Wednesday, August 18, 2010

We Do Actually Have Rugs...

...sorry about the last post. I was writing from a hotel lobby and unbeknownst to me, the Internet timed out and everything written was erased.

On to the rug story...

Ok, so we bought rugs! We did not, however, buy any of the rugs I wrote about last time. The week before last I received a 10% off coupon to West Elm along with a new catalogue. This told me it was fate that I buy rugs over the weekend which I was not by any means unwilling to do. Before setting off for the bricks and mortar store on 4th Street in Santa Monica, I made a phone call to see if the rugs Jeff and I agreed upon we in stock. Yep, they had the 8'x10' Jute Diamond Rug, but sadly they did not have the 5'x8' Andalusia rug I'm still so crazy about. I was told that the Horizon (yellow) color is only sold online, and not until September 20th(!). Eh, well...we'll at least have one rug down and only one to go. With that, we were off!

We made it to Santa Monica and had no trouble finding a parking space. The day was already a WIN! We explored the Promenade, as Tim had never been, and even checked out the newly opened Santa Monica Place. We dined, and browsed, and weaved our way in and out of outrageous people traffic, but then it was time. OH YES, IT WAS TIME. I must admit, I had a pit in the bottom of my stomach that things would turn out terribly and they very nearly did. I made a beeline for the rug section to see what, if anything, would work in place of the dreamy Andalusia rug and was momentarily heart-sunken. The Beaded Diamond Dhurrie, however, caught Jeff's eye. It didn't take much to sway me at this point. I mean, it is a nice color all light blue and stone grey. And I mean, it is graphic in nature...and HOLD ON, is that a 'sale' sign next to it??? I pulled up the rug page on the browser on my phone and looked at the sale price, eh, not bad.

We went to the counter to claim the Jute Diamond on hold and to ask about getting the Dhurrie in a 5'x8'.

"Oh, sorry. We don't have it in a 5'x8' and we can't find the 8'x10' Jute Diamond either."

"I'm sorry, I was told that it was here waiting for me and the Dhurrie hanging on the wall looks like a 5'x8' to me."

"Oh well, let me have them look again and you don't want the rug hanging up, the top will be all screwed up from the clamps."

"Well, can't we just take a look?"

*evil glare from the unhelpful salesgirl* "Yeah, let me find someone to take it down for you."

"Great! Thanks so much!" *spiteful smile :) *

They took the rug down and it was perfection.

"Oh wonderful!" I say, "And we should get a 10% discount for it being a floor sample, right?"

"Oh, I asked my manager and she said you don't because there haven't been any feet on it."

When would you have asked your manager??? You've been standing here with me the WHOLE time! Whatever, I'll keep my mouth shut.

We go up to the register to check out and a different, much MORE helpful salesperson checks me out.

"Oh hey, they found your rug in back AND you'll get the 5'x8' for 10% off because it's a floor sample!"

Hallelujah! Not only did the Dhurrie ring up for less than the sales price online, but the deal was then that much sweeter with the 10% discount for it being a floor sample on top of my 10% coupon. We now have two beautiful rugs that combined cost less than all the other 8'x10's I've seen.

Photo time:


8'x10' West Elm Jute Diamond Rug

We still have a lot of work to do on the living area, but I think we have certainly a fun jumping off point!

Detail Shot

And on to the dining area. I have another AMAZING project to post about coming up for the living area, so the following picture was taken not to give any of that away.

5'x8' West Elm Beaded Diamond Dhurrie
So there we have it! The two new additions to the townhouse hoping to make it feel more like a home. There are now diamonds covering every floor in the house, including our black and white tile work in both the kitchen and bathrooms, haha! I still have my eye on the Andalusian beauty and maybe one day we'll be brought together...like in 6 months to a year when she makes her way to the sale section ;)

Peace, love, and rugs!
~AJ

Monday, August 9, 2010

Winner!

*WARNING* Non decor related post to follow...

So, I don't win things. I just don't. All that changed last week when I entered a giveaway over at my friend Kristin's blog, Change is Necessary for Growth. She is a rep for Avon/mark and I won a whole slew of fantastic products!

First up is  mark Relief Effort Total Comfort Body Crème. It's a fair trade certified product and I won a whole tub of it! Not joking, the jar is monster sized :) I've been using it daily, and although the organic-y plant-y scent takes some getting used to,  it's a product I will use every last bit of.

here it is living in my medicine cabinet

Next up is mark The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm. I have not yet used this product, but have no doubt in it's healing abilities. I'll give you an update just as soon as I can, which I'm sure will be fairly soon due to our casting weekend this weekend where I'll be meeting and shaking hands with dozens of finalists and, given my germaphobic nature, will be washing and thus drying my hands over and over and will be in desperate need of something soothing for my fingers. holy run on, batman!


Now, for the fun stuff! I love makeup, love love love, and Kristin sent along two goodies that are making their way up my 'must use' list. The first is mark Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner & Shadow in Iconic. It's a fantastic hunter green and golden tan color. I applied it with a q-tip, though an eyeliner brush would have been preferable. I used the green color to smudgily line my eyelid and the golden creme to blend. I wore this along with my second makeup win, mark Juice Gems in Cherry Pop. Ok, I use the adjective 'awesome' quite freely, but this stuff really is awesome! It goes on in the prettiest sheer pink and lasts and lasts. It is a bit sticky, but not overly so and smells and tastes like strawberries! I've posted a pic below of me in my 'marc face.' I took a few close up, but was scared so a 3/4 shot is all you're gonna get!


Hi, my name is Ashley. I am not comfortable looking at pictures of myself.
Thanks, Kristin!


~AJ

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Rug-o-Rama!

One thing our apartment is suffering from is a lack of rugs. Hardwood floors are great, but rugs get the job done when it comes to warming a room up. I've been searching and searching (and searching and searching and searching) for the perfect rugs for our space. Ones that will not only look great, but are in an affordable price range. These criteria bring me to West Elm. We love West Elm. Our overlapping squares daybed/couch is my favorite piece of furniture in our home and hails from West Elm. Also, and most importantly, there is a brick and mortar store close by! Gotta love westside living.


For our living area, we'll need a big guy (8'x10'). I am leaning toward the Andalusia rug because of the color and it's graphic nature. (Graphic nature has the potential to sound very naughty.)
I do, however, worry about the pattern clashing with our menagerie of patterned pillows covering the daybed. Switching out the pillows is a relatively cheap and easy thing to do. It will be a LARGE rug and will most likely become the focal point of the living area.


We'll also need a rug to slide under the (not yet purchased) dining room table. I know for certain that I want a white round table that seats four but can expand to seat six. We'll also be hanging shelves to display my ever-growing jadeite collection (thanks, sis!) I was thinking, and tell me if I'm crazy here, possibly an animal print? I know, I KNOW! I am NOT an animal print kind of girl, but check out the subtle gray "zebra" stripes on this beauty.

Is it too much? It will be a smaller size at 5'x8'.  If popular opinion points to nay, I would happily place a more subtle jute option under the simple white table.


If I was feeling really crazy, maybe a white shag rug? No? I don't know, probably not the best option under a dining table, but it could lend a really pretty light and airy effect.

No? This one is crazy, right?

Please please please give me your opinions. I know decorating your home is a very personal project, but we could all use an unbiased eye every once in a while. If you see rugs elsewhere that you think may be perfect, please pass those along too!

All the best and happy bagel Wednesday,
~AJ

*All images courtesy of West Elm. www.westelm.com