my neverending storage bench saga.

If you remember my storage bench review for CSN Stores (now Wayfair), I had to amend my review based on poor craftsmanship & poor customer service. Well, it seems this tale has no end. I contacted Wayfair about this bad experience, and, surprisingly, received a prompt response from them. They apologized for my bad experience, and graciously offered to send me a replacement bench. Well, I had no idea where I was going to put another bench, but of course I accepted their offer! The bench is no longer offered in white, so I ordered the black bench. We need more storage space around this house, so I was starting to get excited about the prospect of having another place to stash my junk. :-) We promptly received our bench, and a few months later Baron assembled it. As soon as he put it together, he could already tell we were going to have the same problem we did with the first one. Sigh. So, after assembling 2 of these benches (which, BTW, takes about 2 hours...UGH.) and taking note of the poor craftsmanship of the lid, I can definitely say that I do NOT recommend this product. And to be honest, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Wayfair as well.

::UPDATED:: the "toy bench": a CSN stores product review

**Please see updated review at the bottom of this post!**

So for all 2 of you who keep up with my blog, you may remember awhile back when I mentioned I'd be doing another CSN Stores product review. Well, I decided to get this Linon Anna storage bench, but we had to save up for it, so that took awhile. :) We got the bench a couple of weeks ago, and I love it! It's the perfect size to store Natalie's smaller toys, a collection of which I am sure will continue to grow. The assembly instructions were a little confusing, but I was able to do most of it by myself when Baron was out of town. I left some of it for him to finish once he got back. :) Anyway, as always, shopping with CSN Stores was a breeze. Ordering was easy, shipping on this particular item was FREE, and I got the bench within less than 2 weeks of ordering it. If you haven't shopped CSN Stores before, check them out for home decor, furniture, luggage, baby stuff, and more!

So, my question for y'all is this:

How should I decorate the bench? Two small rectangle pillows? A long bolster pillow?

I need input!

::UPDATE::

It has been almost a year since I first reviewed this product on 3/28/11, and I need to amend my review. A few months after assembling it & using it, the screws in the hinges started to come loose, and the spring arm that holds the lid opened started to bend. Eventually one of the spring arms completely broke. As in, the metal just broke completely. So, I [eventually, I admit] called CSN to request replacement hardware. [I should note at this point that CSN Stores was in the process of changing over to Wayfair. That is important to remember.] The customer service rep I spoke with basically told me I should have called within the 60-day [or maybe 30-day? I don't remember] time after ordering the product so that it would be covered by warranty. [Really? So your product that cost us almost $200 should only be expected to last a couple of months? Nice, Wayfair. Nice. I digress.] The gentleman then told me he would have to check with the warehouse to see if there were spare parts he could send to me, and he would call me back the very next day. And...that was the last I heard from Wayfair. I do NOT recommend this bench, and I furthermore do NOT recommend this company. If they decide to make this right, I will consider changing my opinion.

On a related note, we also submitted a room in our home for the Worst Workspace Contest. We had started the very slow process of converting our dining room into a home office, and the timing was perfect, as this contest was just getting underway. That was a year and a half ago, and they have JUST NOW contacted us that the voting is open for the contest. Needless to say, we don't have time to wait any longer to proceed with the makeover of the room. It's already been a year & a half in the making, and as we are trying to prepare our house to be home to another child, we cannot wait any longer. The room is almost halfway done at this point, and we just can't slow the process any more. We could most certainly use the winnings to help us financially, which is why I am sorely disappointed in the untimeliness of the contest process.

You should form your own opinion about this company. I am simply sharing my experiences, in hopes that someone at Wayfair will take note, and work to make it a better company.

Thanks for reading! :-)

that time of year again...purge time!

Wow. I have become pretty horrible at updating this blog! I'm sure y'all have been checking every single day for a new post, right? ;)

It's getting close to the time of year when I traditionally purge my home of STUFF & have a yard sale. This year, I thought I'd try to sell some stuff via word of mouth before our yard sale, just because I want to. So, here are a few items I have for sale. If you're local, & you're interested, let me know! {Sorry, no shipping...}

and the winner is...

The winner of the $35 gift certificate for CSN Stores is...



drumroll please...



Stephanie Hall!!!
And all because of her last entry telling me she blogged about it. :)


Thanks to all of you for entering! Keep reading...I plan to have more giveaways in the future!

Special thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring this giveaway!

it's a giveaway, y'all!!

If you've been reading my blog, you may remember the two product reviews I've done for CSN Stores. Well, now I have the chance to offer one lucky reader a $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores! CSN Stores has so many products, from Corelle dinnerware (which I just got some for Christmas last year and I LOVE, BTW) to bean bag chairs & other furniture to luggage. Check them out today!! Seriously, they have so many different stores - there's something for everyone!

Here's how you can enter for the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on this post. (1 entry)

2. Visit CSN Stores, browse their 200+ online stores, & leave another comment telling me what you would get with your $35. (1 entry)

3. Post a link to this giveaway post on your Facebook page, and leave another comment telling me you did. (1 entry)

4. Tweet about this giveaway, and leave another comment telling me you did. (1 entry)

5. Blog about this giveaway, and leave another comment with a link to your post. (1 entry)

**Limit 5 entries per person**

Entries will be accepted until noon on Wednesday, September 15th. That gives you a whole week to get all of your entries in! The winner will be chosen from random.org & I will post the winner on this blog. Please remember to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win. Good luck!!

help families adopt!

The Vintage Pearl is doing an amazing thing over on her page. The profits from the sales of this Hope for Orphans necklace will go to help families who are waiting to adopt! Obviously this cause is special to me. The financial burden of adoption can be overwhelming, and can sometimes even prevent families from pursuing adoption. So thank you, Erin @ The Vintage Pearl, for helping!!

awesome new diaper bag

Recently, I was contacted by CSN Stores to do another product review. This time I chose to order a diaper bag, and it took me FOREVER to choose which one I wanted. I am SO happy with my choice! I got the Kalencom Medallion Midi Coated Diaper Bag, and I love it!! It's smaller than my other bag, so it's easier to carry around. I did have to reorganize my contents (yes, I'm THAT person who keeps my bag in order) but it's totally worth it. It also came with a changing pad & a small diaper/wipes bag (staples in the diaper bag, if you ask me!). I'm starting to really love the yellow/gray/white color scheme. I'd love to redo a room in my house inspired by this bag!

The ordering process was simple, and I got my bag in the mail in just a few days! I highly recommend shopping over at CSN Stores for just about anything you need!

another upcoming product review!

I recently did a product review for CSN Stores. For those of you not familiar with CSN Stores, they have over 200 online stores where you can find everything from luggage to LED lighting to cookware to baby gear! It's all the buzz in the blog world these days, and for just reason. You can just about find anything you would need to buy online. So, stay tuned for my product review of what's bound to be an excellent purchase! In the meantime, go shop at CSN Stores now!!