Shed interior design...

Via Real Living, Australia, September 2009 issue

I'm loving the interior shed shots above. I know its sad, but I'm so looking forward to cleaning out the shed and making it pretty. When we first moved into our house, one of the first projects we worked was building a proper shed. My dad and I drew up the design and the dude and him built it from scratch. Below is a picture of them framing the shed. It now looks like a small cottage. I'll post a shed tour next week!

A Pittsburgh wedding

We travelled to Pittsburgh over the weekend to attend the wedding of a very dear friend. Her outdoor ceremony and reception took place at Springwood without a spot of rain (well maybe a slight drizzle). The next day we planned to do some touristy stuff, but the weather did not cooperate. If you ever go to a wedding in Pittsburgh, make sure you find the cookie table!

Love: Modern Rustic

Marie Claire Maison

On the needles

Graphic Black and White

Resort 2010: (L-R) Diane von Furstenberg; Emilio Pucci; Just Cavalli; Moschino Cheap & Chic; Narciso Rodriguez; Proenza Schouler VIA

All from CB2: (L-R) Marimekko ® Taikamylly wall hanging; axel stool; ugandan sunburst bowl; wire rug; maize pillow; nash floor lamp

In these challenging economic times...

I recently knit a dust mop cover for my method O-Mop using Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn. The yarn cost about a $1 and you can make two covers from one ball of yarn. I normally buy the bio-degradable dust cloths for the mop, so this will save a few bucks. I've used it a few times and it works just as good as the method brand. Do you have any tips for saving a few dollars in these challenging economic times (doom and gloom music plays)?

Supplies
cotton yarn, approx 95 yards
US 7 knitting needles

Main Piece

Cast on 42 sts.

**Row 1: (RS) Knit.

Rows 2 and 3: Purl.

Row 4: Knit.

Repeat last 4 rows for pattern until work from beginning measures 4". Cast off.**

Sides (make 2)

Cast on 14 sts.

Repeat from ** to ** as for main piece.

Join sides to main piece.

Place 1 side at each end of main piece and sew outer edges together.

(Pattern from Michaels by Lily Sugar'n Cream)

Twilight's Cullen House

I know I'm a bit late on this one, but I finally saw Twilight over the weekend. A few weeks ago, I picked up the DVD at a yard sale for $2. Not a bad deal! I was blown away by the the Cullen family's vampire lair and was ready to join their clan if I got to live in cool digs like theirs. Skylab Architecture was responsible for this dream house, which now belongs to the Hoke family (John Hoke is the director of footwear design for Nike). Check out this interview with Skylab architect, Jeff Kovel, on Design Tavern for more fun facts about the house.

A quiet celebration

Saturday was the dude's birthday and we spent part of the day paddling down the Great Egg Harbor River. What a beautiful day with a really cool person.

Tennis Anyone?

I just started playing tennis again and need some appropriate clothing with out spending a boat load of money. Normally, I would be fine with just wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but I've been playing during my lunch break at work. I don't really want my co-workers to see me looking like I rolled out of bed.

Tennis outfits for under $100

Jerdog Women's Pomegranate V-Neck Top, $15; Tail Women's Raceway Print Skirt, $25; adidas Tirand III Women Shoes, $49.99; Ultimate "No Logo" Visor White, $8.99. Total=$98.98

All on sale from the Tennis Warehouse Free shipping over $75.

Nike Women's Splash Dri-Fit Tee, $35; C9 by Champion® Golf Skort - White, $13.98;Reebok Serve & Return II Woman's Shoe Wh/Blue, $44.95. Total = 93.93

I'll never be very good at tennis, but at least I can have a cute outfit!

If I hit the lotto...

The world's most fashionable Steiff bear is on sale at Neiman Marcus.

Where is my decor life coach?

I *need* an Eames rocking chair for the living room. Is it bad to go for the reproduction and save $320? Will the decor gods come after me?

(Vinnie White Cradle Chair, Overstock.com, $159.99)

Kitchen Inspiration: Touch of green and blue

(House Beautiful by David Netto)

Before and After: Road side bench

I found this bench on the side of the road in our neighborhood. Here's the before:

The dude sanded and painted the base. We then recovered the seat with new foam, batting and fabric from Amy Butler's Nigella line.

Ta da!

Easy to please

We just started watching USA network's Royal Pains and realized the reason we like it so much has nothing to do with story lines or character development but that it is always sunny and the actors wear bright colors.

Leanne Marshall for Bluefly

Has anyone seen the collection Project Runway 5 winner, Leanne Marshall, just put together for Bluefly.com? Simply beautiful.

Surfari

I was mega bummed when Cottage Living magazine went under. I had just renewed my subscription a month prior and it was replaced with Coastal Living. The “coast” is about 50 miles away from me so I figured I would just deal with it and pass on the issues to the dude’s mom. To my surprise, the décor sections of the magazine are littered with pops of color against white. This month they featured The Surf Lodge. If the hotel was a soup, its base would be Jonathan Adler’s The Parker with a dash of a ski lodge and some boho chic thrown in for a bit of spice. I’m ready to pack up my flip flops and head on out to Montauk!

Ask and you shall receive…a built-in

I’m such a lucky girl. I throw out an idea into the universe (or just talk to myself in the living room hoping that the dude hears) about having a built-in cabinet upstairs. I then turn around and I have a built-in. Well, a half done built-in. This awkward space in our upstairs will serve as a linen closet for my very large collection of feather bed covers. It’s lined with some left over cedar planking and will have adjustable shelves. The bottom section will be covered with some chunky old-school molding and will have a false bottom.

Maybe I should aim higher and ask the universe for a million dollars.