One of the chairs in the photo below costs over $1,000. The other retails for less than $300. Can you tell which one is the better deal?
If you guessed the chair on the right, then you are correct. The Cute -as-a-Button Erin Chair from Cost Plus World Market is a steal at only $280. The chair on the left is the Tess Chair from Crate & Barrel. It sells for $1,100. That is quite a difference, for a chair that looks pretty similar, don’t you think?
Sources: Crate & Barrel and Cost Plus World Market
Do you have 5 minutes to spare? If so, you can make a beautiful paper flower. All you need is a piece of yarn, scissors, and a few cupcake liners…. oh and my tutorial, which I have adapted from an amazing book, Paper Made by Kayte Terry.
Start by taking a stack of 3-6 cupcake liners. Make two small slits in the bottom of the liners.
Next, take a piece of yarn and thread it through the two slits as shown below.
Separate the liners, layer by layer. Give each layer a slight twist to make the flower full.
Tie the ends of the yarn into a knot. You can cut the excess yarn off, or if you plan on wrapping a gift, keep the yarn long. For a gift that I recently wrapped, I took the yarn and wrapped it around the gift multiple times.
You might notice that instead of wrapping paper, I used butcher paper, which had been splattered with yellow paint from an earlier craft project. Reduce, reuse, recycle is my motto. Plus, I like the juxtaposition of the harsh butcher paper, the yellow paint splotches, and the delicate paper flower attached with yarn.
For this week’s “Look for Less: Design Style,” I’m switching things up. Instead of furniture, I’m focusing on linens. I’m a sucker for nice linens. I especially love fluffy duvet covers, so when I saw a photo of the West Elm Organic Seersucker Duvet, it was love at first sight. It’s 100% organic cotton, and 200 thread count. I was tempted to run down to the Seattle West Elm to purchase it right away; but then I saw the price. A queen duvet cover and 2 pillows costs about $190. That’s not insanely expensive, but it’s not exactly a deal.
I did some research and was pleased to discover that there are less expensive options that look just as stylish. For instance, a comparable duvet set from Amazon retails for about 45% of the price. The Pinzon Seersucker Duvet set, shown below, costs just over $85. It is is 200 threadcount and 100% cotton.
It’s almost identical to the West Elm version, wouldn’t you agree?
I tend to be indecisive when it comes to design choices, which is why having a chalkboard wall is extremely handy. Case in point, yesterday, I decided that our office needed a change. I had some time on my hands, so with Joey’s assistance I covered the wall in a beautiful herringbone pattern.
Herringbone is lovely, but it is a bit bold. That’s why I’m so glad that this isn’t as permanent as paint or wallpaper would have been. I love it right now, but in a few months, I can easily wipe it away and start with a clean slate.
