Secret Decorating Source: Pottery Barn-Good But Without The Sticker Shock

It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, but the seduction going on in this house isn’t coming from my fella. It’s coming from the Pottery Barn catalog that just arrived in the mail.

That darn catalog positively radiates seduction. 

“Guru Girl,” its perfectly curated rooms call to me.” Buy me, style me and live a life of crisp order, beautifully lit.”

There are no cereal boxes in Pottery Barn kitchens.

No dog hair on Pottery Barn bedding.

No jumbled piles of sporting equipment in Pottery Barn mudrooms.

Even its mudroom clutter is color coordinated. And consists of nothing real children actually use. I would like to meet the family that owns a pewter-colored bocce ball set but not one neon-colored Nerf gun.

Intellectually, I know Pottery Barn interiors are a sham. Furniture and gew-gaws don’t bring a balanced, ordered life. They do, however, bring a fearfully unbalanced Visa bill.

Unless you get the look on the down low. Enter: Hobby Lobby. It’s one of my favorite sources for tchochkes that look like Pottery Barn’s but without the PB price!

Directions For Seductive, PB Style Without Non-Sexy, PB Price:

1. Circle favorite small items in catalog.

2. Take catalog with you to Hobby Lobby.

3. Let the hunt begin.

4. Yes, you have to sift through some decorating oddities, but it’s worth it. 

Those burlap table runners that are all the rage? $50 at Pottery Barn. $7 at Hobby Lobby.

The blingy box above? $63 at Pottery Barn. $23 at Hobby Lobby (because glassware is ½ off this week).

This Hobby Lobby version is basically the same exact box as the one pictured above. Love it because it's mirrored in the back so will bounce light around the room. 

And every week Hobby Lobby publishes a 40% off one item coupon. So you can always use a coupon on your designated item.

Happy hunting, guru girls & guys!  And also, Happy Valentine’s Day. Especially to my fella, who puts up with Guru Girl, gew-gaws and all:)