Even if I can't show you photos I took of it, I can tell you that loved the purple Thomas Paul feather rug that I saw at Velocity Art and Design in Seattle. But two things make me hesitate to buy it:

1. It looks like Catherine Brophy, the Feng Shui Detective who feng shuied our Adventuress columnist's house is going to come to my house for a consultation, and has asked me not to buy new things until she has a look; and

2. I think I found someone to paint my beloved cherry blossom tree mural on my bedroom wall. Mielle Harvey is coming by on Monday morning to show me some designs! I'll have designs to show next week.

Needless to say, a purple peacock feather rug won't work with a tree mural in the room, I don't think. Right?

I'd love to put it in the living room with the green walls, but I'd be perceived as a copycat by my friend Melissa who also has a green walls and happens to be shopping for a purple couch.

Are they right? They recommended this rug for me. It's big; it's machine-made; and cheap.

But what about thisy wisy:

Or thaty whaty:

Hi. Someone not very nice broke into my apartment and stold-ed my laptop and my digi camera, so I'll be back soon as I can figure out how to or if I can upload some images from my Treo.

Just what I need, another table lamp. But look how purty this Horchow one is. I found it on Design Milk. That's two Horchow things that have come my way lately. The first was from I Love Jezebel who thinks Horchow is "dirty-sounding" (she should talk) and that I ought to buy a flotaki rug from them for my bedroom.

There is exactly one day of the year, and ten minutes during that day that my apartment gets the sunlight it deserves. Today is that that day. Look, here it is. All that gorgeous energy, how can I capture it?

I reproduce for you in full, the scintillating copy describing this Milano Fifties rug that I'm still sort of hooked on. If you're bored, skip ahead to the last para...

The Milano Fifties rug, from the Sahara collection, features a crisp, versatile 100% wool design. Created with a special color dyeing technique, this contemporary rug offers subtle shading and soft luster.

Each of these modern rugs is hand tufted to produce a thick, dense texture you will love. Featuring a bold, abstract design, this floor covering is available in two different color schemes, and as a rectangular rug or carpet runner. We offer these modern rugs in several sizes, so you are sure to find the contemporary rug that fits your home best.

Milano Fifties floor coverings offer style and durability.

Whether you choose to use this rug in your living room or bedroom, you will love the bold, modern design this rug offers. But this contemporary rug is not just beautiful, it is durable, too. With cloth backing to increase the life of this rug, you will enjoy this floor covering for years to come.
All rug sizes are approximate. Patterns may vary slightly according to shape and dimension.

It is normal for new wool rugs to shed yarn fibers for up to three months. Regular vacuuming will help pick up these fibers and keep the rug looking fresh and clean.

I went to CB2 to look at the blue Sleepy Hollow rug with the tree, but the color wasn't exactly right in person. I kind of liked this Zin one for the living room, but it might be too juvenile. What do you think? Would it make me seem too happy?

Also, can we just talk about how these rugs wear? Do expensive ones do the same thing?

Worth keeping and trying to recover? Might be a fun little project--I could screw it up and not worry about it since it won't take much fabric and I already own a staple gun. I'd just need something with a small repeat, right?

Has anyone tried to recover a chair in fabric that was originally covered in vinyl?

Rug update in a minute, but I couldn't wait another second to share this blurry picture of my towel bars. I've now primed them with Zinnser Cover Stain oil-based primer. Apparently it's great for sealing water or smoke damage--wish I'd heard of it way back when I was having my water damage taken care of. It only takes about two hours to dry.

In any event, I've put on one coat, lightly sanded, and put on another coat. I'll sand one more time and then paint with glossy black latex paint when I have a second. I keep starting the steps of this project when I'm on the way out the door so maybe that'll happen this morning when I'm in my heels on the way to work.

I once yelled at an ex-boyfriend for cheating on me because he "made me into the cliched girlfriend who's the last to know that she's being two-timed." Sure, I was hurt, but I was also seething mad at how conventional my life had become. Middle-child syndrome, I'd say, the desperate need to be different from other people.

I feel the same way about my home. I'm a contrarian at heart and I like to ignore all the rules of decorating. (Forget the fact that I barely know them.)

So c16621 brings up an interesting point when s/he asks if I started to decorate my living room with a drawing. Let me ask those of you who know this blog well and struggle not to strangle me for my indecision: what do you think? Of course I didn't have a plan. I never have a plan. And I think that might be okay. Because that leaves room for happy accidents like the sold-out Aubrey Beardsley rug.

In a world where seemingly every artistic endeavor starts with a publicity campaign, and every trip to the movies is planned and paid for in advance, I miss happy accidents. And frankly, I'll take the mistakes, dead ends, disasters over over-planning any day. This is how I do things. And as it turns out, I don't think my living room looks that bad. I actually like it and it makes me happy, even without a rug.

Of course, the bedroom is a different story. Talk about a cliche: Casa Sugar reports that tree branches are a trend that might actually be over. Now who do I yell at, dang it. And is there any way to avoid being just like everyone else? Being trendy? Is it the end of the world?

But what about this one from HomeDecorators.com?

Or this color, which I kind of like more:

Or a round version, though more and more this rug looks like what I want for the bedroom...

ladypants suggested this rug from Overstock for the living room. I really like it a lot--it seems very Oscar Wilde to me--reminds me of those Aubrey Beardsley drawings in Wilde's play Salome. It may well be too much green though. What do you think?

I'm on hold with the bedroom rug until I get to Velocity Art and Design in Seattle to check out the Paul Smith rugs in person. Unless, of course, I impulsively buy something else before I get there. In the meantime, I've been thinking about the living room. I kind of like this rug that's on sale at Pottery Barn. Now, we do have one of those stores here in NYC, but of course the rugs are online only...

What do you think of this for living room, which is looking like this these days?

Score. Flea Market Studio. Etsy.

I'm making boxes again and thinking of selling them on Etsy because this reporter interviewed me from Miami Herald about what to do with your old junk and I told her I make art out of mine. She mistakenly thought I said I sell my art on Etsy. I don't. But I should now since it says I do in all these syndicated versions of the article. Don't cha think?