Friday, February 3, 2012

Cross That Off The List!

When it comes to buying the one million things I need {okay, mayyybe the word I’m looking for is “want”} for our home, I often run into the same problems over and over again.  The first problem…a lack of money, and the second problem…the item never seems to be exactly what I had in mind.

This usually means that I spend a whole lot of time tracking down pieces for the house.  I'm definitely not one to lose patience and buy something just to get the hunt over with.  I love researching and dreaming up what to put into our home.  And more than that, I love finding amazing deals and awesome pieces to re-purpose for our casa.

This brings me to one of the pieces I have been on a mad search for.  I looked high and low and could NOT seem to find the right ottoman for our living room.  I had several requirements for this piece.  I wanted it to be:

-white, or white-ish
-leather {bonded or otherwise, so that I could easily wipe it off…this piece is going to double as a coffee table, so a drink or appetizer might drop/drip on it}
-round so people could easily move around it to the couch
-between 27” and 30” so it’d fit nicely in the nook our couch creates
-have storage capabilities
-within my budget

Yes, I had high expectations for this one piece of furniture.  I hunted and hunted and nothing seemed to fit the bill, until I came across an ottoman on Overstock.com that met 4 out of the 6 requirements.  I loved that it hit all the major items on my list, except for the storage.  But when I take a step back, I realize that storage shouldn't be that high on my criteria list because we have plenty of it in our home.  This little ottoman would not be making or breaking our storage solutions.  Plus, I had just received an O.co 10% off coupon earlier in the week.  I took it as a sign.  I had to compromise {with myself haha} and I went ahead and bought it.

This guy went into my virtual shopping cart, and before I knew it, it had arrived on our door step. 

Supreme Square White Leather Ottoman

I took it out of the box and saw that it had been neatly wrapped in a cloth bag that a more expensive purse might come in.  I had to attach the legs myself, but they provided a wrench to do so.  The legs were heavy and sturdy.  They had plastic pegs on the bottom of the wood legs, to maybe help protect the floors?  To me, they wouldn’t do.  I took out my trusty “Whole Home Felt Pad” kit and tried to put them on the legs.  I quickly saw that the thickness of the plastic pegs plus the thickness of the felt pads would make for an unstable ottoman.  I used a butter knife and popped all the plastic pegs off the legs.  Then I put the felt pads back on and they were perfect.  {I had pictures of this whole process, but I managed to delete them off my iPhone.  I totally thought I had copied them to a folder on my computer first, but I didn’t.  Oooops!  Here is the only picture I have of our newest addition to our living room.  Yes, the tag for the ottoman is still attached and dangling in the left-hand corner.  Please disregard hehe.} 


I know it’s still INCREDIBLY bare in there.  I’m working on it…as fast as I can while working a normal 8:30 – 5 job.  Believe me...it's driving me nutso to not have a homey, decorated home already!!

The ottoman definitely hasn't been the only thing I'm struggling with.  I am having a very tough time with rugs.  I have a few that I love, but they have been out-of-stock for forever, or they are out of my price range.

On my to-do list is also refinishing a bunch of pieces I have in our garage and basement, putting together some art for the walls, purchasing the fabric I finallyyyyy settled on for our curtains, sewing those curtains, spray painting frames from Home Goods, painting the barn door, oh and the list goes on and on....

And I'm not sure when all of this will get done and revealed to you guys.  Especially since I'm having some awesome friends over for dinner on Saturday and then on Sunday for the Super Bowl.  I hope you guys all have a fun-filled weekend!  GO GIANTS!!!!! :)

18 comments:

  1. I feel your pain. When we thought we were getting the couch that was similar size and layout to yours I searched high and low as well for a round, easy to clean ottoman with storage. I can't believe how hard it is to find one and not spend a ton of money!
    I love the ottoman you bought! I may not have been what you first envisioned but it still looks great!!

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    1. I know! I can't believe how hard of a time I had finding one, without breaking the bank!! Thank you, I'm definitely relieved that it seems to have worked out! :)

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  2. Love the ottoman! It looks great in there! I know it's driving you crazy to not have a totally decorated home but think of how boring it would be if you were done. Take it slow and enjoy the transformation!
    -Diana

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    1. Thank you! You are soooo very right! I'd be so bored if everything was done already! And honestly, part of the process I L.O.V.E. is dreaming up all the fun things I want to put into our home! :)

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  3. You need to learn the joy of thrift store shopping and your space will over flow w/ beauty.

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    1. Oh yea, thrifting is awesome! I love repurposing stuff. I just haven't found great thrift stores near our new place yet. I'm sticking to Craigslist and Home Goods for now hehe. Thanks for stopping by Heather! :)

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  4. The ottoman looks great! And I love your sectional! And I know in a few weeks I'll feel the same as you and want my house decorated and ready to go lol

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    1. Thank you! I love our couch too! It is the perfect mix of the lines I was looking for, and the comfort I desired. Total win win!

      I bet...but, I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride decorating your very OWN HOME!!

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  5. I am LOVING the ottoman!

    I'm the same way about buying things. I can never seem to find what I have in mind. This is especially true when it comes to clothes!

    Great pick though!

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    1. Thanks Brandi!! Seriously! I don't struggle as much with clothes {and I have the closet to prove it haha}, but home things totally do it to me!

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  6. You sound just like me - I'll spend hours upon hours searching for the perfect item. We've been on the hunt for a loveseat since September and still haven't found exactly what we want! Love that ottoman you chose . . . it fits perfectly in the space. Oh and if you have a home goods near you, I'd suggest checking out their rugs. That's my number one go-to store for rugs because of the price & variety & quality :)

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    1. Haha..that's totally how I am. I just hate plunking down our hard earned money for something that isn't what I was picturing. I know I'm probably just crazy picky, but I guess it's better than tossing away our money without a care, right?!?! Or at least that's what I keep telling myself haha.

      Thanks for the tip! I actually have one right around the corner from my house {troubleeee}, but their rug selection hasn't been that great. Hopefully they'll new stuff in soon!

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  7. I really like it! Its super cute and fits your space nicely. And I so feel your pain! I haven't bought anything for the new house because I need to see a space to get a feel for what I want to put in there... so we'll move in and have next to zero accessories. Oh well, I've got the rest of my life to fill it up, right? ;)

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    1. Thanks so much Amy!! I am the same way...I need to be in my space and feel things out for how we'll live in it and what we'll need/use.

      And you are totally right...we have the rest of our lives to accessorize! :) {I did NOT mean to rhyme haha.}

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  8. I hear you on not being able to find the "perfect" item!! It is annoying. :-) By the way, I LOVE your sectional!! It looks so cozy! I always hear that you should surround yourself with things that you love (new, old, thrifted...) and you will love your space. Have FUN!
    -Katie

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by Katie! :) And I have to admit, our sectional is fantastic...definitely a great buy from Macy's!

      Very true...I can't wait to collect things over the years!!

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  9. It looks great; I love the color. Overstock has some great deals sometimes. We just order a wardrobe for our bedroom from there.

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    1. Thank Kelly! I liked that it was lighter in color too since it was surrounded by the dark tv console, dark sectional and dark floor. I wanted something that would pop a bit!

      Overstock definitely has great deals! I got our chandelier for the dining room from there too. The low shipping is amazing!!

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