So, I was at the garden show this past weekend. A very odd place for me to find myself in since I can barely keep  artificial plants looking proper in my house. I guess that the essence of spring and its promise of foliage were calling me. The show itself was just… meh. But I did find this really unusual, architecturally pleasing plant/flower/whatever that I took home because the vendor (a charming gentleman from Holland) told me that all I had to do was to plop the bulb on the counter and let it do its thing, i.e. bloom. Now, [...]

Straight from the dumpster? Yep. Tammy Roy, dumpster-diver par excellence can make scrap look good like it’s nobody’s business. Thankfully, One Eighty is her re-use design business.
Tammy trained in graphic design but went on a tangent after she realized that she couldn’t shake the dumpster-diving bug she inherited from her mom, also a recycle-based artist. She learned how to weld the reclaimed metal treasures that she found (metal disks, rebar and machinery parts from salvage yard and various waste from steel manufacturers) to design these wonderful and functional objects.
I’m seriously eyeing her Steel Pebble Holder to use indoors or out. [...]

Yesterday, in a cruelly teasing mood, Mother Nature rose the temps into the 60’s in the Chicago area. So, we all divested our heavy winter layers but still, there was a chill in the air. That’s what spring is all about… warm, cold, hot, warm, cold, hot…
Perfect solution to one -up the Mam Nature: The Shoul. It’s a simple yet brilliant variation of the shawl, or wrap, except much smarter. Why is it such a great accessory? As opposed to large bulky wraps, this one stays on your shoulders. You know, as opposed to the points of a normal wrap [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
One of my favorite toys growing up was my dollhouse. I spent many hours playing make-believe with it. It was a very basic square construction made of wood, with no stain or paint finish. My doll furniture was a mix of mismatched plastic pieces with a few wooden handmade ones my father had lovingly crafted for me. My dolls were a variety of stuffed animals, Barbies and an assortment of different figurines.
On a search to recreate my own childhood memories for my daughters, I came across a sophisticated and oh-so-stylish version of my own basic [...]

Yes, I know, I know, nothing beats the hand-written note and greeting card to show someone that you – really – care about them. In our electronic age, affixing a stamp to an envelope and popping it in the mailbox is the ultimate demonstration of love. But, let’s get real. I don’t always have the perfect card on hand, or the person’s address, or… And neither do you. So, sometimes, there has been room for wishes-via-email. I adopted ecards some years ago and then abandoned them. I couldn’t cope with all the “free” ecard sites that were either really spammy [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor

THANKS TO ALL THAT PARTICIPATED. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
 

My daughter lost her tooth yesterday. Thea came home from school and was excited to show us all.  After “the showing” Thea proudly took her tooth and put it under her pillow. For the rest of the day we had to hear about “the Tooth Fairy coming tonight”.
I wrote an article just before Christmas which featured the I Caught Santa website and knew that they had different characters at the Catch a Character website, specifically the Tooth Fairy for this very occasion. So, last night I [...]

I looooooooooooove this video. If you remember (you should, it was one of last decades most viral videos), OK Go is the band that made the Treadmill video.

The “Machine” in this video was invented and created by 20 (yes 20!) engineers. The construction of the Machine – using 10,ooo sq. ft. of space over two floors – must have been a daunting though thrilling task. I don’t even want to guess how many trials they had to go through to make this work. And how many pianos, TVs, mannequins and other items had to be smashed to get to that [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
I first discovered Audrey Heller’s photographs at the One Of A Kind show in Chicago and have “run” into her art work since.   Although Audrey calls San Francisco home, she travels much of the year showing her photographs. With a background as a lighting designer for theater and a great sense of humor, Audrey was able to use her unique abilities to create distinct and playful photos.
As you look at the photos they look like everyday items; a cup of coffee, a martini glass or a bowl of strawberries.  Taking a closer look each photo [...]

I’m no good on my own. For yoga and working out, that is… If I can’t make it to class and need to work out at home, my workout is invariably interrupted by any variety of suddenly important events (excuses, all of them).  I had been downloading podcasts of yoga classed through iTunes, hoping that these would give me the semblance of a class framework while at home. But, I was never enthralled by any of those and quickly gave up on that.
Now, as the iPhone app world is exploding, there are some better choices… I like the Yoga Stretch [...]