You Got A Big Butt, A Big Butt

Once again Big Lots comes to the rescue!  We had found a faux leather, pleather if you will, barrel chair for $99 at Big Lots.  I wasn't sold, but after thinking about it for a week or so, we had decided to purchase it since Mama Val will be in town soon for a 1 week visit and having just the one couch will probably not be very comfy for all of us.  We figured it could live temporarily in the livingroom until we found something we loved and then we could move it to the bedroom since we could make room for it in there.
So off to Big Lots we went to purchase the pleather barrel chair.  As we are walking towards the back near where the furniture is, I see some new items and instantly fall in love!  I quickly move towards it and see that it is also priced at $99 but looks no where near like a $99 chair!  I'm already in love with it from a distance but need to feel it, you know to make sure that it is true love!  I have a seat....and fall even more in love with it.  BF agrees that it should be ours and so I swipe it and move it towards the Beluga Sofa to make sure they work together....and they do!

Komet Chocolate Lounge Chair by Sitcom
Image found on amazon.com

Can you see why I am in love!!!  It's perfect!  It's round and it's gorgeous and it's retro inspired which is just what I was hoping for! and it fits my big butt with room to spare! and it was within our budget!
It seriously is a handsome piece that I have no regrets about, which I was thinking would have been the case if we had actually gotten the pleather barrel chair.

We're considering purchasing another one since it's so low profile and takes up very little room despite being wide enough to fit this girls backside!

Coco Chanel approves too!

Our place is coming together beautifully and better than anticipated!

....we don't have a La-Z-Boy!.....and Life is Good!

****UPDATE - I went and purchased a second one last night....I HAD TO!

Mmmmmm...Chocolate

We finally did it...we purchased a NEW sofa!  (and a new mattress....can you tell it's tax return time).  We've needed both quite desperately.  BF purchased the Sofa and love seat set that we were temporarily using from a garage sale for $50 for the set.  It had served it's purpose of getting him by until he could afford some new stuff.  It had a cracked frame and was very uncomfortable to sleep sit/lounge on.  The mattress that we had?  Oh that was free...a very old (I am going to put it as made in the early 80s based on the dark floral satin fabric.)  It was awful, but free, and we had put a 4" memory foam topper on it to tide us over 'til we could afford a new mattress.  Well the time came and we had the cash and the deals found us (well, we had to actually go out to a store, but we weren't looking in particular to make these purchases, but the deals were there), so we went on a bit of a shopping spree and got this:

Picture from Big Lots.com

It is made by Simmons and it's called The Deluxe Beluga Chocolate (makes me think of chocolate cover whale bits..ewwww).  It's very firm yet comfortable and sits higher than our previous sofa did...I'm 5'5" and my feet don't touch the floor if I am sitting upright.  The only thing I hadn't noticed when it was sitting on the "showroom" floor were the legs.  After we got it home and unwrapped, we realized that the legs are made of plastic.  A bit of a disappointment, but the price was right and we were able to borrow a friends truck to get it home (not to mention we can always upgrade the legs in the future)  It really goes to show that you get what you pay for.  We thought we were getting a deal at a sale price of $299.99, and it still feels like a deal...the fabric of this sofa is so soft, like petting a soft kitty.  It's a velvety type thick corduroy that I hope will hold up for at least 5 years.  The cats are bound to scratch this bad boy up anyway, so it's probably better off that we didn't spend too much on it.  Regardless, we love it after the first day.  :) 

Oh and if you're wondering where we got it from, Big Lots.  :)  

Here it is enjoying it's new home in our space:

(yes that is a camera pic, the new cam had an unfortunate death last week...it involved a lunch tote and an unsealed (unbeknownst to me) water bottle...sigh)  We do plan to put a chair and ottoman/chaise/recliner/something-other-than-a-love-seat where the old love seat used to reside.  It really opens up the place to not have 2 heavy pieces.  There are no rules, right?  No one ever said you had to buy the matching love seat, did they?  For some reason, I've always purchased sofa and love seat sets....never realizing that things don't have to be all matchy matchy, even though I grew up in a house with one sofa and a recliner.  I'd like something comfortable, yet chic and fresh, or even retro inspired.  I haven't found anything yet that has inspired me enough to say "That's it!"  It will come to me.

...if it were up to BF, we'd have some sort of craziness like this:

Pretty sure this pic is from La-Z-Boy

now while they are very comfy and from the looks of it, quite functional (I think it even has a built in massager and beverage coolor), they just don't work for me when it comes to room design.  I'd like something with a bit more style, ya know, more of a design element and not as much function....though having my very own massage chair would be pretty cool.

And the mattress:

Big Lots Ad

We got the mattress at Big Lots as well....for the same price as the couch, $299.99 on sale.  It's made by Serta and is a mid-range quality from their line of mattresses.  It's very comfy, though I did toss and turn all night as usual.  Is a full nights rest ever in my future?  While I would have loved to Splurge on some higher quality stuff, we were and still are in need of several high ticket items (I think a dryer is up next)  The important thing is that we are happy with our purchases and didn't just settle, just because.

OH and having these new things (and getting rid of the old) had inspired me enough this morning to get some cleaning done!  That's never a bad thing!

I can't wait to get home and vacuum and then pet the new sofa!

Oh and sorry for putting the thought of Chocolate Covered Whale bits in your brain....Here, we can use this to sort of act like the bowl of coffee beans at the perfume counter

Life is good!

Update: New Art For the Main Living Area

I knew I shouldn't have walked into Z. Gallerie...sigh...I digress...So I saw some framed wall art that I knew I'd be thinking about for the next 5 years if I didn't purchase it and it was affordable in the sense that I probably wouldn't find it for any cheaper all dinged up at Home Goods and the like....so I bought it....for $106 after tax....and I LOVE IT!!  And BF likes it too, so it's all good in the hood!

 It's a Vespa!  Here's the link to purchase your very own if you feel that you too need this Vespa hanging somewhere in your dwelling.  You're welcome!

As you can see, I moved an end table and lamp in there (originally from the bedroom), The living room needed an end table and that corner certainly needed some light, oh and I moved the Himilayan Salt Lamp that I picked up on Target's website onto that table as well.  I can't seem to find a link to the actual size that I purchased for $29.99, but if you're interested I've seen them in Whole Foods in the Health and Beauty section for around the same price.  It gives off such a nice amber glow, like the glow from a candle but without the flickering.

The place is really coming together nicely.  I feel it's finally starting to say "A happy, fun-loving artist on a budget lives here"

Too bad it doesn't say "A happy, fun-loving artist and her boyfriend who are on a budget live here"  I haven't found the right pieces to make that statement yet.

But I love him. and he loves me. and he is happy with the new framed wall art.  :) and that makes me happy!

The bedroom is starting to come together, but right now it's no where near ready to be photographed.  So here is a picture of the kitchen after being cleaned and ready for it's photo shoot.  Sorry for the darkness, it was night time.

Life is Good

This Is My Confession

I have a confession, and this confession was sparked by this Glamour article.

I've been carrying a burden of guilt since I returned from a business trip to Shanghai China in October of 2009.  While doing business there in China, I also managed to squeeze in a bit of "tourist" time.  I hit a "Tourist Hot Spot" with lots of souvenir shops etc. 

While walking along the strip I was approached by a Chinese woman (assumed) holding a small card that was folded.  She unfolded and pointed to this small card.  There were pictures of watches and handbags....knock-offs of designer bags and watches.  She gestured for me to follow her and so I did. 

After a brief  walk down a side road, I followed her into what appeared to be a souvenir shop.  She pushed against a wall which became a doorway into another world.  Behind that wall were several air-conditioned and well merchandised rooms full of knock-off designer goods, totally different from the open-air (equals hot & muggy) shabby souvenir store that I had walked into.  After doing some browsing around, I did not see anything that interested me so I politely thanked them and turned to walk out, but not to lose a sale, she had me follow her to yet another "secret spot".  Again, nothing of interest....we moved on to the next spot....at this point it was more of a thrill to see more of this underground operation.....and finally I found something of interest, after some major haggling, I made a purchase.  I can tell you that I am not very well-liked on the streets of Shanghai, I didn't let them get too far over on me....they didn't "rip me off" in my opinion, they were not happy with me, and their smiles eventually turned into dirty look.....they never thanked me for my purchase, in fact as I walked out, I think I heard someone grunt.

I had dirty feeling of being a fraud & guilty afterward, not to mention thankful that I didn't get kidnapped or worse.  You have to realize that I am an American woman in a foreign country, shopping in an underground secret world....I definitely took a chance.   

I seldom wear the handbag that I purchased that day .  I can probably count the number of times I've used it on one hand....and when I do, I feel like a fake...a liar....a cheat...a fraud and I want to hide the bag so that no one who is wiser can look at me and judge and think that I am a fake.  So here I am confessing (and also praying that the powers that be are not reading this and looking for me now).  While I'm at it I might as well also confess to having purchased other faux-items which were then gifted to recipients who were well aware of the origin and lack of authenticity.

The Glamour article link above relates to a study of how women who knowingly purchase and carry fake designer bags are more likely to lie and cheat on tests...and while it's been a long time since I have taken a test, I do feel guilt....each time I look at it in my closet., just as if I would feel guilt if I had cheated on a test and then passed.

Why do I feel so guilty?  because while I haven't done any reading up on it, I am quite sure that I committed a crime by making these purchases...I am sure that the crime didn't start and end that day that I followed the woman into the underground world....moreover, I question whether people sacrificed their lives at all so that I could carry that FAKE bag?  I know that seems extreme, but it is a BIG business just like illegal drugs, it is definitely a possibility and I just can't happily go on owning this bag with those thoughts in the back of my mind.  In addition, as a self-proclaimed designer, how could I knowingly commit such a crime against my own kind?!?!?!

I've been thinking about getting rid of it for a while..to rid myself of this guilt.  I've thought about giving it away...I've thought about throwing it away...but if I throw it away, I am adding to the landfills....if I give it away, someone else will be carrying it...and it will still be in existence....and I'll still feel the guilt knowing it is still out there. 

Perhaps I should have a burning of the bag ceremony....nothing fancy or cult-like...just a backyard fire with chopped up wood and a fake hand-bag.....but then I may be releasing toxic fumes into our breathing air.....sigh

what to do...what to do....

I think I'll go have a Red-Bull...speaking of Red Bull, did you know that it is illegal in some countries???  Now that is just CRAZY talk!

Things n Stuff

So just as life is an ever evolving process, so is decorating our apartment on a budget.  I recently came into some cash and anytime that happens, I prefer to spend some of it on the apartment to make it homier.  A lot of the things I own(ed) come with the energy of past relationships and so I am trying to replace those things so as to have all new (or new to us) things surrounding us, instead of looking around at the same things I've looked at for 10 plus years.  Several months back I held a garage sale in order to get rid of some of these things.  I figured I'd use the "found" cash to replace things such as decorations and dinnerware and glasses as well as cutlery, etc.

Over the weekend a girlfriend and I headed out to Ikea for some retail therapy.  I went in armed with a shopping list because I knew that if I didn't have some sort of a plan, I would lose track of what I originally intended on going there for and spending WAAAAY more than I wanted and walking out with none of the things I went in for.  Hello A.D.D. brain....does not mix well with the madness and over-stimulation that is Ikea!  Which reminds me, before I left for the day BF said to me in a serious tone "If you do not come back with a new loveseat, IKEA!"  he's too funny and I love his sense of humor!

Thanks to this blog post by Jen over at iheartorganizing, i was inspired to use one of her organizing ideas for our office/desk area.

 Just as Jen did, I used the Bygel Rail, along with the Bygel s-hooks, and the 3 of the Asker containers.  Grand total for this unique and adorable way of keeping things organized and easily accessible?  $21.68

And then it turned into an idea for the kitchen.....I needed SOMETHING above the stove and I wanted it to serve dual purpose of function and fashion....
TahDah!

I used 2 more of the Bygel Rails, along with some more of the Bygel s-hooks, 4 of the Fargrik Coffee Mugs, and the Bygel Wire Basket with a 4-pack of Rajtan Spice Jars that I filled with my own spices and herbs.  I love the look and functionality!  Oh and this project's grand total was $12.75! plus the cost of the spices which I already had on hand.

My apologies for the picture quality being all 2004.  These are from my ancient hand-me-down cell phone camera.  If I remember to do it, I'll take better pictures with my digital camera and update this post, as these pictures do this no justice and you can't really see how those mugs pop against the boring neutral paint color.

From the shopping trip with a girlfriend on a Saturday afternoon in Hotlanta, to the hanging of these new and exciting (to me) organizers, this was an overall fun way to spend money, update, organize and decorate our apartment!  Not to mention it took me all of 15 minutes to measure and install all three of these bad boys!

Next organizing project (I hope) will be the storage closet.....it looks like a bomb went off in there!  I'll take a before shot...only if you promise not to judge.



Hope all is well in your world, and if it's not...keep your chin up!  Things will get better if you keep a positive mind frame.


Love n hugs n kisses!