TJMaxx Homegoods: Lusting and Shopping
Hello again, I hope you're having a nice Saturday so far. It rained like crazy here early this morning, and then the sun came out and dried up everything and the rest of the day has been beautiful and breezy!
I still haven't done the post I promised you, the one on my birthday gifts, but it's coming, I'm still waiting for those earrings (from this post) to come from Turkey, in fact I'm about to write to the store to tell them the estimated 7-14 business days for delivery has come and gone. Since I've ordered from them before and received my item quickly, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. We'll see... as soon as those arrive, my gift post will be complete.
I still haven't done the post I promised you, the one on my birthday gifts, but it's coming, I'm still waiting for those earrings (from this post) to come from Turkey, in fact I'm about to write to the store to tell them the estimated 7-14 business days for delivery has come and gone. Since I've ordered from them before and received my item quickly, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. We'll see... as soon as those arrive, my gift post will be complete.
In the meantime, I'll share with you some of the things I've lusted after on my two trips to TJMaxx Homegoods (over the past month), and the things I ended up buying and hoarding in my car up until this point - like those gorgeous turquoise and red Ikat pillows above. You must understand something about me - when I go to TJMaxx Homegoods (especially alone), I become a dangerous woman, a woman with the world's sharpest eye for delicious decor. Most of the time, I go in looking for something in particular (such as a totable file case), but end up coming out with everything but the totable file case. Haha, am I the only one who does this? Please tell me I'm not.
I know that buying decor is kinda bad, considering I'm currently living at home to finish school and no longer have an apartment. But, my justification usually falls somewhere between "But it's a steal!" to "I can stick it in my storage unit!" to "I'll never see this again if I don't get it now!" And usually, I'm right. But that doesn't make it right... Or does it? :)
Oh who am I kidding, I'm unapologetic! After all, I bought lots of little beautiful things, not big expensive crazy things (that I would LOVE to buy), so I find the happy medium - AND they were my birthday gifts to myself. All of these items will look amazing with my other collections... some day. *Sigh* I need to buy a house asap...
P.S.) Tune in on Monday to enter Inspire Bohemia's very first giveaway post!!
Catherine
xoxo
These are just a handful of things I saw and loved, but didn't buy because....
I don't have a patio table and chair set for any of these lovely cushions, and my mother just recently purchased new ones from Home Depot.... wop-wop...
Multicolored Ikat and sunny lattice patterned...
...and that pretty Moroccan shape/pattern we've been seeing everywhere these days... I'll never grow tired of it by the way....
A soft plush grellow (green-yellow) and ivory colored outdoor pillow....
Funky British flag dyed burlap wrapped decorative storage boxes...
And last, because it's the best and most lusted after item, this Ikat area rug...
7.6 feet x 9.6 feet of WOOL.... Originally $1,000 marked down to $399! A steal!
....A steal I can't afford (and realistically have no place to put without inconveniencing someone and getting lectured for being crazy and buying a huge rug when I have no apartment)! :(
Visit the Safavieh page with the whole Ikat line of wool rugs so you can sigh for heart out....
(I like the Ivory/Red, Charcoal/Blue, and Silver/Blue Ikat rugs too)
So, after all that looking, those heart-stopping moments of awesome discovery, followed by cold hard reality of what I could and could not afford to buy... This is what came home with me.... ;)
That sexy-as-can-be button-tufted turquoise ceramic stool cost me only $40! FORTY DOLLARS PEOPLE! These babies go for at least $100 elsewhere. THe women in my family (as in my mother and my aunt) know that when you see a sexy stool ya get it! We have accumulated a shameful amount of them, which we then artfully deposit throughout our homes and gardens. At this point, you can label me a compulsive ceramic stool buyer... Guilty as charged, this is like my, ummm 8th? Yeah, and I haven't even shown you the one that my mother bought for me a few months ago. It's similar to this one, but the colors are different (not so pastel Easter-eggish), they're more sultry, jewel-toned and bohemian. Gotta snap a pic and show ya!
These vibrant hand-woven African baskets were a delightful find... You see, a few months back I was shopping at this very same Homegoods and I gasped when I saw bunches of them piled on a display shelf.... Unfortunately, they were all pretty expensive. The largest basket in this image was originally $30. Now, that isn't sooo expensive compared to its original price of $70 dollars?, but when you want to buy a bunch of different sizes and designs to hag together on a wall (like the first image in this post), they can add up. SO, this time around they were on clearance, oh yeah baby! The large one was down to $15 from $29.99 and the small one down to $7 from $9.95. Sold. :)
As you can see, the ones I got on clearance are significantly more beautiful (in my opinion) than the ones I bought the first time at full price (in fear of never finding them at a relatively affordable price again).... Still, love them all, and they'll look great on a wall together, some day....
I walked away with one of the turquoise and white zig-zag diamond lattice-patterned drawer divider trays above. I plan to use it for my jewelry and other random things that I toss in my drawers.
I unearthed this exquisite work of art (above) in the throw rug department, it's a genuine hand-stitched Kashmir rug from India. It was folded with the linen side (the reverse) showing and just a corner of the beautiful hand-stitched design peeking out, it caught my eye and I could hardly believe it as I anxiously unfolded it and laid it out. Stuffed on a shelf right alongside cheap kitchen rugs and palm tree themed bathroom rug sets - unbelievable! In my mind, something like this belongs chained/alarmed up with the expensive rugs on those big metal swing arms!
I'll tell you right now, it wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving it there and then (without a doubt) dreaming about it for days, only to break down and go back to find that it's gone. I couldn't let that happen. Also, I don't plan to use it as a rug, heck no! It's going to go draped over the back of a sofa, or at the foot of a bed. It's way too fine to get mucked up on a floor. I love it way too much already, it's another Homegoods gem to add to my list of discovered treasure, muhahahahaa... :D
A couple Ikat and Suzani patterned throw rugs, ranging from $4.99 - $25.00...
I really hit the jackpot with Suzani and Ikat patterned things didn't I? :)
Aren't the colors on this little throw rug gorgeous? I love this shot I took of it draped over the turquoise ceramic stool...
These awesome 100% hand-worked and painted Mexican planters were $14.99 each. I'm going to fillet hem with succulents and cacti and add them to my growing garden.
I love owls, so I couldn't resist this white ceramic piggybank....
I really like the quotes on these small journals/notebooks...
This yellow artichoke looking thing has caught my eye quite a few times at Homegoods, I finally broke down and bought it when I came across it in the Clearance section for $7. Maybe I can drill a hole in it and plant succulents in it, or maybe I'll use it indoors to hold paint brushes or big kitchen utensils/spatulas.
A pretty apple green, black, and white Ikat flower upholstered and zippered storage box with handles and a slot for a label. I love it!
Awesome turquoise and white lattice and Moroccan patterned faux books, for stashing secret things.... ;)
This adorable little gold, purple, and cream colored handmade paper storage box for $2.99... I know, I know, I've clearly gone crazy with the storage boxes, but believe me I'll need them once I move out again. I plan to have one insanely gorgeous and eclectic craft room/office, and it will be way beyond my temporary art/craft madness from my first apartment, or the bright and beautiful yet still cluttered full of unpacked boxes office/junk room in my second apartment downtown. I can't wait.
I couldn't help myself, for $5.99 how could I not snatch up this mortar and pestle!? It's the perfect turquoise, and a pretty perfect size too - not too big, not too small (that's what she said! hehehe ;D)...
A pretty blue, white, and grey Ikat patterned tray on clearance for $3.99!
...a faceted hourglass, on clearance for $6.49...
...and a $2.99 vibrant orange Ikat patterned ceramic mug by....
... a company called Portobello by Inspire! Ha! Cool. I only bought one because let's face it, I have no home of my own at this moment, so I must squirrel all of this deliciousness away. Apart from that reason, I only bought one mug because I don't like sets, instead I like to collect lots of different mugs, bowls, glasses, etc. It always put a smile on my face when I would open up my cabinets and see lots of colors and pattern!
(All images in this post are my personal photographs, please do not use them without my written permission. You can contact me at InspireBohemia(at)gmail.com. Thank you!)