This weekend I was so excited to go to Hobby Lobby. I've seen it mentioned in several of the design blogs I follow and had never been to one. There's one about 20 minutes from GDG's house in the suburbs and attempted to go last week. They are closed on Sundays, so I had to postpone my visit to this past Saturday. I had a ball and I only looked through half the store!
I started off in the furniture clearance section and was really impressed with their sale prices. Nothing is super well made, but they're great pieces if you're not looking to make an investment but need something that'll look great while it holds up for a few years. I didn't take any pictures because I was still astounded at all there was to look at. It took me a few to process it all. That's when I took out my phone and started snapping photos. Here are some of the highlights:
Great mirrors! The first below was darker in person than in the photo. It was 50% off, $79.99. It would look phenomenal on a mantel.
Loved the round mirror below -- didn't have a scratch on it and it was $40 (I think).
The small mirror below was 50% off and only $19.99. Two of these hung vertically over a night stand and behind the lamp would look so great.
Loved this square frame around the clock. Clocks are always circular, so I liked the departure from the norm.
Hmmm, does the corkboard below look a bit like the corkboards from Ballard Designs? The ones that are at LEAST $100 (for the smallest). Why yes! It does. And how much was this one?
That's right -- 50% off $69.99 is a budget-friendly $35!
One of the things I liked best about Hobby Lobby was that many of the displays were organized according to color. For someone who knows how desperately she is seeking color right now, yet has no idea WHAT color she likes best ... consistenly noticing and liking the large groupings of red items was eye-opening. Perhaps that's a color I am being drawn to right now. Loved the large candle holder pictured below in the center. It was $6.
There was a large selection of spring-friendly items. I took a photo of two really fun glass catch-alls. They were reprints of flower seed bags. I must have unknowingly deleted them because I cannot find them in my phone. Sad. But below is a photo of a small throw pillow I also liked in that section. It was $19.99. And behind it is a large basket (with awesome rope handles) that I bought to hold the throw pillows I keep on my bed. It was marked off 50%, so I paid a total of $24.99 for it! It's sitting on it's end in the cart, so you can see how big it is!
The ends of the aisles were filled with all kinds of nick-nacks -- all marked 50% off. The small globes and the gorgeous silver vintage looking balls were $9.99 and $5.99 respectively, before the mark down.
They had ALL KINDS of fun hardware and pulls. Nothing was more than $5 a piece.
I then made my way into the crafts section. I didn't even go close to the stationary and stamping materials because I never would have left ... so I stuck to the fabric section to find something fun for my project idea. A couple weeks back I saw a canvas covered in a beautiful fabric. It was then hung in a mudroom and used to collect children's art work. I loved the idea of a big pop of color or design at very little expense. The wheels started turning and here's what I found ...
The canvas two pack was $7 and a yard of the blue seersucker was $7 as well. My plan was to bring out my very favorite staple gun and attached the fabric to the canvas, then use the canvases as a place to collect black and white photos. Thinking to put one on either side of the oval beveled mirror over my couch. I did so Sunday night and photos to follow soon!
Next to the the fabric department was the floral department and I found the oval wreath below for only $3.99. I took a look at the decorative trims in the fabric department and loved this white flower trim. Would this look whimsical and feminine or just silly? I couldn't decide so I left both on the shelf ... thoughts?
Sunday morning I wandered around the Clybourn/North/Sheffield area of Chicago and saw three white shelving units in the Crate&Barrel Outlet that I really liked. The first was a rolling metal unit that caught my eye -- it was only $21.99 but I worried it would look too industrial in my apartment. I think noticed two folding shelves that were placed one on top of the other ($59.99 each). But THEN I saw the shelves below. I've always liked the leaning shelves and I liked how skinny this one was.
I am wondering if I could use a shelf in between my bed and sofa. Or perhaps I need to leave well enough alone? But would it divide the space a bit? Would it offer a bright piece of furniture to contract my large black book case and black coffee tables? Would it offer more space to put books and nick nacks and a much needed lamp for that section of my studio? Clearly, I cannot decide.
I continued purusing the store and saw this fun way to show off photos, notecards and such. How neat would this be hanging in a mud room?
Between the Crate&Barrel and where I need to catch the bus to get back to my apartment is American Eagle. I never shopped there when I was younger, but wandered in about a year ago and tried on some jeans. AND THEY FIT! Every woman knows, finding jeans that fit well seems nearly impossible, so I often stop in to see if they have any new washes, lengths, etc. They also always seem to have a sale. Yesterday, all tops were 25% off. Since I had been looking at so many fabrics the day before and have been hoping to infuse the gray Chicago days with color, I was instantly drawn to these awesome scarves.
My final stop before heading home was at Epic Burger. I'd never been and was quite impressed. Everything is organic, free-range, etc. The tag line is "A More Mindful Burger". I'm a sucker for strawberry milkshakes, so I got one, but luckily it was made with yogurt (not ice cream) and skim milk. It was a delicious end to a delicious weekend. Cheers!
My absolute FAVORITE print I had a really hard time leaving behind. I only left it because it was a large square cut and didn't hang well on my neck. It made me wish I had a sewing machine so I could turn it into a huge pillow. Look at the little pom-poms on the edges; I loved it!!
My final stop before heading home was at Epic Burger. I'd never been and was quite impressed. Everything is organic, free-range, etc. The tag line is "A More Mindful Burger". I'm a sucker for strawberry milkshakes, so I got one, but luckily it was made with yogurt (not ice cream) and skim milk. It was a delicious end to a delicious weekend. Cheers!
