Spring Re-Style - Add Some Color

With the gorgeous weekend coming (70's and 80's!) I think we're all ready for a little color.  Getting your apartment ready can be as easy as organizing your books by color, painting an accent wall, or adding pillows.

Bostonians: Confused about how to add color to your place?  Stop by Grand in Sommerville tonight for the first Design Deli featuring design gurus from Chroma Lab and Jace Interiors.  Bring your tear sheets, swatches, and questions and they'll serve up the advice.  Best of all, you can have a drink and shop Grand's grand selection while you're there!  Go to the Design Deli website for more details.

Clockwise from top left: Slipper Chair (available at Fabulous Mess); Stationery Set (available at Apt528); Bottle (availble at Taylor Ceramics); Knit Bowls (available at Speckless); Mini Bird Pillow (available at Apt528); Martha's Vineyard Wallpaper (available at Madison & Grow)

via xJavierx

via Decorology

via Decorology

via Home Decoy Ideas

On the Dial: MGMT

Congratulations - MGMT

When MGMT released a free download of "Flash Delirium", one of the tracks off their new album Congratulations, fans of their first album Oracular Spectacular were less than happy. Ben Goldwasser, one of the two full-time band members, released a statement saying in short, "I'm sorry." But what is he sorry for? This album is good, maybe even great.  It hasn't had the mainstream success that Oracular Spectacular had with the singles "Kids" and "Time To Pretend" but that doesn't mean MGMT is suffering from a sophomore slump.  They simply broke the mold after their first album and started fresh with all new sounds.

  I'm a huge fan of the synth-laden feel good party tunes from their first album, but this second effort has me really paying attention to MGMT. They put down the synthesizers and picked up just about everything else laying around the studio.  Now, instead of churning out a handful of radio hits, they ended up with a geat example of modern psychedelic rock. In my opinion, "Siberian Breaks" is either going to be the track that reels you in or throws you back. It's a twelve-minute journey that will leave you speechless.  

If synch is your thing, feel free to listen to bands that only deal in the synth world, but with Congratulations, MGMT is showing everyone they're capable of a whole lot more than that. I think it's a solid second effort from the duo (turned quintet on the road) and I can't wait to see them in concert!

Sounds Like:
  The Flaming Lips
  Hot Chip
  The Klaxons
  LCD Soundsystem

For the Woman Who Made You PB&J...

Time for a little self-promotion!  If you're still trying to find the perfect gift for mom, Apt528's got your back.  From quirky to useful, there's something for every mom at the Apartment 528 Store.  Order by Thursday for guaranteed Mothers' Day delivery (order by May 4th for vintage items).   

Etsy Shop of the Week: Woodtec

Finally, technology and nature coming together all thanks to Woodtec, creators of the wooden iPod/iPhone docking stations.  Now you have a stylish, unique way to charge your iPhone without it getting scratched on your desk or lost under your stack of papers.  Best of all, each docking station is made from real wood found on the forest floor and comes complete with a natural, woodsy aroma.

Mmm...Bacon!

Just a quick post to show you some fun, new products in the Apt528 Store. 

If you like pickles or bacon (two of my FAVORITE foods!) you'll love our new magnets.  They look just like the real thing and make great gifts, or keep them for yourself and use them at home or in the office.  Don't forget, use code BLG10 at checkout to save 10% off your entire Apt528 Store now through Monday.

Be back soon!

For the second week in a row I've barely blogged.  Between setting up my new computer (still trying to transfer files) and Jerome having the flu (we spent yesterday morning, our anniversary, in the hospital for his dehydration) things have been SUPER crazy!  I'll be back soon with all sorts of awesome posts.

In the meantime, head over to the Apt528 Store and enjoy 10% off your order now through Monday, April 26th.  Just enter BLG10 at checkout.

Enjoy!

Used Friday: New vintage additions

This Used Friday I'm sharing a few odds and ends that I've recently photographed for the vintage section of the Apt528 Store.  So far, there are only a few vintage items listed but now that I have my "photography studio" setup I can add many more! 

First off, a little photography DIY.  Yesterday I built my macro light box, or mini studio as I like to call it.  Actually, I made TWO light boxes!  The first one was made using directions from Jen Kiaba's photography blog.  It's super easy, you just cut holes in the sides of a cardboard box, cover them with tissue paper, cut a piece of posterboard to use as your backdrop, and use desk lamps for lighting.

The first light box

The box turned out too small and flimsy so I went to Staples and bought the biggest moving box I could find.  I found new directions online (can't remember the website) that suggested cutting up old tshirts or other fabric to cover the holes instead of tissue paper so I gave that a try. I made the box sturdier by making smaller holes.  Even thought this one was stronger than the first light box, it still wasn't big enough.  It would be easier if there was no top so I could take overhead and angled pictures.

The second light box

A photo taken with the second light box and edited for a "vintage" feel.  Alarm clock available at the Apt528 Store.

Which is why I decided to skip the light box altogether and just take overhead shots of some of the products on top of the poster board.  It was much easier and the pictures turned out just like I wanted!  I'm going to make one more Staples run to buy one of those tri-fold boards kids use for science projects.  The board will give me a white background so I can take shots like the one above without having to worry about my messy workroom showing up in the background.  As an added bonus, the tri-fold boards are easy to store as apposed to the light boxes which take up space.

Take a look at some of the new products I shot with the poster board for the vintage section of the Apt528 Store.

What do you think?

Tech Woes

I've only posted once in the past week.  It's not because I'm lazy, it's because my computer has been going bonkers for the past week.  Since Friday, the computer hasn't stayed on for more than 30 minutes.  Most of the time it doesn't turn on and when it does, it shuts down minutes later while I'm in the middle of something.  Mega frustrating.

After dealing with this for a week, I headed out to Best Buy and bought a new laptop yesterday.  It's a Toshiba Satellite like our old one so it was easy to get used to.  Still, I hate getting new computers and having to reload/download all your favorite programs and whatnot.  Transferring my files has been the biggest pain.

Anyways, I'm back up and running now.  And you'll be proud to hear that I also got a new camera!  After almost three years of horrible pics on the blog, I finally upgraded to a Sony Cybershot DSC-H20.  I've only used it a few times so far but it's so much more advanced than my old clunker camera.  Tonight, I'm going to build a lightbox to shoot some product images in for Vintage 528.  The current pictures are horrible!  I got the directions from an Etsy blog post.  I've never used anything of the sort before but it's supposed to disperse the light more evenly and help amateur photographers like me look a little more professional!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Etsy Shop of the Week: NESharmonica

Need a gift for the gamer in your life?  Or maybe a child of the 80's?  Check out NESharmonica.  They take old Nintendo cartridges and turn them into working harmonicas.  As the wife of a gamer/music enthusiast/80's lover, I know for a fact these harmonicas would top any Super Mario lover's wish list.  Heck, even I want one!  The best part...if you don't see a game you like in NESharmonica's Etsy shop, let them know and they'll do their best to get it for you.  Now that's music to my ears!

Used Friday: My New Scale

I FINALLY bought a kitchen scale! 

We're value shoppers and usually end up buying huge packs of ground beef at a time.  Trying to divide the beef into 1lb. portions to freeze is always a hassle...I know my guesstimates are wrong most of the time.  Which is why I need a kitchen scale to do the measuring for me. Of course, there are tons of scales on Etsy and Ebay that weigh small amounts of about a1lb, but I wanted a 25lbs. scale that I could also use for weighing meat for my 3lb. chili or use for weighing packages.

Which is why my search has dragged on forever.  Trying to find a 25lbs., multi-purpose, vintage scale that actually works and didn't cost a fortune was so hard.  But now, months later, it's done!

It's not as bright and colorful as I would have liked but I'm still happy.  I might paint the bottom a different color one of these days but for now, it will definitely do the trick!

Telestar's are back!

Remember the super awesome TV-shaped salt & pepper shakers from 51 Vintage Circle's Etsy shop?  Well, I'm starting to think Elea, owner of said store, has a thing for TVs because today she showed me the coolest televisions ever from Telestar's Predicta line.  Predicta's were popular back in the late 40's and early 50's.  Now, Telestar is bringing them back, with all the modern conveniences of DVD, cable and satellite connectivity.  If you're in the market for one of these retro beauties, expect to shell out at $1800-$3600...not bad for a gorgeous TV!

On the Dial: Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire - Funeral

This past weekend my mother- and sisters-inlaw stayed with the wife and I.  With four girls in the house, we did a lot of shopping.  Being a sucker for vinyl, I bought a couple of awesome records on our Newbury Street excursion, one being AC/DC and the other Funeral by Arcade Fire.  It's ridiculously good!

Arcade Fire is a seven-member, twenty-instrument, indie rock band from Montreal.  Though I'm just discovering the awesomeness of Funeral six years after it's 2004 realease, I've been a fan of Arcade Fire for quite awhile.  Getting this album just put me head-over-heels for them. Case in point: I learned "Rebellion (Lies)" on my bass the day I got the album.

Funeral is rock solid and I'm not the only one who thinks so.  It was nominated for a Grammy (it didn't win, boo!) and ended up on a multitude of year-end lists - Rolling Stone chose it as the number six album of the decade while it was number three in Paste Magazine's 50-Albums of the 2000's.

I recommend listening to any album you buy front to back, track one to track done, but if you can only sit still for a song or three here are my picks off this LP.  First, "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", one of their first real singles.  Written during a power outage in Montreal and full of energy and angst, "Power Out" is one of the darker tracks on a fairly dismal album.  Arcade Fire isn't a band that evokes joy. My second pick, "Wake Up", one of the most powerful songs I've heard in the past few years.  It starts with a single bassline and builds and builds into an explosion of voices that sends a rush of energy through you. Each time the song approaches the chorus and the singers join in together I feel it inside! I love that song.

Finally, "Rebellion (Lies)" is a great song with a steady rhythm and great female vocal accompaniment. Out of all the songs on this album this track is the most commercially accepted.  Most likely you've heard it on the radio already and loved it just as much as I did.

Regardless, grab this album and become a fan because this band isn't finished making amazing music!

Sounds Like:

  The Polyphonic Spree

  Vampire Weekend
  The Decemberists
  Wolf Parade
  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

The Weekender: Fun with Bondera Part 3

Two colorful things to mention today.  First, I finally found a spot to hang the mosaic I made a few months ago using Bondera.  When I created the piece, I had no clue where I was going to hang it or what room it would go in which is why it's taken me so long to find somewhere to put it.  After thinking about it forever, I ended up hanging the mosaic in the dining room...the first place I tried it months ago.  What do you think?

The second colorful (and exciting!) item I'm sharing today is our first wedding present!  When we had our small wedding this past August, our parents both decided to give us larger wedding parties this year with all our friends and family and told everyone to save their gifts until the parties.  Jerome's parents are hosting the first soiree tonight.  Yesterday we received our first non-monetary gift...a gorgeous serving set from one of the teachers at Jerome's school who can't make it to the party.  It was so exciting to open our first gift!  And look how perfectly it matches the house!!  Awesome.

On the Dial: Go

Jónsi - "Go"

Jónsi Birgisson is the lead singer of Sigur Rós, an Icelandic ambient rock group that brings emotion to light through music.  "Go" is Jónsi's solo debut and also (with the exception of "All Alright" off Sigur Rós' latest album) the first album recorded in English, which to some is appalling and to others amazing. I side on the amazing side - now I can finally ascertain the meaning of the lyrics in other songs!

Despite being a "solo" album, Jónsi stays true to Sigur Rós' sound by incorporating heavy drum beats with airy flutes and woodwinds. The electric guitars have been mostly cast aside for their acoustic siblings, while the cellos and other orchestral strings are present and accounted for.

There is almost too much to review so I will keep it short and sweet. "Boy Lilikoi" is a whimsical and festive encouragement to live life to the fullest and enjoy it all the way with lyrical refrains like, "...use your life, the world goes and flutters by..."  "Animal Arithmetic" is a percussionists daydream with a joyful rhythm throughout and plenty of woodwinds to add that necessary floating feeling to the track. The whimsy of this album is mixed with emotion on tracks like "Hengilas" and "Grow Till Tall."  Die-hard Sigur Rós fans should be happy. If you want to feel something in the music you listen to, get this album!


Sounds Like:
  Brian Eno
  Bjork
  Sigur Rós
  The Arcade Fire
  Massive Attack