Author: Staci

Staci blogs about travel at TheVoyageer.com.

My Wooly Valentine

Last Friday night. It was destiny. We were headed over to North Park, one of our favorite neighborhoods, to meet some friends but first I wanted to stop by West Elm to see if they had anything good in their clearance section. I was thinking of desktop organization or a good deal on some kitchen stuff (typical… the obsession with kitchen stuff continues). Well, yes, I will say they had a great bargain in the clearance section. A HUGE pile or rugs they had been using in-store to anchor their show “rooms.”

With minor convincing/begging, a new member of the family came home with us.

West Elm Kasbah Rug

For only $99 I made it home with a rug. And not some skinny little flat-weave rug, either. A wooly mammoth, a 5×8 shaggy Moroccan-inspired (India-made) Kasbah rug. You may know Morocco has a special place in my heart since it’s where I did my 6-week study abroad program in 2009. Because of this, the Kasbah and the Souk rugs have been a couple favorites from West Elm for a while now, and this score was too good to pass up! I may or may not have logged some time laying on it and whispering “my preciousss…”

West Elm Kasbah Rug

West Elm Kasbah Rug

The original price was $499. Since they had it out on the ground for a little while (one of the associates implied it had been a week or less), it was marked down with the rest of the display rugs at $99. I’ll save you the math, that is a fifth of the price! 80% off is music to my ears! Especially when I wouldn’t have had it in me to buy one at full price, ever.

It has replaced our flat-weave cotton Zebra rug (which was constantly rolling up, getting lumpy, etc) in the living area. I like that wool is natural and that I don’t have to worry about weird plastic VOCs in my living area. I love the way it covers up the boring apartment-brown carpet. I love, love, looooove how it looks with our vintage coffee table. I can’t wait for it to become staple in my home’s “look” in different rooms and with different pieces of furniture as time goes by.

Prettiest Baking Cookbooks

As much time as I spend in the kitchen, baking is not my strong point. When I have people over, I take care of the appetizers, salads, dinner, etc. but leave dessert as my default answer to the question, “Is there anything I can bring?” (If nobody asks, I usually have some ice cream tucked in the freezer for a backup).

These cookbooks almost make me want to turn into a baker. Almost. Is it weird to want to hoard cookbooks to flip through like picture books? That is, instead of ever making anything from one of them?

Prettiest Cookbooks

1. Williams-Sonoma Dessert of the Day Cookbook
2. Bouchon Bakery
3. The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook
4. The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

Any recommendations? Do you think the main reason I’m drawn to these cookbooks are the pies on the cover? Yeah, me too…

Decorating with the Jacksons

And I’m not talkin’ 20-dollar bills (although that would help).

As usual, I have been dreaming up potential living spaces more than ever. This kind of activity has only been increased by constant stalking of real estate listings, looking for the perfect bargain (sometime late summer, maybe?) My problem is that I’m phenomenally indecisive and can picture myself in many different kinds of places, decorated in many different styles. Kind of decor-induced multiple personality disorder, perhaps?

Now, since this kind of thing is my hobby, it’s a wonderful problem to have. However, at one point I entertained the idea, “What if I really didn’t like decorating? How do people who hate thinking about this kind of thing cope?” I remembered seeing pieces and sets of furniture entitled “Jackson” at all kinds of different stores, and decided it would be really funny if that was a person’s default way of decorating. Does it have my name on it? Okay then, I’ll take it! 

Jackson, no accessories

Sectional // Dining set // Bed
Desk chair // Desk

Everything here is titled “Jackson” so it’s kind of decorating no brainer. You know, this really doesn’t look like a half bad place… The modern couch and bed balance out the industrial-style dining set… the office chair lends a kind of bachelor pad look. I suppose it’s livable; it just needs some colorful accents…

Jackson, with accessories

Pull-down wall hanging // Joshua Tree pillow // Kilim pillow
Ikat pillow // Floor lamp // Plant // Desk accessories

Ahh… much better. I couldn’t resist. I really didn’t add that much, but already it looks like a person lives here! Just think how it would be with rugs, windows, lighting options…

Am I the only weirdo who entertains these kinds of fantasies? I hope not! Am I the only one who then creates inspiration boards out of them? Maybe! Hashtag design blog problems.