Dry as a Bone

Living with my husband brings constant laughs to normal everyday routines. I've posted about his crafty skills before, but today takes the cake. I came home to J giving Burkly a nice bath. 10 minutes later, I see him blowing her dry with this:


According to his analysis, it cut her drying time down from 45 minutes and 8 towels to 5 minutes and 1 towel. Genius.

Artesian or Bust

Well, we made it to the Artesian and while the website left little to be desired, we're actually quite impressed. Air hockey, foosball tables, volleyball court and much, much more! We've got the best "seat" in the house, lot 10, and the bluebonnets are in full bloom. While you look at these photos, I can't help but want to say in my best twangy voice, "that there's an RV. I borrowed it off a buddy of mine. He took my house, I took the RV. It's a good looking vehicle, ain't it?" But, don't you go falling in love with it now, because, we're taking it with us when we leave here next month."




After setting up the lights and chairs [and having a cocktail to celebrate, of course], we were off to Round Top with money in our hands and eyes open wide. We headed directly to the opening night of Clutter and barely made it out. The displays were as fantastic as we imagined and the wall of found objects had me entranced. We grabbed our goods and continued winding our way through the fields. Best score for me: striped water skis. For Erika: old French notebook with hand drawn railroad objects.




Best item we left behind because I didn't have $1,000 or the room height needed for 10' doors:


Best part of the whole trip even though we're only on Day 1, happy helpers:

The Clampett's

We're off with Erika and Chance for a weekend of antiquing, ice cream factory touring, and I'm sure plenty of laughing and memory making all in the middle of Texas Hill Country. If my trip from last year is any indication, we'll definitely resemble The Clampett's on the drive home.

Sun-days

A few looks from Jill's summer collection that makes me thrilled the sun is out to stay...

Jill Stuart Campaign

Vibrant shots from Jill Stuart's Spring '08 ad campaign.

Need A Sticky?

I'm stuck on this Post-It Note display for Bergdorf Goodman.

Check

Days like today, I could really use this ingenious invention. It's a good thing I don't have Palmar Hyperhidrosis.

[via Paper Schmaper]

myTunes

While reading Fancypants' blog, I came across this fun - and time wasting [my favorite part about it] - iTunes activity. My iPod Stats:


Total length: 6426 items, 17.5 days, 34.31 GB

First and Last Songs (by title):
À L'orée des bois, Plants and Animals
-, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

Shortest and Longest Songs:
Comma Comma Comma Full Stop, Brakes; Time: 0:07
A Long Day, The Polyphonic Spree; Time: 36:31

First and Last Albums (by title):
About A Boy, Badly Drawn Boy
1965, The Afghan Whigs

First and Last Artist (by name):
A.C. Newman
!!!

Top Five Most Played Songs:
1. Banquet, Bloc Party
2. She's Hearing Voices, Bloc Party
3. One Heavy February, Architecture In Helsinki
4. Electric Feel - MGMT
5. Rain - Bishop Allen

When searching for the following words, how many songs show up?
Sex: 33
Death: 24
Love: 398
You: 847
Home: 55
Boy: 204
Girl: 95

I was surprised by a few of my most played songs, what surprises you? Your turn!


[image from Castor]

Take a Picture

Flickr favorites by Bombshell in the Birdhouse

Shake It

I come from a family of gadget lovers. My father and I used to stay up late watching Billy Mays and the like selling everything from the Salad Shooter to Huggable Hangers. Perhaps my family's favorite kitchen toy is the FoodSaver Vacuum Packaging Systems that makes it possible for leftovers to be sealed to the size of a pea. That said, I'm always on the hunt for the next best thing. Something I can purchase in bulk and pass out like Santa come Christmas.

I was searching Jamie Oliver's website and stumbled upon his Flavour Shaker. Regardless of the fact that it's only sold in the UK and Ireland, how have I not seen this before? For a family that uses a secret "mint sauce" recipe on everything from steaks and salads to Lebanese food and yogurt, we need this device! It is designed to mix, bruise, blend and release flavor from whole spices, herbs, garlic and such, all with the simplicity of a good shake.

Dear Me

I received an email broadcasting a few unloading sales of Texas antique dealers willing to give us first pickings before the loot leaves for The Big Red Barn.

Among the accompanying pictures of crocheted coverlets and hall trees was a pair of wooden deer heads. I know animal heads are over and no longer a fad, blah, blah, blah, but I didn't want them for their trend. I wanted them because my heart skipped beats thinking of who carved these so many years ago and how someone lovingly cared for them all this time [sans the obscene amount of paint colors that have been brushed on throughout the years...]. Since receiving this email, all I could think about was getting to the shop as soon as my little feet could carry me there.

I arrived at the warehouse early and began the hunt. You sign in and by 9AM, the buying begins as they call each person in the order in which they arrived. That's when you make your purchases.

I quickly spot my deer and my heart is pounding. They were far more beautiful than I ever imagined. So intricate, old and interesting, and the colors of paint were enough to make me gasp for air! I decided I would be willing to double my initial budget and spend $200 for them. I quickly asked about designer discounts and the kind lady showed me how to read the to-the-trade pricing on the tickets. I ran back to my beloved deer and suddenly felt sticker shock like no other. My "special price" was a mere $895. $1000 for those not lucky enough to have the coveted Tax ID.

As I’m walking away, I hear two fancy women whispering about "these chairs being a must" and "those tables a definite," followed by plenty of pointing and acknowledging of other goods they will swipe when their number is called. Then one says, "...oh, don't forget THE deer. Definitely the deer. Everyone will be clamoring for them."

REALLY? Really, I ask myself. Are there that many people clamoring to buy $900 deer heads? I'm clearly in the wrong business.

Photo Fest

Captivating images from London-based photographer Debi Treloar.

To Market, To Market

My favorite part of each Sunday: a trip to the market. Today was filled with fresh herbs and vibrant colors. Spring is here with so many great flavors!

Hippity Hoppity

I hope you find all the good eggs in your hunt.

Wish I Was Here

These interior shots from design firm Nickey-Kehoe have me entranced. I could just move right in.

Pretending to be Movin' On Up

...and if I were to move into one of those homes, I would use these perfectly tattered and torn suitcases to transport all my goods. Oh, how I want this luggage set!

Scripted

A typewriter that prints in cursive makes my heart swoon. As do the seafoam green keys.

The Hunt Is On

I will be scouring Round Top for some smokin' lockers just like these. If someone else finds them first, would you please place a hold tag on them for me?

Happy Chic

These images from Jonathan Adler's interior design portfolio made me 1) smile and 2) happy that Spring is here!

Face It

For months I've been dying to try out My Heritage to see what celebrities I resemble [just knowing it would reveal my favorite celebrity reference to date: Marisa Tomei]. After Paige advised me to use Firefox so I can access the website from my Mac, I sorta wish I'd never listened.

Because misery loves company, I beg you to go here now. This puts a whole new meaning to Go Fug Yourself.


[clockwise: Elizabeth Hurley, Camilla Belle, Michelle Rodriquez, Emma Thompson, Mira Nair, Hillary Clinton, Summer Altice, and David Hasselhoff. I did not make this up. You read that correctly. The. Hoff.]

For the record, I don't believe for one minute that I Iook like Elizabeth Hurley or Camilla Belle. And just because I don't want to hold anything back from my dear readers, she was also on the list. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit her in my perfect roundup of 8.

Screen on the Green

Last Saturday we hosted our first Screen on the Green outdoor movie night. We couldn't have asked for better weather - or better company! 25 of our nearest and dearest showed up, blankets and lawn chairs in tow. We ate our weight in popcorn and concession candies, drank plenty of Boyle sodas and Steve McQueen's, and sprawled across the lawn to watch our feature presentation on the big screen.




I flipped and flopped between Harold and Maude [how can you go wrong with a Cat Stevens soundtrack] and Charade, but in the end, Charade was a clear winner. Murder mystery, 1960s humor, and Audrey + Cary equalled a perfect showing. We hope to make this a regular occurrence!





And, of course, Burks was a great sport helping us set up...