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While I understand that food may be the last thought on people's minds this weekend after Thanksgiving, I couldn't resist this one. File it away for later. It's worth it. Check out this grilled cheese manifesto with lots of grown up versions of the traditional favorite including: farmer blue cheese, basil and red wine with balsamic reduction grilled cheese; cheddar, chevre and salsa on sourdough; and gruyere with bacon, green onions and tobasco on sourdough.
Why can't your dog or cat have some flair? These modern bowls and beds from feel more human allow your pet accessories to speak for themselves. Shown are the Wowo Dog Pod, Wowo single feeder, and the pod bed.
A new (and always updated) holiday decor album is up! Check it out on your left.
Well, every kid should own a cape. Adults just look creepy when they wear them. EBK capes come in several colors for $30. Machine washable with a magnetic quick-release clasp so your super hero doesn't choke when running down the stairs quickly.
Talk about a unique take on the classic holiday wreath. The blog Blomsterverkstad shows you how to create this green, edible masterpiece. This is truly the only way a brussel sprout would find its way into my home.
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Love these handmade felt items from treacletoffee's store on Etsy. Jewelry, scarves and more are made using the technique known as 'wet-felting', a modernized version of the word's oldest man-made fabric. The felt comes out thicker with a more varied surface than commercial felt (think elementary school). These scarves would make a nice, handmade holiday gift for someone.
Designed by Leo Estevez for Obleeek Objects, these sleek planters are individually poured using a custom concrete blend which is 40% lighter than standard concrete.
No. It is not. It is a very creative cookie/candy creation from Suedy's Koo-ki Sushi based in San Jose (but you can order these online). Two sisters make these intricate pieces by hand using cookies, gummies, and other edible candies. Shown below is Apricot Row made with a rice cookie topped with apricot gummi 'eggs' and rolled in dark chocolate; Maui Maki with a pina colada-flavored 'avocado' and creamy white 'crab' stick; and a Peach Blossom.
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It's down to the wire, home chefs. If you're in a complete blind panic right now, click here for recipes and inspiration for the season! Recipes such as fingerling potatoes with dried figs and sweet potato gratin with ginger and orange zest await.
Home Base Collections in New Zealand offers beautiful original textiles. They also sell aprons, lamp shades, napkins, and tons more. Their philosophy is about softness, simplicity, and treading lightly on the planet.
This week the always fun Design Sponge had a look inside the home of Susan Carrillo, owner of paper, scissors, oranges art studio for kids (in Connecticut). Very child-friendly with pops of color.
Interesting tea towels, aprons, napkins and more from Julie Haslam and Domestic Bliss:
"Inspiration for imagery came from her grandmothers handwritten recipe book. The old recipe book provided an array of fascinating and enchanting marks. These marks also helped recall many loving memories – something that happens for most when viewing pieces from the collection, a certain mutual sentiment is experienced.
The collection initially began with ironing board covers and has grown to include draught excluders, tea towels, napkins, cushions and the most recent addition a kitchen apron."
Turn your child's scary monster drawing into a plush toy at FAO Schwarz. Cool idea. They send you a design kit which includes paper, pencils, and a detailed questionnaire to determine your monster's personality. Once you have finished your kit and turned it in, designers at North American Bear Co. reproduce your drawing into a plush monster, including a mini story that describes your monster and identifies your child as the creator.
For a limited time from DWR Limited. Created by hand using traditional wood block printing and made in Japan. $175 for set of 10.
Jellio's LED GummiLights are cute sculptures by day and ambient nightlights in the evening. Designed by Kevin Champeny, the soft-to-the-touch lights are powered by 3 watch-sized batteries and made with standard rubber (no toxics). The lights come in Red, Orange, Yellow, Clear, Blue, Purple and Pink. They are 7" high by 4" wide and weigh about 3.5 pounds each. $125 each or $500 for a set of five.
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Adorable customizable dog bowls from These Creatures in Seattle. Choose your breed and color and they create a 'sustainable product for your modern creature'. They have 10% off with a code found on their website until December 1st.
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5.5 oz chocolate chart made of 70% milk, 20% dark and 10% white chocolate. $20 from Mary & Matt.
What an easy way to spruce up a dining room. Compliments of sfgirlbybay and Flickr's abchao.
Compliments of Ohdeeoh's Color Contest...here are some really cute kid rooms (and the semi-finalists):
I've heard of quilts made from old racing T-shirts, but this one is even more precious. Tender Threads takes your child's outgrown clothes and recycles them into a beautiful, handmade quilt. Craftsmanship and quality are very important to this company and they turn out a lovely, vintage-looking quilt. The quilts come back slightly smaller than a twin bed size, so they are more of a throw than a full bedspread. Prices run high - $950, but considering how much hand stitchwork and hours are involved...it's probably a bargain. As someone who can barely sew on a button, I am amazed!
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According to this very fun site, Christina Aguilera has slashed the price on her Los Angeles home to a mere $7 million. What is it with the mansion-hopping? She has since moved to the Osbourne's old 11,000 square foot home in Beverly Hills and needs to unload this 5 bedroom, 7 bath, 6,000 square foot home.
Every home needs a stool. For the desk, the kitchen, as an ottoman or side table. Very versatile. Below is the draftsman stool, twisted stool, and vintage stool from Wisteria.
Well, this is a cute and creative way to have a 'fireplace' in a kid's room. This adhesive chalkboard vinyl is easily repositioned, the chalk goes on and comes off easily, and it won't wreck the paint. $85 from Modern Dose.
HWTM has some very interesting Thanksgiving cocktails including the Caramel Apple Martini and a link to YumSugar's Cranberry Champagne Cocktail.
Why buy wreaths and decorations when you can make them yourself? Now, I'm not sayin' they will look exactly like Martha's, but you get the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself and saved a little money. Below are the glitter wreath kit, poinsettia wreath kit, and glitter snowflakes from MSLiving. You can't go wrong with glitter.
This website is simple, yet very interesting and persuades you to check back on a regular basis...blog gold. Below are a few examples. On 2-1/2 Months To New Year's Resolutions:
Cool photos from the NYTimes slideshow,"Modernizing a Hippie Haven". This old boardinghouse in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco was transformed with 5 years time and $200,000. The couple with their 2 kids enjoy a double height living room, salvaged lumber 'butcher block' stairs, and a great blend of old Victorian/Modern furnishings.
Found a few yummy-looking pumpkin-themed desserts just in time for Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Pie Bars, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Pumpkin Donuts, and Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Sugared Ginger.
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I am drooling over this Libreria Prologo with detachable bookshelves in walnut. Stainless steel parts and accessories with leather by Jaime Tresserra. Showrooms in Barcelona and Paris (a little ways away from me), but the website has more info if you need it.
Forget booster seats and high chairs - now there is Kaboost. This compact design is only $39.95 and snaps easily onto most chairs. It holds up to 300 pounds! This is ingenious. Anyone who has had to trip over a huge high chair or deal with bulky boosters would really appreciate this.
The Malaga Rack System by Modern Cellar includes a base and endless possibilities for growth with modular racks. Each rack holds 5 bottles. $160 for racks. $180 for base. Hard to find a modern wine storage system - so this is pretty cool. Available at Greener Grass Design.
Since we are in the process of moving/construction, we have to get creative for the holidays. Here are some interesting takes on Christmas trees. The first is a vinyl sticker from Artware Editions. The decorations are freaking me out, though. The second is a 3 foot tall recycled cardboard tree from Cloud Gate Design. It comes flat-packed and includes pop-out decorations.
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So I lived in this state for a long time and never heard of this place. Stiltsville, in Miami, Florida, is comprised of small homes, built on stilts just south of Key Biscayne. The community was originally built during prohibition (think Al Capone and crazy amounts of gambling). The law at the time required all gambling to be located a mile offshore (and Stiltsville is located just over a mile from the shore).
The homes are built in the very shallow water of Biscayne National Park and before Hurricane Andrew in 1993, there were over 20 structures. Now only about 7 remain, but you can visit them by sea plane or boat. A grassroots campaign is underway (www.stiltsville.org) to try and 'save stiltsville' for historical preservation. Unfortunately they are having an uphill battle because the homes are less than 50 years old.
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Look at this fun office complex courtyard. Wouldn't mind taking a lunch break here...chess games, fountains, grassy hills seating. This is part of a 12 building office complex in the Czech Republic and designed by Cigler Marani Architects.
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This is fun. A kid's table made from die-cut paper (about 1000 pieces) and bound together with red bookbinder glue. Very cool idea for a playroom. Two in one. By designer Martin Saemmer.
