02 February, 2007

A Series of Unfortunate Events (& A Few Things I Love Today)

Friday, as it turned out, was not the greatest day. Mini #2 was not his usual chipper and cheery self that morning, and after returning home from taking his brother to pre-school that morning, he proceeded to throw up all over my Egyptian cotton Ralph Lauren bedding while watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Ughh.

So I changed the mini, stripped the bed, and had no other option other than throwing the comforter in the washing machine. I seriously didn't think it was that big of deal since I have a super capacity washer. Although the corner of the spread sticking out of the machine should have been a giant red flag to me, I just continued with my mission (anyone who's ever had to "clean up" curdled milk knows why I felt the instant need to forge ahead). Anyway, I closed the machine and crossed my fingers that it a) didn't overflow due to the fact that I decided to mix a cocktail in it with twice the amount of detergent, 300 mule borax laundry booster, Oxyclean and anything else I could find, and b) didn't go crashing through the floor into the kitchen below (it's on the 2nd floor of the house) due to the vigorous shaking of a machine that is overstuffed. You see, while yes, there is a "super heavy" setting on the machine, the setting I really could have used was one which should be called "idiot" setting.

So you can imagine, I was a tad scared to go into the laundry room when my entire brick house stopped shaking from this beast in my machine. Vomit be gone! Dry Clean only? HA! I'll show Ralph Lauren a thing or two! But lo, it would in fact, be monogram momma who was to learn a lesson that day. Because the minute I opened the machine, I saw it. The BIG FAT RIP through the fabric of my beautiful spread for which my entire bedroom is decorated around.

Uh Ohhhhhh.

Mr. Monogram is NOT going to like this at all.

Not
One.

Bit.

So I was in a teeny bit of trouble on Friday. So now I am not only redecorating mini #2's big boy room, I will now have to undertake redecorating my master bedroom as well. This is not something I had planned on and really looooooooooooove my bedding and linens so now I have to start all over.
So here is my issue. This is my master bedroom furniture here. It is heavily carved, massive, and quite formal. So that means, that I really need to put formal linens and drapes back in my room as well to go with the furniture. My walls are a gold color and there is no way Mr. Monogram is going to have them repainted because it's a tall vaulted ceiling in there. And I also want to try something new, and veer away from my normal red, gold, green color scheme. What's a girl to do?

I was thinking about this white Pottery Barn bedding with a chocolate border and a formal monogram in script. And then I wanted to pair it with more formal, really colorful, European shams and throw pillows w/ lots of fringe and trim. I found some beautiful things I loved over at my favorite spot, Horchow. But you know my friend Ashley? She thinks I'm going to regret doing a white duvet with a 90 lb dog and two little mini monograms running around. I am sort of thinking I might risk it though and have pretty throw on the bed too. What do you think? Is this all too casual for my furniture (you can click on the picture to see it larger)?


Anyway, since this has me pretty preoccupied, here are just a couple things I Love Today.




Monogrammed Custom barrettes from Happy Thoughts will leave you with many happy grosgrain thoughts!


Looking for a really cool yet simple birthday gift for a toddler? Then look no further than these Dado Cubes. INGENIOUS! Sure, kids love to build blocks, but talk about taking it to the next level with your creativity!

Scoot on over to Tabblo and for a bargain price of $1 each, you can upload your own pictures and personal Valentines message to how ever many recipients you wish (you can even create a special message for each valentine!). Worried about the turn-around time? Well don’t! They’ll also address and mail them directly to your recipient for you! Heck, it’s included in the $1 per card price! Now I guess there is no reason for out of town family and Friends not to hear from you next week, is there?

22 Comments:

Jennifer said...

I bought a similar duvet cover from PB a few years ago and it works well with my kids and animals! I got the diamond mattelase version in all white so that I could bleach it. I have a normal washing machine and have had no problems. I wash it often and it still looks great.

Melissa said...

I love, love, love the Pottery Barn bedding. The only reason I do not have it myself is because of my dog and cat who make themselves at home on my bed. But I think if you are going to go for it, I would definitely get a throw or quilt too that you could spread out for the kids and dog to lay on. Have you looked at Restoration Hardware? Check out this bedding that is very similar but you can get it in colors other than white. http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1154093&navCount=5

Anonymous said...

I love the PB bedding as well - I have been thinking that when the time comes to redecorate our bedroom, I wanted a white duvet with a colored piping as well - I have been eyeing the ones at Restoration Hardware, along with PB for over 1 yr, now. We have a RL bedding set, but it is a bit too floral for Hubby, however, he won't part with it until we are ready to DO the room. You could always just get a duvet cover - it is much easier to wash than an entire spread - and you can buy 2 - and use them for different seasons (I know, more of an expense). I think the monogrammed set is lovely & would look great with your bedroom furniture - it will be dressed-down a bit, but that's okay - it's clean, crisp & classic :) Let us know what you decided!! Here's hoping Mini #2 feels better :)

Sisters with Style said...

Have you ever looked at bedding from Bella Notte? They have a web-site but you can also find it at www.laylagrace.com. I have this bedding and I love it. Plus one more added bonus is that it is WASHABLE!!!! You gotta love any bedding that is washable.

Monogram Momma said...

I was at Layla Grace yesterday, and nothing really caught my eye. Thanks for the suggestion!

The search continues!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Try the Fieldcrest™ Classic 400-Thread-Count Bedding Collection in Brown Derby from Target. The reverse color scheme, white on brown, may be more kid friendly yet still "monogrammable".

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_16/601-2027457-0812951?ie=UTF8&asin=B0009K66DG&frombrowse=1

Anonymous said...

I like the PP bedding a lot,i don't think the white will be a problem.I have lilly pulitzer bedding,but i just bought Summer the cutest sferra bros ( annies's smocking ) bedding and i just adore it,the quality is very good and they also have beautiful bedding for " grown ups" you might want to give it a try.

Suburban prep said...

Thank you for the great site suggestions.
Love PB linen.
I hope all are feeling better in the house.

Anonymous said...

No dogs in my house, but my 4 year old watches cartoons on the master bed every morning...

My solution is to have my comforter folded across the bottom 1/3 of my bed and the rest is covered with an old-fashioned blanket cover from Schweitzer Linens. Mine is white pique with my monogram applique in the center. I wash it often and it's fine.

ML

Allie_in_Ga said...

I love Pottery Barn bedding! We have white bedding right now and it is fine, but it is just me and the husband. I have found some really good things at Overstock and Smartbargains, so if you want to try something out and see how it goes. Some are even under $100 for a whole Duvet Set, so then if it gets all messed up you are ok.

CFB said...

I love the monogrammed linens. My friend had those in her room and they were lovely but her step mom decided to redecorate it when we went off to college. Needless to say, she wasn't happy.

Sarah said...

Well, I'm really biased since that's the exact bedding I've registered for at PB. I've already gotten two of the monogrammed shams, and I love love love them. I don't think it's too casual at all- but the white linen thing with two kids and a dog may turn out to be a little rough...

Anonymous said...

there is a fabulous line from a manufacturer out of oklahoma city, bella rose by chateau home, that would be perfect with your furniture pieces. what a dilemma to have... having to freshen up a room with new bedding. it is up there with shopping for jeans and a swimsuit!

Unknown said...

Not to ruin your redecorating plans, but are you sure your comforter can't be repaired? I have found a excellent reweaver in my town who has repaired rips in clothing and bedding at a reasonable cost. She literally re-weaves the cloth together, sometimes using extra fabric from the seam allowance. I know how much bedding can cost so it would be worth it to find someone to repair it. Just a thought...

Mony said...

I've had the same problem with comforters getting torn in the wash. Now I just have a down duvet with a cover. I find it's much easier to put the cover in the wash when my two year old decides to make a mess while watching the Teletubbies :-)

Anonymous said...

the pb bedding needs constant heavy starching to keep it looking crisp. I have this EXACT set and it's fairly thin and wrinkles easily, so to keep it looking good it gets ironed and starched very often by our girl. It's beautiful, but not very stain resistant and pretty casual...perhaps you could look into a heavier jacquard or something?

SLC said...

Arrrggghhh! How awful!
I'm sure you'll find something perfect soon.

Southern Mom said...

I had my Ralph Lauren duvet cover damaged so I bought a matelasse quilt with 2 matching shams from overstock.com. I folded the RL duvet at the foot of the bed (so you could not see the damage) and use the RL shams, RL bed skirt with the new matelasse set. The quilt is white but even with 2 young children it has been easy to wash and keep looking nice. Good luck and hope Mini is feeling better.

Monogram Momma said...

I think anon is right and I shuold look into a jaquard. It will be more formal and probably more durable w/ a big dog and 2 boys.

Oh, and don't worry. The mini was feeling MUCH better after he threw up all over my spread! ;-)

Anonymous said...

I too have moved to duvet covers. Mainly because when I was out of the States, people looked at me funny when I wanted a comforter. All they sold were duvet innards in "summer weight" and "winter weight". I think they are the most practical, as they are easier to clean, you can change the weight (wool, cotton, goose, etc)and they cost less. I was also wondering MM, are you sure you have to change out the whole room? Where is the rip?

Anonymous said...

Have you checked out Bluefly.com home section? They have amazing linens. I just bought this Anichini duvet set. They also have Frette and loads of swishy brands at reasonable prices...uh except the $400 Hermes TOWELS!!
http://www.bluefly.com/pages/products/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=2042630485&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=995&N=1269577+4294965975&Ne=9&Ns=Popularity%7c0%7c%7cProduct%2bCode%7c1&Nu=Product+ID

Karla@TheClassyWoman said...

Great post! I just found your blog and I'm really enjoying it! I love monogrammed items and I was writing a post about monograms and included the PB bedding shown and a link to your blog because it's just so darn cute! Check it out:

http://theclassywoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/monogram-monday.html