Item of Note: An oval ottoman/table for an affordable price!

An ottoman/table was something I always imagined having, I had seen it used in so many beautiful ways, as a living-room table even as a center sitting piece in a walk-in closet! It had eventually become a piece of furnishing that I always wished I had but never could afford. Cost Plus World Market now has an ottoman/table that is more than affordable, $99.99 (on sale from $199.99)!

Not only can the Mulberry Lucille Oval Ottoman be used as an ottoman or for sitting but also for storage! Now that is one versatile furnishing.

Cost Plus World Market sale items tend to go pretty fast so if you're in the least bit interested get in on it fast! Click here for more details on the Mulberry Lucille Oval Ottoman @Cost Plus World Market. Save yourself an empty-handed trip and remember to call your local World Market first to see if they have it in stock.

The Portable Buffet

When it comes to talking buffets I immediately find myself wondering 'portable or built-in?' My home came with a built-in buffet and since my home was erected about a century ago it's no special feature, I find that most old homes have the built-in buffets. The built-in buffet has many great aspects to it, the most obvious one being you move into a home that already has a beautiful buffet in an alcove like setting. But a part of me so loves the portable buffet, afterall, you can't move the built-in buffet to a different area of the room and you can't pick the style of buffet you so desire, plus, there's just something so charming about a stand-alone buffet that was placed exactly there to house your beautiful China or other dinner-setting whatnots.

In the back of my mind I've definitely been toying with the idea of how great it would be to get a buffet, even though the fact that I already have a built-in one stops me from squandering money in such a way (my husband is in my head!) and for awhile there I did stop thinking about the buffet, but then I saw the Emmerson Buffet by West Elm with it's rustic charm and it's simple design... so now I'm back to fantasizing about portable buffets.

WEST ELM

EMMERSON BUFFET, $849

So the Emmerson Buffet inspired me to imagine a life with a portable buffet, a buffet that can charm me everyday with its rustic charms.  My honest opinion on the West Elm Emmerson Buffet? I absolutely love it! Price? Fair, but that fair price is still too expensive for me, especially for a piece that looks like it can be made in your garage (though I'm absolutely sure it is a lot harder to make than I give it credit for). 

So on I go with the hunt for an equally charming and rustic buffet!

CRATE & BARREL

CUCINA PINOT GRIGIO SIDEBOARD, $1,299

The Cucina Pinot Grigio Sideboard by Crate & Barrel is priced at $1,299! While it is a beautiful piece the price is all I can pay attention to, although in the back of my mind someone or something is whispering 'you get what you pay for'- And while this may be the truth for some things is it true for the portable buffet? Hmmm. The Cucina Pinot Grigio Sideboard has plenty of space to store items with pegged shelving for extra storage for larger items, I can picture a set of beautiful collector urns all in a row sitting down below.

COST PLUS WORLD MARKET

ANTIQUE BLACK VERONA BUFFET, $399.99

For $399.99 Cost Plus World Market has the Antique Black Verona Buffet. While I think that red would have made for a more rustic and charming look Black is, I have to admit, rather chic. The Antique Black Verona Buffet features an overall appearance of chic (via color) and rusticity (via design *ahem barn-inspired doors). With storage for wine, two exposed shelvings and enclosed cabinet space the Verona Buffet is very user friendly.

IKEA

LIATORP SIDEBOARD, $350

But my favorite buffet today is Ikea's Liatorp Sideboard. Not only is the price right but I've completely fallen for the side glass cases and the center exposed shelving. The white color lends itself to charm and a country-vibe. I look at the Liatorp Sideboard and I can imagine it in so many other places other than the dining room serving as a buffet (although yes, it would be quite beautiful there), but what about the bathroom? Even the nursery! - Oh~ that is exciting.

Romantic Curtains with the help of Cost Plus World Market

A white buffet with light sea blue bobble knobs, a small crystal chandelier with gold trimmings, a mahogany table in the corner topped with a crystal elephant case and crystal lamp... I'm feeling a whimsical and romantic vibe in the dining room and I know the right kind of window treatment to make it just so.

To create a romantic and whimsical feel in the dining room I used a wooden rod with simple ball filials at the ends (Wooden Ball Drapery Rods $24.99 - $39.99) and sheer cotton curtains in Natural (Natural Crinkle Voile Curtain Panel $14.99), both which I purchased from Cost Plus World Market.

Because the curtains only give off a minimum of privacy as they are fairly sheer and thin it's best to reserve these curtain panels to windows in the home that need less privacy where perhaps the goal may be to dress up the window while keeping the area shaded from sunlight, for these things the curtain panel works perfectly and is absolutely beautiful as well.

The curtain has ties along the top to be secured around the curtain rod.  I find the rows of bows to be charming.

The dining room window is rather long and so I purchased three rods and 6 curtain panels.

The end result was more beautiful than I imagined.  The curtains float with the breeze that passes through the open windows and its Natural coloring gives off a sense of light and airiness that completely transformed the dining area into a place of romanticism.

Rare Picks for Soap Dishes

Areaware Offer Hand Soapdish $65
Terrain Mesh Soap Dish, $7.95 (ON-SALE NOW!)
Costplus World Market Ivory Whale Soap Dish, $6.99

The square soap-dish with floral designs or whatever it is they decide to adorn it with are a dime a dozen.  I'm always looking for something different and unique, and if you've got a quite minimal look going on in your bathroom or even kitchen (where a soap dish can double as a sponge holder) then a truly cute, stand-out soap dish can really make a difference.

The top-picks for "stand-out" soap dish comes from Areaware, Terrain and Costplus World Market.  Each with their own specific attitude it's hard not to be interested, simply looking at these soap dishes make you feel something, and for such a simple over-looked item such as a soap dish to do that is quite unique.

Switching-Up The Functions Of Your Furnishings & Decor, A Great Way To Think Outside The Box

Who would have thought that a kitchen island wasn't a kitchen island and a cupcake tier wasn't a cupcake tier.  Chopping board by day and bathroom storage by night!  Switching up the functions of your furnishings and decor can't get any better than this... then again, there are new surprises everyday!

the kitchen island in the bathroom now consists of "His" and "Hers" drawer and functions mainly as exposed shelving for bathroom supplies, towels and weave baskets full of other bathroom goods.

At a width of about 3'11" and a height of almost 3' this affordable kitchen island ($100.00) from Ikea makes a great rustic-looking bathroom counter top and storage for a bathroom space that is of medium size.  The natural birch wood can be treated with oil should you be worried of moisture damage (though I haven't treated mine and seems to be doing quite well without it) and can also be painted to the color(s) you desire to custom match it to your bathroom or any other space you wish to use it for storage.

Another kitchen item that makes for a beautiful bathroom decor or even vanity table decor is the 3-tiered cupcake holder that serves as a unique and adorable way to store your cosmetics and hair supplies, even try it as a jewelry stand!

I purchased the above 3-tier cupcake stand at Costplus World Market for $20.00 and have used it only twice for birthday cupcakes.  Costplus may not have this exact style anymore but I have seen recently a rather modern 3-tier wire cupcake stand in it's place ($20).  A great affordable buy with a variety of functions once you can look past the "cupcake stand".

I Stand Behind: Large jars for storage

1-gallon Glass Storage Jar $13.99 @ Costplus World Market

I do yoga and love to soak in the tub once a week, my significant other does... well to be honest, I'm not sure what he does but he loves to soak in the tub at least once a week too.  And for all our body aches and pains we love to sprinkle a cup or two of fragrant bath salts to ease the pain and for a more deeper relaxation, whether the salts actually work- I have no idea, but they smell great and do make for a more relaxed bath time.  

Taking a bath once a week for each of us requires a bit of bath salt, so we buy the bath salts in bulk, and though the bath salts come in a pretty purple package it just isn't attractive enough to have it sitting around out in the bathroom.  To fix the problem of the bulk-buy bath salts I bought a very affordable 1-gallon glass container from the kitchen section in Costplus World Market to store my salts in, and it works wonderfully!  I can empty about 2-3 lbs of bath salts in the jar and leave it sitting out on the bathroom table, it looks wonderful and with a small glass scooper in the jar the salt is easily accessed.