Oh I said it.
Tar and feathering in the city square at high noon. Be there or be square.
The ever present theme of mama related posts I see everywhere seems to be focused on something Target related. Usually the idea is, after a long day of mom-ing, that’s where it’s at. It’s like drinking a cup of piping hot joe (not ice cold, been nuked three different times joe) or so I’ve heard, I don’t drink the watered down mud. (I’m really sealing the deal with this tarring, feathering thing, huh?). 😉 Then comes the random confessions of the HELOC they got out so they could buy all. the. things. at Target. And so on.
Ok, I admit, they have some cool things. The console in my dining room and the baskets that are tailored to fit it are from Target. They’re pretty. And heavy duty, and functional. But at $20 a pop for a basket and you really need to buy 3 or 6 to look good in said not-cheap console, that makes for a pretty expensive trip to a box store. (Hence why I have only three baskets). 😛
I bought a zippered jacket at Target when, for the first time in my 31 years, I was caught an hour away from home without a coverup and the temp dropped. It’s pretty. It’s pink. And not only pink, but a real nice, darker, non-Barbie, deep pink.
It was $30.
*gasp* I don’t spend that much on clothing, let alone ONE PIECE of clothing. But I was with Hubby and he said we’re getting it. I guess he liked it too. Or he just didn’t want to hear ‘I’m cold’ the whole walk back and then sit in the truck with the heat on. 😛 I admit every time I see that deep pink sticking out of a mountainous pile of laundry, my heart skips a beat. *flutter* Partly because it’s pretty, and partly because I spent that much on a jacket THAT THE SEAMS ARE ALREADY COMING OUT OF. Err.
Not to mention, either there’s no such thing as a home-goods coupon to Target, or I’m one of the only coupon clipping Mamas who can’t find one. Feel free to correct me and send me one if I’m wrong.
So we mainly go to Target for two things – Babyganics diapers and ‘L.’ brand pads. Hardly ‘I live to shop at Target’ items. The diapers don’t have all the crap chemicals (see what I did there?) that are in regular brands, yet aren’t as costly as other natural brands I like, and are fairly catchy. (In other words, they catch poop. Most of the time.) And they don’t make my sweet little ones’ bums sore. Win win. Actually, win win win win. 😉
But then we found them cheaper online.
So now we get them on Amazon. 😛 Oh, but the pads are still there. They’re organic cotton and you actually don’t have to refinance your house to afford them. Right now they’re cheaper to buy there than on Amazon. By a LOT. So, I guess that’s the only thing we go to Target for. 😉
However, there ARE a couple stores I might refinance my house to go to… (If my husband’s wishes weren’t important to me).
#1 – Hobby Lobby
#2 – Michael’s
#3 – At Home
(which are 1hr+ from home, or they might be contending for the #2 spot)
Kirkland’s deserves an honorable mention because they have gorgeous, unique, affordable decor that I would equally adore perusing IF the stores weren’t full of toxic perfume. I suffer for hours after leaving – my chest, lungs and throat burning, tasting it in my mouth. No amount of drinking or coughing helps. Synthetic fragrances are associated with cancer, kidney damage, birth defects, and much more. It is this way in EVERY store I’ve tried and that’s been at least 4 different locations. I do love their stuff, so we ended up ordering a cute, teal colored lamp for our bedroom online so we didn’t have to go in. When I picked it up, it also reeked. I had to drive with the windows open (in winter) with it in the far back of our SUV because it was so bad. We won’t be buying from them again until that is changed. 🙁
In the last 6 months of (finally) coming up to the end of our whole house renovation, I’ve had a growing (ravenous) desire to (clean and) decorate our home. After 6 years of marriage and 5 of those being full of major renovations, I’ve never had the chance to make our house feel homey and warm, with our own character and charm.
Growing Pain(t)s
During my childhood, our house was mostly ‘decorated’ with old Sears portraits of us. The four of us girls had the whole huge handkerchief front dresses with lace sewn to everything, and big, round, full-face glasses to go with our buck and crooked teeth. Stylin’. 😉 The boys were still young enough to be cute no matter what they looked like. Then there was also an old washing board, the footprints in the sand framed poem and a wooden sign that read a phrase my dad always liked to recite in either German or Czech. Then there was some wallpaper, border around some of the ceilings, and the huge creeper plant that got hung around the top of the room. My room had pictures of favorite Country Music singers that I cut out of an old calendar, and posters of them from Walmart.
I can still remember when we painted every wall everywhere (in the main living area) in a SEMI-GLOSS pastel pink. The shine coming off those walls when the curtains were open were like a beacon to the space station. Or aliens. I’m convinced that the inside of lighthouses should be painted in that pastel pink semi-gloss. You don’t even need a fire. Just hit them with the light from a small hand-held flashlight and wa-lah, save the lives of everyone on a ship. 😛
So, inspired by Joanna Gaines (who isn’t?), I’ve been dabbling with styles and colors and what looks good together. I tell you, it can be a full-time job. And require a full-time income. But I understand why Joanna loves every minute of her time doing it. Paint is my nemesis currently. Swatches look NOTHING like the finished project to me, so I have the hardest time getting my vision onto the walls. The first color we had for the kitchen, went from a deep, warm green to a nasty, dark, scary forest green that I despised with everything in me. Ryan got warned that I wasn’t about to cook in a kitchen that creepy. Suffice it to say, we repainted. 😉
What They Do For Me
At Home is a home decor superstore. They have tons of outdoor furniture and related stuff, dining and arm chairs, wall decor, stand-alone plant and decor pieces and housewares. (There’s more but I haven’t gotten to comb through the whole store yet). I found my gorgeous desk clock there, along with some faith-inspired pieces for here and there (they will show up in future home-reno posts). My favorite stool ever came from there. It’s a black leather counter-height stool that we keep at our command center in the kitchen. Most. Comfy. Seat. In. The. House. Really. Honestly, if they were closer and I didn’t have two needy little ones right now, I would have been, slowly, through every aisle by now. 😉
Michael’s helps me with baskets and floral arrangements and large matchbox like cars that my 2 year old is obsessed with. I have personally been obsessed with liked baskets ever since seeing my mother in law stylishly store bath towels in one. Oh the possibilities! They also have some cute home decor options, and scrapbooking materials (as a mama though, who has time for that?). They also have some awesome coupons if you can make it in on just the right day.
Hobby Lobby helps me with everything else. Like, everything else. The signs, pictures, frames, sayings, wall stickers, clocks, various stand alone plaques, decor and storage options are second to none. The prices are very reasonable and the sales are to die for. (Who doesn’t love looking at a price tag and mentally calculating what 50% off is??). They have so many somethings for every room in the house and much of it is faith inspired (another positive to me). I could literally spend an entire weekend in there. If you ever want to know what I really want – just give me a $500 gift-card to Hobby Lobby and either offer to go with me and help with babies, or provide free childcare. 😉 I’ve determined Hobby Lobby is a nice, straight, paved pathway to my heart.
So…
In spite of my non-love for Target, I pledge to love Hobby Lobby even more, with some love thrown in there for Michael’s and At Home too.
There’s got to be redemption for me in that.
Right?
*This is not a sponsored post by any of the ‘big three’ mentioned. This came straight from my heart and is exactly how I feel about each option. And I was totally, 100% honest about the $500 Hobby Lobby gift card, too. 😉
However this post contains affiliate links in order to help keep the site going. Hosting ain’t cheap, ya’ll. If you want to read some semi-boring stuff, see my disclosures. If you enjoy the site, and happen to love the products I recommend, feel free to click away. Your cost won’t change, however Wholesome Housewife will receive a small % of the sale. Thanks!*
