Brick House's DIY shelving unit

I tip my chapeau off to Brick House and her badass DIY shelving unit. Follow her instructions to make your own.

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Rough Time for Scruff

We've got a situation, people. Although this is (mainly) a home design blog - sheets, candlesticks, renovations, paint - we do step outside the definition when it's important. You followed our emergency posts about the whereabouts of Grace; now help up find a home for Mr. Scruffy.

Mr. Scruffy lives across the street from Mama Cardboard in a sunny neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. This all sounds grand but his guardian suddenly passed away and he can't swing the rent alone.

Mr. Scruffy is a stunning cat (see above) but he's also a "...male cat (5-6 yrs old), very friendly companion/lap cat, indoor/outdoor." I don't know how he is with other pets/children but Mama C says that he's always been friendly when she finds him outside on her neighborhood walks.

Mr. Scruffy is paid up through Wednesday and then he's being sent into the system (ie: scary-ass shelters). If you live in/near Denver and have ever thought about getting a furry little beast of your own, send me an email so we can keep Mr. Scruff's trauma to a minimum.

Weekend Flings

• AirBus (seen above)
• Amazing Race!!!
• Word, Comment #4
• Bad, Pizza, Bad
• Walk Tall, Walk Sexy

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: Conran's classic bins

Classic bin, at The Conran Shop

Simple, classic, BIG, and most importantly a metal trash can that does not cost over $100! I'm looking at you, Simplehuman!

For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

West Elm's modular coffee table

Modular coffee table, at West Elm

I've been unhappy with my coffee table since the second Hardwood and I carried it out the door of IKEA. It's my own dumb fault. While carrying the hulking box of particle board to the car trunk, my end slipped out of my hands and one of the corners was smashed in. The damage was relatively minor and it is probably something that only I see but it bugs me.

There are aspects of it that I do like: it's big and the perfect height for eating 98% of our meals off of. It's not easy to find these requirements in the style I gravitate towards. Most of them are residents of Chunk City, USA and Pottery Barned up the wazoo! The West Elm table seen above almost meets the size requirements that I want and I love the combination of rich wood and industrial metal. Plus Hardwood has given it the golden seal of approval.

New Things from Sharpie

Sharpie Industrial

New to me: Sharpie INDUSTRIAL marker
It's made for laboratory use so it can withstand intense high/low temperatures and atypical wear. I scribbled about with one last weekend and it's basically just like a regular Sharpie - only more "black and crazy."

Sharpie Pen

New to all: Sharpie PEN
I'm excited to try one of these skinnies! We love Sharpie for delivering smooth, dark lines (until, of course, the markers age a bit and the nibs turn fuzzy and dry but - alas - such is the nature of the beast) but they're always scarily permanent. This pen, however, won't tattoo you for life and promises not to bleed through the page.

Making my life easier: Mini food processor

Mini-Prep Plus 4-cup food processor, at Cuisinart

Hardwood and I use our mini food processor a lot. It's great for buzzing up a bunch of onions, making a small batch of pesto, or blending a few bananas for a delicious cake. We still would love to get a full size food processor for making our own bread and pasta, but this mini version works great for our two-person household.

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Weekend Flings

• Totally (seen above)
• Alison Rose Gets More Famous (and More Orders)
• Philly Free Library is NOT Closing!
• Pretty, Intense (!) Artistic Sand
• Sound Off for Penmanship

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: The Colors (Etc.) of Alaska

Seward Harbor

Mama Cardboard just returned from a two-week vacation in Alaska. Here are the inspirational highlights:

Denali (aka Mt. McKinley)

1. The Locals:

"We saw lots of great animals - mama grizzly chasing a ground squirrel while her two cubs played, foxes and wolves right on the road, two beautiful big caribou - with huge white furry chests and big antlers - walking single file through the tundra parallel to the road, bald eagles everywhere...red salmon swimming upstream as we crossed the river, beluga whales in the gulf...a walk along the water, watching the sea otters float by on their backs."

Aialik Glacier

2. The Sound:

"Then we went to the edge of a glacier and sat for 20 - 30 minutes with the boat turned off and everyone silent - and just listened to the glacier. So cool. Glaciers move 7 - 8 feet a day! You can hear the ice cracking (sounds like thunder) and watch the ice blocks falling off (called calving - sounds like an explosion as the ice hits the water). The glacial ice is a beautiful turquoise blue."

3. The Color:

When Mama Cardboard first told me she was taking a two-week vacation to Alaska, I pictured nothing but a bunch of snow, of ice, of white, white, and white. One might not be able to bring a caribou home or simulate an adequate calving in the freezer but the non-white shades of Alaska are easy to bring on home.

Denali Red Tundra

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Photos by Mama Cardboard

Salad Days

Hardwood and I are both vegetarian, so salads as main courses are a big part of our dinner repertoire. Cardboard has inspired me to share our favorite new creation.

• Baby spinach
• Cucumber, peeled and sliced
• Button mushrooms, sliced paper thin
• Vidalia onion, sliced thin
  
• Green Zebra tomatoes, cut into wedges
• Hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges
• Capers
• Walnuts
• Gorgonzola, finely crumbled
• White wine vinaigrette, highly recommend using this white balsamic
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

The salad is a great balance of textures and flavors - with the crunchiness of the fresh cucumbers, sweet Vidalia onions and walnuts, melt-in-your-mouth pungent blue cheese, creamy hard eggs, and toothsome slices of mushrooms. Yet another one to try!

Photo courtesy of Gourmet

A Bath Tissue Issue

Frankenstein's Home Accents Line, at There, I Fixed It

Sometimes DIY just doesn't work...or doesn't look right, anyway.

If your shower is in this same situation, email me and I can send you at least 30 coupons to Bed Bath & Beyond.

Renegade Find: Laura George art

Pantless, at Supermarket

Cardboard previously wrote about the cute, motivational work by Laura George. When I saw her sweet prints at Renegade, I made a bee line for her tent. The pantless print especially tickled my funny bone.

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Renegade Find: Clinton Reno Posters

Franz Ferdinand Poster/Paper Doll

It's a good thing Porcelain posted about those ReFrames last week because I just discovered the artwork of Clinton Reno.


Reno, a Columbus-based illustrator/printmaker/"nicest guy in the world," has heavy focus on music for his posters and prints, but he also whips up masterpieces for the local farmers' market or ice cream parlor openings.


What I like about his art is that each image - whether he's working with clean, bold lines or quick, sketchy marks - is designed and polished in a clear Reno style but each image also promotes its own identity and mood.

Visit his site to read more about him and to buy lots of wall candy.

Weekend Flings

• Wiped Out from this Weekend's Fair so Please Enjoy This (seen above)
• And Then Buy This!

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: ReFRAME by Soundscreen Design

Natural ReFRAME, at Soundscreen Design

The ReFRAME is a simple and affordable alternative to having something professionally framed. So go stock up on some prints and posters at Renegade this weekend!

For this reason, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

An anglophile's wet dream

Toast home & house catalog

Oooooooo! Oh! Crumpet!

TV Hate

ANTM, Cycle 13

Digital TV is the worst! I don't get enough signal to watch Tyra and her debut of America's Next Top Short Model and, with the glitches and skips, listening to Obama's speech sounds a lot like this:

Image via Bad Paintings of Barack Obama

Digital TV can suck it.

For Sale : Vintage Globes

I've been working on cleaning up and clearing out the ol' apartment recently. I've decided to sell a few things that have been gathering dust, such as a couple of these vintage globes.

If you're interested, I've listed them on craigslist.

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!

Design Boner and all the fun-lovin', law-breakin'
CTA riders wish you a very pleasant (and safe) holiday.

Weekend Flings

• Canine Costume Cuts (seen above)
• Cold Turkey = No More Spam
• For the Two of You Who Might Not Have Seen This Yet
• Pink, Plastic Madison
• Legos Love Beer

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: Tulip Chandelier

Tulip Chandelier, by Schmintage at etsy

Although the outside is starting to feel more like fall, this pendant lamp can keep your inside light and springy. AND it's actually made of plastic so when you swing from it, no cuts.

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Cute cabin lighting

Hardwood and I stayed at a hip, renovated cabin in August (special post coming soon). Above the dining table were a trio of lights that really charmed me (above photo). Polka dot perforations added a nice retro, mid-century touch and the shadows were fantastic when the rest of the cabin was dark.

I happily stumbled upon the same fixture on Rejuvenation. It is available in 12 different finishes, all except white, which is what the cabin had. A trusty can of spray paint can easily fix that situation.

Cove ceiling fixture, at Rejuvenation

How Much for the Wood?

Wood LED Clock, at Grün

I like'a this bedside clock. I do not, however, like'a the $129 (down from $179!) price tag. Methinks a section of stud and a projector might be cheaper.

Fall evening lighting

Suki Candleholder, at Crate & Barrel

The cooler, fall-like days we've been experiencing in Chicago have reminded me how much I love to light a ton of candles in the evening during the fall and winter. I'm always on the look-out for pretty and unique candleholders.

I saw this black and gold one at Crate & Barrel recently and thought the candle light would make the prettiest glow bouncing off the gold interior. Oh, and they're super affordable too! Score!