Eventual Disclosure: Part II

So you're probably wondering why the long story about Eventual Disclosure and what's it got to do with rugs?

Mr. B. hasn't been around much of late. Call it life, or whatever you want, but I've been enjoying the house to myself. And you know darn well that means I've been getting some house decorating done. Specifically, I've been on the hunt for some rugs for the guest room and office since, well, the day we moved in.

The thing about rugs is I always seem to be attracted to the super-expensive ones. (But really, that's nothing new.) While I'd love to have some beautiful, plush, persian beauty - the reality is I'd be lucky to have a door mat greeting my toes on the side of the bed every morning.

I indulged in a little retail therapy this week to try to cheer up my spirits from the past weekend. I won't get in to the details but it involved lots of work (like, my job work), a trip to the ER, lots of crappy house chores and other generally miserable things. I was feeling sorry for myself. Can you blame me?

Hello Marshalls to the rescue! My endless, aimless wandering finally paid off because I found some pretty cute rugs for the guest room and office room at an affordable price. (3 rugs: one 5x7 and two 3x5 for $175)

Since we went with a pretty neutral paint color for the office, I thought I could go a little wild with color and just had to have this cute little thing:

Whoa statement piece. Sometimes I need to learn to step out of my comfort zone. I'm not normally a pattern or floral person, but thank you to whomever/whatever possessed me to take a risk with that one.

And the boldness continued with these two for the guest room:

Now you're probably wondering why I chose flowers and reds for the guest room since there's lots of greens and blues. That's because - many months ago - I found these accent pillows to spice up the all-white duvet cover and sheets.

So, back to Eventual Disclosure: I attempted the tried and tested technique with the pillows, but it was just a dead giveaway. I'd like to think my husband is blind to details, but I'd be seriously shortchanging him if I said he missed those. He picked them up immediately. Lucky for me they were only $10 each.

As for the rugs? Well, he's still out of town so he hasn't seen them. Again, I'd like to think he might glance over them, but they're pretty easy to spot. I'd be underestimating him to think he wouldn't notice. And duhhhhh, he reads the blog, so I just definitely gave it away. All for you blog friends.

Lesson learned: you need to adapt Eventual Disclosure to your man and the purchase. China and other small items are easy to sneak in to the home. Clearly, rugs are not. Deliver your "I've had these for a while" without blinking a perfectly curled and mascara-ed eyelash. You can thank me and Mama. H. later.

Eventual Disclosure

Listen up ladies. I'm about to let you in on the greatest secret of all time.

First of all - before I continue - you need to know something. My mom is awesome. She's the reason I'm the woman I am today. And I'm pretty awesome too. Which makes her double awesome. And she knows a thing or two about decorating and home-fabulousness.

So when I was "of age", Mama H. shared a little secret with me. It's called "Eventual Disclosure".

You're probs thinking: "Kate, what the haich are you talking about." Patience.

Mama H. has an eye for a bargain and for the "must have" piece for the home which may, or may not, break the bank. Whether it's flea market or Saks, well, that's here nor there. But Senior, my dad, he's not so up-and-up on decorating/home fashions/nesting. That's just the difference between the X and Y chromosome. Did you know you were also getting a biology lesson?

So over the years, Mama H. has adopted a little tactic to offset or distract any potential reaction from Senior when she brings home a new home decor piece. Like I said, it could be flea market, or Saks, but Pops still asks: "Where's that from?" and "How much did it cost?" Even if it's a darn mason jar from the barn.

This tactic? Well it's called Eventual Disclosure.

You ask: "What is Eventual Disclosure" and "How does it work?"

Eventual disclosure it exactly what the label says. It's the practice of introducing new pieces/objects/ideas slowly over time. Eventually. Get it? You're disclosing it, eventually.

For example: When I was a junior in college, Mama H. and I made a pilgrimage to World Market. (If you don't have a World Market, you're missing out.) I was hosting a dinner party for a bunch of friends at the house. We decided it was a perfect occasion to buy some new dinnerware. (In hindsight, Mama H. was darn smart. She wasn't leaving the good stuff to a bunch of college kids, so she found some cheap and cheerful stuff as a substitute for when things got sloppy. Which they did.)

Well, Mama H. didn't run home and tell Senior about the new dinnerware. In fairness, it wasn't anything that would break the bank, but she knew he'd freak if she told him she bought a new set of dishes for my party. So she waited. And then a few months later, she laid the table with my dishes. And Senior asked, "Are these new?" Mama H., without missing a beat, said, "Well I've had these for a while."

You see? She'd had them for a while. And really, when was the last time Pops looked in the china cabinet?

That's eventual disclosure.

Example 2: One time, when Mama H. came to visit me in London, we made another pilgrimage - this time to Stoke-on-Trent, where all the old English china manufacturers are based. (In case you haven't noticed, we have an sick obsession with china and dinnerware. Like, sets and sets of it.) So Mama H. and I hit up the factory outlets. I found our wedding china on clearance - hello, Waterford! - and Mama H. found the most perfect set of Spode Thanksgiving china. Like, perfect.

Well, of course, from here on out, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete unless we had these plates. You see a theme here? So we bought them. On super clearance. Like a dollar a plate. For Spode. And shipped them to Texas.

And then, when Thanksgiving came around and Mama H. set that beautiful table with those plates - what do you know? Senior was asking if those plates were new. And Mama H., without missing a beat, says, "Why honey, I've had these a while....help yourself to some turkey." Issue. Avoided.

Don't get me wrong. My mom and I are honest and truthful about our expenditures with our husbands. We don't lie. Money is split even and there's no secrets. And to be fair, Mr. B. doesn't miss a beat. He's got some alert set up on the credit cards so when I spend over a certain amount he gets a text!!! But eventual disclosure still comes in handy.

Like the rugs I bought this week.

And with that, you'll have to read more.....

PS: Did you enter the giveaway?? Do it now!