Zesty Nest: September 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Good Deal on Subway Tile That Wasn't

Up until about a week ago, we have been really fortunate in our kitchen renovation. Everyone has shown up when they were supposed to and finished pretty well on time.

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So for my backsplash, I saw some subway tile at Lowe's for a good price ($2.98 a square foot!) and scooped up a sample to take home with me. Of course, it looked fabulous.

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So I went back to the store and ordered (or thought I ordered) 100 more so we would have it when the countertops were finished. The guy told me they would be in Friday, and I should call the store to check before coming in because it could possibly be the following Monday. He gave me a business card (not his - maybe this should have been my first clue?) and wrote the item number on the back. Off I went.

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This was 3 weeks ago.

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We called AND went by once a week and each time they told us that it just wasn't in yet. Good grief! So this past Friday, Josh goes down there, and they tell him there is no order for subway tile in their system (seriously?!?). Why are we just now hearing this? We were ready to start tiling yesterday!

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Now, this is not the first time I've tried to order from Lowe's and it didn't work out. We've tried to order cabinet knobs and curtain rings and nothing ever comes in or gets "ordered." So Josh and the Lowe's employee go through the all the tile and come up with 76 square feet and see in the system that there are 24 more in Conway. Great, right? Wrong.

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We drive to Conway to pick up the tile, and I start going through the box when we get there (I'm not paying for broken tile). Most of the tile is broken. I turn to Josh, "Did you go through the tile you picked up in Russellville?" Well, you wouldn't think it would be necessary considering these were brand new boxes.

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We get all this tile home and start to go through it. Yes, many pieces are broken and (AND!) we have 2 different colors mixed in the same box! I'm not talking about tile variations - I'm talking about white and biscuit (they're name for off-white). Back to the store we go.

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They refund our money for the broken/wrong color pieces but have no more usable white tile. What will we do? We head over to Georgia Carpet Mill. They always have good prices and can usually compete with Lowe's, but not this time. They're tile is $6 a sq ft. That's twice as much! We persevere, but can't find anyone who can come close to the Lowe's price (and we do already have 26 usable tiles - yep, just 26 out of all 100 - at home). So we look on the map and see that there are several Lowe's in northwest Arkansas. That's where we went today. (What? You thought we'd try to order more after all our other failed attempts? No.)

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But we did it! It took 8 Lowe's locations (and a lot of sorting through boxes), but we came out with a total of 102 square feet of unbroken, unchipped glossy white subway tile! And hey, we got a flying burrito out of the deal (YUM-O!).

Gorgeous white kitchen: Benjamin Moore 'White Dove'

P.S. I will never use Lowe's for a home improvement project ever again.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Easy Breezy

Loving the way they have utilized this huge space. Beautiful seating, large bookcases, and that gorgeous vaulted ceiling!

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Kitchen update: The countertops are finished (yay!) and now on to the backsplash! I can't wait to share the finished product! Soon, very soon....

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Nothermama's House

Grandma sent me this image so I could do a painting. But it's such a beautiful place on its own that I thought I'd share it here first.

This is my great great grandmother's house outside Natchez, MS. We call her Nothermama, because...well, I guess a grandmother is basically another mama. She and my great great grandfather built it....er...a long time ago. Amazingly, the times I've been there, I haven't paid much attention to the curb appeal. But oh my! I can tell you the inside is wonderful - solid wood floors, beautiful staircase, and even though it's been updated throughout the years, it still retains that echo that old houses have (you know - kinda creepy, but kinda cool too). Looking at this image, it's easy to see why my Grandma has so many fond memories here.

Friday, September 9, 2011

TGI Art on the Wall

via poppytalk

If you're in the Little Rock area, be sure to check out the ALA art show opening at Cantrell Gallery tonight from 6-8 pm! I'll be there to support my best-y, Rachel! and one of our LHAG artists, Jeannie!