the company from West Palm Beach. She was extremely gracious and professional, however, I think that supplying a relatively unknown blogger with samples is not what a company that attracts BIG design names like Albert Hadley, Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler, and Meg Braff specializes in... I could be wrong, though!

Meg Braff via The Glam Pad

Then, I found another company online. Eades Discount Designer Wallpapers and Fabrics in New York City didn't have the gigantic samples but they did give me a great quote (less than $300 for a double-roll shipped!!). But that is still significantly higher than what I can afford and a double-roll is just way more than I need.

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I started mulling over alternatives. Designer Wallcoverings and Fabrics has this tropical Hawaiian print that resembles Bamboo and Birds in color (peachy-orange bamboo leaves and blue accents, no birds). But, you have to buy it as a triple-roll, which means it is almost as expensive as my first choice with a ton of extra. :(

Since my goal is to give the space a Palm Beach vibe I thought about some other tropical patterns. In fact, One Kings Lane has great prices right now on these two Thibaut prints, in a smaller quantity, perfect for what I am trying to do. 

OKL

A bamboo pattern in a nice blue.
 

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A fun tropical-leaf pattern.

Extremely poor mockup of the wall behind the sofa with Bamboo & Birds

Of course, these require professional installation. Another issue for sure. I have removed wallpaper but never, ever hung it. Do I want to spend $300 on my dream paper and then not hang it properly? Nope! Check out how I wrecked it with PhotoShop above (the scale is wayyyy off; the repeat would be about a third of what I've represented). 

Additional options rolling around in my brain include a patterned wrapping paper that can be used like wallpaper with this tutorial from Jones Design Company here. Or, painting on a pattern like this or stenciling something like this.

I haven't given up all hope yet. But I'm close. 

Here's to more progress in week four! Now please go check out the rest of the linking participants here and the 20 Design Pros here. 

Playing with Art

For a few months now I have had two large IKEA Ribba frames sitting behind the sofa in our living room. My plan is to add prints and hang them. Radical, I know.

But what prints to use?? Should I go through my Places board on Pinterest for beautiful images like this one and have them processed like a photo? Or, as an engineering print from Staples? Will they be high enough resolution for the size I need (20x16)??

 

The look I am going for is large format like these inspiration images.

 But with TWO prints over the couch instead of just one.

This is a partial shot of the wall above the couch (from the holidays). 

The wall material is cinder block. It's painted and smooth and doesn't make me feel like I am in a basement. I dig it but realize it's not for everyone--and maybe not even for us forever. The wooden beams from the cathedral ceilings end on this wall. To the right is the fireplace, which needs a mantel, and then beyond that is a shorter bit of wall. 

I want a graphic print for the (forthcoming) mantel. There is now a beachy pastel watercolor, hung horizontally, on the wall behind where the Christmas tree was in the photo above. 

One of the methods I use when I am designing a room is to create a collage on PicMonkey. It's super easy to use and free.

Here are a few different options using prints from Minted. I chose Minted because they are one of the sponsors of the One Room Challenge and I like the many different options (423 art prints; some available in multiple colors; all in a variety of sizes). This is not a sponsored post. But you can get 10% off your purchase through May 4th using the code MOMDAY14.

Rectangles Revisited //LA Sky // D'Office Malta

This is likely the graphic I would want but I would orient it vertically on the mantel so the stripes were going side-to-side rather than up-down. I love the juxtaposition of the Ferris wheel with the European street image. Kind of teensy view because I didn't say I was good at PicMonkey.

Paris is Always a Good Idea // Runaway

I like this combo of city and beach as well as the way the neutrals subtly combine with the colors in the graphic pattern.

Rusty Patina 

Here are the same two prints but with a different abstract. I LOVE the colors of this one, called Rusty Patina. It looks like it was left out in the rain to get all drippy and runny. Beautiful as it is, it's not what I had in mind though...

Joel Surf 2 // Rooftops of Paris

Back to the graphic lines. The colors of this combo are much brighter and bolder but still would work. This time I am also mixing a photo (Rooftops of Paris) with a painting. Not sure about that...

Highway Wildflowers // California Dreams  // Violet Innertube 1

If I wanted to orient the frames over the sofa the other way (portrait, not landscape) I could have this arrangement. I just love the reds, corals, and oranges together! This also features a photo (Ferris wheel) with a painting (inner tube) but I think it works better.

Lots of decisions! Besides Minted's selection, there is the incomparably fabulous Gray Malin, tons of favorites on Etsy, and local sources. 

What do you think?? Do you have a favorite combo?

Spring Deets and Safavieh

Yesterday I posted some photos of my house dressed in its Easter best. Today I come clean on how well I did with 40 Bags in 40 Days and my spring cleaning challenge.

I didn't quite fill 40 bags; I estimate it was closer to 28. But my house feels lighter for having decluttered and my heart feels good knowing I gave things we no longer need/use/love to people who will. Here's a great quick read on how to declutter.

The spring cleaning schedule I made for myself was a lot more rigid, and consequently, I didn't do as well with it. I washed some windows, though, and things are a bit cleaner than they were so I'll call it good.

Now, on to the fun stuff! Have you seen the Safavieh line at Target? I am in love! Here are 11 of my favorites from the sale. 
 

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This patio set would be a gorgeous addition to the backyard. I love the pattern of the lines.

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This is a fun ottoman. It is available in several other color variations. I really dig the white piping on this denim version. The casters complete the look.

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This little brass bamboo-look table makes me so happy. Have you embraced brass yet? It's time.  

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Cute toss pillows for less than $30 for the PAIR!

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Nice lines on this modern-yet-retro chair.

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Another gold table. This one reminds me of the '80s in a very good way.

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Biarritz chairs. Oh my heart! These are such a steal! Also available in the more traditional blue like the ones at the end of this post, I'm preferring the happy pop of red on this version.

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I love a starburst mirror--always have, always will. There are several versions in the sale but I like this one best for uniqueness of design and low price.

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Safavieh was originally known for their line of rugs, long before they formed this partnership with Target. I am really digging the way this one looks like it has been left out in the sun for awhile. At a couple hundred dollars for an 8x10, it's also a much better price than most.

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Nothing better than a pair of lamps. This pattern is available in several other colors, and there are several other pairs of lamps in the sale, too.

There are, sadly, a few items that are not currently available online. I still really like them, and I think they would have looked great in my One Room Challenge.

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This pair of throw pillows is a bit more expensive than the tulip tosses I featured above but still less than $50 for the pair. The color and graphic would have been perfect had I gotten this wallpaper.

Spring Decorating Around My House

"Because without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain't as sweet."
Jason Lee in Vanilla Sky

That's how I feel about the weather. It was a long, brutal winter. Record cold temps. More snow than several of the past few winters combined. And yet now it is spring with warm air and gentle breezes. Sunshine until bedtime. All is forgiven. Even my house is celebrating!

I bought this magnolia and pussy willow branch at Home Goods recently. My original plan that day was to buy a silk cherry blossom branch from Michael's.

But I like how the neutrals in this branch work with what's in my room already. 

I popped the branch into this blue-green glass vase that I already had from Target (clearance).

I bought the rectangular linen lamp shade at the same time I bought the branch. It was also on clearance, if I remember correctly. The lines seem really perfect with the graphic lines of the lamp and the pagoda on the table below it.

The blue-green of the jug vase adds just the right amount of color pop. 

It goes along nicely with this throw that I draped over the back of the couch. It's a lighter weight cover for reading or watching movies under than what we keep out in the colder months.

A pile of plastic Easter eggs brings a little bit of whimsy to this area under our family gallery wall. 

We open the doors wide on warm days--both to let the sun shine in and friends to know the kids are ready to play. 
 

I updated the window nooks beside the door with a peacock feather, and I like how the colors in the feather tie together the teal of the rug with the blue & white of the ginger jar. 

I am also in the midst of updating the plate wall in our dining area to finally incorporate my great-great-grandmother's hand-painted dishes. I bought this indigo and white striped plate on clearance at Home Goods.

I bought the gold polka-dotted plate (top) at the same time. There's still quite a bit of tweaking to get this display right so just a peek for now. I'm really liking the juxtaposition of the modern and the antique, though.

A few more plastic Easter eggs in the same color family were added to the buffet.

The basket full of bamboo flatware on the white tray would make it easy to take our dining al fresco--if we had a proper place to sit outdoors.

Our outdoor seating at the moment is feeling overly eclectic. But our new backyard does have tons of potential!

For great articles full of decorating ideas, check out the Home Decor Shopping Handbook -- it's another great way to find what your home needs on One Kings Lane!