Rug Score

Yes, I'm still alive.  I've just been ridiculously busy between work, Christmas shopping and more work.  I picked up some assistant work with my friend who is an event photographer.  Love the extra cash around the holidays.  Can't say I loved the drunks at Vegas Night quite so much, but I did get to hang out with 3 Elvises at once so it was a memorable night.

Anyway, I'm very close to being finished with Christmas shopping.  I do realize that Christmas is less than a week away and I'm actually very behind schedule, but it's just one of those years. 

I was luckily able to find things online for most of our out-of-town friend and family and had it shipped directly to them, which helped a ton.  I am a huge fan of online shopping, especially stacking sales with online coupons.  So, despite the fact that I am not finished shopping for other people, I couldn't resist using a $20 off $100 coupon Overstock e-mailed me this morning.

What did I get?  This rug, of course!

I've been eyeing it for weeks now, and the price fluctuates all over the place so I wanted to make sure I got it on the low end.  Area rugs are currently 15% off, so stacking it with the coupon and the free shipping promotion made a big dent in the price (which I have seen for as much as $158).  I never really expected to be able to get it for under $100 (even if it's just a smidgen under at $98.99), so I am extremely happy.  Let's hope I stay happy when it gets here and I see it in person.

Overstock Stools

WTF, Overstock?  Why do you have such cute stuff that I feel I must have immediately because I'm afraid of it selling out?  And why is all just slightly out of my immediate budget?

I was perfectly happy with the Ikea stools we had picked out until I stumbled across these gorgeous ones at the O.co


Adjustable Natural Fir Wood Finish Barstool $133

They are almost $100 more each than the Ikea stools.  That would be enough to give a sane person some pause.  Me:  Absolutely not.  Love them still just as much. 
They look very similar to these Restoration Hardware stools which are $100 more each.  So I'd like to think of the Overstock ones as a steal, really.

I briefly considered selling a kidney to finance an Overstock shopping spree, but that's probably not a good idea with diabetes running rampant in my family.  And I love my kid too much to sell him on the black market.  Hmmmm, maybe Santa Claus will be extra nice this year?

Dining Room Rugs

Two rug options I'm mulling over for the dining room.  They're both on Overstock, so we'll see if I manage to save up and buy one of them before it disappears.


Hand-woven Yoki Jute Rug - $152 (on sale)

This one is fairly bland, but that's a good thing.  I don't want anything to busy or bright, just an anchor for the table and chairs.  Pros:  The color is just what I was looking for, natural fibers are durable, I like the subtle chevron pattern, nice price.  Cons:  Maybe too small - it would work, but I think I'd rather a 6' x 9'. 

Before I show you the next one, I'm going on a major tangent, complete with pictures.

This weekend we watched the OU/Texas game at one of the boyfriend's friend's house.  I wish I had brought my camera, not just for the great family-time pics, but because the house was Ah-mazing.  They bought this fairly run-down 1950s ranch house about 25 years ago and have been steadily renovating it. 

Luckily one of our friends did have her camera.  This is the view from their pool area - where we watched the game in their gazebo/bar.

This is (a very low) Lake Travis - the white part on
the island is all usually underwater.

Here's my son playing in the pool.  We didn't bring bathing suits, so I let him play in his underwear.  Then I posted it on the internet.  I'm going all out for Mom of the Year.

Anyway, here's how we circle back around to rugs.  The friends are wrapping up their latest renovation - adding a 1200 sq. ft. office space/second floor (you can see some of the windows in the above picture).  They are using it as the corporate headquarters of their business now, but when they move it'll be a master suite.  While we were touring the space, I kept fixating on the carpeting - this lovely tone-on-tone diamond pattern.  I've seen versions of it before, but never realized how much I liked it.

So when I was searching for other carpet options last night, I decided to try a diamond pattern and found this one I really love:


Hand-woven Diamond Jute - $126 (on sale)

It kind of blows the first one out of the water - if (and this is a biggy) it is more of a gold color than either yellow or orange.  It's bigger (6x9), less expensive, and I like the pattern more.  So I'm going to cross my fingers and hope it will still be there in a couple of weeks.  It's kind of risky, since I won't know if it's the right color until it gets here - and return shipping from Overstock is kind of ridiculous.  So we'll see. 

To be continued...

Barstools

We have a small breakfast bar area between the kitchen and dining room.  Unfortunately, because we don't have barstools, it has become "the ledge to put stuff on and leave it there forever."  So, I'm on the lookout for barstools that will hopefully increase the bar's functionality.  Although (let's be honest), I'm pretty sure it'll always be a little bit of a catch-all spot.

The boyfriend is very excited about the barstool shopping experience.  Why?  No idea.  But he's very opinionated.  I initially wanted to go with these stools from Overstock.



Overstock's Tabouret 30-inch Stools

 They're very similar to the Tolix stools, but only $102 for 2.  I like their industrial vibe and I definitely want stools without a back.  The boyfriend quickly vetoed them.  I think his reaction was something like, "Those are the ugliest stools I've ever seen in my life."  No go.

The boyfriend keeps bringing up his mother's barstools, which look very similar to these (also from Overstock).

Metropolitan Red Barstool

I have to admit, that they're incredibly comfortable.  She moved a couple of years ago to a place without a bar, but has been hanging on the bar stools.  So I think the boyfriend thinks he can talk her into giving them to us - and free is nice.  But they're just too contemporary for me.

Last weekend, I spotted these cool stools at Ikea.  And (big surprise!) the boyfriend doesn't hate them.

Ikea Dalfred Bar Stool

They're not insanely comfortable, but they adjust up and down which is a must with kids of varying heights.  And they're only $40 a pop, which isn't too shabby.  I think we've found a winner, but (as always) until we buy them it's still up in the air.