Adding Color

I saw something online the other day that I really liked - they were small round soaps that just look cool sitting by the bathroom sink. I was going to purchase some, as they were rather inexpensive, but decided to see if Etsy.com had anything that I liked. For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy.com, it's a website where people sell craft supplies, vintage items and handmade or homemade items. I did a search for soap, hoping to find some small, decorative yet usable soap for a good price. I ended up with something I like better than my original idea - samplers. For $25 (shipping included) I ended up with all of this:

One sampler pack of twelve soaps that came with a bonus soap and another sampler pack of 16 soaps and 3 bonus soaps and 1 bonus lip balm. In all of this there were only two bars of soap of the same scent (one of the bonus soaps was a duplicate, but no complaints, it's a nice scent). Each bar is "guest" size, which means hotel soap size or a little bit bigger. I think I got a pretty good deal and will have a lot of variety, and unlike something more decorative, I won't feel bad in the least about using them. They are all colorful, so putting a few out on a soap dish will still add a fun touch to the bathroom. I can't wait to wash my hands, although I'll have a hard time deciding which one to use first!

I have also decided that I want to start using my patio area when the weather finally warms up, so I was looking for an economical way to furnish it. I was looking at cheap bistro and patio sets but couldn't find anything I liked well enough at a price I was willing to pay. I did, however, find these today at Home Goods (one of those places where if you really like something you'd better buy it because that may be the only one they ever have in stock):

I really like them. The surface is intentionally cracked tile, and the price was right. Now all I need to do is upgrade the chairs I have out there. I'd like a rocking chair but haven't found any really economical ones yet, so the cloth camping chairs I already have are just going to have to do for now.