COUCH dilemma

Okay... I'm overreacting, I suppose. This is not a real dilemma. I just have a very hard time making decisions. We are currently in the market for a new couch and it is proving to be more than my indecisive, pregnant brain can handle. The mission is to find a comfortable, neutral, microfiber (so it will at least be semi-safe around the little one) couch that we can fit on laying down. The couch saga begins...

Our "ideal" couch was the 93" Lounge Sofa from Crate & Barrel, but when we actually tried it out in the store on Saturday, I realized how deep and loungey it really is. If we had a formal living room and a family room, it would be a great family room couch, but it is not a couch I'd feel comfortable using for both. The reason? I shimmied to the back of the couch so the cushions were supporting my back and in order to sit on it with my back supported, my legs from mid-calf below were just sticking off the end in mid-air and I'm 5'9", so it's not like I'm a short person. I began thinking of all the scenarios in which we'd have people over to sit on that couch and I thought of grandma and grandpa attempting to sit comfortably on it with their little grandparent socks and comfy shoes hanging off the end, and that is when I realized it just wouldn't work for us.

Then we went into West Elm and both fell in love with their Blake Sectional. I realized that our living room is shaped in a way that would make a sectional fit perfectly... buuut at about $2400, that isn't even an option. Oh, how we wish it was.

Then we decided to take our search to Craigslist and we are now looking at the following couches:

$500 for this sectional originally from the San Francisco Design Center. I'm really liking the sectional idea so this is a definite possibility.

This is a microfiber couch from Z Gallerie. It's 7+' long and comes with the two matching chairs. A living room set would be very nice and it's in like new condition. This is probably the closest we'd come to finding a newish microfiber set being sold used.

Not microfiber, but for only $250, I'll let it take whatever a kid can throw at it and will turn around and buy another used sofa in a couple of years. It's 8'6" and an interesting shape. It looks comfy, but I'll let our bums decide that once and for all if we decide to visit it.

So what do you think? Any comments, opinions or suggestions to help with our hunt?

Edit: Well, we did it. We bought the last couch listed and are going to get it professionally cleaned. It's fun and comfy and we can't wait to put it in our living room when we move back in!

very MERRY

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I hope you all had a very merry Christmas with family and friends. Hubby and I spent Christmas Eve Eve with my family, Christmas Eve with his, and then we spent Christmas together. It was a lovely holiday week. Hubby and I bought ourselves an early Christmas present of a flatscreen at the end of November, so our Christmas gifts to each other were small but it was nice to have a small Christmas together. One of my favorite presents was this hedgehog nail brush. Give me something with animals and pretty colors, and I'm happy. All in all, time spent with family was wonderful and I was truly spoiled to have my husband around all day for 3 days in a row. Now my sister and brother-in-law and their sweet 1-month old daughter are here and the family time will continue until the New Year. I hope you all feel as blessed as I do and are able to end the year looking back at all of the growth, beauty, and love you have experienced in 2009. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from my crooked home to yours!

dreamy VANS

I have some friends who got way more than their share when God was dollaping out creative talent. Lynda Jane is one of those friends. She writes, paints, does photography, and everything else and saw some hand-painted shoes being sold and thought "I can do that" and this is what she whipped out. Insanity, I tell you. She can draw and paint just about anything. Your imagination is the limit. When you've dreamed up the perfect pair for you or a friend, head on over to her Etsy shop then please share! I've gotta see what else she does. ; )

the PAIR that got away

The joy and pain of Gilt Fuse.... This morning I found these amazing 80%20 flats for $39, down from $94. I rushed to tell my mom that she could buy them for me for Christmas asap-- those Gilt deals disappear fast-- I tried to put my size in the cart and they were GONE within minutes. *sigh* I guess they weren't meant to grace my feet because for $94 full price, they aren't coming near these tootsies.

Oh, and if you like the heart-racing rush of shopping unmatched deals on Gilt, shoot me your e-mail address at crookedshmooked(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll hook you up with an invite. Although I can't guarantee your experience will be pain-free. But what doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger, right?

COME, live in my closet

Um, this sweater is amazing. And now half-price. That is all.

meet OUR HARTBEAT

I love finding new blogs! Well... not new, but new to me. I was clicking around flickr a bit ago and found our hartbeat via the Electic Interiors group I am a part of. Annalea shares her beautiful family and beautiful home as well as sweet little stories of her children. Take a look at her home filled with crafted decor and bargain finds and be inspired. I know I am!

not much of a WATCH person

I'm not usually a luxury brand name person... or a watch person... but if one of my beloved family members or friends or an adoring fan wants to get me this Michael Kors watch for Christmas, I won't complain. After all, I'm not totally set in my ways.

anthropologie + a budget= RUCHE

I bookmark so many sites that sometimes ones I want to revisit get lost in the shuffle. How Ruche has been in my shop links without being revisited by me, I will never know. Luckily I just refound it and am making a mental note to visit often. Ruche is like Anthropologie on a smaller scale and on a tighter budget (as in clothing starting in the $20 range and accessories starting under $10). Works for me! There are gorgeous, feminine details in each piece and it is hard to close the site without dropping something in your cart. Luckily (or not), the beauties I wanted the most are sold out (these perfect boots). But maybe next time, I won't be so lucky and I will actually have to fight the shopping urge...

nice to meet you, KAREENA ZEREFOS

I am luu-huuu-huuuving the work of Kareena Zerefos as introduced by Holly. Her soft, precise illustrations, colors, and beautiful subjects are just the kind of art that makes me smile. The girl with the rat on her head reminds me of my own pet rats as a teen, Lavern and Shirley (may they rest in peace). Now which one to add to my Christmas list?...

thank you, BABYCAKES

Babycakes NYC is coming to L.A. this month! Dreams do come true! They'll still be across the state from my humble abode... but an 8-hour drive is much more realistic than a plane trip across the U.S. And my little sis lives in SoCal so I am destined to be in the area at some point in the near future. My mouth it watering already...

to DECORATE or not to decorate

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I don't know if I will be decorating for Christmas this year. We are still living in my parents' guest room and our house is on the verge of being done. I am afraid that if I decorate in our room, it will bind our fate and the house won't be done by Christmas. But then again- the chances of us getting into our house, organizing, AND being able to decorate all by Christmas are very slim. So what's a girl to do? I think my plan will be to decorate for the holidays even if we move back in after Christmas. Is that totally absurd? Probably. We shall see. And we'll see how long I hold out on my "no decorating the guest room" vow.


In other Christmasy thoughts- I have no idea what sort of Christmas decor I like. Sometimes I think I like classic green and red and other times I think I like pops of whatever-color-I-decide-to-go-with like in the photo above. Someday I will figure it out. What is your holiday decor style?

no CHICKENS in the coop

I absolutely adore this chicken coop pantry in The Jewels of New York home tour. It's just what my crooked little farmhouse needs. Luckily it can be purchased for a reasonable price here!

a TURNTABLE for dreamers

I have been wanting a turntable for a good long while. There are warm memories associated with my childhood-- listening to 40 Funky Hits and Get Smart episodes and thinking I was the coolest kid ever-- and I think there's something beautiful about watching the records spin and listening to the crackles and pops as the needle hits imperfect ridges. I've thought about looking at garage sales and thrift stores or stealing ma and pop's that I know they haven't used since I was a teen, but I know, if I had the option, this Barky Turntable would be perfect. It's probably not the best investment since I want a turntable mostly for nostalgia's sake rather than to play all my music on, but a girl can dream... and luckily, dreams don't have to be practical.

IT is a GIRL

via Millie Molly Moo

Last week my sister and I were both using that phrase because on Monday I had my 19-week ultrasound and, luckily, all of my little baby's modesty was left at the door. Then on Thanksgiving my little sister gave birth to her first child, a beautiful Jewel Marie. As my sister and her husband chose not to find out the sex during pregnancy, it was a wonderful surprise to learn we are both adding girls to the family. My doctor says she doesn't count on anything till birth so I guess there's always a chance our girl will be a boy who will later learn to hate that we referred to him as a she for 4 months in the womb. But until proven wrong, I am going to plan for pink, pink, pink!