Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Look At My Rug?

For fun, I was browsing through Craig’s list under my favorite search:
Pottery Barn 
I clicked through the usual listings including baby bedding, shelves and the occasional piece of furniture when a listing for a Pottery Barn rug caught my eye.  Now, I don’t need a new rug.  Remember, I picked up this beauty for $30.00 a few months ago at the thrift store(read about that by clicking here).  
Still, because of my love for Pottery Barn, I had to check out this craig's list posting.  This is what the listing read: 

Beautiful rug in great condition. I hate to sell it, as I just bought it on craigslist a couple of months ago, and it looks great in my living room. . .however it has a faint rubber smell, due to the glue on the back I guess, that bothers my husband. Most of the time I don't notice it. Our home is non-smoking. We do have a dog but she is not allowed to lay on the rug. There are a couple of very small stains but they blend into the pattern of the rug and aren't noticeable. 
 Image found on Craig's List
Seriously.
SERIOUSLY?
I can appreciate the honesty; really, I think it’s super genuine especially with all the con-artists and thieves running around, but seriously.  I don’t think this rug will be leaving her house any time soon. 
I found this rug a few weeks ago at a yard sale and paid $20.00 for it.  
The home owner was selling it for a friend of hers.
“She paid $600.00 for it, but spilled carpet shampoo on it and doesn’t know how to get it out  That's why she's selling it,” she said. I handed her a twenty.
I brought it home, hung it on my pool fence and sprayed it off.  Once it was dry, I staged it in my living room and put it on Craig’s list for $100.00. 
I really like this rug, but like I said earlier, I really don’t need a new rug because I have my $30.00 thrift store beauty.  It's a real showpiece and I use it as a back drop for my clothing when taking my photos for eBay.
Like these Ralph Lauren Red Corduroy Pants.
They sold this week for $7.99.  See how great they look on the rug.
I've taken hundreds of photos of my eBay listings on this rug.  Like I said, it's a beauty.  Well, it was beautiful until last night.
It was bound to happen.  Really, with all these boys and I have a beige rug?
The culprit?  
A blueberry banana smoothie.
It's not just the stain.  I think I've been in denial, real rug denial.  The rug's starting to look pretty bad, I just haven't wanted to admit it.  You know, sippie cups, kids tracking in dirt, the dog (because I allow my dog to lay on my rug), etc.
I worked out the smoothie stain with some carpet cleaner, but now I’m wondering if I should replace my $30.00 beige “artistic rug” with my $20.00 darker classic rug I have listed on Craig’s list?
It’s a toss up between contemporary and traditional.
The darker traditional rug has strawberries on it.  I'm just not sure if I can go there,.  I'm not that into fruit decor, although certainly, a darker rug would conceal stains.
So, what’s up with rugs?
So much emotional, so much relationship with bits of yarn pulled together.  It's like these rugs have personalities all on their own.
And then I received this email from an anonymous reader of My Dear Trash:

I love you, but that rug under the clothes is soooooooo distracting! My eyes keep getting blurred when I try to look directly at the item. 

Seriously.
SERIOUSLY?
Who has time to send an email like this?  I can appreciate the honesty, really, I think it’s super genuine especially with all the people out there who don’t pay attention to detail, you know those people who might just look at a rug and not over analyze it, but hey, thanks for caring. ;)
And I’m taking my photos again on my marble floors (floors that the counselor and I inherited when we purchased this foreclosure home) because actually, I see your point, but seriously.
Linking up to:
Jenny Matlock

13 comments:

  1. Art studio degree here...........I don't see her point at all. Sure if you happened to have a abstract skirt in those exact same colors, you might have a problem. Other than that, the rug looks great as a back drop. SERIOUSLY!

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  2. I love your blog! But since we are on the subject I have to admit that I've never liked your rug (no offense and I promise I wasn't the one who sent you that email). But isn't the whole point of this blog is that one man's trash is anothers treasure? Thanks for all your great thrifty ideas. I've been hitting up our local thrift stores more often because of this blog.

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  3. I love your slightly snarky, totally honest writing style. I think we'd make great friends! We are craigslist fanatics. Two weeks ago we got three, free waterbeds. Don't laugh, we didn't want a waterbed. It's just that we used all our bed money on the tempurpedic mattress and have been sleeping on it on the floor for two years. The Engineer crafted a perfect bed for us from some of those parts and I now have TWELVE drawers of storage. And my YellowBoy has an actual waterbed, which he has wanted forever.

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  4. Unless your dogs are black, keep the beige!! You made a good purchase!!

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  5. I like the black rug better, but I like the other one, too. Tough choice. I'd only switch if it's really time for the old one to go.

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  6. I like the rug you are using right now, the dark one is "dated". I would have someone come in and clean it for you- look in the paper there are speicals all the time and it would be worth it. Because someday, when you find another rug, you might just try to sell it!

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  7. I'm glad to see that someone else feels the same way I do. I have never liked that rug either. BUT, i totally get it, everyone has their OWN taste. It'd be a boring world if we all liked the same things. So, you just have to do what makes YOU happy.

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  8. That rug sets your listings apart. I think it makes a great backdrop and while I am searching on ebay I sometimes recognize it. I think you could call it your trademark! As far as the black rug... meh. Not me but with floors like you have any rug looks beautiful. We used to live in AZ and I am so missing the southwest look! We love the stuccoed house look and would do it except we want to sell our house and were not sure what the resale value of a southwestern looking home in the sticks of Wisconsin would be! :)
    Elizabeth

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  9. I am cracking up at all these posts about that rug!
    Remember I was with you when you magically found that rug at Goodwill?? Seriously, it was just there waiting for you & the kids were SO SO SO SO excited when you brought it home. Your boys loved it! They were vacuuming it, laying on it, staring at it...so cute.
    Love & miss you :)

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  10. HAHAHA, that is really funny someone made that comment. Eyes blurred. Haha.

    I vote sell the black (you don't seem that crazy for it) and keep the on you have until it is completely destroyed! For $30 I'd use it to death while waiting for the perfect replacement to come along.

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  11. I totally agree that the rug isn't good for Ebay. Ouch, my eyes!

    I also agree with Candace "sell the black (you don't seem that crazy for it) and keep the on you have until it is completely destroyed! For $30 I'd use it to death while waiting for the perfect replacement to come along." Visualize it and it will come to you along your shopping journey.

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  12. What a fun stop this week. I totally covet that black rug. I've looked at your store before but never saw anything other than clothing.

    I'll have to check this out.

    Sending you lovely holiday wishes along with your A+ this week.

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