Counting down the days...

One of the downfalls of living in rural PA, is that there is not an Ikea nearby. And unfortunately, Ikea does not ship many of the things that I would like to purchase. So when I do get a chance to go to the mecca of inexpensive home furnishings (once a year, if I am lucky), I need to make it count!

Later next month, the pilgrimage will be upon us. I have been preparing for months: scouring their website for new ideas/products and trying to envision them in my home.

The best item I have across during this time? Ikea’s online shopping list feature. You are able to create a list of the items you would like to purchase and best of all you are able to see if they are available in your store of choice!


Needless to say, I have created, recreated, edited, and changed my list more times than I can count.

Here is the current list of what I hope will make it into my shopping cart in August:
Curtains.

Photo courtesy of Ikea

I have slowly been putting curtains up in my home this year. When I purchased my house back in 2007, my first priority was to put up blinds, as to not give the neighbors a free show. After they were installed, I lost momentum and chose to simply enjoy the coverings that were up. Plus, I really was not sure what type or color of curtains I even wanted and could not justify purchasing curtains for the sake of having them. Fast forward 3 years. From what I have read on other blogs and websites, most people seem very happy with the Vivian curtains. They are not too heavy and not too sheer. And best of all, they are a great price! Since I love a good bargain and am only really looking to soften the edges around the blinds in the living room, kitchen, and dining area, these seem like a good fit.






Picture Ledges.

Photo courtsey of Ikea

 As you know, I have been looking at picture ledges for a while now. I am finally going to take the plunge. I am after 2 of the 22 inch ones. They will go over my little “office” nook in the living room in a staggered arrangement. I have debated on whether I wanted 2 of the shorter variety or 1 of the longer variety. I have decided on 2 shorter ones, because, well, if I want longer one, I can simple butt the 2 up against each other. Problem solved!

Frame.

Photo courtsesy of Ikea

Last summer I went to a local art festival and purchased lovely photos of common items that look like letters:

In case you can’t tell, it spells out “Moore”.

While I love the pictures themselves, I never cared too much for the “frame” they are in. It has really no presence and is almost cold. I have a few Ribba frames from Ikea already and they are great! So I plan to find one with 5 openings to give our name a new look. And who knows, it may just end up on the lovely new ledges that will live above my desk…






Mirror.

Photo courtesy of Ikea

Our master bedroom has been a work in progress for quite some time. I am not one to simply purchase new items just because I don’t like the ones I have. We have a great big tv that sits on top Mr. Moore’s dresser. It takes up ¾ of the space available and has to be pushed up against the wall to even fit from front to back. I would love to purchase a new flat panel model, but can’t justify it when the one we have works just fine. Since it is so large, this makes it quite difficult to put anything on the wall above the dresser. We inherited a mirror from a family member with the hopes of it working in the space. Unfortunately, it is simply too large for the space and still would not fit even if we got a smaller tv (which won’t happen until the one we have dies…). So rather than mount a mirror on the wall, I am thinking that a standing mirror may be the way to go. My only concern is that since they are fairly tall dressers, I may not be able to see my self in it…


So there is my list. Although chances are a few other items will be leaving the store with me as well. Now I just have to hope that they have everything that I want in stock.

My plea to Ikea? Love Harrisburg as much as you love Philly and Pittsburgh. Open a store in the middle of the Keystone State!

And yes, I plan to consume a plate of their meatballs before I begin to fill my cart.

Final Stop. Wedding Shoe Search…Part 5

The bad news: I realized that I probably needed to up my budget in order to find shoes that I would be happy with. But with any luck I hoped to find shoes that I could wear again on a regular basis...aka to work.

The good news: This was the last order of shoes to be delivered to my home in the quest of the golden shoe.

This time I hit up Shoebuy.com. All in all I was very pleased with my order. And free shipping both ways with a 20% off coupon doesn’t hurt either!


Here are the goods:

Photo courtesy of shoebuy.com

This pair is insanely comfortable! My feet love wearing these shoes and I easily could wear them to work. The extra bonus is that since the wedding is outdoors, a wedge heel is a much safer bet than a skinny little heel.  But I am a little concerned that they might not be dressy enough. I mean, it is quite a far stretch from what the bride originally recommended.

Photo courtesy of shoebuy.com

This pair was also up there on the comfy-ness scale. But not quite as good as the first. I did like the sweetness that the bow added to the shoe. Although I am not sure they are quite work appropriate.

Photo courtesy of shoebuy.com

This pair barely made it out of the gate. Same issue as the pair from Overstock, the strap across the front was too big. Next...

Photo courtesy of shoebuy.com

This pair was super cute. I love the bit of attitude the "snake skin" detail on the strap brings. However, there was no chance of wearing this pair to work.


And finally:

Photo courtesy of shoebuy.com

This pair struck out before even being tried on. What the picture does not show well is that the leather (real? faux?) is distressed. So the gold finish has a crackled look. No Thanks.
 
 
So which pair did I decide on? Which pair will I be wearing to my brother's wedding?
 
 
Drum roll please....
 
 
 

Surprised? Agree? Disagree? Find any pairs like the one I originally wanted around the $40 mark? Please share!

Next stop on the shoe train. Wedding Shoe Search...Part 4

With two online shops of out the running, I started to revisit a few of the stops I previously made. One of these trips took me back to Overstock.com. Over the years I have made a few purchases from Overstock, but they had consisted of handbags and furniture. So this would be my first shoe trek.

Trying to stay on budget and with in the gold parameters, here is what I stumbled across:

Photo courtesy of Overstock.com

Cute, right? I must say, I was quite excited to receive these. They have a good mix of a classic shoe with a bit of sass thrown in.

Unfortunately, like my previous experiences, the online version of the shoe was much better than the one that arrived in the mail.

See these straps?

Photo courtesy of Overstock.com

The ones that go across the front of the foot?

Yep, they were much too big for my feet and it was beginning to look like I was playing dress up in my mother's closet again.

Verdict: Return. Too bad this pair required me to pay the return shipping like the first batch did. I decided that to meet my apparently high standards, I might need to up my budget. Begrudgingly, I moved from the $20 mark to the $40 mark.

In need of a chuckle?

Then check out the blog Catalog Living.  As Molly Erdman puts it, Catalog Living is "a look into the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs".

You won't regret it!!

Fourth time’s the charm? Wedding Shoe Search...Part 4

After failing miserably with Shiekh Shoes, I decided to go back to a store that I know well and one that has a local location so I could return the rejects with no issue. Plus orders over $50 shipped free to my home. What magical store am I speaking of?



Target!


Here is what I was able to find on Target.com that was worth a shot to fit the golden ticket:

This pair I was very unsure of. Sure they look cute and I love sling backs, but my hesitations were correct - the flower was just too much!

This pair was super cute. I had very high hopes for this little pair. But I could not stand the strap around my ankle. Unfortunately, I could not bear to walk around them in my home for 15 minutes, let alone for an entire evening at a wedding.

This pair was a shot in the dark. The style is cute, but I should have known better that the color would not be right, especially with a description like “metallic”.

All photos courtesy of Target

This last pair is much more my typical style and with a wedge heel, it would be much more manageable than stilettos in an outdoor ceremony. But my poor feet would not believe my mind that they are cute so therefore they should be comfortable.


Verdict: Return all 4. At least this batch did not cost me anything to ship back!


Back to the drawing board…

Happy 4th of July!

Pillow talk

Growing up I was never a very crafty type of girl. I started knitting a scarf once. Never finished it. I started a cross stitch pattern once. Never finished it. And the only real sewing skills I acquired was in home economics in middle school. My mom is so talented at all of these things that if I ever needed or wanted anything done, she would simply do it for me. Thanks Mom!!



After Mr. Moore and I adopted a handsome golden retriever,

(notice the jealous cat in the background)

my lack of sewing skills came in very handy repairing stuffed toys that came apart at the seams. Over the past two years with our little boy, my hand stitching skills vastly improved.

One day I came across a blog that turned place mats into pillows. With my newly acquired stitching skills, I figured I could easily take a project like this on. All you need to do is pick up a placemat, take out some of the seam, stuff, and restitch. Easy peasy.

I started with 2 for on our ottoman bench…

Then made one for the guest room, two for the living room, one for the other guest room…

You get the picture. I am hooked on the simple sewing project of “making” pillows!!

It's Alive!

Our little container garden is growing!

Yum! Yum!