High v.s. Low: Spool Side Table

I haven't done a High Vs Low feature in quite some time, but when I came across this cute side table, I couldn't resist. 

HIGH:

I first saw this little spool table over at <a href="http///urbanbarn.com">Urban Barn</a> and thought they would be a cute little addition to my living room. 

But at $129.00, it was more than I wanted to spend for something like this.  The "Ace Side Table" is yellow, the "Jig" is a pretty grey. 

LOW:

Well,  low and behold I popped across the complex over to <a href="Http://homeoutfitters.com">Home Outfitters</a>  to get my mom a gift and stumbled upon these doppelgängers.

While not an identical match, the idea, shape, size and colors are similar. These also came in yellow and I believe a white as well! The price on these is $79.99 but the great thing is Home Outfitters have a coupon every week so you can get 20-25% off depending on your method of payment. Plus, they also have a scratch and match where you could get up to 50% off! So at best possible price, these would be about $40! Obviously I think the quality of these is a little less- mostly in that these are less glossy than the others.

Which one would YOU choose? High vs Low? I know there are also many orher 

Note: I should point out that aparently the Urban Barn price has dropped to $99! So while better, they are still the "High" for this post! :)

As I'll be making High vs Low a weekly feature so I would love to know what kinds of items my readers would want to see!  Please share your thoughts! 

Product Review

Two weeks ago, I got a nice little surprise when this package arrived in the mail:

The lovely folks over at <a href="http://influenster.com">Influenster</a> selected me to try out the Broadway Nails imPress Press-On Manicure sets!

I have to admit I was initially a little skeptical of press-ons due to the stigma with them.  All I kept imagining was losing a nail somewhere awkward...  But these little kits were super cute so I figured why not?  

I was sent 2 sets, one patterned - these cute lace overlay looking ones.

and a Solid color set. These hot pink babies that were the perfect color for me! 

Each set has 24 "nails" in 12 different sizes which means finding a good fit should be easy, and it was!  I simply held them up to my nails and selected the best looking sizes and then laid out the 10 nails on the table in order that they'd need to be applied! 

After washing my hands and trimming my natural nails, I used the included wipe, on my nails to prep them for the covers.  Then it was super simple to pull the tabs off the glue and simply press them on to my nails.  They immediately felt like they were on there nice and secure, which was a good sign.  I also had to admit they looked pretty great! 

These were advertised as a "short length" and while I don't think they were all that short, they were an ideal length for me; just slightly longer than my natural nails.

It did actually take a few days to get used to the nails, I haven't had anything other than my natural since 2000!  Admittedly, I loved how they looked and am sure I was flashing them around a lot as I got a ton of compliments on them! People were pretty shocked to hear they were artificial! 

The package says they last at least a week and I'm pretty happy to report that mine probably would have lasted even longer! However, after a weekend at the cabin without the proper tools to keep things clean, eating things like ribs with my hands, the underside was pretty gross and I had dirt and BBQ sauce between my natural nails and the covers so for same of hygiene, I knew I had to remove them....

 I didn't have the package to refer to for proper removal tactics, so I decided to try simply using a nail to lift a corner and ended up getting pretty lucky as they peeled off pretty easily ( I went really slowly so as not to damage too much of my natural nail.  There were a few spots where I think the glue was still pretty stuck on there but my nails look fine now so I think it might have just been residue. 

Overall, I'm really  impressed with these nails and am excited to try the patterned set! As someone with super brittle nails that break very easily, I like this option to protect my natural nails as they grow out. They looked great and most of my friends and co-workers thought they were my own nails. 

A big shout out to Broadway Nails, Influenster VoxBox and imPressManicure for a great little beauty surprise!

Disclaimer: I was selected by Influenster to try their imPressManicure VoxBox complimentary, however all opinions and comments are my own. 

Bits and Pieces: Sprucing up the Outdoor Spaces

 Well it's official, after another long, yucky winter, spring is here! 

May long weekend is always the official starting point to me for Spring as the weather here can be so wishy-washy. As usual, this past weekend did not disappoint and while I spent most of it at a friend'a cabin, I did get out and work on the yard quite a bit on Monday. 

Here's a bit of what I managed to do so far:

First up, I got working on the front yard. The grass up there never seems to grow that green and lush so I definitely want to see if I can improve that this year. I got the rake out and took off as much dead stuff as I could. Unfortunately my neighbours aren't so concerned about their grass and get a lot of weeds so I pulled as many as I could out of my lawn, but it's sometimes a never ending battle when others don't care...

The crabapple tree already has some shoots so there wasn't much a need for pruning thankfully. The biggest work needed up here is for the small flower bed. While I do have some tulips that are coming up and should start blooming very soon, the 4 shrubs look a little worse for wear. I will definitely be trimming those up this week. I cleared most of the dead leaves out of here by hand and added some new mulch. It really helps make the space look a ton better! 

The little owl planter I got last year didn't fare so well over the winter- the metal flaked off in a few places and he was starting to rust; so he got a quick little makeover. I thought I had some hammered metal spray but all I had was black. Since the damage was mostly on the inside, I simply did a quick coat of that and popped a new pink Gerbera Daisy pot inside, and we were good to go! 

Up on the porch, I added two new hanging baskets. I'm sad to say I had a really bad time at Garden Centres this year- I visited Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart and just didn't really like what anyone had. Plus, no one had a big selection. But since I'm impatient, I still ended up buying and spent much more than I wanted to for these babies, they better last throughout the summer! 

Sorry, it's tricky to get a nice shot in this covered space! 

I also picked up some new "refills" for my step pots. I haven't potted them yet cause I'm not sure if I like them as is/ want to get new pots or will just keep my old ones...

I already swapped out a bit of the season decor on the porch just after Easter, so the front door has been sporting it's Spring "wreath" by way of this cheerful butterfly hanger. 

The chair has been put back up here with a brand new turquoise trellis cushion ( I bought 4 last year and 3 found homes so this one was found hiding). 

The little table has it's regular lantern and the same bird as last year. I think it could use some sprucing up in the styling department so I'll be making some changes. I'd also really like to add something to the wall above, whether that's a chalkboard or a plaque or little wall shelf/basket, I'm not sure yet. 

While the whole exterior still needs a good pressure washing, (my hose bib needs repairing before I can hook my hose up again) it's already looking a lot better out there.