About three years ago, I purchased a very cool aluminum table at the now-defunct Storehouse Furniture.  Because it is currently being used in my mom's place, I can't photograph it for you ... so you are going to have to trust me on this one ... but I was shocked to see this extremely similar table (shown above) featured some time ago in House Beautiful magazine ... for approximately three times what I paid for my Storehouse version.  The larger version is even more outrageously priced.   Don't get me wrong - I haven't seen the Linda Horn tables in person, so it is certainly possible that they are of significantly higher quality than my Storehouse table.  But, if these tables were twins, I'd ask for DNA testing to find out whether they were identical.  

So what's prompting this entry today of all days?  Well, I had also intended to compare the Storehouse table and the Linda Horn tables to the Pottery Barn Recycled Aluminum Table (shown below).   

Well - although it's no longer available on the website - it turns out that the Gaffney Pottery Barn outlet has one of those little numbers in stock!  I think it was around $200.  So if you are interested in the Linda Horn look at a significantly smaller price tag, head down to Gaffney ASAP!     

I came back from Greenville, South Carolina today, so - because I was passing Gaffney anyway (I know, twist my arm) - I thought I would just pop into the Pottery Barn Outlet!  Really, that outlet is such a great resource.  You never know what you are going to find, and - although it's too far away for a quick visit - you just might find the perfect thing!  Right now, they are jam-packed with linens - towels, bedding, pillow covers, you name it - and decorative accessories.   There's also a really good selection of furniture - more than a few sofas and other upholstered pieces, but also lots of occasional tables ... many of which are still in the boxes (and hence in perfect condition).  I came home with this Maia Outdoor Accent Table, which I am very excited about.  I recently moved all of the furniture on our front porch around to the back patio, so that we have more seating back there.  Of course, the front of our house looks ridiculously bare, but I'm really enjoying the extra seating on the back patio for summer entertaining.  I wanted at least one more side table back there, and this one is perfect!  I love its sophisticated shape - really, you can see this as an end table in a living room - and you can't beat the look of real stone with the durability of a resin, stone and sand blend.  Other things that stuck out to me as especially great included two very attractive dark brown leather chairs (maybe the Addin Leather Armchair?  They were on top of some shelves so it was difficult to see them well), a fabulous orange upholstered bench made by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (similar in style to this one, but without the piping), and leather pillows from Williams-Sonoma Home (you do realize that Williams-Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn and West Elm are all owned by the same company, right?  So you can find all of these brands in this single outlet.).  Oh, and I paid $65 less (plus no shipping) for the Maia Outdoor Accent Table than Pottery Barn is currently showing as the sale price on its website.  Happy day! 

How many of you want to touch up those scrapes or smudges on your wall paint ... but you'd have to actually find the old paint in the garage or basement, dig out the right can (if you can remember), stir it up, get a brush or roller, etc.?  And that just seems like too much work.  Hey, I'm right there with you!   With the long list of things that we all have to do, sometimes that just doesn't rise to the top of the list.  Well, I think I have solved that problem!  Enter the Qwikie Paint Touch-up Tool.  This product is absolutely genius.  Think of an extra-large bottle of nail polish.  As the Qwikie website explains, the heavy duty plastic container holds 13 ounces of paint,  which is more than enough for a small touch-up job.  I'm all about quick and easy, so I love that you can gently shake up the container itself instead of having to mix the paint up with a separate mixing stick.  The cap has a brush with high quality acrylic bristles built into it, so there's no need to hunt for a brush or roller.  A built-in wiper at the top of the container lets you easily remove any excess paint from the brush.  Label the container with the paint color and the room(s) in which it is used, and you are all set!  I ordered mine online at GrandinRoad, but of course, they are out of stock.  You can also check out the Qwikie website, which has an online store (albeit temporarily closed for maintenance).   

If you can't find the Qwikie Paint Touch-up Tool, there's a similar product called the Rubbermaid Paint Buddy that I've seen in local Lowe's and Home Depot stores.  It is smaller than the Qwikie Paint Touch-up Tool, so don't expect to use it for larger touch-ups, but it does come with a built-in roller that can be removed for cleaning or replaced.  I like the simplicity of the Qwikie Paint Touch-up Tool, but - considering that I'll probably use a roller over what I paint using the Qwikie brush - I see the appeal of the Rubbermaid version.  Regardless, the point is that both of these products make it easy for you to do touch-ups in a jif.  

Check out what I left The Bachelorette with after the painting was done in her home. 

So ... no more excuses!

Photos from Qwikie and Rubbermaid