Pottery Barn Throw Blanket…For Less!

Pottery Barn Blanket

I recently went shopping, and died over Pottery Barn’s new holiday decor. Between their fall decor and the upcoming Christmas decor(found in their catalog), I could definitely spend hundreds of dollars there very quick. I especially loved their faux fur throw pillows and throw blankets. They look so delicious and perfect. Very cozy for those cold winter days. Unfortunately, the throw blanket I really wanted cost $129. That was a little too pricey for my taste. So I left the store empty handed. I then strolled into Target (my home away from home). I went straight to the home section (obvi) and what did I find?! A faux fur white blanket on sale for $13.99!!!! What a steal!! This is what I love. Finding things that I love at the more high end stores, and then scouting around to find them on the cheap! So now, I get the look I want, my boyfriend doesn’t think I’m crazy for spending $129 on a blanket, AND I have $100 more dollars to spend on something else! (Like the Pottery Barn fur pillows to match!). Target is the BEST! If you ever want the look of Pottery Barn but can’t spend that much money, always look at stores like Target, Home Goods, or Ikea. They have great deals, and when you mix high priced and low priced items, no one knows the difference! I like to spend more money on certain things, and then save money on other accessories. For example, I discovered that the cheapest pillow inserts are found at Ikea. They are like $3.00! And then you can buy the Pottery Barn or West Elm pillow covers for $30-$40 and not feel bad about it. Instead of spending $12-$18 on a pillow insert PLUS $30-$40 on a pillow cover at Pottery Barn, you just saved that extra $12-$18 and no one will ever know the difference! That’s almost enough for another pillow cover! It’s all about the mix and match. My tip is never buy things on a whim. Figure out what you want and then shop around to find the best price you can on that item. I always scout out the stores, write down what I want, and then go home and online shop to see if I can find similar things for a better price.

So here it is — the blanket I based my purchase at Target off of:  Faux Fur Throw from Pottery Barn    How luxe is that?!

Pottery Barn Blanket

I couldn’t find the Target throw blanket I bought online, but here is a picture of the info tag 🙂

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Doesn’t that look the same?! So flurry and furry!

So what do you think? Are you always searching for a sweet deal like I am?! Leave me a comment and let me know!

xoxo

Image courtesy of http://www.polyvore.com

 

 

DIY: Guest Room/Home Office Remodel!

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a tiny, not so great apartment. Slowly, I have tried to make each room look as good as I can with what I have to work with. Since my boyfriend and I rent, I cannot change the wall colors, or replace the disgusting old carpet with hard wood. But what I CAN do is re-decorate to take your eyes away from the lame floors, etc. This summer, I have been getting inspired by seeing a lot of bloggers home offices online. They all looked so cute! So then I decided…I want a home office! But where would I put it? I don’t have a mansion with extra rooms just waiting for ideas. But I did have a spare bedroom that we basically used for storage. It had turned into my closet/junk room. And so, my remodel of the spare room began.

Here is what our spare bedroom looked like before I started – the bed was covered in clothes, jewelry, and randomness. The floors had an overload of holiday pillows, shoes, and bags strewn around that I had no place to store. I had built a desk about two weeks ago(more info below), but that was as far as I got in the project. As you can see, the blue plastic was still on the white desk to keep it from getting scratched!

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First step in the remodel was simple: Organize! Before I could do the fun stuff (aka decorating), I had to organize my life. I re-worked my closet, and found places for all my jewelry and clothes. It really wasn’t hard, it just took some time.

Second step was hanging up the curtains. All you need for this project is a drill (screw gun), drill bits, and screws. I bought my curtain rod and attachments from Ikea for super cheap. If you are using the Ikea set up, I would suggest having a friend or Mom help you. It goes faster. Ikea curtain rods are not at all hard to set up, the directions are pretty straight forward. To check out Ikea curtains, Click Here And Here!

Here is the finished room!!

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How pretty is that?! It’s exactly how I imagined it. Disregard the chair, that will be another post. I need to make it super glam, but for now the chair will have to do. You can see black paint on it from other DIY projects I have done. It is what I refer to as my “Craft Chair” haha 🙂 To purchase the shiny white desk I bought, it can be found at Ikea here. The price is slightly high, but I purchased it when they were having a summer sale. A good rule of thumb for buying new decor pieces is figure out what you want, then wait a month to buy it. Within that month, there will usually be some sort of sale. I have found that if I troll the internet and my emails for discounts, I am usually able to find some sort of savings for what I want. One time that this is not a good idea, is when you know the product is going to sell out. If you are in love with the product, and think it won’t be there in a month, then buy it. You can always return it, and you will usually regret it if you don’t.

P.S. A small note on the Ikea desk – in true Ikea fashion, it took me about 3 and a half hours to build. Annoying at the time, but once it was built I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. So don’t let Ikea and it’s long building times scare you…you can do it!!

Here are the details of every part of the room:

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Pillows: West Elm – These particular silver pillows I purchased around last Christmas, so they are no longer in stock. But not to worry! They are always changing their inventory, and right now they have some GREAT pillows! I especially like this Velvet Pillow because it’s so in for fall right now. West Elm’s pillows normally run around $39 a pillow, which adds up quickly. But as you can see, they are SO worth it. I wanted a glam look, and these pillows delivered. West Elm has a lot of good sales too, so get on their mailing list and you will be happy you did! Everything I have bought at their store I have purchased while they had a promotion going. Keep your eyes open, and you will be rewarded!

Throw Blanket: West Elm – This is currently out of stock as well, but check out their West Elm Throw Blankets page, and I’m sure you will find something you love! You cannot tell in the picture, but in person it is metallic and very shimmery. It looks awesome!

 

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Curtains: West Elm – Can you tell I am OBSESSED with West Elm?! haha It’s a problem! These curtains were perfect because they are pretty sheer (you can’t tell in the picture because I took it at night time), so they let a lot of light in. I also love them because they have little specks of silver sparkles in them that glimmer in the light. Check out these curtains here: Metallic Dash Curtains And BONUS! They are on sale right now!!

Vases In Window: These cute white vases are from Ikea. I liked them because they are small and understated but are able to be a design piece on their own, or I could add a single flower to them and they could be vases. #MultiFunctional. Check these vases out HERE and HERE! I love getting home accessories at Ikea because they are so well priced. It is always a win!

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Picture Wall: All these white frames were purchased at Ikea. After many searches at different stores, I have found that Ikea has the best prices when it comes to picture frames. You can check out their frame selection here: Ikea Picture Frames

The prints in the pictures came from a variety of sources. Some were purchased through Etsy, and one of the prints my mom made for me. As you can see, the bottom two frames actually have not been replaced with real prints yet. I hung up the frames anyway so that I could get the overall look I wanted. The prints will be coming soon!!

So overall, this who remodel took me about a day. I had to re-organize, build a desk, and re-decorate the room. I think it was well worth it, I am loving the outcome!! I hope this post reminds you that you CAN live in a fabulous home, no matter how big or small. All you have to do is have a vision, and make it come to life!

Have you ever imagined a new room, and made it happen?! Let me know!!

xoxo