Another Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***

Recently I had my first giveaway post and I am so excited to do another one! The giveaway is from CSN Stores which has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from cookware to cribs or even your most specific needs such as a bathroom vanity or a bird cage!

One of my lucky readers will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to use at one of their 200+ online stores (including my favorites All Modern and Cookware).

All you need to do to enter is to comment below between now and Sunday, June 13th. Contest will close at 9:00pm EST on Sunday. For an extra entry, you can blog about this contest. Just be sure to come back and link to your blog post. Winner will be selected on Monday using random.org. Good luck!

I have taken the liberty of shopping to see what I would buy with $50.00...

Le Creuset Spatula Set - a great way to incorporate an accent color in your kitchen.

Dog Food Container - I actually have two of these, they keep food fresh and looking nice.

Essential Beach Pet Collar - no more stinky wet collars!

Inhabit Pillows - love these!

A Giveaway!

***This Giveaway is now closed***

I was recently contacted by CSN Stores to participate in a giveaway post. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find tv stands, furniture, toys, home decor, and so much more!

The winner of this giveaway will receive a $40 gift certificate code to use during online checkout at any of the CSN Stores! All you need to do is comment on this post to be entered into the drawing. If you post a link to this giveaway on your blog, you will get an extra entry into the drawing - just leave the link to your blog post in a comment below.

I will select a winner at random (using random.org) on Wednesday, April 28th at 3pm EST. Good luck!

To help you with some ideas of what you can buy at CSN Stores with $40, here are some things that caught my eye!

Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Houdini Three Piece Decanter Set

Nomad Rain Boots (available in more colors)

Le Creuset 9" Square Baking Dish with Bonus 5" Baking Dish in Kiwi

Okay, I better stop looking now because I am finding too many things I want! Don't forget to comment below to enter and good luck!

Jalepeno Green at C&B

I walked into Crate and Barrel the other day and the store is splashed in spring green. There were so many things that match our jalepeno green kitchen. I managed to walk away with only these margarita glasses and pitcher.

But, check out the rest of these fun, green goods.

New Bedroom Furniture

We recently decided it was about time to upgrade to a king size bed. The queen was getting a little bit crowded with two humans and three dogs. I wanted to get a platform bed so we would just have a mattress, no box springs. However, we didn't want one that was too low to the ground, and we wanted to have a little room underneath to use as storage. So, we decided on the Tall Wood Bed Frame with the Window Headboard from West Elm.

I am loving the new bed. I love the platform, it makes our old mattress feel somewhat better (we are still waiting for the new one to come in), and I really like being lower to the ground. The dogs can actually get up on the bed without the unsightly plastic doggie stairs.

I can still slide my two under-the-bed storage containers (from Target) under the bed and they are completely hidden. This is where I store my off-season clothes.

We also got this Narrow Leg End Table from West Elm. I originally wanted one on each side, but there just isn't enough room in our bedroom so we ended up with just one. Casey's side of the bed has a box window so he has plenty of room to put a drink or book there in lieu of a nightstand.

The current lighting situation in our bedroom is terrible so I am going to put a table lamp on the nightstand and possibly a floor lamp or another table lamp in the other corner of the bedroom. I'll see how that works and add more, if needed.

I am really liking this table lamp from West Elm for the nightstand.

The next bedroom furniture that I want to replace is my dresser and TV stand (all the old furniture is being moved to the guest bedroom). I am hoping to replace both with a longer dresser like the one below from West Elm. I am thinking we can put our TV on top of it, instead of having a separate TV stand.

Right now, this is the only TV in the house since the basement is still unfinished. Not sure what to do with the tivo box and DVD player in the interim but once the basement is done we will only need the tivo box upstairs. I am hoping I can think of a way to hide it so that I don't have to add additional furniture to the bedroom.

On one side of the bedroom, we have an outcropping with three windows. I would love to make it a little reading nook with a slipper chair and side table. I am in love with this side table from West Elm but wondering if it would be possible to make something like this ourselves?

I love the slipper chairs from Target, but would have to find something that doesn't clash with the print on our rug. None of the colors they currently have are exactly right.

Finally, I would like to add a stand alone mirror on the other side of the bedroom, like this one at West Elm.

Entryway/Living Room Project

As our Entryway/Living Room project is coming to a close, I find myself pondering furniture options. We will probably hold off on making any big purchases for this room until we are done with other renovation projects, but a girl can dream.

After contimplating serveral different entryway options, I think we have decided on this from Pottery Barn. Since we have no coat closet (or any closet on the main level, for that matter), an entryway unit is necessary. I like this one b/c the baskets can hide keys, mail, boots, gloves, etc. Plus, I like the bench to sit down on when you're lacing up your shoes.

For the living room, we need a coffee table, new rug, and some lamps. Also, we are toying with the idea of hanging a small chandelier over the new fireplace and mantel. Something like one of these from Lowe's.

New Kitchen Items

*Shopping info can be found in this post.

Dog Food Containers - They are working out quite nicely as they are airtight and keep the food fresh.

Dog Food Bowl - Love that it is unique and goes with our statement color (mat is from Target):

Pendant Lights - ET2 Caps Mini Pendants from allmodern.com. I was a little worried about buying these over the internet since I like to see things in person to get a feel for them. But, these turned out perfect. They look especially nice when turned on (they don't look yellow like in this picture, more green). Plus, the price was right as pendants can be expensive.

As you can see in this next picture, we still need to paint the trim.

Belmont Kitchen Island:

Cannisters (mugs and mug tree also from C&B):

Love the new Joy of Cooking cookbook. Amazon says PW's cookbook is on the way, can't wait to get it!

A few new things

So I went a little hog wild with buying stuff recently. But, I found a couple really cool things and I just couldn't help myself.

I wanted a nice looking dog water bowl that matches the colors in our house and I stumbled across the Yum Bowl by Karim Rashid which comes in several colors including the perfect color to match our jalepeno green paint in the kitchen.

In keeping with the pet theme, I was also looking for attractive ways to store our dog food. Previously we were using a plastic container from Target whose lid broke a long time ago and wasn't very sightly. Pretty much the only things I could find were ugly plastic containers. No big deal if we had a pantry or something to stash it in. But, our dog food has to pretty much stay out in the open for all to see due to our lack of storage/closet space.

Then, I found these guys at All Modern Pet and bought two (one for the older dogs and one for the baby). My only complaint is that they aren't very big, they don't hold a 33lb dog food bag. But, once they are all eating the same food we can just use both containers to hold one large bag.

All Modern Pet also has some really cute dog beds. But, I will have to save those for another shopping splurge.

I also had a mini spree at C&B, my favorite place. I created a registry for our anniversary so I could get the 10% completion coupon.

I purchased the kitchen island that I dreamed about in this post back in July. I love this thing. I now have so much more storage options and was able to get some of the appliances that were sitting on the counters off and hidden away. I bought some nice looking cannisters for flour and sugar and a few other small things for around the house.

Finally, we purchased some bar stools (counter top height) from Target similar to this but in black. I like these because they fit right under the overhang and don't take up any space. Now we can use the peninsula to have a quick bite to eat or to hang out with friends while in the kitchen.

The main floor is really starting to come together. Hopefully I can start hanging some things on the wall soon to make it look even more finished. We still have a lot of little projects to do on this floor (like me painting the trim which I promised I would do in return for the kitchen island) but it is feeling more and more like home.

Loving...

Ikea's magnetic spice containers. My regular spice rack is completely full and I needed a way to get all my extra spices out of my cabinets (space is tight). I bought a bunch of these from Ikea and love them. I just stuck mine on the fridge but they also sell magnetic strips that you can mount on the wall.

My Love-Hate Relationship with Crate and Barrel

I love Crate and Barrel (affectionately known to me as C&B). I also hate them. I hate them for sending me a C&B Best Buys catalog every month. I hate them because I inevitably find eleventy billion things that I want. I need. And I hate them because they are not giving these things to me for free. (Note to self: if I get desperate enough I may want to consider a part time job there, if only for the employee discount). But, I also love them. Because of things like this: Belmont Kitchen Island

Um, okay. Really, I have to have this. It is a matter of necessity. I have a small kitchen, there is zero space left for anything else in the cabinets. This is a problem since I have about fifty-three thousand kitchen items that I need. It is a matter of survival. You could almost say life and death. Almost.



But, look! It has wooden legs, if you prefer...


Or, rolling wheels! A decent shelving area to store more crap that I need. Two extra drawers (for those C&B green napkins that I just have to have - they match my kitchen wall color. Yes, yes, I already have napkins but these are for spring/summer. Get with the program). Ooh, also towel racks that I could probably hang something creative from.


Extra countertop space with a leaf for even more. I do need extra countertop space b/c I have one appliance that does not have a home on the countertop. It would be ever so grateful to have a home.

Alright, I really think this is a no-brainer. I am planning myself a "house warming party" for, oh, this weekend, and registering for this. That way I will get the 10% complete-your-registry discount. You will soon be mine, Belmont Kitchen Island.
Seriously, C&B, I deserve some royalties for this post. May I suggest, a free island?