Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Interior Inspiration: Copper and Wood


So .... I'm a bargain hunter. Sure, I love luxe details, but I bought my agate bookends from eBay and most of the homeware you see on my Instagram account cost £10 and under (see this post for evidence of my bargain-hunting ways). And when I'm back in the States, I scour stores like Target, Marshall's, and Ross for all the clearance items I can get my hands on. There's no shame in my game.

I particularly like a bargain challenge, so when T.K. Maxx provided me with a £20 gift card to spend in their homeware section, I wandered around my local branch (and even drew unwanted attention to myself when I accidentally toppled a stack of trays balanced precariously on the shelf edge - oops) brainstorming ideas for what to buy.

In the end, I went over budget (I said I was "bargain hutner", I never said I was responsible), but I hope you'll agree that my purchases were worth it!


I'd been searching for a good, wooden tray for a while but hadn't found quite the right one ... until I spied this stunning, floral-etched tray hiding at the back of a shelf. Made in India, it's beautifully rustic and light to carry, which is perfect for breakfast (or lunch) in bed and for serving drinks outside once the work on our garden is completed.

I also like using it as a display in our house and was pleasantly surprised at just how well it fit in with the other items of homeware we already own, like this market basket and risograph print. 


I can't emphasize how useful trays are to have around in your home - both on a practical and decorative level. They're great for grouping objects like candles or fragrances or accessories, but I also love to use them under bowls when serving food on the table.

After finding my tray-treasure, I continued on with the thought of entertaining outside. I spotted some pretty, clear plastic (but convincingly similar to glass) cups that resembled vintage whisky tumblers but - and here's where shopping at T.K. Maxx can get a little tricky - there were only two on the shelf. Glumly, I tracked down a member of staff (who was so helpful and sweet), but even she couldn't help me track down a family of four tumblers.

Then, I noticed the copper mugs on the bottom shelf: they had gold handles. Gold. Perfect for Moscow-mules, smoothies, mimosas, gin and tonics ... and any other summer drink I'd care to throw in there. I grabbed four and made my way to the till.


(Don't worry, that's water in my copper tumbler in the background - not having a Moscow mule with my pancakes.)

Now I'm just chomping at the bit for our garden to be finished (progress was impeded by heavy rain a few weeks ago) so we can sit outside on our floating bench and enjoy drinks served in copper mugs and food carried out on this pretty tray!

What about you? What's the best bargain you've picked up recently? I'd love to know!

This post was written in collaboration with T.K. Maxx. All opinions and shopping triumphs/disasters are my own.
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16 comments

  1. I am such a sucker for TK Maxx too! Have had to put myself on a ban otherwise I walk out with all sorts of things which may be pretty but are also completely unnecessary in my life! Though those copper mugs...

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    1. HAHA, exactly! Once I walked in for a frying pan and left with an upholstered bench and various other things ... but no frying pan. :D

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  2. Everything you bought looks amazing, I love the rustic and homey feeling! xx

    Ariadna || RAWR BOWS

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    1. Thank you, Ariadna! Me too, although I have to be careful not to overdo it, haha! xx

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  3. That tray looks like it came from an antiques store! Such a good find :)

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    1. Hey Sarah, I'm glad you like it! I liked the subtly distressed look of it too, which is why it initially caught my eye! Sometimes you have to dig (literally) for hidden treasures at places like TJ/TK Maxx. :)

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  4. I'm stacking up on copper accents at the moment for when I move into my new flat/room. There's some gorgeous bits in Oliver Bonas but way out of my price range! I think supermarket homeware can often be a big surprise, especially for kitchen stuff.
    Cx
    Charlie, Distracted

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    1. Yes! Think I saw a copper fan at Tesco (perfect for this weather!) and Asda often have copper goods too. H&M Home is my favorite for cheap but cheerful copper accessories - the tray featured in the first photo is from H&M. x

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  5. Ooo! I got distracted by the lovely risograph print! What's its story!?

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    1. It's by Louise Lockhart AKA The Printed Peanut - I'm a huge fan of hers! http://louiselockhart.co.uk/

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  6. Your interior picks tops the list as usual, Jaime! LOVE THE DETAIL on the tray, how cool is that?! Plus you're going to India soon, so this is only the beginning... waiting for that huge November haul already ;-) not sure what my best bargain is recently, probably something stationery related actually - bought a whole bunch of pens/notebooks/diary when I went back to Asia, they're so much more affordable there!

    Cherie | sinonym

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    1. Thank you, Cherie! I am SO excited to ... shop in India! I know that's so bad, but it's also so true! My best friend (who we're meeting up with when we're there) bought us some beautiful homeware from a store there ... I am too excited to find it!

      I love buying stationery abroad, and especially in Asia! In fact, I just ordered some notebooks from Malaysia which I love! I would love to see what you bought! xoxo

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  7. Gosh I love that tray! Aaaaand I do like TK Maxx's home section more than the clothing!

    Honey x The Girl Next Shore

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    1. Me too! I always seem to find great things in the homeware section. And it's SO CHEAP!

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  8. Thanks for the great post. I always overlook TK Maxx as it's a bit overwhelming to find stuff. It's encouraging to know that the effort is worth it!

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    1. Thanks for reading, Natalia! I know what you mean: I had to really search for that tray - it was tucked behind some other trays and I spent a long time standing in the aisles trying to decide if it would "work" in our home or not. So yes, it definitely takes a bit of effort and sometimes I have to be in the mood to hunt! But it always reminds me of trips to similar stores in the US with my mom, as we always have fun "hunting" for treasures :)

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