(Not) Accessorizing

I'm home sick this afternoon. Yes, sick again. This is lame. I started feeling it going to bed on Monday night and it's full-fledged at this point. I had to proctor my students' first exam today, but then I came home as soon as possible. I do not have time to be sick with all of my impending deadlines, but I'm willing to take the next few days to get some extra rest so that I can fight this thing off. It's only been about a month since my last sickness that lasted 8 days. I figure I can get some work done at home while resting. Besides, I have plans this weekend! I must get better for those!

To make up for my lack of blogging (I've been busy....and my audience is small so I figured you wouldn't mind), I thought I'd post some pretty pictures. Ever since we got our new dining room table, I've been daydreaming about ways to accessorize it. Here's the problem: we don't have money to buy non-essentials AND I hate shopping in all of its forms. What's a girl to do? Find a store that has a good website that carries good quality products that appeal to my aesthetic. (sidenote: did you know that as an art historian, there are many words that I just can't use because their meanings are so skewed, for various reasons, whether they've been overused, are problematic, or carry multiple meanings? These words include: aesthetic, taste, elegant, renaissance, baroque, style, manner, and the list goes on)

For me, the store that meets those criteria is Crate and Barrel. We own several things from that store, thanks to generous friends and family since we registered there.

I've found a few more things I'd like to add. I've been scoping out these centerpieces:

Murano glass. I love the lines.

Goodness, I love this one. It's so Deco.

Also, loving this one. It seems so delicate.

And, more Murano glass with gorgeous lines in one of my favorite colors.

And then there are the rugs. We've got tons of hardwood in our house, including the dining area. I would love to put a rug under our table, but they are SO. EXPENSIVE. I cannot believe how much rugs cost. It makes me ill. So, I browse and then I close the browser window, because I can't handle the cost. Remember my pricetag phobia?

But here are some I like:

I don't love traditional Oriental rugs. I think they're beautiful, but they don't suit me. I also don't like crazy abstract patterns. No huge graphics for me. I like this rug, though. Natural elements, nice color.

Fun! Interesting print, neutral but punched up with color.

This one's called Yasmine, so I think I'm required to like. I do actually like this one. Lovely florals.

But friends, this is the rug of my dreams! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this rug. The palette is gorgeous, the print is this perfect blend of interesting foliate shapes punctuated with abstracted blossoms. How I would love to put this under my table.

But it isn't happening. There are so many other, better ways to spend our money. These rugs cost more than a plane ticket to Europe, and I need to buy one of those soon. I'd love to keep adding beautiful things to our home, but at this point I'm just grateful to have a home of our own. I'd love to have a decorating budget, but that's just not in our list of priorities. I'd rather have a vacation. Or start working towards saving for a new car. So for now, the rug stays in my dreams. Maybe someday I'll have a benefactor. Or we'll win the lottery. Or Nick will be so successful that I can spend, spend, spend! (We art historians aren't known for our earning potential.) But in the end, I don't really want that last one! I want to be happy and comfortable. Good thing we've got at least that first one covered for now!