Wealthy Wednesday: Judy Ross Home Collection

It's your weekly dose of 'Wealthy' (seriously, Wednesday snuck up on me this week; hallelujah!). The rain clouds made a pleasant visit to So Cal and relieved me from watering our parched front lawn. The cold days endear our pillowy couch to me. Summer days, kind of a thumbs down on the couch.  I mean, who wants to nestle in a sea of pillows in 90 degree weather? Not so much. 

Since I have comfy cushions on my mind, I've hunted down some beauties for today's installment. Textile designer Judy Ross has created fetching embroidered pillows that can easily dress up any dingy piece of furniture.  

::Available at 2modern::

You may not necessarily want to spoon such a lovely piece of art, especially when the pillows are priced between $170 and $190...each. Gadzooks, these prices should carry a trio of bold exclamation points next to them!!!

But no one, I mean no one, can top the ultimate pillow in my book.

I owned a 'Rock-a-bye Baby' and Chris had 'Squeaky Door' way back in the 80's. Never went to bed without it!

Don’t Pass this Bar (by Chris)

I want a bar. Wait…first off, I should tell you that we don’t drink. Not even water…except socially. Now that I’ve captured your attention with that great joke, I’d like to get semi-serious for 4 paragraphs.

 

As I was saying earlier…I want a bar; a place where I can sit down (in an elevated manner) and relax (one butt cheek at a time on a narrow cushion). There’s your set up…and here comes the conflict; Dolores doesn’t want one. Sounds like we’re in need of a good old fashion tie-breaking vote…that’s where you come in.

Let us first look at the facts. Fact, we like to eat. Fact, we like to watch television. Fact, we like doing the previous two items simultaneously. Myth, we like staining our sofas by eating and spilling all over them. Myth, this bar will be obtrusive. Fact, it totally will not. Myth, how do you know? Fact, because it can fold down dumb head. Myth, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight. Fact, whatever.

PS3 Reaction

                                                                           ::unlce kitty::

Chris is happily setting up his new PS3 and I'm a knitaholic today.

Happy Sunday!

Frugal Fridays: Magnetter

Chris and I tend to be really good about not losing our keys. We are pretty OCD about everything and leave our keys in the same location; we thrive on order and repetition. Plus, since we are active 24hr fitness devotees, having our gym pass attached to the hip, I mean keys, kind of makes it impossible for them to be left unseen. 

I steered away from hanging up your typical 4-tier-country-styled mail sorter/key station in my kitchen; they look overwhelming and well,  just "beige." We currently nest our keys in a milk colored pedestal thingamajig, which we have named "Van Nuys" in reference to the super annoying 'Keyes, Keyes, Keyes. Keyes On Van Nuys' jingle (for all you non So Cal peeps, click here to listen). In any event, this handy dandy magnetic field below could solve anyone's key problems.

For only $14 you can have a hook-free modern key station PLUS mail holder. Just don't mistake them for salad severs. Kind of makes me want to dart my keys across the room to see if they'll stick. Hmm, this could be dangerous...

And since we're speaking about keys, what would you say about personalized key chains? For all you parents, here is a heart warming way to show your kiddies how awesome their art doodling can be.

::Chris' Rant::
This looks perfect...I can't wait to come home after a long day of work; kick off my shoes, grab a frosty beverage...and hang up the keys to my Doll house. 

Seriously this thing is great for those of us whose key arsenal consists of two masterlock keys...but for the rest of us prison wardens...this may not suffice. 

Hoo-ligans

Have you seen the "love-it or hate-it" Kate Spade Sherwood Owl handbag that has been making the internet rounds the past month? 

Ever since I saw this lovely hoot, I've been smitten over all things owls; especially in the home decor department. The magnetism grew as these lovely big eyed birdies flew my way.

Wealthy Wednesday: Modo Luce "Atollo" series

I yearn for the day when our backyard is no longer declared condemned. I am way too embarrassed to take a single photograph of our death valley of a backyard. In our defense, the entire rear of the house was covered with weeds as high as 5 feet, dog feces, aluminium cans, a metal jungle gym that looked like a death trap and of course a neglected chow chow. The previous owners were certainly not "citizens of the day."

I know I'm wasting my time checking out the "outdoor furniture" section, but a girl can dream, right? I mean, how fabulous is this Atollo series by Modo Luce?

The illuminated Italian furniture is oh-so-chic. The technical aspects as far as its engineering is not explained, but I'm sure your bum will be nice and toasty after a delightful sit-down. I don't think these are available in the US, but you can certainly expect to pay a pretty penny.

Cheers!

A Dark Horse in the Competition

Chris made a special trip out to Retro Office Inc. yesterday (his Sunday the calendar's Monday) hoping to nab one of their AWESOME flat-file-cabinets converted coffee table and take advantage of their 50% off everything sale (Monday was the last day of their promotion). We had planned to both jaunt over on Sunday BUT as luck would have it, they were closed.

We were a little apprehensive about the company after finding several poor reviews online written by unsatisfied customers. Most of the bad mouthing pertained to returns and unexpected minor dinks and dents on the merchandise. To our advantage, we are only a city away from the warehouse, therefore any potential returns would be as easy as pie. Also, it made sense to us that some of the items would have dents since these are not brand spanking new products. We definitely were in a good position.

Company

The famous Whittier parrots in the flesh...or in the feather, I guess.

Happy Sunday!

Frugal Fridays: DIY Refinished Tanker Desk

Earlier this week, we took a look as some sleek refinished Tanker Desks that were a tad too much for our wallets. As luck would have it, we found a slightly bruised Tanker Desk on craigslist... and to our advantage just one city from our home.

It definitely needed A LOT of work. Luckily the seller had not 1, not 2, but 3 desks for sale; I guess you can say we got the pick of the litter (though admittedly, all were kind of the runt). Ready for the price? $60 buckaroos! Plus, we threw in an extra $15 and the seller transported the heavy metal mayhem back to our place and safely in our garage.


When we brought her home, the tanker was a "lovely" band-aid tan color; which helped to perfectly highlight the faux wood laminate top...oh, it was an eye soar, complete with several dings and dents. Chris was anxious to start disassembling. After the dissection, we were left with 2 side drawer compartments, a middle back panel, a stack of drawers and last but not least, the aforementioned "wood" top.

If we were to completely restore a desk, I think we would have wanted to start off with a better example; instead, our goal was to go for "respectable". It took some 409 cleaner, a sander, primer, plus 2 colors of spray paint (very limited color selection at Lowes), elbow grease and a lot of waiting for paint to dry. Once the parts were ready for reassembly, Chris and his trusted bff, Chris (#1 baby boy name of the early 1980s) helped out.

And without further adieu...

We topped it off with a custom made piece of glass.

Month of Awareness

As many bloggers and news media outlets are touting October as Breast Cancer Awareness month, I would like to remind people not to overlook it's fellow 'October campaigner'...Domestic Violence. Both movements depend on their awareness month to provide knowledgeable information to the community and for funding purposes as well. 

In this economy, funding is now uncertain; in the case of my home state, California, the new '09-'10 fiscal state budget cut out the entire Domestic Violence Prevention Unit program which means the elimination of $20.4 million in program funding. We are now the only state without a state Unit. Although the National Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NCEDV) is advocating for a nation wide awareness month change from October to May, nothing has been set to stone. 

President Obama has just released a proclamation where he states, "Victims of violence often suffer in silence, not knowing where to turn, with little or no guidance and support.  Sadly, this tragedy does not just affect adults. Even when children are not directly injured by violence, exposure to violence in the home can contribute to behavioral, social, and emotional problems. High school students who report having experienced physical violence in a dating relationship are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, are at greater risk of suicide, and may carry patterns of abuse into future relationships. Our efforts to address domestic violence must include these young victims." 

Don't get me wrong, I feel that both campaigns should have all-year-round awareness. But please, don't leave Domestic Violence awareness out in the cold this month.

For more information on Domestic Violence, please visit the National Coalition to End Domestic Violence. For information on teen dating violence, please visit Love Is Not Abuse. 

If you would like to make a monetary donation to a domestic violence shelter that is very dear to my heart, please click here.