Right Angle

Happy Sunday!!

Frugal Friday: Target

I love Target to the bone. It's my one-stop-shop for all things household and it shows. There is, however, one department where I've been a bit skeptical about making purchases... furniture. When it comes to furniture, I'm a touch and feel kind of gal; I've got certain expectations when it comes to quality and durability. Sure, you'll see a few sample furniture items displayed in-store but if I can't try, I won't buy (eat your heart out "the late Johnny Cochran")...that is until I saw these quads on their website. I think my "try before you buy" rule might have an exception!

Truss Chair 

$89.99

Dahlia Chair 

$99.99

Blu Dot Real Good Chair 

$90.30

Your gluteus maximus won't be so thrilled after a while, but you know what they say... beauty hurts.

TGIF!!

Wealthy Wednesday: Jane Bi-Sectional

Wealthy Wednesday is back. ^_^

Now that our square pattern wall is pretty much done (pictures up soon) and the carpet is on its way, it's time to couch shop! 

Pictured below is the Gus Modern Jane Bi-Sectional. We've been eying a wannabe-look-alike sectional at a local mom & pop store for months now; it's only half the price of good ole' Gus.

Now that's a yummy button-tuck piece. This exquisite sectional's price varies from $2,900-$3,250.

Below is a snapshot of our soon to be fake Jane.

Besides the cheaper price, another great thing about our wannabe is the hundreds of fabric swatches (some currently resting on the button tuck's back in the picture) to choose from! Although I would love a white couch in the family room, I must factor in the extensive use and abuse it will have for many years to come.

To bad we can't go with something futuristic, like this plate-backed sofa, complete with two bubble yum inspired pillows, by Nipa Doshi.

Nah.

Square Dance

Weekend+pandora+ruler+tape+ladder+paint = square dance

::Goal::

::Dancing::

 

::Taping::

  

::Painting::

 

::Excitement::

The tape adhesive sucked all the moisture out of my fingertips but it was worth it. Two more paint colors to go before the carpet moves in!

Mouse Trap!

So...we were a little MIA this week. Life, work, and everything in between has been pretty hectic lately. My chronic hurting eyes have been acting up again and the medicated drops pretty much suck. Chris has been a trooper today; he is tapping off all the squares in the Family Room on his day off/Forza III all-day-gaming day. Hopefully we'll be ready for some painting this Sunday!! 

Until then, I'd like to share a little story. This one's a doozy. In case I've already lost your interest, here's the conclusion.

The picture above has not been altered nor photoshopped; its the real deal. When Chris and I first moved in together back in September of 2007, apparently Chris' cat, Jimmy, (but really its his parents cat) missed him and left a nice gift on his car during our once-a-week-free-and-delicious-homemade-dinner-at-his-parents-house visit. 

I guess you can say Jimmy missed Chris and his ruffian "affection."  I know what you're thinking... Where's the blood? No trace nor evidence of the tragedy. Only a few ants running blindly around the carcass. Clearly, this was a Dexter-ish move. 

TGIF!

A Soapy Situation

A good TSP scrub down and the beginnings of the the square pattern took place in the Family Room this past Sunday. We knew the square drawings were going to be a major pain in the butt! Alignments, center points, congruent measurements; eek, I'm ready to pull my hair out!! 

You see, geometry and I met briefly in high school- my teacher developed a serious case of mononucleosis and I spent most of my Sophomore year with an aloof math sub and did nothing but play with the TI83 calculators. If the outcome of the wall isn't what we expected, I'm settling for wallpaper print or a coat of cover-up paint; whatever lets me sleep at night. 

When I'm not elbow deep in TSP, I enjoy perusing the infinite Esty shops (who doesn't!). I came across some peculiar treats...

Kind of tempting to eat, wouldn't you say? Too bad they are vegan soaps. Yup, cleansing agents. Talk about a trigger happy moment. I can safely say I've never had to endure the punishment of soap in the mouth. On the other hand, a fellow 1st grade peer gave the entire classroom a front row performance of the disciplinary act. Private school at its best.

 

These bad boys are available via Esty profile DirtyAssSoaps.

Talk about a great holiday gag, I mean, gift. ^_^

The Workplace

Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!

::La Catrina::

 

::my sugar skull::

Frugal Fridays: GOAT Decoration

The decorations which we keep throughout our homes serve many purposes. Some people use them to highlight aspects of their character...for example, one of their hobbies. Some decorations can be used to enhance architectural details of the buildings in which they reside. Perhaps a decoration can be an old family heirloom, which has been past down from generation to generation, carrying with it a great story or tradition. The point I'm getting at is this; while all of those things are great in their own ways...the sad fact remains that they CANNOT make snow cones.

For this reason, the snoopy sno-cone machine is the "Greatest of All Time (GOAT) decoration . Ok, seriously. Many decorations serve as conversation pieces...and in all honesty, in my experience I have found none better than my snoopy sno-cone machine. I received my first for my 5th bday in late 1985, from my great grandma...AKA "Nunny". Several years later it was either lost, broken, given away or sold at a garage sale. Then, about 5 or 6 years ago, while rummaging around a K-Mart store, my parents happened upon one. They couldn't resist buying and gifting it to me. When I opened it up (for the second time) I felt how, I can only imagine, Jesus' followers must have felt upon his resurrection....only better. After all, we're talking about an almost 20 year hiatus here...those busters only had to wait 3 days!!!....and it wasn't even summer (the season in which snow cones are the most appreciated).

Back to snoopy as a decoration. I'm ashamed to admit it...but I haven't ever used my second SSCM to make snow cones. It is strictly a decoration; but nary a person who enters our kitchen fails to make mention of it. People remember them. Either they had one, or their friend had one...or worse, their enemy. The point is, it is always a conversational diving board. The fact that they are only about 18 bucks now, and readily available, does somewhat cheapen it...it's true.

In closing I'd like to say...this post is definitely more jumbled than my typical writing. I told Dolores I was bored (at work) and she suggested I try to write a frugal Friday post. Hopefully you don't judge me too harshly. In any case...it is now 10:25pm and writing this successfully got me through the final 20 minutes of my night...hopefully it did the same for the past 2 minutes of your life. I'm going home!!! 

 

-Chris

Wealthy Wednesday: Gilded eiCrate

I'm a sucker for pets; especially cats. What I wouldn't give to have a kindle of kittens. Chris objects to the idea. >_< He refuses to accompany me to the Petco adoption center- just to look! In his defense he whimpers at the sight of the jailed fishies. I'm just glad he opted for our current feline, 'Uncle Kitty'.

I never knew there was such an immense market for pet beds and accessories. I mean, the thought that someone would purchase a 22.5K Gold Crate. Real Gold!  It's baffling!

Hmm, what does 22.5K gold go for these days?? Eleven thousand dollars! Uh huh, you read correctly, $11,000.  Fortunately, there is also a production for ordinary bulbous crates with a reasonable price of just $100.

Isn't he just a cutie patootie? Both crates are available at Go!PetDesign.

 

Just for kicks, I lurked the web to find more dazzling pet rests and I gotta say, I'm weak in the knees for this Jetsons inspired pod.

::Hepper Pod::

***

::Hepper Nest::

***

Or these unique resting nests.

::Curve::

***

::Nap::
***

 

::Retro Cat Bed::

Ok, I officially need a nap!

Scones, Seaweed Rolls, and a Viagra Burger

Weekends sure do feel like they are getting shorter and shorter. How about enforcing a permanent 3-day weekend...Obama??

Gradually painting more walls in the Family Room this past weekend; we're a little iffy on the 'Subtle Touch'. After living with the color for a few days and seeing it in different light settings, it's giving off a purplish hue which was not in our decorative plan. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes the neighboring darker colored walls will repel the amethyst intrusion. 

Sneak preview and our picture debut.

I look like one of those Precious Moments "I love you this much" figurines and Chris looks like one of Bob Baker's Beauties.

Sunday was a full day of cooking 101. After our weekly Sunday jaunt to Home Depot, I partook in the making of some homemade scones with Chris' mom. YUMMY!!! Not only was it ridiculously easy to concoct, but delicious to the max! 

Later that afternoon, my friend/brother-in-law's-girlfriend, Annel and I attended a vegetarian cooking class hosted by Veggie Land, in Orange County (Brea). Although it was not a hands on experience, the 1hr presentation (and menu) were intriguing. 

The chef shared some of her dishes, which originated in her restaurant in Taiwan, including a quick Kimchi-esque recipe with only 1 day of fermentation (usually a 3-6 day storing process!), a roasted seaweed roll substituting rice with sliced bread and a veggie burger whose patty contains elements used in Viagra and is believed to produce the same side effects. Long story short, we made a Boner Burger. Nice. Tickles the mind, doesn't it? Unfortunately, we gobbled all of the food before I could take any snapshots. Definitely signing up for upcoming classes in the near future. Cost for attendance? $5! Totally worth it.