New Work from Jenn Ski

A cure for the winter blahs? Spice up the apartment with a little bit of color. Good thing Boston-based artist Jenn Ski has a few new pieces of artwork up her sleeve.

In addition to Jenn's paintings, she also has a line of giclee prints that run for under $50...a good buy if you're a penny-pincher like me!

You can view more of Jenn's work, including her card collection and cute totes, on her website.

New Pics!

I've been working like crazy lately to get the apartment in tip-top shape. I still have a little ways to go, but figured I'd show you what we've done so far. Tomorrow, we're painting the green accent wall and radiator cover a darker shade. With the deep chocolate stripe and gold accents we added, the bright citron green just isn't doing it.

The pictures in the dining room were bland and didn't really add anything to the room (ignore the dirt on my stairs!)

After talking about it for months, I finally painted the brown stripe going from the dining room and into the living room to highlight the pictures and add interest to the room. I also changed the floating frames out for something a little heavier.

The old TV wall...

The new TV wall with new artwork, a red-painted tree branch, and the brown stripe from the dining room.


When your sitting on the couch, the branch makes the painting look 3D...kind of neat.

What a weekend...

Boy was it a busy weekend! I got my Snuggie Friday (a full review coming soon!) and spent most of that night wrapped up on my couch.

Come Saturday, it was time to get my rump in gear. We have a big event coming up this Thursday so my goal is to finish ALL the projects in the house by then. At first it seemed overwhelming...how could I accomplish everything in less than a week?!!

Surprisingly enough, we were able to transform a whole room in just 12 hours! It went from being a junk room/office to a lounge/"jam space" for Jerome and the guys to play music. The room's not completely finished yet...still waiting on a couple furniture pieces...but other than that it looks great! If we can keep up that momentum, we'll be done in no time.

More info on my "Thursday Surprise" coming soon. Until then, enjoy the picture a caricature artist drew of me. Pretty life-like!

In Case You Missed It...

This 344-square-foot apartment is comprised of one room that changes into 24 different configurations. A great idea if you're a city dweller!

I don't know if I'd like my whole house to be this way, but it's definitely a great idea for a home office, a kitchen, or a dream closet full of shoes! I'm still intrigued by the heated toilet he has in the bathroom! Check out the story at the New York Times website.

What do you think...too high tech or genius idea?

Stray Dog - Products > Sale

Stray Dog's having a sale on lighting.

Started in Mexico's back roads, Stray Dog's products are created from recycled materials and handmade by local artists...earth-friendly AND people-friendly! To take things the extra mile, Stray Dog donates a portion of every purchase to a worthy cause with their Stray Giving program.

If that's not a good reason to shop, I don't know what is!

White Tree Sconces - $160

Randy Floor Lamp - $325

Branches Lamp - $295

Check out the "Made In..." section of the website to see where all of Stray Dog's materials come from.

I've Been Sewing Again!

Something else I've been searching for: pillow shams. I thought they'd be easy to find but everything I looked at was $20-30 PER SHAM!! I never knew glorified pillow cases could cost so much!

I begged mom to make a pair of shams for me. Isn't that what you'd do if you're mom designed bedding? Surprisingly enough, she said no and gave me some mumbo jumbo about the pride that comes from doing it myself. Who needs pride?

After throwing a tantrum, I finally dragged myself to JoAnn Fabrics where I found the perfect fabric. Eight hours later (I'm a slow sewer) I finally have my pretty white shams.

Mom, you can say "I told you so" now!

West Elm Sale

My new brown mugs came from West Elm!

I searched for months for coffee mugs that were brown on both the outside AND inside. Not only did West Elm have them, but I got a set of 4 on sale for a total of $7.34...INCLUDING SHIPPING!


The colored dinner set is sold out but the white set is still available with free shipping. There are tons of other items up to 70% off...stock up now while you can!

New Design for All Collection!

Umbra Loft is the newest addition to Target's Design for All series.

Umbra combines technology and whimsy to create a fresh look with a flair for the dramatic. The candleholders and jewelry boxes are cute but Umbra's clocks are my favorite. From the small mantle clock (right) to the 4ft long sweeping wall clocks, they're all adorable!

I'd stop in now before the collection's gone. Target's Design series never last for long!

Eternal Mantle Clock ($24.99)