Bedding - Martha Style

I have been so freakin' Shabby Chic lately, not even Martha can stop me! Ok, so this JPEG is WAY to little to see, so please, click on the link and check out the HOT price, $100 instead of $250 from Martha Stewart. (Oh yeah, she's having a bedding sale!)

Fiestaware - For Cheap!!!

I grew up with Fiestaware. Who knows now if that was stuff that had lead in it, but it was still pretty! My mom has all the different colors, mix 'n match when it comes to Christmas & Thanksgiving (though this year, we'll be cruisin!)... And so the stripes bring me back to childhood. These were found at JC Penney, which is pretty much the cheapest place to buy Fiestaware -


Fiesta Bongo striped chair pad: $36, originally $52

Fiesta set of 3 mixing bowls: $129.99, originally $189.99

Enjoy the cheapness while it lasts!

PSH

Bad News Bears for 7th Generation

Ugh. This stuff makes me itch like a madwoman! Has this happened to anyone else? You'd think since its so environementally friendly that it's also people friendly too. Method products don't make me itch. Use Method instead if you're trying to be green. You won't itch so much!

PSH

Bunched Up Bath Rugs???

Welcome to McTatty & Bimmer Man's bathroom. We have a bunched up bathrug. What the heck do I do?

Oh yeah, and it's teeny tiny too! I'm looking for a fabulous, non-bunchy bathrug. Why? Because this is what my bathroom looks like AFTER my Bimmer Man is done.

I just got a 20% off coupon in the mail for Bed, Bath & Beyond. Hopefully they actually have THIS rug. For $19.99 it's not too expensive and it looks like it's heavy enough to stay in place! But I need it in green or blue. I'm on a hunt.

We'll see what they have. Otherwise I'll be shopping online.

PSH

New Fav Website

Brocade Home is my new favorite semi-shabby chic website to go to in search of fun and funky inspirations.

I'm so girly that I love their Berry collection for bed linens.

They also have a lot of inspiring black and white furniture - so if you have accent pieces or artwork that you'd like to stand out in any of your rooms, go for broke and get one of Brocade Home's pieces. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much better your beloved accent pieces pop out in your home!

A bit extravagent at $49, but these winestoppers would dress up any $3.99 bottle of Sutter Home! HOT TIP: Head to Pier 1 Imports to find some knock-offs...

Whatever you do, don't forget to look at their sale section -

There's velvet pillows, outdoor dining, sconces, fabulous rugs and even a super cute side table for only $99!

PSH

Ready to Assemble Furniture Finds - C&B SALE

Try the table-in-a-bag from Crate and Barrel. It's $39.95, plus there's a cute tablecloth to go with - that's only $12.95. Yippee - a camp table from C&B!!

Plus, there's a plastic 18 piece set of flatware on sale for $5.50. How cute would those be for a book club meeting???

Currently, I'm scouring websites in search of a firepit or something like it for August when we move. Target has some - I don't want to spend more than $80, so I have a good budget to work within... maybe I'll wait until some go on sale to post...

PSH

Earth Day Deal - Seeds!

Seeds of Change Free Shipping

Enjoy your own garden growing - get free shipping!

Coupon Code: DAILYGREEN8

Offer good until the end of April.

Actually, how about a link to 30 DAYS of Green Deals???

PSH

$6 Wallflowers

At Bath & Body Works.

Enjoy the discount - there's also a coupon code on the top banner of the website.

PSH

Buying Furniture

Wow... I haven't actually BOUGHT furniture in so long...

I'm a little shocked at shipping prices (finally, the Ikea in Ohio opened, so I'll be going there in July!), disturbed by the lack of not finding more dining sets and not so enthusiastic about going to furniture stores. Hmm. I think I like online shopping better.

For $499, this table will fit into the new kitchen of the new rental in August. It's mod, coffee colored and seems to be stable. But for $499, you also have to put it together yourself. I don't know if I LIKE that part! This is from West Elm (I think, whoops, I totally forgot to bookmark it for later!) or it could also be from CB2.

When shopping for furniture I have a strange obsession with shabby chic things for myself - Rachel Ashwell is the definite Shabby Chic decorator (Confession: I own Shabby Chic bed linens from Target) and I just can't seem to stray from the clean, comfortable lines and lovely feeling that you get, it's like when the sun shines down upon your face and you suddenly smile.

The above chair is the PB Basic Grand Chair. It comes in several slipcover colors - whoops, I mean like 50 - with different prices attached to it too. For $1,000, it's not in my budget, but check out this likeness from ikea:

For $249, the Ektorp comes in several colors as well, newly fashioned in pink! This is more of my budget, with a brightly colored throw and some fun pillows, what a fabulous reading chair this would make (with a glass of wine...).

PSH

Pink!

Check out the new Conversation Pieces by Crate & Barrel. At moment, Blogger's not letting me upload photos. Damn.

The new Savoir chair is the perfect shade of pink for an eye-catching Spring room. Yeah, $899 for a chair - probably not for my cheap budget, especially for trading out furniture seasonally. Still, it's perfect Spring color brightens any room!

My perfect idea of where all of my lovely paperback books and wedding gadgets should go:

For $269, the Bergsbo cabinet comes in 2 colors, white & red. I say make a statement. Go for the red.

OR

There's this red one too:

The Linnarp for $349 (which is my personal 1st choice, why, I'm not quite sure, maybe it's because it's on the front cover of the 2008 Ikea catalog).

Enjoy!

PSH

McTatty's Top 10 Things She Cannot Live Without

1. Burt's Bees lip balm

2. Diet Mountain Dew

3. The "Chunky" Sweater from Banana Republic. A reprisal is needed every spring in Minnesota of my biege, black, brown, white and gray chunky sweaters.

4. Seventh Generation Trash Bags - I actually do bulk orders from Gaiam.com.

5. Method hand soap - Sea Minerals. It seriously smells like the spa. How can you NOT deny something that's biodegradable and good for you? Plus it's only $4.00 online. At Target it's usually $2.99 OR $3.99. Get it, you'll never turn back!

6. The Young & The Restless (my soap opera). I read this religiously.

7. Aveda Replenishing body Moisturizer. No need to elaborate anymore on Aveda. I'm from Minnesota and have been addicted ever since my first smell at the Southdale Mall.

8. My 2 year old Nikon D70s. I got it when it was brand new. Now people have the D80 and don't know what ISO even is...

9. The GoogleReader. How the heck would I keep up with blogs like The Pioneer Woman Cooks or Apartment Therapy?

10. The song "Otherside" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Or anything by Tom Petty. Or Dave Matthews.

PSH

Steal of the Day

Bright Stripes Floor Cushion - $59.99 On sale from $100

Find at: Urban Outfitters

I want this!

PSH

Wall Art

For $99.99 you get some fine Marimekko non-art art. $24.95 is the cost of the hanging hardware that you need (or upon closer discovery, you can probably find something cheaper). CB2 amazingly has some great stuff that's more hip than the regular Crate & Barrel.

Or here's another Marimekko print. This one's just a bit cheaper ON SALE at $69.95. Take advantage while you can - Marimekko is pretty darn expensive every once in awhile.

But if you like Marimekko or any other Finn designer, check out FinnStyle, based in Minneapolis but online everywhere...Or go completely retro and remember the 70's with this bright and bold Blondie print from Urban Outfitters. It's more on the affordable side too at $24.00. With three others to choose from, you could have Bret Michaels, David Bowie or the Monsters of Rock.

PSH

Apothecary Jars - Cheap or Expensive?

All the apothecary jars that I've seen so far have been kinda expensive. Just enough to where you think twice about spending your money on them. I've found them at several places - Target, Pottery Barn and a wholesale outlet.

Try all three of these places, you'll end up incredibly happy knowing that you don't have to spend all your hard earned money on just ONE jar!

English Creek Gardens

This small jar is $17.95 - the larger ones are obviously more expensive but trust me, this is the best place I've found so far for your toiletries or fun stuff for decoration.

PSH

Shop: Umbra

So, in my spare time I browse the internet.

A lot.

And I found this cool store. Umbra - it reminds me of those stupid shorts that people had when I was little, like 6th grade or so for playing soccer. When I actually got a pair, I was so pissed that they kept riding up, I gave them away. My mom was mad. This is a different Umbra.

This is one European treasure that you'll adore. Storage to decorating to furniture to office stuff. Browse away, because I can't stop!

A grassy organizer for your desk, the bathroom (I want one for my brushes) or any small kitchen stuff is $9.50.

Plus their selection of paper towel holders will amaze you - even better than Bed, Bath & Beyond!

They even have a pretty selection of wallpaper - if you're feeling adventurous! The above wallpaper is $39 for 55 square feet, a bit expensive, but pretty for a bathroom or a reading nook - imagine sitting in a warm, cozy alcove with the soothing blue and reading your favorite book with tea (or a martini for me!).

Enjoy!

PSH

Pictures... of Letters... For Your Home!

There are so many websites out there that offer photographs of letters so you can create a sign, may it be "welcome" or your last name or first names or whatever.

Check out this website to offer you some creative ideas for what you can do along with examples of photos.

I've been thinking about offering to do this - but just developing the photos (5x7's) and shipping them off to whoever wants this.

The hard part: going out into the cold and finding creative parts of architecture that look like letters. I think I might start offering it on my photography website, www.psphotographyonline.com this upcoming April.

I better get to work! Outside of my living room window, I see several pieces of architecture that could be letters, "I," "H," "A."

PSH

Etsy Find

Corkboard. Easy to use, easy to buy and looks incredibly pretty! Corkboard is surprising sustainable for a green home - reusuable and earthfriendly, I'm in love with this etsy find! Uncorked is a great shop for neat interesting corkboard finds. $28 gets you the corkboard above with layers of the artist's personality!

Another good find - earrings! Yeah, yeah, I know they're not exactly home decorish - but still - you just can't deny a good pair of homemade earrings! For $18, the earrings above are a pretty good deal. Made by Elizabeth Williams, you'll find so many cute things from her shop, that I'm sure you'll find a few presents for others as well as yourself!

Time for another DECOR ITEM:

Prestige is the manufacturer of this lovely lamp (now I regret registering for lamps for wedding presents, but then you don't know crap about decorating until you start to learn what you like and what you don't like along with what goes together and what doesn't). The seller's marketplace, Sea Glass Vintage, also includes items like goblets, hand thrown pottery, a candy dispenser and awesome gadgets for displaying on bookshelves (hint: look at everything and you'll find SOMETHING you love!).

So onto Etsy it is... Happy hunting!

PSH

Inside Out

I grew up in Minnesota - I'm huge fan of outdoor living. When I nannied in the summertime, I don't think we spent more than 1 hour inside. Whether it was so hot we'd be sitting on the front steps drinking pink lemonade or running around at the park, being outside was so incredibly freeing - it was as if we didn't have any constraints. Lovely, just lovely one of my co workers would say!

Pottery Barn has always had some of my favorite outdoor furniture, yet it's still way out of my price range for almost anything! Above has been a favorite look, but it's just not personal enough for my tastes - it looks like it should be in one of those HGTV home selling shows. Blech.

Smith & Hawken has sets under $1500 - talk about a deal (if you find one that you like)!

S&H also has a great BBQ grill - shown above - that's not too seriously expensive. Since they do sell things at Target - they can't be too bad, right??? (ha ha, I love s&h!)


Light up your outside world with some copper oil lamps (but don't forget the oil).

Outdoor spaces need to be decorated just like indoor spaces. Don't forget the details, otherwise you'll end up with something that just seems unfinished. Get an outdoor rug, candles, bring your bar outside in the summer and voila! An outdoor space that you'll never want to leave!

PSH

Desks? Create your own? Seriously?

You can now create your own at JC Penney, seriously!

Boy was I shocked when I read that...

I say take advantage of it if you can. It seems pretty cheap, plus you can always find online coupons for free shipping and delivery. The only problem - I'm not so sure of the quality, then again I'm the person who goes out and buys bookshelves from Ikea. So this furniture has to be better quality!

The only bad thing, they don't "put it all together" for you, so you have to imagine it first. And measure!

JC Penney is also having a rug sale and what I wouldn't do for a shag rug! It's on sale from $99 to $449. Did I mention it's shag? I'd like it in the bedroom, for right when you wake up in morning - I love feeling soft and cozy first thing in the morning.

Enjoy!

PSH

Cool Clocks

From UrbanOutfitter's, this classic comes in three colors - black, orange and turquoise. Take your pic of bright, fun spring colors to outfit your own decor or stick with the basic black. It's online only for a steal at $24, plus you can even shop for clothes and fun stuff to entertain.

Check out the cool clock above - it attaches to the wall on the side, so you have two views. It's a definite splurge at CB2 for $80 bucks but worth it if you only have one clock in your small space.

PSH