Decorating Ideology

Well...we've been trucking along for the past few months now and slowly adding pieces to our little nest. Although our future plans are uncertain, we are very happy and fortunate to have purchased our house and qualify for the blessed First Time Homeowner's Tax Credit. If not for that, we probably wouldn't have purchased so soon because we may not even live in this area much longer. It's a lovely home though and I can imagine raising a young family here but it all depends on work/commuting. We really just wanted to get in when the market was low and the incentives were high.

In the meantime, I cannot allow myself to get too attached to it otherwise I will be heartbroken if/when we leave. For that reason, I have taken to referring it to our "first house" although I doubt our "second" or "third" or what-have-you house will be much nicer! If we move to OC/SoCal, we could probably only afford a little townhouse! Even so, our house is wee bit of a financial stretch as it is so we've had to be frugal and slow to decorate. (New handbag or a media console? No longer do I hesitate!) Hubby is very practical and insists on getting the necessities first: sofa, dining table, TV while I gravitate towards finishing touches: matching soap dispensers, hand towels, plants, candles etc. It will be a year yet before I feel like it's finally "done". That's part of the charm though...I love a fresh canvas!

Before hubby and I got married, we used to muse about what we'd do when we had a house. We'd talk about drinking hot cocoa in front of the fireplace, snuggled up with a warm blankie. Now that it is wintertime, we can do that! Except we don't have a snuggly blankie err...throw. ( I had a really cheesy title name for this post...something along the lines of "throes of passion" but it looked too much like something out of a bad Victorian romance hehe.) I thought about getting a throw in an accent color for our neutrally colored living room but I am more drawn to textured, luxurious neutrals. Lately, I've been attracted to the plush feeling of (faux) fur.

This white one from Pottery Barn has vintage mink designs and looks so soft and welcoming! At $119, it's rather expensive especially since it is dry clean only. I'm not sure if it'll be too overpowering draped over our sofas.


Then there is this one from Macy's Hotel Collection. At $109, it's not cheap either and it's not nearly as luxurious as the Pottery Barn one, but I've felt it at the store and it feels soft and dreamy. It's not as thick so it will probably drape better on the sofa.



I will keep an eye out on both. When Macys has a sale, the prices get cut drastically. I found a Barbara Berry quilt (retail $400) for $50 during Black Friday. We didn't get it because it wasn't a necessity and didn't go with our decor but that is just one example. Another, more painful example, were a pair of crystal orb lamps that I found on cyber Monday (nearly identical to the ones we purchased for $100/ea) for $89.99/2! I should have gotten them yesterday too because now they are back up to $100/ea.

After Christmas sale is where it's at!