So let’s start here: No, this is not a Home Decor Inspo from Amazon sponsored post. Phew. Do we all feel better already? Ok, great. Onward.
Nope. This is just me, forever procrastinating on working and adulting and instead trying to find new home stuff in old places, just for fun. I call this a break.
Gwen fired me from the Grams. I did admittedly laugh absolutely out loud when S instructed me, “Don’t touch Instagram!” Um, OK. Goodness that’s the easiest demand anyone’s made of me all week. Kinda can’t remember the last time I did touch it. I’m just not on the social media. So OK, fine, me not posting to the ‘grams is not something any of us need to worry about. Not for a hot second.
So Gwen. She just totally just took it over The Mom Edit.Home Instagram, and for sure, it’s so much freaking better the way she Instagrams our home content, right? Well done, Gwen and team TME. Thank you! Genuinely. If you aren’t following us there, now’s a fun time to start! Especially because we also have this fun TME Like to Know It Family thing going on this weekend! It’s good heart warming following, promise!
So today, in deep-rooted procrastination, did I resign myself to find fun home decor inspo from Amazon. For no reason other than that I don’t feel like doing my ‘work’ right this minute. (We’ll talk about the stress of Gwen wanting me to, yes, Insta-story in another blog therapy session…ugh.)
Instead, I find this seemingly small challenge therapeutic. Because guess what? Just typing “pillow” into that sweet little search spot NEVER gets me to where I really want to be. And then there’s my opposite of search engine optimization strategy of typing in hyper-specific, way-too-many-word descriptions of exactly what I’m looking for, that’s also, most often a big fail. But I know it’s there…all the stuff is there…and so with piles of 100 design-work things to do, 100 mom things to do, and 100 adulting things to do on my desk, and OK fine, all over my dining room table, my kitchen floor, and every other surface of my house, did I walk over to S’s for a change of scenery, clear off her kitchen table and search. For a whole bunch of stuff that isn’t on any of those overwhelming real-life lists of things to do.
And I call this fine exercise: procrastination relaxation. If you are also ADD, overwhelmed, OCD, and an exhausted mom with many jobs who doesn’t know how to say no to anyone nor anything, I don’t need to explain that phrase to you, you just get me; and yes I feel you sister; you are not alone. Hang in there. Just keep on keepin’ on; we’ll all eventually get it all done.
So here’s what I found. If you start here then funner better stuff comes up. I have a feeling this exercise will in fact be repeated, so stay tuned for the day I tell you I’ve nailed it, but so far, for sure, we’re on to some good things already. Here are some of my favorites:
Shop Home Decor Inspo from Amazon:
1/ WE Furniture Premium Twin Metal Bunk Bed, Mint
Bunk beds are expensive. And often….well, not so cute. This one isn’t expensive, and not only does it come in this fun mint color that S would love in a hot second, but it also comes in a sweet clementine color as well! Click through some of the photos and see how great it is with fun bedding as well! And…the bed deconstructs too! Which matters because not unlike stroller formations for multiple kids, as they grow, sometimes bunks are better and sometimes two twins on the floor are better, and then they aren’t, and then they are again. Long-winded way of saying, for all the bunks whose price and/or design makes me cringe…this one is pretty sweet in both price and design, plus it’s versatile. And options are always good to have. So there’s that.
So maybe I just have orange and turquoise on my brain. Or maybe, while they say material things can’t make you happy, I dunno, I think there really are ‘things’ that you can surround yourself with in your home that do make you happy. This…is a very happy pillow, it’s balanced, it’s fun, and think about all the other things in a room that could pull together. Normally pillows last, right? Nope, I’d build a room around this pillow and it would be a happy place. Pillow inspiration. Yup, that’s where we are right now.
3/ Mkono Hanging Shelf Wall Wood Floating Storage Shelves Leather Strap Swing Organizer, Set of 2
Leather straps make me happy too. Uh oh, am I going to get in trouble for saying that? We’ll see how strictly Alexis edits my adult content. Let’s rephrase: materials make me happy, especially soft ones balancing hard ones in unexpected ways. Ugh. Why do I feel like for some people with certain minds, even my rephrase didn’t save me there? Back to shelves and straps: so simple, right? Leather straps + wooden shelves=amazing. While I’m a huge fan of white walls, these guys (the shelves come in sets) would also be so great against a strong color wall. Sometimes it’s just a tiny bit of unexpected special that makes for great. Again, read that as you wish. Let’s move on, yes?
4/ Novogratz California Collection Laguna Area Rug
So I grew up referring to flat woven rugs as rag rugs. And I kinda love that. So Imma gonna keep calling them rag rugs. But was there ever one so pretty? These rugs are often, just enough. We don’t need plush everywhere, but subtle depth and texture in a great color, way and pattern, I’ll take everywhere.
Recognize these? Yes, I have a deep obsession with them and they’ve served us well. I’m going to giggle and call them a mom investment piece. My favorite kid-design concept is one that balances: fun, calm, and function. I like to be able to ask kids to clean-up, and expect that they can figure out where things go, on their own, that everything has a place, and that my home obviously be one where kids live, and all the fun that brings with it, but well…OK fine, I’m a little OCD, and my adult side finds calm in everything having its place and being organized in it. These bins help. They were great storage for things that otherwise don’t store well. We filled one with the PlayMobil Collection, one with all the remote control cars, one with kid yoga mats, one with NERF guns (NERF guns do not represent my views on gun control—they are in direct opposition with it, but parenting is complicated, so is life, and we may as well learn that young,) another with costumes and one more with tutus. Big toy clean-up, in under 10 minutes after a 10-kid sleepover: done. By the kids, on their own. #mompeace
6/ nuLOOM 200HCTR01A-609 Flatweave Solid Tassel Amalia Area Rug
Again with the flat weave; yet nothing rag about this. Just a beautiful mix of deep blue and natural that would ground, and yet soften so many spaces. I love this rug, (and its price) genuinely. Now to figure out where to put it…so many options!
7/ Amazonia Tropez Deluxe Patio Dining Chairs (Set of 4), Light Legs
Oh little details, be still my aching heart! I might be a modernist trapped in a true appreciation for almost all styles of design. It’s no secret that this is a favorite chair design…however…look closely…that detail, the smallest detail of capping—the bottom of the wood legs also in white, mmmhmmm, it’s just so great! It often really is the littlest things that bring me the greatest home decor joy. And well, traditional and antique overstated tables and modern slick chairs is just a combo that gets me. Again, and again. True believer in diversity making life better; in all ways, for all of us.
8/ Sweed Valley Pouf – Natural/White
Again, it’s the smallest detail. Here it’s the two tone + the texture + the multifunction. Sit, put your feet up, set a tray of tea down, reach a lightbulb to change. All of it. Not all poufs do it for me. This one does. Big time for such a small, sweet package.
9/ Beachcroft Outdoor Rectangular Dining Table with Umbrella Option – Porcelain Top
Yup, you read that right, porcelain top. I love this table. It makes me wish I had a garden room or covered porch or heck, any outdoorish city type space to put it in. Or a beach house, what a great beach house dining table indoors too, right?
10/ Solar-powered Mason Jar Lights
I’ve never met a mason jar I don’t love. And how cool is this??? It’s solar-powered and lights up at night!!! You let it sit in the sun all day, and it’ll light up your night in the sweetest way! Amazing. Mind blown. Favorite housewarming, host(ess), take-something-to-the-party-gift of the season for sure. Ordering a case of them right this minute. So freaking sweet. Click the link, the photo doesn’t do them justice, but they will for sure do the long nights outdoors with the best of friends proper justice in subtle mood lighting. And who among us isn’t inspired by just a touch of fairy twinkle in our lives? No one. It does us all well in spirit keeping. All of us.
11/ Weber 45010001 Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill LP Outdoor, Black
OK fine, it’s a grill. Does that count as home design inspo? I’d argue yes. I hate when practical things I need and use are ugly. I’m true to Weber for grilling. And I’d argue, someone got this one right. It’s just better looking. Something about the grey open-grilled bottom. I live in the city. I don’t like those under cabinets where critters and scary bugs can hide. I like clean and open and I-can-hose-you-down. So there. Inspired. Done.
12/ Montauk Cotton Rope Hammock
Hammocks. Some of them are just ugly. And then some of them are so beautiful, and so white. And outdoors. Under a tree, that drops berries, buds, pollen, and leaves and leaves schmutz all over that white beautifulness. Voila, the perfectly balanced, most beautiful hammock I ever have seen. All the lazy, restful stolen moments, and beautiful with just a shake of the schmutz you’ll never even see. Hammock Perfection!
13/ Three Hands Marble Look Flower Pot
Unintended purpose is a favorite phrase of mine. Yes, this would be gorgeous planted, or as a vase, and in a set, but you know what I’m going to do with mine? I’m going to put it next to the range with all the wooden spoons and spatulas in it and it will look amazing!!! Go Prime. It can’t get here fast enough! I’ll try real hard to Instagram Stories it when it arrives and my kitchen is done! Maybe we’ll just unintended purpose move it around and Insta Stories it everywhere until my kitchen is done…you know, like the Elf on a Shelf. Just for fun.
14/ West Dwelling Large Woven Seagrass Storage Basket
The more baskets the better. For mags (do we all still read those?), and blankets, and toys, and rolled Turkish towels in all the colors, and summer shoes for the whole family and everything that needs a spot!!!
15/ Overseas Connection Market Basket
I’m a sucker for a basket, I’m a sucker for a two-toned anything, I’m a sucker for black, but you know what really gets me here??? Hint, hint: remember how I felt about the leather straps? Yup, it’s the leather wrapped handle. That extra detail is just amazing. All the baskets, with all the details, yes, please!!!!
Time’s up. Not that #timesup. Procrastination relaxation time is up.
Procrastination relaxation time is over my friends. Home Decor Inspo from Amazon improved. Still not necessarily nailed, but certainly improved. Back to other work, and super-hyper, super-stressful, super-specific, hellish adult searches for things like car and homeowners insurance and other lovely adult stuff. Which is all a gigantic privilege compared to staying on top of real life, real world, actual crises. My stuff makes my head hurt. The world’s shit, sorry Alexis, stuff, the world’s stuff, and our’s here at home in the US of A makes my heart and soul just feel absolutely broken. So procrastinate in whatever way works for you. And then do what you can. Follow S’s lead if you need a start. Just start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. Always. xoxo A
