Latest Posts

A stack of two pillows in pillow cases plus sheets folded up on top of them. They are red.

Bed Sheets Review: Target Threshold vs. Ikea Skogsnarv

Published by welcomeobjects

Today, we’re talking about bed sheets and pitting two similar products against each other to see which one is better.

Contestant 1: Ikea Skogsnarv
Two pillows, a folded flat sheet, and a folded fitted sheet in light gray.

The Skogsnarv bed sheet set is made out of sateen cotton with 450 thread count. (Thread count, if you need a refresher, refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads per square inch, so generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet, though that’s not always true.)

Ikea sells a queen set with a flat sheet, fitted sheets, and two standard pillow cases for $49.99. In addition to the fun name (try to say Skogsnarv three times in a row), one thing that I like about this set is that the pillow cases have envelope closures. That’s the flap at the end to keep your pillow in. I believe all of Ikea’s pillowcases have this feature and I think it’s such a smart design.

I’ve had my Skognarv set for about a year now and it’s held up pretty well. The color hasn’t faded after many, many washings. It’s soft, though not remarkably soft.

Contestant 2: Target Threshold Performance Bed Sheets

** affiliate links below **

Target’s Threshold Performance Bed Sheets is also made out of sateen cotton. At 400 thread count, it has a slightly lower thread count than the Ikea set, but I can’t really discern any difference in softness. It comes in 20 different colors, and I picked this rich red color. It’s also at the same price point: $49.99 for a queen set, though you can snag it on sale sometimes.

One nice feature of these sheets is that they have serious heavy duty elastic in each corner. I imagine that comes in pretty handy for thicker mattresses. My mattress is about 8″ thick, so it’s not particularly deep, but even for my mattress, I appreciate the reinforced corners.

I’ve had these sheets for about five months. Despite numerous washes, these sheets really attract lint. I have never encountered this with a set of sheets before. Lint just loves to hang out on these sheets.

I ran a lint brush over the sheets and the amount of stuff it picked up surprised me. Even after doing that, the sheets are still covered in lint. Sure, there are various Interwebs articles that tell you how to remove lint from your bed sheets. But, this is not how I want to be spending my time!

Winner

Due to the linty situation with the Target sheets, I declare the Ikea Skogsnarv the winner. Now, I don’t know if the lint situation with Target’s sheets is only limited to the red, or if it’s an issue with all 20 colors or just some of the colors. I’m curious to hear from someone else who owns these Threshold sheets in another color if they have a lint problem too. (Please leave a comment if you know! I’m certainly not going to buy another set to find out.) UPDATE 3/7/20: A reader reports that other colors don’t attract lint.

One bummer about the Ikea Skogsnarv is that it only comes in three colors: white, teal, and light gray. Please make these sheets in more colors, Ikea!

UPDATE 12/10/17 – I’m trying to be better about making ethical shopping choices, so I’m updating my posts with info about where and how things were made. The Target sheets were made in India and the Ikea ones in China. I don’t know under what conditions these were produced, though both companies were named top ethical companies by the Ethisphere Institute in 2010.

UPDATE 12/15/19 – It’s two years later now and I can report that the Target Threshold sheets have finally stopped being linty. I’m not sure when this happened exactly, but I was just folding laundry and noticed this. The Ikea sheets are about three years old now and the fitted sheet has gotten loose on the sides. I now feel that the Target sheets might be more durable, but it’s hard to know for sure since I bought these sheet sets at different times. I’ve owned the Ikea sheets for at least seven months longer than the Target ones.

This post containsSave

Save

Save

A Blogger Favorite: Leith Ruched Bodycon Tank Dress

Published by welcomeobjects

The problem with social media is that sometimes you accidentally see things and then you want to buy them. This was the case when I first saw the Leith Ruched Bodycon Tank Dress on Extra Petite. Perhaps it’s redundant for me to post about it too — apparently it’s a blogger favorite.

But, I thought maybe I could bring a different perspective as someone who is trying to be picky about what I bring into my wardrobe. All these other people have raved about it. It’s flattering, they say. It’s versatile. And it’s priced at $56! Is it really that great? OK, let’s see about that. Off I went to Nordstrom, which carries this brand.

My first impression was meh because it doesn’t look like much on the rack. If I hadn’t already seen how great it looked on other people, I would have passed this rack by.

This dress comes in 10 colors. I went looking for the black one. For someone who loves black, surprisingly I don’t own a little black dress. (I mean, if you don’t count the one with embellished bugs on it.) Unfortunately the store close to me was out of most sizes in black, so I ordered online.

The tank dress has no zipper. Just slip it over your head. Although the dress is a bodycon fit, it’s made out of a thick T-shirt material (a polyester and cotton blend). While it does hug you close, it doesn’t feel too tight. The Nordstrom website advises to go up a size if you want a looser fit. I’m a dress size 4, so I ordered a small (my regular size), and medium.

Two images of the same person in two different sizes of the same black tank dress.

Wearing a S and M.

Here I’m wearing small on the left and medium on the right. The medium was a bit looser all around, and also longer. (I’m 5′ 4″ for reference.) The neckline is also lower. The ruching on this dress is cleverly placed across the mid section to help hide any imperfections around the tummy area. However, I found that works better in darker colors than the lighter ones. I tried some of the lighter colors on in store and they were not as flattering as the black. So if you have a tummy pooch like yours truly, you might want to stick to the darker colors.

Two images of the same person wearing the same sleeveless dress in two different sizes, side view.

From the side: S and M.

Here is the side view. Please pay no attention to my not-flat stomach. Instead, notice the armhole situation. The armhole was just too big on the medium, exposing my bra. Jean from Extra Petite mentions that she took the armholes in on hers. It’s a trick of hers to make regular-sized clothing better fit petite bodies. I contemplated doing that since I do like the longer length of the medium. But in the end I realized the small fit better all around, and I won’t have to alter anything.

So yes, I decided to keep this dress in a small. How did it gain a spot in my closet when I’m trying to downsize? Usually, I would never wear a bodycon dress like this because it would be too constricting (and um, because tummy pooch). But the genius of this dress is the fabric.

The T-shirt material makes this dress comfortable, and the ruching makes it flattering. It’s elegant in design, yet not fussy because of the fabric. I think the material even makes it a good item to pack for traveling. It doesn’t seem like you’d have to worry too much about it wrinkling. And it’s easy to take care of: just put it in the washer and let it air dry. Those other bloggers were right: it’s versatile and can be worn casually or easily dressed up. Adding a skinny belt elevates it.

Leith Ruched Bodycon Tank Dress // J. Crew Skinny Belt [similar] // Miz Mooz Heels

Throw on a cropped jacket, grab a clutch, and you’re ready for a night out on the town.

Leith Ruched Bodycon Tank Dress // Baggu Leather Pouch [similar]

This dress also comes in a long sleeve version (5 colors) for $59. I think it’s a great buy at a nice price. And now I’ve got that wardrobe staple I didn’t have before, the little black dress.

UPDATE 12/10/17 – I’m trying to be better about making ethical shopping choices, so I’m updating posts with info about the production of items. This dress is cotton and polyester. Polyester is petroleum-based, not biodegradable, and its microfibers pollute our oceans. It was made in China, and I don’t have any info on the labor practices of the factory that made it.

DIY Wedding Flowers: a hand holds a jar with flowers

How I Spent $100 on Wedding Flowers & Decor

Published by welcomeobjects

As I mentioned in my first wedding post, it’s important to prioritize your wedding budget. Once you know what’s most important to you, reserve your energy and budget for those items. Then, you can find ways to save on the things you care less about. For us, we weren’t particular about decorations and didn’t want to spend much money on it. I allocated $100 to decorations and decided to DIY them. Here’s what we ending up spending:

Lanterns – $25
Photo Frames – $12
Flowers – $70
Bridal Bouquet & Floral Tape – $18
Vases – $0

TOTAL – $125

After the wedding, I sold the lanterns for $20, so we ended up spending $105.

How our venue choice shaped our decor

Our choice in venue actually impacted how we decorated. Honestly, the venue had to be a certain level of nice for my mom. We looked at some venues that cost less to rent, but they seemed charming in a slightly run-down way she would have complained about. (I’ve mentioned my mom and her expectations twice now, so maybe I will do a post later on how to manage expectations with your family members. Heh.)

Because the venue we chose was well-maintained, we didn’t feel the need to add many decorations. So in a way, the costs of decorations was absorbed by our choice in venue. But we did add some personal touches. My friends made decorations for my bachelorette party that were based on our invitation design. I saved them and reused them for our wedding. This cost us nothing!

Another requirement in our venue search was that it have an outdoor space because I really wanted to get married outside. We found a venue that was adjacent to a public park, which we were allowed to use for the ceremony. The park itself was beautiful, so all we did was add some paper lanterns to the ceremony area.

How I spent $100 on wedding decor: colorful lanterns hang from trees.

We needed some signage, so I thrifted vintage photo frames from Goodwill.

a selection of four vintage photo frames in gold or brass colors

A few of the photo frames we used at our wedding.

Flowers for the Frugal-Minded

Lastly, what to decorate the tables with? Most people decorate with flowers, but this was not necessarily a given for us. I have a confession: I don’t care much for flowers. Perhaps it’s because I was raised in an frugal immigrant family, but flowers always seemed like an extravagant expense to me because well, they die.

via GIPHY

This is not to say I don’t enjoy flowers or admire their inherent beauty. I do, and at the end of the day I decided that flowers were the easiest (and prettiest) decorations to use. While professional flower arrangements for a wedding our size can run at least $1,000, the fact that we did them ourselves meant we paid less than one-tenth of that.

Here’s what I did: First, I decided to use plain jars for vases. This cost nothing but time and elbow grease in cleaning the jars and taking labels off of them. For months, I saved jars and asked friends to do the same. We had 11 tables. I decided to put a trio of jars (small, medium, large) on each table at the reception. We also had a few other tables and surfaces to decorate. In total, this ended up being about 40 jars.

Is a naked spaghetti sauce jar at a wedding tacky? Some people might think so, but I like the simplicity. You could always tie a ribbon or dress up the jar in some other way, but I didn’t want to use any extra materials so I went with plain jars. Another priority was that clean up after the wedding be as easy as possible. I also didn’t want to carry any stuff home that I didn’t have to. At the end of the night, we combined flowers into our jar-vases for guests to take, and then we recycled the remaining jars right at the venue. Easy!

OK, here’s my big tip for saving money on flowers: Trader Joe’s. Yup. On the rare occasions that I did buy flowers for myself, I bought them at Trader Joe’s because I couldn’t stand to spend more than $5 for a bundle of flowers. So I figured, why not buy flowers for my wedding from them?

Trader Joe’s has great prices on flowers. The large bunches of chrysanthemums (the green, purple, brown, and white ones) in the center? $3.99. Gerber daisies to the top and left? Also $3.99. Hydrangea? $6.49. Their bouquets start at just $3.99.

A hand holding a small bouquet of flowers. They are yellow and purple.

Trader Joe’s Small Bouquet, $3.99

A hand holding a large bouquet of flowers. They are yellow and purple.

Trader Joe’s Large Bouquet, $9.99

Here’s what you do: Talk to your store manager. The manager can share an inventory sheet with you that shows the types of flowers that they get and their costs. Then you place an order about a week ahead of time. The essential thing about ordering flowers from Trader Joe’s is that you can’t be picky about them. You see, they don’t hold them for you. They just order extra to make sure there’s enough, but they’ll put them out on the floor where anyone can grab them. You also can’t stipulate what colors you want. If you have a specific color scheme for your wedding, then this may not work. I didn’t care as long as the flowers weren’t white.

I ordered my flowers about a week in advance, and then the day that they came in, we picked them up in the morning from the regular flower display area. A friend and I made all the arrangements, which were very simple. It probably took us about an hour. If you want a fuller look than what we did, you can always add more greenery. (The photo at the top of this post is a good example. Stems of eucalyptus make great filler and smell great too.)

Trimming flowers. Make sure that there are no leaves in the water, like the one in the front here. We had to go back and trim that one.

Flower arrangements in jars, all boxed up and ready to go. We took them to the venue the day before the wedding, storing them in refrigerators overnight.

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area, then visit a grocery store. Flowers at a grocery store are generally more affordable than flowers from a florist. You can also order flowers online. For my bouquet, I wanted more control over the colors because they had to look nice with my red dress. I stopped by Whole Foods the day before the wedding, picked up two bouquets, and combined them together with floral tape. Then, I wrapped ribbon I had lying around from an Everlane order over the floral tape. Total cost of my bouquet? $18!

Professional bridal bouquets run around $100 and up — even as much as $200 depending on the kinds of flowers used. But I didn’t mind that my bouquet was amateur. It just had to be nice enough. I figured people look at the bride, not her flowers, anyway. One thing I wish I had done in retrospect, though, was to ask the tailor who hemmed my dressed to save some of the fabric she cut off. Using that to wrap the bouquet would have been nicer than random ribbon.

Close up of bouquet in purple, pink, orange, with two hands holding it.

There’s one more thing I want to bring up: using local flowers. I tried to plan a wedding that was mindful of the environment and wouldn’t be wasteful. We reused items (photo frames, jars), used compostable plates and utensils for the reception, and provided to-go containers so that food wouldn’t go to waste. I didn’t think about this until after the wedding, but local flowers are generally better for the environment. There’s less of a carbon footprint associated with them because they don’t need to be shipped from far away or covered in chemicals to preserve them. There’s also the question of whether fair labor practices were used to grow flowers abroad.

According to this news story, Trader Joe’s flowers come from Colombia. But at my local store, I found that quite a few blooms were grown in the U.S., many in California. The Trader Joe’s bouquets shown above were grown in California. Here’s a sampling of prices and origins of flowers I saw recently at a Trader Joe’s:

Alstroemeria, 9 stems, $3.99, Rainforest Alliance Certified
Calla Lilies, 8 stems, $4.99, USA
Chamomile, $3.99, USA
Chrysanthemums, 10 stems, $3.99, Rainforest Alliance Certified
Dianthus, 10 stems, $3.99, Colombia
Gerber Daisies, 6 stems, $3.99, California
Hydrangeas, 4 stems, $6.49, Colombia
Spray Roses, 8 stems, $4.99, Rainforest Alliance Certified
Stargazer Lilies (aka Asiatic Lilies), 4 stems, $5.99, USA

We only spent $88 on all of our flowers. I don’t think buying them truly local — from a nearby farm — would have fit in our budget. But buying American-grown flowers would have worked. I’ve also noticed that Whole Foods carries some local flowers. While more pricey than Trader Joe’s, the prices are reasonable. I saw a bunch of 10 calla lilies for $10, and for $8 you can get 10 tulip stems or 5 dahlia stems.

So, it’s possible to source local flowers on a budget. It’s definitely something to consider. You can stick to your budget and be kinder to the environment — a happy occasion for all!

A view of buildings in Stockholm. They are about 7 to 8 stories tall, with ornate architecture, and by a body of water. There are small boats docked in the water.

Design & Shopping Guide: Stockholm

Published by welcomeobjects

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have noticed that I was traveling recently. I had a wonderful trip to Iceland, Sweden, and Denmark. Today I’m sharing some of the design and shopping highlights for Stockholm. This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide. It’s just a few of the places that I found interesting on my visit.

Design & Architecture

Stockholm Public Library
The Stadsbiblioteket was designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund and opened in 1928. It was Sweden’s first public library to apply the principle of open shelves, which back in the day was an American idea. This means the public could help themselves to books off the shelves and not have to ask library staff to retrieve them. The round part of the library houses classics. It’s gorgeous inside.

Konditori Valand
Just down the street from the library is a cafe where the fixtures and furniture have remained pretty much unchanged since it opened in 1954. It’s a midcentury modern dream and a lovely place for a coffee break.

Art in the Stockholm Metro
The train stations in Stockholm are all unique, each designed by a different artist. We spent an evening just riding the metro to different stops to see them. Check out this story in the Guardian about the art in some of the stations.

Gamla Stan
This is Stockholm’s old town, dating back to the 13th century. It’s touristy but worth a wander. We joined a walking tour offered by Free Tour Stockholm, which was fun and informative. Our guide shared tidbits about history as well as architecture.

When you finish the tour, grab a tasty snack at Bröd & Salt bakery, like this kardemummabullar (a Swedish cardamom roll). It was fresh out of the oven.

Shopping

DesignTorget
DesignTorget has nicely curated selection of housewares. It seems like a good spot to pick up a gift.

Granit
When I walked into housewares store Granit, it reminded me a bit of IKEA. Then I realized that what I associated with IKEA-ness, was actually Swedishness. This store carries housewares and storage containers. The design is simple and no frills.

 

Papercut
I didn’t budget enough time to spend in Papercut, which carries a discerning selection of Swedish and international magazines and books.

Pen Store
True to its name, this store sells pens. If you are particular about writing implements, this is your place.

 Svenskt Tenn
This Swedish interior design store is famed for its bold prints. It’s quite pricey, but a walk through its substantial showroom costs nothing.

 

Stutterheim
Stutterheim makes raincoats out of rubberized cotton in an array of colors. They are hand made and have been tested to withstand the elements. The raincoats come in a few different styles. While the proportions of the standard one didn’t fit me well, I walked out with a rain cape from the sale section. (Score!) I also picked up a beautiful zip leather wallet. I had been looking for a square zip wallet for a while, but none of the ones I came across had enough card slots for my liking. This one happily did. I love souvenirs that are practical!

Exterior of the Stutterheim store. Display by the window shoes some jackets on a rack. There is a bench right outside the window.

 

Before I left on my trip, I picked up the Lonely Planet Pocket Stockholm and Citix60: Stockholm guides. The former is good for learning about different neighborhoods and the latter is great because it has highly curated recommendations from local creatives.

two wedding bands on a white background

Setting Priorities for Your Wedding Budget (or, realizing your wedding isn’t special)

Published by welcomeobjects

Last year around this time, I was putting the final touches on my wedding. We had a lovely ceremony under a canopy of trees with 110 guests. I’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends about wedding planning since I’m quite organized and thrifty-minded, so I thought I’d write a few posts and share what I’ve learned while it’s relatively fresh in my mind.

First things first: set your date and your budget.

How long do you need to plan a wedding?

Well, it depends. Some people say a year, but I did not relish the idea of planning a big event for an entire year. No, thank you! Now, if you have a very specific date in mind or a dream venue, then you might need to book a year or more in advance to make sure you snag your date at your venue. For us, we started five months before our date. I’ve heard of people who’ve planned everything in three months or less, but I don’t recommend that, especially if you have out-of-town guests who need to book plane tickets. I think five to six months is good if you have flexibility around your date and your venue. I will go into our timeline in another post.

We came to our date by a process of elimination. We knew we wanted it to be in the fall when the weather is generally good where we live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Then we looked at all the weekends over a two-month period and asked our closest family members and friends which dates they could make. That narrowed down our list. Once we found our venue and cross referenced it with the dates we already had, that left just a handful of dates to choose from.

Setting Your Wedding Budget

According to a survey conducted by The Knot, the average cost for a wedding in 2016 was $35,329. Wow. That’s quite a chunk of change! And that’s just the national average. Depending on where you live, it could cost more or less. In San Francisco, where I live, the average cost was $42,716.  Unless you have endless resources, you’re going to have to set a budget for your wedding. Only you and your partner will know what’s best for you. Take a good look at your finances and see what you can comfortably afford. I would also factor in a contingency, because things often cost more than you think they will.

Now, your budget is tied closely to guest count. The more guests you have, the more it will cost. I’ve known couples who had small intimate weddings with just a dozen or so guests that cost a few thousand dollars. And I’ve been to big bashes held in museums that cost many tens of thousands of dollars. So you’re going to have to figure out what the sweet spot is in terms of number of guests and the kind of experience you want. Start with your guest list and work from there. The guest list was probably the most stressful part of wedding planning for us.

Flowers and wine glasses on a table with a white tablecloth.

Photo: Cody Chan/Unplash

How to Prioritize your Wedding Budget

To keep within your budget, prioritize. What’s most important to you?

Here are some common expenses for weddings:
Venue Rental
Food & Drink
Clothing, Hair, and Makeup
Wedding Party
Photographer and Videographer
Wedding Planner
Day Of Coordinator
Officiant
Entertainment
Invitations and Website
Decorations
Favors

Real talk now. I hate to break it to you, but your wedding is not special. Most weddings follow the same structure and your guests are not going to remember every detail about it. What I’m saying is don’t sweat the small stuff. If you obsess over every single detail, you’re going to be a ball of stress (and no fun to be around). Instead, identify the top three or four things that are most important to you. Here’s what the list above looked like after we prioritized them.

Top Priority
Food & Drink
Venue
Photographer
Entertainment

Middle Prioroty
Clothing, Hair, and Makeup
Invitations and Website
Day Of Coordinator
Officiant

Low Priority
Wedding Party
Wedding Planner
Decorations
Favors
Videographer

For us, one of our top priorities was the food. I love to eat (it’s one of the things that brings pure joy to my life), and I wanted a memorable and delicious meal. I’ve been a regular at a food stall at my local farmers market and knew that I wanted them to cater our wedding.

Our choice for food affected our venue. Many venues require you to use a caterer from an approved list. We needed a venue that would allow us to use the caterer we wanted. Another priority for us was a venue that had outdoor space for our ceremony. These two parameters knocked a lot of spots off our list, but having these parameters also made the venue search easier.

Photography was another priority for us. I wanted professional photos and I also knew it was super important to my mother. My sister got married before I did and my mom’s living room basically became a shrine to my sister’s wedding. (Now it’s a shrine to both our weddings.) We also wanted fun entertainment (though we didn’t want to spend much money on this), but we had a specific idea of what we wanted to do and didn’t compromise on it.

When you know your top priorities, focus on those. The other stuff doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, you should also make a list of what you don’t care about and question if you even want to have those things at all. These are the places where you can save money. For us, we didn’t care about a wedding party (didn’t have one at all), videographer (didn’t have one of those either), favors, or decorations. Of course, we wanted the space to look nice, but because it was low on the priority list, I only allocated $100 to decorations. (Yes, that includes flowers.)

If event planning is too stressful for you or you’re too busy for it, then it may be money well spent for you to hire a planner. But because I’m super organized and have planned large events before, we felt that we didn’t need a wedding planner. We did, however, decide on having a day of coordinator so that we could enjoy our day and not worry about any of the details or logistics on the actual day. (We also didn’t want to saddle a friend with it.) Our clothing, to a certain extent, was also not that important. I mean, of course, I care about clothing (I blog about fashion after all). I want to look awesome on my wedding day! But I was not wed (har har) to a certain idea of what I had to wear. (I didn’t wear white.) Being flexible meant that I had a wider range of options, and in the end, my entire outfit cost less than $400.

I hope this is helpful and has given you some things to think about. In upcoming posts, I will discuss our timeline, creative ways we saved money, and how I kept organized while planning. If there’s any particular topic you’re curious about, let me know and I will try to address it.

First photo: Sandy Millar/Unsplash

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Closeup of blue jeans with Holé button cover.

Holé Button Cover Review

Published by welcomeobjects

Earlier this year, I reviewed some Everlane T-shirts and noticed that one of them had a small hole at the bottom in the front. This was not the first time a shirt developed a hole in this area. Perhaps it had something to do with my jeans. Was the button on my jeans rubbing my T-shirt?

Well, there’s a solution for that. A company out of the UK called Holé makes silicone button covers, and they sent me their product as a gift to try.

Holé gifted me their product for review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Package of Holé button covers. It's a black paper packet.

The package comes with four button covers — two in black and two transparent — and retails for £10.00 (about $13 USD). They have a smooth rubbery texture and are flexible.

Four Holé button covers. They are made of silicone. Two are black, two are transparent-ish.

Here’s what they look like from the back:

Holé button cover as shown from the back. There are four, two in black, two transparent.

To get the button cover on your button, you kind stretch it and try to get it to latch onto one side of the button, then pull the rest of it on. This is not exactly an easy thing to do (at least for me). It took me about two minutes to install one cover.

Here’s a pair of jeans before Holé:

Close up of fly and button of a pair of blue jeans.

And here’s what it looks like with the transparent button cover on it:

Closeup of blue jeans with Holé button cover.

The black cover blends in nicely with black jeans:

Closeup of fly of black pair of jeans with a Holé button cover.

I’ve been trying them out for about four months. One thing that you have to get used to is that the Holé increases the thickness of your button, so make sure that you really pull the button all the way through your button hole. I had a habit of not doing this and would find my pants popping open suddenly! Ooops!

I leave the button covers on my jeans and just throw them in the wash. Since I air dry my jeans, they never go in the dryer. Silicone is typically heat-resistant — that’s why there are so many kitchen objects made out of silicone. So my guess is that it’s probably OK to put them in the dryer, but I haven’t tested that.

Now for the most important question: Do they help prevent holes in my shirts? Well, it’s kind of like eye cream. How do you know if something is working if it’s preventative? While I haven’t noticed any new holes in my shirts, it’s hard to say if they would have developed holes without the button covers. I guess the real way to test this out would be to have two identical outfits — one with the Holé and one without, and to wear them with the same frequency over a stretch of time. I wasn’t disciplined enough to do that.

As I received this product as a gift, I think it’s important to ask myself: would I have paid full price for this item? Probably. $13 is a small price to pay for the possibility of preventing holes in my shirts. I’ve definitely had more than $13 worth of shirts ruined by holes, so if there’s a chance that this product does what it says it does, then that’s money well spent. And if it’s not, it’s the cost of a lunch, so it’s not a big loss.

Even though I don’t know if they’re helping, they’re definitely not hurting, and they make sense to me, so I’m going to keep using them.

A display of quilts, throws, bedsheets, and throw pillow in a Target store.

Project 62 at Target: Kitchen, Bedding, & Bath

Published by welcomeobjects

Earlier this week I wrote about the furniture and decor from Project 62, Target’s new midcentury modern inspired brand. But there are also great items for your kitchen, bedroom, and bath. Here’s some of what I saw this past weekend after it launched.

** this post contains affiliate links **

Kitchen

There are several dinnerware sets. I like the earthy tones of this one.

The mug is a good size. I hate when you can’t fit all of your fingers in the handle and this one passes the test. I also liked this other set, which has a bright teal interior.

Copper and rose gold seems to be every where right now, including the dining table.

There’s a matching rose gold barware set and wine chiller to complete the set. Target also made copper serving items, like this serving bowl, which is actually made out of stainless steel.

I like some bling, but I don’t know how I feel about this trend. You could easily overdo it. Will rose gold flatware seem outdated in a few years? On the other end, there’s classic pieces like these acacia wood serving bowls (large, medium), which will always be in style.

Bedding

The bedding is so cozy! Loving this gray and red color palette.

A display of quilts, throws, bedsheets, and throw pillow in a Target store.

Gray velvet quilt, folded up for sale at a Target store

Velvet Grid Quilt – $79.99 for full/queen

I like how they’re offering throw pillows in different textures. This makes them more competitive with West Elm and CB2.

Bath

Display of Project 62 shower curtains, bath towels, and toothbrush holders.

I have to say, I really like the Project 62 bath decor much better than Target’s Threshold brand.

I don’t need new towels, but if I did, I would get these. They seemed quite soft and plush and the texture makes it more visually interesting than your standard bath towel. It comes in six colors, though oddly, white isn’t one of them.

Look at all these great shower curtains!

Navy and blue patterned bath mat.

Tufted Bath Rug – $19.99


I love this bath mat. Also seemed quite soft. OK, that’s it for now. Let me know if you’ve come across anything from Project 62 that you absolutely love.

 

 

White dining table with medium brown legs at an angle

Project 62 at Target: Furniture and Decor

Published by welcomeobjects

Ever since I heard about Project 62, Target’s new midcentury modern inspired line of housewares and furniture, I’ve been feeling a mix of anticipation — but also dread (because of what I fear it might do to my wallet).

I love those clean midcentury modern lines, but the price tag of real deal vintage pieces is not in my budget (at least not here in California). Well, Target read my mind by creating decor inspired by the era. (The name Project 62 refers to the year 1962.) Just go ahead and take all my money, Target! Here’s what I saw in stores this past weekend.

** this post contains affiliate links **

Furniture

White dining table with medium brown legs at an angle

Emmond 72″ Dining Table – $399.99; There’s also a 42″ round version.

Look at the fabulous sculptural legs on this dining room table! There’s a smaller round version as well and even a little bistro table. The frame is made out of rubberwood and the top is MDF. It seems sturdy and well made. However, people have been leaving bad reviews online as it seems many folks have gotten damaged shipments, which is a shame.

Do you need a chair or two? There are so many great chairs in this line.

Peoria Wood Arm Chair – $169.99 for fabric, $229.99 for the faux leather version shown here.

I adore a chair with a beautiful wood frame. The sign below this chair is misleading as the faux leather version is listed as $229.99 online, not $169.99 — that’s the price of the fabric upholstered version, which comes in four colors. Hmm, interesting, the sign also shows a different name.

Oh hi there tapered legs. Tapered wood legs get me every time. What’s great about many of these new chairs is that Target is making them in several colors. The chair above comes in three colors and the armchair version of this chair is even more striking. My favorite is the light blue.

This dining chair has legs that match the dining table. It comes in five colors, including a lovely purple color called mulberry. It was comfortable and sturdy and has me contemplating replacing my current dining chairs.

armchair with high arms, square shaped, tufted back.

Soriano Square Arm Channel Tufted Chair – $249.99

Alas, I didn’t see this arm chair in person, which was featured in many of Target’s ads, so I can’t report as to how comfy it is. It comes in four colors and you can order a swatch online. They should really have this out on the floor for people to try.

Antwerp C-Table – $89.99

Love the warm walnut color of this C-table in wood veneer and brass. There’s a horizontal bookcase, tall bookcase, desk, media stand, coffee table, and an end table in this series as well. This particular floor sample was a little bit wobbly, though. If you’re in the market for a C-table, there’s also this luxe-looking C-table with a marble top.

Hafley One Drawer Table – $69.99 (also comes in dark gray)

This accent table also comes in a dark gray version. I think it’s quite handsome, but the construction doesn’t seem that solid.

Decor

If you want to freshen up your living room with a new look, Target makes it so easy. I love how this store displayed decor by color.

Shelves with black and yellow colored pillows, throws, and other decor

As you can see, there’s lots of throw pillows, throw blankets, and baskets in this collection. Since I’m looking for a rug, I was excited to see what Project 62 rugs would be like. They seemed more plush than typical Target rugs. Here are some 5×7 rugs.

Charcoal/White Microplush Geo 5×7 Area Rug – $99.99; Shag rug $149.99 (not online yet)

Chunky Knit Wool Rug – $24.99 to $449.99

This chunky knit wool rug has a great texture. It comes in lots of great neutral colors and also many sizes, including 2×3, 7×10 and 9×12. Frustratingly, not all colors come in all sizes. Also, I find it strange that Target makes 7×10 rugs, but not 8×10, which is a pretty standard size. Sadly, this rules out Target for me, as I’m on the hunt for an 8×10 area rug.

Chunky Knit Wool Rug

Cohasset Table Lamp – $49.99 (also comes in pink); Delavan Tripod Table Lamp – $39.99 (also comes in black and clear legs), Weston Table Lamp – $39.99

Wow, look at these statement lamps! I wanted to buy the round lamp shade separately, but that option was not available.

Gray planter on wooden stand, gold wire baskets

Ceramic and Wood Planter – $69.99 for large, $29.99 for medium, $19.99 for small; Wire Baskets – $16.99 to $19.99

More goodies! I’m glad to see planters on wood bases. I’ve been coveting a Modernica Case Study planter, and while I still prefer the look of that one, it’s nice to see less costly options.

Not all of Project 62’s offerings are actually new, though. I noticed that some items were existing objects from Target’s Threshold brand that just got new names. For example, this desk lamp used to be called the Audrey from Threshold, but now it’s the Coluee from Project 62. I know this because I already own it and even wrote about it earlier this year. Same with this globe desk lamp, which now goes by Edris.

Oh, that’s probably why that wood frame armchair above had a different name on the sign than on the website. Target seems to be keeping the Threshold line, but rebranding it as more classic decor while the modern designs get categorized as Project 62. Here’s another Threshold-turned-Project 62 item: this round wall mirror (with an Edris lamp in the reflection).

brass photo frame

Metal Single Image Frame 5×7 – $7.99 (Other sizes available, also comes in gunmetal)

In the end, I came home with just one item, this photo frame. I’m pretty proud of myself for showing such restraint. I’ve got more photos of what I saw in the store, but this post is already long, so stay tuned later this week for Project 62 bedding, bath, and kitchen. Oh, by the way, there’s a coupon in this week’s Target ad for a $10 giftcard if you spend $50 on home goods.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

A white woman wearing a dark denim shirt dress, and a black man wearing a T-shirt and jeans with a blue blazer

Target’s New Clothing Brands: A New Day and Goodfellow & Co

Published by welcomeobjects

Target has grand plans to retire its veteran brands, which have gotten too broad, and replace them with new labels. Two new clothing brands rolled out recently. Say goodbye to Merona and Mossimo and hello to A New Day (women’s) and Goodfellow & Co (men’s). I went to check them out in person and see that Target’s been busy installing new shelving as well as platforms for mannequins in the clothing departments.

** this post contains affiliate links **

A New Day

mannequin wearing a striped shirt dress with bell sleeeves. behind it are more mannequins.

The LA Times story I linked to above notes that Target is trying to compete with J.Crew and Zara. Style wise, they do seem to be upping their game. On-trend embroidered pieces, classic stripes, pleated skirts, and ruffle sleeve shirts filled the racks, but there was also a whole swath of meh that I didn’t bother taking photos of.

The quality seems to vary. For example, the striped dress with bell sleeves above, is constructed out of a nice, thick cotton. For $44.99, the trench seems like a good classic buy, but why is it wrinkly already? If you iron it, will it keep crisp? Same for the embroidered military jacket which also looked sad with wrinkles. The plaid topcoat, while lovely with its fall colors, lacked a full lining. I’m not convinced that it would last more than a season; it seemed like it might pill easily.

Target has a lot of pants on offer with this new line: mid-rise, high-rise, skinny leg, straight leg, wide leg. There were jeans, chinos, track pants, crepe drape pants. I love the variety. However, the majority were made out of synthetic fibers that seemed thin and I wondered if they were prone to wrinkling. Overall, the stuff made out of cotton seemed more solid than clothing made out of synthetic fibers. So I would go for the poplin blouse or denim shirt dress, but inspect more carefully with the crepe pants or pleated trim dress.

Prices were $30 and under for pants, tops and dresses. Jackets and coats were $30 to $50. Personally, I would rather see them use higher quality materials and charge a bit more. I’m trying to be better about buying items that last longer, but I guess I shouldn’t really be shopping at Target in the first place if that’s my goal. (Though in my defense, I do have some Target items that have held up well, like this Richard Chai cotton dress that I’ve been rocking since 2008.)

Of course, a women’s line would not be complete without accessories and there were lots of bags and shoes. I really like the look of the bags, but I try to stay away from Target bags. In my experience most of them don’t hold up well to my abuse. (Few of the purses seem to be online at this point.)

Goodfellow & Co

Over in the men’s department, Target pushed its new brand, Goodfellow & Co, with new mannequins. With bomber jackets, vests, hefty cardigans, and casual blazers, the offerings from Goodfellow & Co were noticeably more stylish than what used to be in the men’s department. They do seem to be going after J.Crew fans with preppy pieces — lots of V-neck sweaters, button downs, and cardigans. Quality wise, the same applies here. Look at the fiber content. The fit seems to vary, according to reviews on the Target site. Sizing ranges from S to XXL. Why no XS?

retail display for Goodfellow and Co with outifts on mannequins, such as sweaters and vests

The men get bags too! There were a few backpacks and even a gym bag which I could see being used as a carry-on as well for a quick weekend trip.

brown messenger bag with slightly distressed look

Messenger Bag – $24.99

Nylon Dome Backpack – $24.99, Quilted Vest – $24.99

There were also shoes and boots, but I’d pass on those. While the styles were for the most part not bad (though there was a horrid square toe pair), they are constructed out of all man-made materials and look cheap in person. Better to invest in some higher-quality shoes that will last longer. I’m a strong believer that you should invest in those items at the base that provide support — such as tires, mattresses, and shoes.

tall work boots in brown, faux suede brown shoes, chuka style boots

Goodfellow & Co. Joe Casual Work Boots – $44.99, Javier Oxford Buck Shoe – $34.99, Jay Desert Chukka Boot – $44.99

I’m curious to see what else rolls out in these lines and how A New Day will differ from Who What Wear, an existing women’s trendy line at Target. So far, I’m not that impressed by overall quality. I compared the embroidered military jacket with a similar cropped Mossimo jacket in my closet, and the Mossimo seems like it’s made out of a more tightly woven fabric and holds its shape better. I do think there are some good pieces here.

Stayed tuned for my fit review, with dressing room photos.

Bemz red slipcover on IKEA Allerum couch

When Your Ikea Sofa Needs a Makeover: Bemz Slipcover Review

Published by welcomeobjects

In 2003, I bought an Ikea sofa called the Allerum. I liked its streamlined look and bent plywood legs. Plus, you could flip the backrest over to turn it into a sleeper sofa for one. The couch moved with me four times to different apartments. Many friends have slept on it while visiting. Last year, though, I noticed that its original green slipcover was becoming ratty in some areas. Some areas had frayed or thinned. Washing it only made it worse.

I debated buying a new sofa, but I didn’t really need a new sofa. I soon discovered that there are several companies that make slipcovers for retired Ikea couches (and existing products too). There were scant reviews on these companies, which made me nervous. I found one company called Bemz, based in Europe. They have a cute origin story: The owner, a Canadian who moved to Stockholm, was once in the same predicament as me, trying to find a new slipcover for an old Ikea couch. That search sparked an idea for a business. Here’s more about the company in an Architectural Digest article.

I liked the idea of my Swedish Ikea couch getting a makeover from another Swedish company, but what cinched it was the Bemz website. It offered many fabric options: 257 different choices! Plus, they’ll send you five fabric swatches for free. I wanted to go with something red and ordered my five samples. Seeing the swatches in person made such a difference. With them in hand, I made a decision quickly about which shade of red I wanted.

Bemz says it takes about three to four weeks for your order to arrive. This includes production time. Mine arrived in just two weeks. It shipped from an Eastern European country. (Sorry, I can’t remember which one now.)

Here’s my Allerum sofa before:

IKEa Allerum sofa bed, light green in color, with two round pillows.
And here is it with the Bemz cover after:

IKEA Allerum sofa bed with red slipcover from Bemz.

The Bemz cover actually ran a little bit bigger than the original one. It closes by Velcro (or, ahem, hook and loop closure if it’s not brand name Velcro as Velcro would have you know, but who calls it that?). The two edges of the cover almost overlapped too much, putting it in danger of the Velcro strips not matching up. When I matched them up, the fit was a bit loose. But thankfully, it hasn’t been much of a problem. Sometimes I do have to smooth out wrinkles in the seating area, but not often.

Bemz offers different types of fabric from cotton to linen and velvet. They also have recycled fabrics, usually a cotton and polyester blend. Prices for a cotton cover start at $127 for this particular sleeper sofa. I went with the Cotton Panama (which seemed thicker and had more texture to it than the simple brushed cotton fabric) in Cinnabar Red, which cost $169, plus $20 for shipping. The Panama Cotton is also stain-protected and pre-shrunk.

Fabric wise, the Bemz Panama Cotton cover is a smaller weave and thinner than the original Ikea cover, which is also cotton.

IKEA slipcover fabric swatches. Original cover in green with big weave to the left, and the new cover in red to the right.

Original Ikea slipcover fabric on the left. Bemz Panama Cotton cover on the right.

In the first few months of the new cover, I came across one problem, though. Faint white spots appeared on the couch, which bewildered me.

I wrote to Bemz and they told me it could be lint and dust, caused by high static. They suggested either brushing the couch (with a soft brush, lint brush, or damp cloth) or washing the cover to reduce static. But they said the best solution was to spray the sofa with an anti-static spray. You can buy it or make a mix of half fabric softener and half water in a spray bottle and mist it over the sofa.

Since I had an almost full bottle of Method fabric softener sitting around, I decided to do the latter. (By the way, these days Method also makes a fabric softener in a spray bottle.) The fabric softener concoction worked well and the white spots stopped appearing.

I’ve had the slipcover for over a year now. Because the couch is against a window and gets a decent amount of sun, the back of the couch has faded quite a bit.

Closeup of red slip cover which shows fading.

The Bemz slipcover is less resistant to sunlight than the IKEA slipcover. Here’s some fading on the Bemz slipcover after about a year.

I never had this problem with the original Ikea cover, though that was light green and green probably doesn’t fade as much as red. The original Ikea cover also came in orange, and I wonder how that fared in the sun, but I don’t have any way to compare it. If I had known that it was going to fade this much, I would not have gotten the new cover in red. I’m curious to know if other colors fade.

Although I’m bummed about the fading, I’m glad that the slipcover option exists and that companies have filled the gap, providing a service that Ikea no longer does for its discontinued models. The price I paid for my slipcover — $189 total — was also way cheaper than buying a new couch. Next time, though, I’d try to find out more about the durability of the fabric when it comes to sun. Fabric will inevitably fade when exposed to sunlight, but this particular cotton fabric was not the best choice.

UPDATE 3/19/19 – OK, I’ve had this slipcover for nearly three years now and the parts exposed to sun — the back and top of the couch — have continued to fade. The fading is very apparent now. I regret getting this cover in cotton. It feels like I wasted $200. If I had to do it all over again, I’d pick another type of fabric.

I let Bemz know about how much my cover had faded and they said that due to regulations in the European Union, they are prohibited from treating fabrics against fading. They also said a synthetic fabric would withstand fading better.

Two fabrics, one on the foreground is faded and the one behind it is red.

The Bemz slipcover three years later: The back of the couch (in foreground) and a sofa cushion in the same fabric behind it.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save