rent the runway

But what am I going to wear??

This question has been repeated so many times this year by myself or one of my girlfriends. With all of our friends getting married this year and holiday events coming up before you know it, wouldn't it be nice to look forward to something with out the stress of buying another dress? 

Rent the Runway is a new concept that was introduced to me by Sara Riff. They give users access to high fashion for any of occasion at just 10% of retail cost. All you have to do is browse the designer dresses, pick what you want, put the dress in your shopping cart and specify when you need it to arrive on your doorstep in two different sizes. Some of the designers on the site include: Proenza Schouler, Tracey Reese, Helmut Lang, Giambattista Valli, and so many more.

food for furniture

Thinking of redecorating before the holidays?

From now until November 25th CB2 stores in California, Illinois and NY are partnering with food banks to combat hunger. Bring in 5 non perishable items and you will recieve a 15% discount on in store purchases. 

healthy child healthy world

I have just discovered this website and it is fantastic! Our modern lives are filled with so many toxins in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the ground our children and animals play on. Healthy Child Healthy World is designed to educate parents all over the world and answer questions that they have regarding the safety of their families and homes. The information on this site is all reliable unlike so much of the pollution we encounter when researching online. Healthy Child Healthy World was founded by Nancy and Jim Chuda after they lost there daughter Collette to a form of cancer that was proven to be linked to hazards in the environment. The website is amazing and I encourage you all to add it to your bookmarks. Whether or not you have children this site is a wealth of information and such an amazing resource for all of us.

carry on

Dreaming of a weekend getaway... 

leopard carry-on. Get the weekend started off right! Believe it or not I actually own this.. Its light and durable.. Find it online at  flight 001 

For the more rustic weekend I would advise the Filson field bag on wheels. Love this bag.

If this trip means business this bag is a great choice. I love the lines of it and its very practical..

ahh.. J crew has done it again.. It doesn't hold much, but what are you taking anyway. This bag is more of an overnight bag but isn't it great?

Bon Voyage!

hot off the press!

Attention! New magazine alert!

Lonny Magazine has now launched.  Former Domino editor Michelle Adams launched the online only Magazine and I am loving it so far. The Magazine is published on a bimonthly basis in a traditional magazine print format on its web site. 

the CLEANest shower

I read the book Clean by Alejandro Junger a couple of months ago after seeing it on GOOP. One of the things I took away from the book was the amount  of chlorine and other chemicals found in our water and how humans and other animals absorb them not just by drinking the contaminated water but more importantly absorbing them through the skin and inhaling the steam while in the shower or bath.  Consumers are trained to spend all this money and time trying to drink the cleanest water  and we are forgetting about the chemicals in the water we bathe in. After I read the book I did my research on full home water filters.. Maybe someday but they are just too expensive for now. After I realized that is not happening I started researching shower head filters and they are all SO ugly I just couldn't do it. Well a couple of weeks ago I decided to  do some more research to see if anything new had come out and sure enough  the people at Culligan.. Yes remember Culligan water sort of the equivalent of Sparkletts. Anyway Culligan came out with the shower head that you see above. It looks great and its super easy to install (according to Jesse:).Its $30 at Bed Bath and Beyond and you have to replace the filter every 6 months which I am hoping will be a satisfying (but sort of depressing filter change). I am loving this shower head and YES I completely notice a difference I can even tell there is more sheen in both Jesse and Bean's hair.  I am assuming its great for color treated hair as well. So until you can afford to go put a water filtration system on your house this is the next best thing. I can't wait to hear what you think. 

the new carver

Hey everyone! I am so sorry I have not posted in ages but I have lots of exciting stuff to catch up on. First and most important  I am involved in this amazing organization called The Skid Row Housing Trust which provides affordable housing and a second chance to the homeless people of Los Angeles. I strongly believe that the support of healthy surroundings adds so much to these peoples life and really lends them the opportunity for a fresh beginning. The Trust is launching there newest housing development called New Carver Apartments as well as celebrating the 20th anniversary of the organization tomorrow night. I am in EXTREMELY good company as one of the four designers who was asked to design a room for one of the future tenants and the Carver Apartments. The other designers include: The amazing Estee Stanley (just launched her website and its incredible you will be blown away), Ruthie Sommers who we all know and love, and Molly Luetkemeyer of mdesign who has been on House Beautiful's list of Top Designers in America four years running. I am so thankful for this opportunity and encourage all of you to check out the site and perhaps come to the event tomorrow night and support this great cause!

happy weekend!

I hope these photographs by Yiorgos Kordakis inspire you to have a great weekend and enjoy the hot weather beachside.

or at the wet and wild pool...

ashlees birthday build

I am posting about Ashlee Margolis's Habitat for Humanity birthday build because I think its such a great idea for a birthday celebration. We had a blast! Ashlee even had the great DJ Tendaji on the ones and twos. If any of you are looking for a creative way to give back and get your friends involved I would highly recommend doing a habitat build.

Happy Birthday Ashlee!

bastide de marie

Jesse and I are busy planning our trip to France.. Does that sound pretentious?
Anyway check out this gorgeous hotel Bastide de Marie I found it today some while doing some extensive web research. This converted old farm is about an hour south of Avignon right in the heart of Provence, and the wine and the food is all grown on premises. While the website may be a little slow and and might test your patience you should for sure check it out. Jesse and I are going to stay a night here or at least grab lunch on our way to the South from Paris. If anyone has any recommendations for me please comment! I will send pics from the trip. Bon nuit!

creatures are calling

Check out Andrew Zuckerman: Creature. Andrew shoots each picture on a white background which serves as his canvas creating a "frozen" in time perspective on each animal. The book took him 5 years to shoot I discovered it other day while shopping for a gift at the James Perse store. I love it and think it is such a perfect host/hostess gift for all of you freeloading vacationers. (myself included) You can buy this at select James Perse stores and its also on sale on Amazon for $37.80!

the art of basil

Rashida is a close friend of mine and the first of many guest bloggers to contribute on Beans and Mango. She has introduced me to the wonders of Mrs. Meyers which has become a staple in my household. I have been begging her to share this discovery with you all. Read on..

I lived in London in 2003 and became obsessed with Fairy Washing Powder; it smells like you air-dried your laundry in your quaint English garden. In the UK, the washing machine cycle is almost three times longer than here and they use little tablets which drop easily into a side drawer. The result is a uniformly clean scent that isn't overpowering or nauseatingly flowery.

After schlepping the cumbersome Fairy packages back in my luggage several times from London, I finally gave up. Ever since, I've been looking for an equivalent stateside. Behold, an even better version! And it's natural, biodegradable and cruelty free! What else could an environmentally responsible, fragrance-obsessed girl want?

Mrs. Meyer's Basil Scented Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets was the sheer delight I have been waiting for. With a little note of green and a tangy sweetness that makes you feel like your life is a little cleaner than it may actually be; it is the exact way you want your clothes and towels to smell.

The other Mrs. Meyer's scents are all worthy

of your loyal procurement: the hand soap is great in lavender, the all-purpose cleaner in lemon verbena and the surface wipes in baby blossom.

Rashida Jones

Thank you Rashida for your amazing tips! You can buy Mrs. Meyers at Whole Foods, Target and online from the link above. Koontz Hardware I have found to have the best local selection of products and scents.

...canadian house and home

I just picked up a copy of Canadian House and Home. (which I have never read before) I had an email from one of the editors that one of the photos on my website was going to be featured in the July issue of "Rooms the Work".. This is always very exciting for me but, what I am the most excited about is what a great magazine Canadian House and Home is!  I couldn't find the magazine at my usual newsstands but Barnes and  Noble does carry it and I am now a new subscriber. I encourage you to check out the website  which previews upcoming issues and you are also able to subscribe there. 

put this in your pipe and smoke it

I just ordered two of these hemp poufs for my office. They are neutral enough that I can spread out fabrics on them.. or sit on them. I will let you know how they hold up.

thats the story of the hurricane

I want these hurricane candles for my next dinner party. I think these would also be gorgeous as vases for flowers although I suppose they might rust. 

happy birthday barack!

I feel so much cooler now that I have found out we share the same birthday!

model as muse

I am in NY right now and just came from the exhibit at the Met. "Model as Muse." if you are in the area it is definitely worth your while. I have posted a video of a walk through to give you an idea. The "Model as Muse" book is beautiful and makes a great gift for any of your fashion obsessed friends or yourself :). (make sure you get the hardcover)

fly balenciaga!

The new uniforms designed by Balenciaga for Air tahiti Nui. What do you think?

I like them they are appropriate and seem to be flattering. 

Check out these wrap dress uniforms designed by Richard Tyler (pictured) for Delta flight attendants. I am all for it!
                                                        

have a great weekend!

Some drawings from the Hugo Guinness most recent show at John Derian.

tart glassware

Table Art is one of my favorite spots for china and other table accessories. They carry a lot of the classics but also have a more modern edge. I love the way these glasses look on an exposed shelf or in a glass cabinet.  Table art manufactures these mouth blown glasses.  Wouldn't it be pretty to do the 3 shades of blue.. Starting with the lightest? All of the colors are so great. Which colors would you choose?

more room for play

My sister is always trying to come up with ideas to create a new space for her three children to have a room of their own for: art projects, playing, dress up and just be kids without messing up the main house. Unfortunately there is just not enough space without doing a major addition that is expensive and inconvenient. I have been looking in to other options so we don't have to convert the garage into this space.  I love the clean lines of the Modern Play Shed.   You start with  a basic model play shed  for that comes ready to paint or stain on the outside. The goal of these sheds is to be able to assemble them quickly using the tools included.  then you can add additional options on the inside such as: chalkboard or whiteboard wall panels, play shed deck. I called this morning and spoke to the people at Modern Shed. They said that you can add additional green options such as green roofs, and cork floors that are normally reserved  for larger sheds on the play shed. 

Do you like the idea of  a detached playroom? 

roller babies

My brother sent me this link today.. So cute!

wow!

Check out this amazing barn designed by Erin Martin I found today on Remodelista.This place is available to be rented for events and parties through Mint Locations. Mint locations is an agency in Northern California that rents estates and properties for events and shoots. Very helpful if you are looking to Napa for a wedding..

P.S. Please invite me if anyone decides to have a party here :).

Check out this amazing barn designed by Erin Martin I found today on Remodelista. This place is available to be rented for events and parties through Mint Locations. 

Mint locations is an agency in Northern California that rents estates and properties for events and shoots. Very helpful if you are looking to Napa for a wedding..

P.S. Please invite me if anyone decides to have a party here :).

i wanna go here!

You may have seen JK Capri mentioned in some of my past posts. I have never been to the J.K. but the website has been inspiring me consistently since I discovered it nearly 3 years ago. I was visiting the website today and noticed they have added some new photos so I thought I would post them.

not a bad view from the pool.

Or the room...

The small unexpected accents of red on the lamp and on the pillow really make this shot interesting.

Check out the placement of the coordinating stripes on the sofa pillows and the bed pillows.. very clever.

warehouse sale!

On July 18th from 10-4pm. Modernica will open its warehosue doors to their 20th anniversary warehouse sale! There will everything from daybeds, to George Nelson lamps to choose from. They are also doing a sale online the same day between 7am-7pm.

1420 East 7th Stree at Alameda.

happy birthday jesse!

Happy birthday Jesse! We love you. 

xoxoxo

hot summer

Loving this color collage inspiration board made by Arianna Belle. Thank you for the shout out Arianna!

beach blanket babylon!

Check out the 2009 Artist Towel Series at Artware Editions.  I have seen them in person and they are gigantic! They could comfortably fit two people on them for a day at the beach. 

I have posted some of my favorites below:

elizabeth paytonRayomond PettibonEd Rucsha

Kehinde Wiley

fit for a kid

Why compromise on design when outfitting your kids furniture? Check out the modern classic pieces below to see. Some of the designers have actually shrunk there named pieces 20-25%. Others are just reproductions..

Loving the Pantone Junior by Vitra. This design was made to be enjoyed by children.

This is a classic Knoll Womb chair. Available in 3 sizes.

This childs classic Bertoia Diamond chair is 75% of the original size.

The madrid is a child size replica of the Barcelona Chair by Mies Van Der Rohe. Find out more at little nest.
Replica of the Eames lounge chair and ottoman visit little nest to find out more. This is amazing!

sole sister

Imagine ordering a pair of ballet flats out of a vending machine at 1:00 am after a crazy night of dancing in 5 inch heels. Every girl has been in the situation where your body wants to keep going, but your feet won't allow another step... Rollasole Vending Machines are the newest thing on the London club scene. They cost about 8 dollars and are worth every penny! They also conveniently roll up and come with their own bag so after the night is over your can keep them in your purse to walk to work in, etc. My hunch is that we will soon be seeing them closer to home.. Perhaps at a wedding or nightclub. Love this idea. Would you buy these shoes out of a vending machine??

james beach

 The new James Perse flagship store out in Malibu is so beautifully designed using the furniture from the new collection. If you haven't been to the new store I encourage you to go check it out. I am so excited about this new line of furniture! I have posted some of my favorites below.

have been dreaming of this bed since I saw it...

This sofa is so inviting.. however it doesn't discriminate.. Beans and Mango would be trashing it in no time!
same scenario.. I wish.

I would love to see these chairs in an outdoor dining room. Preferably at the beach.

This chair reminds me of the deck at the J.K. Capri in Italy. 
So nice sitting poolside..

how cool is this?

                                                   

I am currently obsessed with this new website Paperless Post.  You are able to create custom online invitations and announcements delivered in personalized envelopes to your guests inbox. From there you can manage who received your invitations and track their replies. Check out this invitation I created...

otami time!

Love to see one of these Otami quilts thrown over an all white bed to give a pop of color and brighten a bedroom up for summer! Swap that heavy throw for this lightweight, embroidered quilt. These embroideries are handmade by the Mexican Otomi Indians. One of these embroideries can take up to three months to make! They come in the most beautiful colors and they also look gorgeous when used as a tablecloth. 

dwell 09

My sister in law Amanda (my in-house green design expert) just reminded me of theDwell on Design LA event this weekend. It looks like the home tours on Saturday and Sunday are sold out, but its worth a call in to check. Aside from the home tours several green companies will be exhibiting at the event and showing off their latest and greatest green products! I am most excited about the Saturday evening Night at the Movies. 

       

Visual Acoustics explores the monumental career of 98 year old Julius Shulman an architectual photographer. (winner of the best documentary from the 2009 Palm Springs International film festival)

The Greening of Southie which examines Boston's first residential green building and the men and women who set out to construct it. 

In conjunction with Night at the Movies, will be the city's first mobile restaurant row.I have featured some of the places I am eager to try.  All of the mobile restaurants here actually offer a inexpensive alternative to catering services so its a great way to check out the food for your next party!

The event will include Tacos Arzia.

Locali  conscious convenience to give us a taste of fresh local, sustainable, and eco friendly food. No high fructose corn syrup here!

The Green Truck which is healing the planet one meal at a time. Can't wait to try one of their famous "Mother Trucker" vegan burritos. 

Let's be Frank will also be there. I have been so excited to try this place since my friends over at farm fresh foodies blogged about them adding turkey dogs to their on Monday. They use 100% grass-fed beef and their "bird dog" they use turkey from one of the last family -operated turkey farms in the country.

    

 

After all of this talk about mobile local food. I am going to have some dinner! Hope to see you at the Dwell on Design Night at the Movies this Saturday night 5:00 pm. 

Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

152 North Central Ave. 

Los Angeles, CA 90013 

cameron's house for sale!

Cameron's house from Ferris Buller's Day off is for sale. Wouldn't it be cool to live there?

If you don't remember from the pictures.. Maybe this clip will help.

urban finds

I have had my eye on this little settee below for quite sometime because its such a sweet and beautiful design. Its hard to make these decisions while shopping online without seeing the fabric and testing the comfort, you never really know what you are going to get. I was in a meeting with a woman today who had this strategically placed in her gorgeous office. I would have believed her if she had told me that she spent thousands on this well restored antique settee, the fabric was great and it was really comfortable. Lucky for us every once in a while Urban Outfitters (do you believe this!) surprises me with a really well designed piece of furniture and this one is just that.

While browsing the Urban Outfitters website, I also noticed this cute little rattan pouf

I think this pouf is perfect to throw in front of a sofa or chair to use as an ottoman in a space deprived spot. I love the natural element it adds to the space.

All of the above items including the letter lamps are available at Urban Outfitters.

capture that color!

What's the latest and greatest iPhone application? ColorCapture Ben is the new iPhone, iPod touch application. You can snap a picture of anything you see that inspires you and instantly match its shade to one of thousands of benjamin Moore colors. Go the the apple website, search for ben, and download to your iPhone. Check out the video below to see how it works. When going in to purchase your paints make sure you ask for the Natura Line, Benjamin Moore's zero VOC odorless paint. Which can be tinted to any color imaginable. 

blue and white

When it comes to blue and white, you really can't go wrong. The spread "Mood Indigo" from the July issue of British House and Garden shows some great shots of different shades of blue and white, while also mixing stripes, ikats and solids. Love the modern furniture and natural elements they paired these fabrics with.

Great contrast with one yellow chair.

I really like the all white canopy bed with a simple blue and white ikat fabric thrown over the top.

Mixing natural elements with the blue and white always reminds me of summer.

The C&C Milano fabric on the couch has been in my favorites bin for a while. It has such a large repeat so I am happy to see the whole thing! I can't wait to use it on my next project.

John Robshaw makes the fabric for these pillows with natural indigo dye in the traditional process of mud printing. You can purchase them all on his website. I would love to see these on an all white, navy blue, or natural linen couch for summer time.

This is the "Ink bed" part of John Robshaw's collection. He makes it easy on his site to throw all of the fabrics together to make your bed look like the one above. I love how he chose this print below (which is mostly white) for the duvet and sheets and then layered the bed with darker pillows.

close up of the duvet cover

This rug is from John Robshaws new collection of Dhurries. Although they don't come large enough to fill and entire bedroom, I think it would be a great addition layered over a natural jute or sisal rug.

I love these pillows from Madeline Weinribs Amagansett collection. Would like to see these mixed in with some of the Robshaw prints above.

I mean, these Madeline Weinrib chevron print napkins make me want to have a backyard party...I can't wait for June Gloom to be over!!

black, white and a little...

Black and white always looks clean and its a great way to emphasize pops of color.

From Garance dore a simple black and white background makes her red lips stand out. A great inspiration for a room!

From the DWR bubble club chair collection the clean white with black background really makes the color of the pool stand out. 

The Selby featured Alexander Wang's showroom which is all black and white. I especially love this photo of his office. The black and white background shows off the industrial steel lamps.

Guest room at the Chateau Les Merles. A boutique hotel in the South of France with just 12 guestrooms. The modern black and white allows the antique oak armoire to really stand out. I just recently discovered this hotel on Habitually Chic. Its is now top on my list of places to go!

Gwenyth's black with white powder room with Apple's sweet little lavender stool.. Simple yet stunning.

I just love this room...

Great shot of a black and white winding staircase with a little pop of red at the bottom.

 

Gwenyth's all black kitchen really makes the center butcher block stand out in this photo. 

The all black and white Versace plane. I don't really know what to say here. I dig it though. 

This kitchen is amazing! I am not sure where its from I found it on the jjjjound site. if anyone knows where this photos is from, please tell. 

Thats it for tonight!

xoxo

our anniversary

One year ago Jesse and I got married in Las Vegas. Its so hard to believe that it has already been one year, it went so quick and it has been so much fun. I can't wait to celebrate our anniversary every year! We have so much to celebrate this weekend.. Congratulations to Jesse and everyone involved in The Hangover!

Love,

Katie

wedding party

I love these photos from this month's Vogue Magazine featuring Sasha Pivavorova and Igor Vishnayakov's wedding party.

what to get for dad?

Fathers day is June 21st , below are some early suggestions so you can get a head start this year.  I am trying to stay with the local, small business theme we did for mothers day, after all it is a new month so $50 of our spent money should go into our favorite three small stores to help support the 3/50 Project.

I asked my favorite "Daddy's girls" what they were thinking about getting there dad's this fathers day and this is what they came up with:

Meg suggested vintage typewriter key cufflinks from Apartment Number 9, you can get them with your dad's initials on the keys,  such a unique and personal gift. They also make great groomsmen gifts. Apartment Number 9 is owned by sisters Sara and Amy, they definitely have the best mens clothes around so even if typewriter cufflinks aren't your dads thing.. You can be sure to find something at this store that is perfect. Click on the link to find one of Apartment Number 9's three locations.

Allison and Natalie both suggested a round of golf at at your dad's favorite golf club, or better yet a golf lesson with a local pro. Great idea. I know that both my dad and my father in law would love this gift. (they both read my blog though so I have to think of something else:) Check out 1st Stop for Golf to find a list and information of the best local gold courses throughout the country.  

Sarah L. will always take the cake for being the most original.. She is going to get her dad a subscription to The Bacon of the Month Club. Wow I bet you have never thought of that. A six month membership to the Bacon of the Month club includes:

1. One package of a different artisan bacon from different small mom and pop suppliers every month for 6 months.
   
2. A bacon of the month membership card
3. A pig ballpoint pen
4. A bacon tee shirt
5. A recipe each month using your selected bacon
6. A pig nose!

For new dads Xela suggested the eco friendly Green Dude. This is a diaper bag designed for a cool and stylish new dad. It's a messenger style bag made out of recycled plastic bottles with all of the compartments in a normal baby bag including a changing pad.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Green dude go to Global Green USA.

Beans and Mango suggest Quoddy shoes from South Willard.These shoes are genuine moccasins handmade in Maine. I like the brown suede brick sole blucher pictured below and I think its a perfect gift for dad.

Beans and Mango think you can't go wrong with this nickel plated shaving set from Blenheim Bouquet.

For the professional dad Beans and Mango suggest any of these items from the Postal Co. Your dad will be sure to make a statement at his next meeting with these handmade in Japan notebooks and folders. 

Hopefully these suggestions will help you get a head start this year. Please comment with any great ideas you have for fathers day gifts!

mom checklist

My sister Alyson is the mother of three awesome girls. For years she has been a treasure trove of information for all of her friends with kids. She gets phone calls at all hours of the day and night from frantic moms on the other end, and Alyson is always their voice of reason and useful advice. Her husband jokes that she should charge for these phone calls because they occur so often.  I am sure I am not the only one that has been telling her to start a blog with all of this useful information and she finally did!  Check out her site The CHECKlist its a wealth of information for mothers with children of any age.. I even find some of the information useful for myself.

Enjoy!

bee aware

I have been hearing about the honey bee crisis for the last year or so, but lately I have really been noticing the problem. The bees I actually see seem weak, hovering low to the ground, or fallen in my garden and along the streets. My friend Ashley stepped on a dead bee today getting out of the pool and it reminded me of this very serious problem. We rely on honey bees for at least one-third of our food supply, so when honey bees are in danger we are all in danger, and over the last three years more than one in three honey bee colonies have died. I discovered the website help the honey bees a while back from a link that was on the Haagen Daz website. I really am not sure how I ended up on the Haagen Daz website but I am glad I did, because  help the honey bees  is  a really well done and informative site about the honey bee crisis and ways you can help such as planting a garden and supporting local beekeepers. 

canopies

I just started working on a master bedroom for a couple. The woman has always wanted a canopy bed, but her husband thinks they are too feminine. I have pulled some of my favorite canopies that are not as fussy to try and convince him. 

I love the simplicity of these canopies and of the whole room. 

I love this bedroom! The furniture is masculine but the De Gournay wallpaper is gorgeous.  I also think the girl in the photo will not hurt the cause. This has been a favorite of mine for a long time from Elle Decor.

Ok.. A little fussy but I thought the colors and furniture in the room are masculine enough to balance it out. I think the whole room is a perfect design at the JK Capri.

Here is a very similar room, but the colors are muted. this is a more serene bedroom.

I couldn't help it, I have always loved this photo from Domino Magazine.

Love this and I think its the perfect mix of masculine and feminine from Domino Magazine.

This one is a little more country, it seems very cozy.

barry the freshman

Lisa Jack, a photography major and fellow student of Barack Obama shot these pictures when Barack was just a freshman in college. Imagine the stress after he became a serious contender for presidency,  I can't even imagine the pressure of  looking for these negatives after almost 30 years! In fact I am sure there is a funny story about Lisa's early quest to find these photos, she had to have been ripping her hair out! Lisa is now a psychology professor and a therapist living in Minneapolis, she shot these pictures with Barry the freshman back in 1980, and  was thoughtful and smart enough to wait until the election was over to release the photos. In Lisa's recent interview for the LA Times, Lisa says, "There was nothing out of the ordinary about the session," although it did impress Lisa that Obama (barry) had taken the initiative to bring his own props: the hat, the leather bomber jacket and cigarettes you see in the photos above. " he obviously thought about how he wanted to have his picture taken," she says. I am so excited to see these photos in person, come check out the show this weekend at M+B Gallery!

M+B Gallery

Lisa Jack

Barack Obama: The Freshman

May 28th -July 18th 2009

Opening Reception Thursday May 28th 6-9pm

ring ring ring

I thought the water ring stains were the end of my French antique burled wood nightstands. Until I read the NY Times Article this week Removing the Rings. Turns out these rings can be removed with regular mayonnaise and hairdryer? That sounds too good to be true I know, but it actually works and its so much more cost effective than refinishing an entire piece and compromising an original antique finish.  Let me know if this trick works for your stubborn wood stains as well as it worked for mine. 

Tips:

1. If its a new stain try and evaporate with a blow dryer on a low setting. Sometimes doing this will simply evaporate the moisture right out of the finish. 

2. That did not work for me so I had to get a little more serious. I wrapped a rag around my finger and dipped it in mayonnaise, then I gently massaged the mayonnaise into the white rings and the stain eventually disappeared.

3. If that doesn't work, leave the mayonnaise on the stain for a couple of hours and every once in a while, work it in to the stain. 

4. If that doesn't work try using lemon oil with a steel wool pad. Ok I have to admit the steel wool pad on my night stands scares me so I would do a test on the back before trying this step. 

5. I would probably give up on this trick if it hasn't worked so far. I am just being honest ;)

black tie pinatas

I just noticed these confetti pinatas on a Cup of Joe and I am now inspired to throw a party. Jesse and I throw parties all the time where we have a taco truck come to serve food. They are always a blast, the food is always amazing and its such an easy set up/clean up situation. I am sure that these confetti pinatas will definitely get the party started!

eurobad

Click on the link for an exhibition of Europes worst interior design of 1974.

how much space do you waste?

Ever since New York Times featured an article called Think Small back in February 2007, Jesse and I have been fantasizing about buying a peice of land in some untouched part of the country. It would preferably be near the water, and within driving distance  where we could plop our own little prefab "tiny house," just to get away for a weekend.  Maybe thats why we love the Carneros Inn in Napa Valley so much. Every guest room at the Carneros Inn is an individual pre fab house with a great outdoor area,  appointed with high thread counts, a flat screen TV, and a fireplace. Who needs anything more? Lately their has been more talk about "tiny houses," between the green living boom, and the nation's financial crises the notion of downsizing is all the rage. Mimi Zeiger's new book "Tiny Houses" couldnt ask for better timing. Every house featured in her book "Tiny Houses is under 1,000 square feet.

How much space do you really need?