Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate my beautiful bedroom.

   
A little while ago, I spoke about being invited to the grand opening of a huge HomeGoods store in Tucker, GA. (They are opening new stores all over the country), and this store makes 12 HomeGoods stores in my Atlanta area, with another coming to Norcross in June. Wonder where the nearest one is in your area?


Use the easy HomeGoods locator tool. 


Now get in your car.


You may be greeted by something like this when you walk in. I assure you someone will have a smile for you and there will be a row of shopping carts for you to fill- or as they call them in Georgia, a buggy.

Don't do what I did. Drink your coffee, pack your energy drink, hold onto your gift cards and leave plenty of space in your vehicle for the goodies you'll be bringing home. I made an error NOT taking the SUV. ( That's my little black Audi, below.)

Big mistake. Half of the items I purchased are coming to me via a friend's Suburban later today.

Not that you need an SUV to shop here. there are plenty of trunk-sized finds. For instance. 

 Curtains!

 Just $9.99 a panel, and one package was $14.99 for 2 panels! Serious. 

 Not all HomeGoods stores carry window treatments, and mine actually rang up as decorative pillows- but I am certainly hanging them on the rod, not draping them over the bed.

Speaking of which. I was looking for a duvet cover and some color to add to my cream, black, chocolate bedroom. A pop of blue, perhaps?

 It was a hit with the gal pals and the shopping helpers I met, but when I got them home, I was thinking green... so, these will be going back to the store for a quick and easy exchange.


 HomeGoods is more than a shopping event, check out their blog for helpful hints, how-tos and look what I dids.   


All those ideas of how to spend the $100 Gift Card you're about to win from me! Yep. Keep reading.

Back to my day...

Who doesn't love to shop? 

 Add a few dozen bloggers, coffee and breakfast? Mega-fun.

So, my total score from HomeGoods:
 6 curtain panels, 2 king bed pillows, 1 set of chocolate sateen king sheets, 1 decorative pillow, 1 quilt and matching set of shams, 2 lamps, (one for bedside, one amazing floor lamp), 1 adorable wooden heart sculpture, 1 deep frying pan, 1 set of 4 round placemats, 1 set of 4 cloth napkins, one large bottle of designer water. All for $430. Whew. And tomorrow I'm going back!
Thanks HomeGoods, you've made an addict out of me. It's so much less fattening than chocolate.


I brought six people with me. They all scored lovely goods, as well. From kitchen items, to wall hangings and art to colorful pillows for a drab couch.
Here's what my friends had to say:



‎"I love the 4 new pillows, 2 hand towels, a pottery vase, and cocktail forks  I got from HomeGoods! Woo Hoo! Thanks for telling me about this store!"


"So much to choose from. I had a hard time making up my mind!" (Robyn is finishing her powder room. See her post here.) 


With her colorful, fun, garden items and a new vase, my neighbor feels like a proper Spring has sprung.


"Moving into a new, larger house, means, I needed more of everything. Thanks for the bargains, HomeGoods!"


"I had no idea what I'd find today. I liked getting inspired by strolling the aisle with my cart."  (Kari found the most amazing glass bowl sink, iron wall decor, kitchen items, towels and linens.)


"This artwork from HomeGoods is the new focal point of my freshly painted bathroom."

You can shop for free at HomeGoods, if you're lucky!

Pop over here for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Home Goods and BlogHer.
Follow the rules.


Or, better yet... Enter from May 31st- June 10th to WIN $100 giftcard from me, by commenting on this post. 
Winner will be selected randomly, with the help of a dog.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules below to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here. 

 Don't forget, while you're waiting to shop for free...you can find HomeGoods on Facebook.



Here's how my bedroom is shaping up so far. 
(King pillows, new sheets, new lamp, decorator pillow.) 
I have ordered a moss green cotton duvet cover and  textured curtains in the same shades of green and browns.

  

I love this unique floor lamp in the seating area, the chocolate brown curtains and wooden heart.

All I need now is the silver bucket of complimentary hotel champagne and a pool boy.

DISCLOSURE: AS OWNER OF THIS BLOG, I HAVE BEEN COMPENSATED BY BLOGHER TO REVIEW HOMEGOODS TO PROVIDE OPINION ON PRODUCTS & SERVICES. EVEN WITH COMPENSATION, I ALWAYS GIVE MY HONEST OPINIONS, FINDINGS, BELIEFS, OR EXPERIENCES. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS BLOG ARE PURELY MY OWN. ANY PRODUCT CLAIM, STATISTIC, QUOTE OR OTHER REPRESENTATION ABOUT A PRODUCT OR SERVICE SHOULD BE VERIFIED WITH THE MANUFACTURER, PROVIDER OR PARTY IN QUESTION

Right now there are three men in my bedroom. I don't even know their names. They are all big, strong, and black. Their truck is in my driveway and I'm sure the neighbors are talking.

All this for the new bed.

I've been browsing design sites for ideas. Sme things I don't want to mess with- like the whole right side of the room - that's for dressers and exercise and sports memorabilia. But, on Saturday, I'm going shopping at HomeGoods with the gal pals to buy linens and lamps and curtains and accessories.  I went to the Home Goods Blog where I got a lot of great ideas, and found a new blogger and facebook friend who is all about the DIY and budget decor. Love it.


Nothing tells the world more about you, the the way you style your private sanctuary. Let's take a look at some bedroom styles.

Here's Demi Moore's bedroom. Well, one of them anyway. I'd call this modern, sleek, and very, very bright!



some regular, non celebrity folks post their decor on this site:

RATE MY SPACE: share your ideas (20, 200 bedrooms to peek in on)

 I really like this guy's bedroom.

So, now I am getting antsy to shop. I hope I won't have to toss a coin to win the lamp of my dreams, or beat up any ladies for that *last* king-sized bedspread. heh heh. 

 You can update your look too- and for less. HomeGoods and BlogHer will be giving away gift cards. See the rules here.

 And soon, so am I.

Go online and locate the nearest HomeGoods store near you, then stay tuned for your chance to win a $100 gift card - a prize that will have you dancing in the aisle and turning up your inner decorator! 

Connect with 

HomeGoods on FACEBOOK

Help me, HomeGoods!

HomeGoods_May11_Review_009

I have been asking for a larger bed for sixteen years. You know the drill, your family grows, you grow, your dog decides the foot of your bed is much more comfortable than his crate, you add more pillows, a puffier duvet, and pretty soon you end  with more "stuff" than mattress and sleeping area. 

Part of my hesitation one buying another bed was the memories attached to this one. This iron bed from Berkeley, CA has survived many moves with us. I raised my children in this bed. Nursing them as babies, cuddling with them when they were frightened or sick, even propping myself up to eat their specially served breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. It's more than a bed, it's a piece of this family.

And as a piece of the family, it has gone through its own changes. Dressed in everything from a cozy, cottage look with quilts and hand-sewn pillows to a city look, draped in glamourous silk, the gold and creams of custom bedding. Once it was accented by organic, Asian inspired linens with a bamboo print coverlet and always, the room decor was adapted to match.
So, yes. I like change. My hesitation to upgrade the bed wasn't about that, as much as it might have been about space. We spoke about moving to a larger house five years ago. Given the current state of the economy, we can smugly say, boy, were we smart to NOT do that.
Lately we've been talking about downsizing the exterior of the home, from house to condo or town home, from distant suburbs to something closer to the places we like to go. And, of course, there is always talk of the place at the beach. Something I shop for weekly and continue to plant the seeds.

But if I have to be here in a house I adore, in a neighborhood filled with friends, in the same school district while my kids finish school, I'm insisting on a bigger bed, and the beginning of a cleaner, contemporary, clutter free home. It's going to be my version of the mom cave.

I bought the mattress and the bed from two separate online sources and scored deals on both. I placed the orders at the same time figuring the bed would come well in advance of the mattress- which had a three week shipping date.
The mattress has been here for a week, and there is no sign of the bed.
One of the distinct disadvantages to online shopping.

In the meantime, I need to decide on decor. The bed is definitely modern.
This is the headboard

Oddly, it no longer appears on the West Elm website... I wonder if this has anything to do with my shipping problem...The base is a chunky wood platform,

and the since the mattress is 14" high, we won't be using a box spring.

I will need new linens, pillows, curtains, lamps, tables or a night stand. While that sounds like quite a list, I'm not worried.
I plan to shop for everything in one place- at my favorite store: HomeGoods.


Because there are Internet Fairies... I lucked into a fantastic opportunity to shop at a special event at my local HomeGoods store on May 21st.
 It happens to be the same weekend as the BlogHer Food Conference here in Atlanta. So, DOUBLE goodness for me!

You can join in the revelry by entering the sweepstakes for a $25 HomeGoods gift card on this page:
BlogHer Prizes and Promotions. Read the rules.

 Use the store locator  to find a store near you. There are new locations opening all around the country, and with over 10,000 new items in stock weekly at HomeGoods, you are sure to find exactly what you need for your own mom cave.

Stay tuned for the shopping trip and more decorating ideas.
Connect with HomeGoods' Facebook and check out their blog.

For the mothers in the world.

I think if I saw this Mother's Day card, ( photo disappeared- but it was a woman slaving over cleaning, with disinfectant, and a guy saying, get back in the kitchen where you belong.) I would have been doing another kind of cleaning...

I mean, really?
Everyone knows I don't clean my house. I straighten, I banish clutter, I take out lots of loads of trash and donations, but you won't catch me hunched over the bathtub with a scouring pad.

Partly because, my back is not built for that kind of labor.. or yardwork, and partly because I am too much of a perfectionist,  and that to clean one room would take me hours. Of course, I would have a fulled organized closet and freshly painted window sills too.

I have used the same excuse when paying for other services. THEY are the professional. They will do it better and in less time. And besides, while they are doing my chore, I can be writing. See? Win win.

What's the chore you hire out?