Champagne Tastes/Beer Budget: Dining Room Part II

As I posted about yesterday,  I have expensive tastes, but a tight budget.  This necessitates either 1. thrifting, Craigslisting, and/or garage sale-ing to find awesome pieces or 2. purchasing knock-off versions or 3. purchasing knock-off versions via thrifting, Craigslisting, and/or garage sale-ing.  Options 1 and 3 are great, but require a lot of time and patience, which is fine if you have them.

I seldom have either, although I'll admit I scour Craigslist daily for cool stuff.

I also love scouring the blog "Copycat Chic," which routinely posts outrageously expensive designer home goods and furniture along with more reasonably priced knock-offs.  I use "reasonably" loosely, because some pieces are still cost-prohibitive for me, but it's still fun to look!  Check it out!

But anyway, here's a roundup of knock-offs for the pieces I admitted yesterday that I covet for the dining room (with one exception).  I was able to find most of these through diligent internet searches, and of course, through my undying love for IKEA.

It doesn't have a marble top, or that glossy base, but the shape of the Docksta is still pretty cool.  I'm getting one from a Craigslist seller today.  I plan to paint it a glossy black, which will work better with my existing chairs and buffet.  Like this one.  Sassy, right?

Find the white Saarinen table here
Find the black knock-off here.
Find the Docksta table here 

It's not exactly a knock-off, but the new IKEA Stockholm chandelier captures the spirit of the classic Sputnik chandelier.  I saw it in the new catalog and said, out loud to myself, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! and squealed a little bit with excitement.

I bought a chandelier for the dining room back in December, but I haven't hung it yet.  I might use it in another room, but I probably should stick to the plan to use it in the dining room.  It is rather lovely, but it's not as dramatic as either of the two above.

Maybe I can use the Stockholm chandelier in my bedroom, which currently has the ugliest light fixture ever.

Find the Jonathan Adler here
Find the IKEA here

I barely see a difference, do you?  The original is more transparent, according to the picture, but I don't care.  And it's not like anyone I know would look at that chair and say..."Is that the original or the knock-off?"  because they don't care either.

The real question is - are the darn things comfortable?  I can make cushions with some of that Schumacher Pearl River fabric I recently bought on eBay.  That'll do the trick, right?  Like in this photo:

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Hey, check out that groovy table!

Find the Louis version here
Find the Bizchair version here

Now we come to this guy:

I searched and I searched, but alas, there is not currently a viable knock-off.  Apparently, Pier 1 used to carry one a few years back, but I missed the boat on that one.

Sorry, I know this is the second "Y U NO" meme I've used this week.  I have a thing for idiotic memes.  You should see the Grumpy Cat memes we send to each other at work, but you wouldn't think they were funny, so I won't make you see them.

Find the Jonathan Adler version here.

I kind of like the shape of this chair from IKEA (also new!), which weds the rounded back and arms of the ghost chair with the glossy black bamboo-y look and structural interest of the Chippendale chair.  It would also benefit from some round cushions for the seat. At $99 a chair, it's pricier than the knock-off ghost chair, but WAY less than my beloved Chippendale bamboo chair.

So, there you go!  There is hope for my overcrowded dining room after all!

Champagne Tastes/Beer Budget: Dining Room Part I

I realized that I have expensive tastes.  But I have a somewhat tight budget.

But I want a beautiful house.  Lately, the dining room is my focus.  So, here's a rundown of things I'd snatch up for the dining room in a quick second if I had an unlimited budget.

Come with me on my little trip to dreamland, won't you?

...

How about this beautiful, classic tulip table as my dining table?  Totally attainable.

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And this Jonathan Adler Sputnik chandelier over the table?  Sure, I've got the funds for this! 

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Here are some chair options I can just go ahead and pick up this weekend!

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If I got this guy in white, I'd be rollin' hard like the Golden Girls!  I've always envied those chairs (this blogger agrees).

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Okay that's the end of that little journey to Delusionville.

The truth is, although these pieces are beautiful and classic, even if I could afford them, I'm not sure my conscience would allow it!  If I really want them, I will need to look for knock-offs or second-hand versions, which requires scouring Craigslist and antique stores and garage sales.  The challenge is that I live in an area where good taste is a rare commodity and cool pieces are even rarer.  I'm always surprised when I find something amazing at a local store, or even something that can be made over into something amazing with a little imagination.  But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna look!

Update:  Since I posted this, I realized that there are viable knock-off versions of most of these things, and I'll post about them tomorrow!

Just for funsies, here are some inspiration dining rooms featuring one or more of these pieces.

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I do have big plans for the dining room though, which I hope to enact rather soon.  Also, the living room is THISCLOSE to being done, so I'm hoping to get photos up soon.

Favorite Things: The Eyes Have It

I mentioned before how much I love Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  I said it deserved its own post, but I decided to let it share a post with another product I love, Benefit Cosmetics' Creaseless Cream Shadow in "Birthday Suit".

And I realized, I say "I'm in LOVE!" with a lot of things.  Don't judge me.

I have oily eyelids, which works in my favor in terms of wrinkle prevention, but has historically meant that my eye shadow slides right off after just a few hours.  I tried a number of other products before I found this one, but none has ever worked as well.  I've used it for years.

The Primer Potion goes on creamy and dries quickly, but isn't drying.  Apply with your ring finger over your entire eyelid, then apply your eye shadow for long-lasting wear.  Even in extreme heat and humidity, this stuff works like a charm.

This product used to come in a curvy tube with a wand, which limited the amount of product one could extract from the tube; now, it comes in a squeeze-tube, which is a much more effective way of maximizing the product.  Thanks, Urban Decay!

Now I will mention that this product comes in three colors as well as the original.  I don't recommend them.  They are, actually, drying.  But the original version is fan-freakin'-tastic.

I love cream eye shadows.  They make less mess than powder shadows and go on with consistent thickness, which gives you a greater degree of control when applying them.  One also gets superior color saturation with the cream-based shadow.  However, with the oily eyelids I mentioned before, I didn't wear cream shadows with much success after the initial application.

Enter Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow.  Like the Primer Potion, it's long-wearing but not drying.  If you combine it with the Primer Potion, by George, you're unstoppable.

I've bought this in a few different colors, but I always come back to "Birthday Suit," a shimmery golden taupe color that I wear every day.  It flatters almost every skin tone, and is neutral enough to be combined with other colors for a broad range of looks, but is also pretty enough to be worn on its own with just mascara. 

Images c/o Amazon.com

This is not a paid endorsement.  I just really love these products, and I think you will, too.

Favorite Things: Baking Soda

You know what baking soda is awesome for?  SO MANY THINGS!  I use it so often, I buy the large boxes they sell at Raley's (and if I'm in the mood to deal with people, which I almost never am, I go to Costco and get the big bag) and keep them in a big canister with a cup for scooping/measuring.

Keep reading after the jump.

Favorite Things Friday, Volume 3: Chester the Chesterfield

My couch is here.

There was squealing when it arrived.

Not from the delivery guys, of course.

You will notice that now the entry table needs a new color now, because it looks dingy next to the grey.  And I need a new rug, but that's okay because the floral one will work in the guest room, once that nightmare of a project is done.  But the pillows really pop on that couch, right??

Anyway, the couch is my new favorite thing.  Happy Friday!

Love/Hate Friday - Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for. Good friends, a loving family, a home I love, a job I enjoy.  Salvation through Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him.

God has truly poured out His grace and crowned my life with lovingkindness this year.

I had the privilege of hosting this year in my new home.  After hours of cooking and just minutes of eating, I think it was a success.  My feet and back hurt, I sliced both my thumbs open, and I'm still doing dishes, but I loved every second of it.

Photos courtesy of my momma.

Table set with squash and greenery from the yard.

Ducks on the left, turkey on the right in the Dutch oven.

  Putting my buffet table to work.

 The guests included my stepdad, his brother and sister-in-law, his niece, and my friend from work (and mom, who's taking the picture)

 Dessert

The hostess with coffee in hand

Happy Black Friday, the official launch of the Christmas season.

Love/Hate Friday - Home Ownership

I love my house.  I love it a lot.  But being a homeowner is way different than being a renter, I'm learning.

For example, I had to call a plumber for the first time today.  Like, ever.  He came right away, and he was quick, and kind, and didn't charge me much, but it was a little surreal that I had to call one at all.  But the shower decided to up and clog, so I had no choice.

And then there's the whole yard maintenance thing.  I have this huge yard that I haven't done a single thing with.  I don't even know how to use a lawnmower.  All summer, I was the neighbor with the ugliest front yard, because I never watered my grass or plants, so I had a brown lawn, a half-dead giant bird-of-paradise plant, and a row of hedges that served primarily as condos for the giant spiders in my neighborhood, who didn't even offer to pay rent.

Don't even get me started on how wild the back yard is - envision the Fire Swamp, without the ROUSes or the lightning sand, but with a giant blackberry bush that is threatening to overtake the garage and the neighbor's house and the fence and has probably already eaten a couple of dogs and a homeless guy.

I basically need a sword and the Man in Black to navigate my backyard

Read more after the jump...

Love/Hate Friday

I've been cleaning a lot lately.  I don't know how the house keeps getting messy/dirty, but it does.  It's like I blink and the sink fills up with dishes.  But I keep cleaning.  And cleaning.

For my friends.
For my family.
For my house sitters.
For the cat.

I don't really hate cleaning when it's for them.  I don't hate it because I want the house to look a certain way.
I want it to look like love.

But here's my love/hate list anyway.

Love/Hate Friday - Post-Vacation Edition

I just got back from Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest, where the trees were aflame with the changing colors of fall, the landscape was green lush and dense with foliage, and the sea and sky were grey and you couldn't tell where one stopped and the other began. 

It rained most of the time I was there, so I wore a floppy black wool felt hat every day.  But the resultant hat-hair was worth it.  I was warm and comfortable, and got lots of compliments from beanie-wearing Canadians.

Now I need to unpack all my socks and sweaters and maple syrup and other souveniers.  Or not.

Love/Hate Friday

I've had one of those Reba reruns/red lipstick/German pastries kind of weeks...they're good stress relievers, in case you've never experienced their healing powers. 

I'm headed out of town for a few days of adventure, which I hope to have some interesting posts about next week.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!



Love/Hate Friday

I love a lot of things.  I also hate a lot of things.  I love when people read my blog.  I hate taking out the garbage.  Things like that. 

So you get to read them.  Every week.  Aren't you the luckiest?!