Come on Baby, "Light" My Fire

I'm here to share this great deal that really did light my fire. I am in LOVE with this Rectangle Hanging Capiz Pendant from West Elm, but the $89.99 price tag (on sale from $129), is just not working with my budget. So one day I did a little research and found another beauty that was made just for someone with a wallet my size!

This White Capiz Hanging Pendant beauty is from Cost Plus World Market. From past posts, I guess you can tell I found quite a few things I liked from there. I know it's not an exact match, but at $55.99 it will definitely do the trick.

So which one do you like better? Would you splurge for the West Elm version, or are you a bargain shopper like me? I need splurge stories people!

Honest Scrap Award

Thanks Heather, for passing along the "Honest Scrap" Award. I am so excited. The rules are to pass along the award to 7 bloggers who I think are honest in their blogging and then write 10 honest things about myself. Well, since I am new to blogging, I have only chosen 5 (6 if I could send it back to Heather, but she has already shared 10 honest things about herself on her post).

So here are 10 honest things about me:

1) I could eat Mexican food everyday.

2) I'm moving over 400 miles away from my family and friends and I am scared to death!

3) I hate talking on the phone, which explains the amount of texts I send each day.

4) If I could do college all over again, I would major in Interior Design.

5) I spend most of my money decorating my apartment (after paying rent and bills).

6) I have a goldfish, "Moses", who I won at the fair two years ago (hope he survives the move).

7) I could watch HGTV all day, everyday.

8) I actually enjoy cleaning.

9) I 'm afraid of the ocean, but I love the beach.

10) If I become a cat lady, I would be perfectly content.

Here are the 5 bloggers. I absolutely love checking out these blogs and find so much inspiration from you all. Thanks!!!


1) Young House Love

2) Bower Power

3) Making It Lovely

4) Freckles Chick

5) Mike And McGee

Chalk it Up Over a Glass of Wine

Literally. There will be plenty to talk about when it comes to using these glasses at your next party. What a fun way to personalize your glass for the night instead of using wine glass charms-especially when there are more glasses than charms for your guests! (Does that sound like the start of a sales pitch, maybe. Does World Market want to hire me, well they should.) The only problem I anticipate is chalk everywhere. Chalk is messy, but I could possibly get past that.

Although I managed to snap a picture of these babies, I forgot to make note of the price and I couldn't find them on the Cost Plus World Market website. Has anyone seen these before, even at another store?

From the Windows to the...

...sofas and bathrooms(???) A recent trip to Cost Plus World Market had me drooling. Let me explain. First, I love patterns. Second, I truly appreciate any and all things organized. And third, I love green.

Exhibit 1: Patterned curtains (for the windows, and the walls...)

Exhibit 2: Patterned, colorful pillows neatly organized on wall shelving (that's like, triple bonus!)

Exhibit 3: Lots of green, neatly organized towels.

I was (still am) completely in love with what I saw. It was torture walking the aisles and seeing so much I wanted, but taking home so little. However the things I did snag are quite wonderful too :) I'll share later!

It Never Hurts to Ask

If you are in the same boat as me and are moving in the near future, take advantage of the state of the economy. I had to rent a truck and chose Uhaul. The price of the 10 foot truck was $205 for 3 days and 500 miles, and I thought that was a pretty good deal. But wait, it gets better. I decided to take a chance and ask if there were any discounts available.

Convo:
Me: I was wondering if you had any discounts going on right now, like 15% or so.
Uhaul: I don't see a 15% discount, but I can give you a 30% discount if you make the reservation right now.
Me: Ok. That sounds good.
In my head: Yes. Yes! YES!

So that would be $143.50 instead of $205! That's so great. I am so happy with Uhaul (and myself) right now. I just hope everything else for the move goes smoothly. Lesson learned: It never hurts to ask!

Chair Repair

It all started with the stefan chair from IKEA. I have had this chair since I went to college. Although I don't have an office or even a desk anymore, I wanted to use it in my apartment. So I decided to "repair the chair." I headed to Home Depot for sandpaper and paint. Three coats of a very green paint and a few pillows later, I placed the chair in my apartment as a decorative object. Eventually I will use it as an desk chair again.

I have so much paint left over, that I painted soup cans to use them as vases. What other projects can I create with this lefover paint?

The Everlasting Flower

I feel like I write about flowers a lot, but I think they are such a great way to add personality, texture and color to a room. The pink flower below is a carnation, a.k.a the everlasting flower. When I got my oil changed at Big-O Tires more than two weeks ago, they gave me this flower. For two weeks it has been on my desk at work. Two weeks!!! I think that's pretty exciting.