Some people are born cat people. I wasn’t. It’s been a slow process but I’ve finally come around to loving cats, especially since I inherited two in an awkward post-breakup situation. Even though my kitties are the ultimate scaredy cats, they love toys. Ever the doting mom, I like to use up my extra fabric scraps by making catnip mice. Warning- whenever I stepped away from my crafting table, the cats would jump up and hide... 

If you’ve got a boring old ottoman hanging around, or if, like me, if you happen to find one of those plain cubes on sale, it’s easy to recover with a custom slip cover.  This is another fantastic way to bring some fun textiles into a room with a project that you can sew in an afternoon or less. (I swear!) This slip cover uses only basic straight seams, and I’ll show you the trick for getting nice, sharp 3-D corners. So let’s get started!... 

I think I’m lacking the certain extra whimsicality that causes some girls to devote their lives to Alice in Wonderland. I like Alice, a lot, but I am no Alice fiend. But since she is on the tip of everyone’s tongues this week I thought I’d pay a little homage to the heroine of the moment. I haven’t seen the new movie and I have to admit, I don’t have plans to see it. The publicity stills have sort of turned me off... 

illustration by julia rothman (a very limited edition of prints are available in the julia rotham shop ) Spring is in the air (this week, at least!), which means one thing – flea market season!  Here on the East Coast, most flea markets pack up for the winter and dealers go off to restock, but then resume with force in the spring.  The …  Read More →

three years ago graphic designer asia gwis and her husband sebastian (and 2 dogs and 3 cats) found this amazing 80 year old former schoolhouse in the countryside of poland. they moved it to warsaw where they restored it. the exterior remains an old, black cottage, but they’ve designed everything on the inside themselves, and filled it with treasures they have collected over the years. the hard work has paid off, and today we have a sneak... 

quick afternoon eye-candy: i wanted to share these fun nesting tables designed by wuttke werks + so’mace lifestyle in honolulu, hawaii. each set is made from reclaimed wood (gathered from old homes) and recycled rebar. it’s such a fun concept- and a great way to reuse building materials. click here for more information and to contact so’mace about purchasing. thanks, isla!  Read More →

if i could scream “TGIF!” from the rooftops i would, but my voice is still blown-out from yelling at last night’s rangers game . so instead i’ll head out an hour early today and try to rest my voice with some tea and maybe catch a little cat nap before i have to pick up the laptop again. amy and i are going to check out…  Read More →

Alissa and I are super excited to feature an AMAZING drink from a local Philadelphian couple, Stephen Loidolt and Shauna Alterio of Something’s Hiding in Here .  Not only is their drink absolutely adorable but so is their story so we will let them take it from here… { Alissa + Ryan } P.S. Make sure to also check out their blog ! CLICK HERE for the full drink recipe after the jump! (more…)  Read More →

I love Australian food.  Eating there really is an amazing experience– the wines, cheeses, olive oils, bread, lamb, desserts, and the best Asian food outside of Asia!  I wish we had that diversity in Italy.  I miss it!  I crave it!  So for this week’s In the Kitchen With, to nurse my ‘food nostalgia’, I contacted Australian journalist Cerentha Harris for a typical Australian dish.  She gave us her sausage roll recipe.  I never... 

image sources, clockwise from top left: iinj , a view from the green barn , you can count on me , gourmet , grit , readymade , sunset I wear heirloom eyeglasses. My rhinestone-bedazzled cat-eye specs belonged to my great-grandmother, Lena May. They’re from the ’60’s and, barring an unfortunate incident this autumn where they broke in half right before my eyes…  Read More →

A little rain and some sun means the trees in our new neighborhood suddenly look like they’ve been frosted with icing, and the sweet scent of spring blossoms is blowing through the air. Like a lot of neighborhoods across the country, our little urban enclave along Divisadero Street in San Francisco has been undergoing a beautification treatment in the last few months, which means more trees for all. While Divisadero itself has been a little... 

today’s final before & after (stay tuned for a new “ we like it wild ” post at 1pm!) comes from melanie freeland. melanie and her husband are architects and purchased a beautiful craftsman home in los angeles a few years ago. looking to update their space, they’ve slowly been making renovations on their own to give the living room and kitchen a fresh look (which hadn’t been updated since the home was built... 

ever since amy’s fun post on the history of murphy beds , i’ve been on the lookout for cute modern murphy beds online. so i was thrilled to hear from claire at little dog vintage about her amazing custom murphy bed! claire lives in a 500 square foot studio and was short of space for both storage and sleeping. so she decided to work with a local …  Read More →

this next before & after trio is dedicated to my favorite combo: tables and chairs. first up is melkorka kjarval of the little big house . melkorka decided to make over this table bottom (see “during” images below) with a new wooden top that she made and then pickled! i don’t often see a pickling process that i like, so i was happy …  Read More →

we’ve got a PACKED before & afte r day today so i wanted to kick things off bright and early with emily’s credenza makeover. emily, an art teacher and designer in denver , received this old credenza from her parents’ house and decided to give it a “lighter, cleaner” feel with some new paint, a bold purple interior and 60’s-inspired fabric curtains to match the mid-century form. emily loves the new look...