Archive   |   March, 2009

if you’re thirsty for soda, try dry

I’m proud that Dry Soda is a local Seattle company, but even more excited that you can now find it virtually all over the continental U.S. or, if you prefer, buy it online. What’s so special about it? Well, personally, I love carbonated drinks, but not all the sweeteners. Dry Soda has a, dare I say, sophisticated flavor — but still quite tasty! — heavy on the refreshment but not heavy on sweetness. They’re flavored with natural fruit, flower or herb extracts and a small amount of pure cane sugar. (No high-fructose corn syrup.) And the flavors are something special — I’ve had Lavender, Lemongrass, Kumquat and Rhubarb, and I love them all. And they’ve just introduced two new flavors — Vanilla Bean and Juniper Berry. So next time you need to wet your whistle, I encourage to go Dry. –Mary T.

five things we learned last week

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1. Nothing says spring more than fresh flowers — and some new cleaning products! Emma writes of her seasonal ritual: “I put a large vase of daffodils, tulips, etc. on the kitchen table and fling open the windows. Oh I love spring!” Click here to tell us how you get your house ready for spring, and you could win a Mrs Meyer’s Snap Pea Cleaning Kit!

2. We don’t have suffer overheating from our laptops. Tiffany says: “I have these and they’re awesome! Not only do they help keep my laptop cool, they also let me type at a much more ergonomically-friendly angle!” Click here to see what she’s talking about.

3. We’re very excited to have a second chance on Orla Kiely’s Target goodies. Jamieofalltrades is excited to know that the stores are restocking in mid-April: “I really wanted some kitchen towels and now I’ll be able to snag something. Thank you!” Click here to read all about it.

4. When something we want is too pricey, the sewing machines come out! When we wrote about a shower curtain that was too expensive for her daughter, S’mee had another plan: “We went shopping… to a fabric store. For about $25.00 we were able to purchase enough fabric to make one exactly like it! It took me a couple of days to cut and gather all those tiny ruffles, but in the long run it was well worth it. ” Click here to see her inspiration.

5. We were looking for a cool retro radio, and you found it!
Paola wrote in to identify the object of our lust: “That’s a Roberts radio – they’ve been hugely popular in the UK for the last few years and have become a design cliche.” Oh, well — cliche there, fresh find here! Click to see.

blogwatch: where we were clicking this week

Like the Harri Koskinen block lamp? You can win one from Lushpad.

Want to save water this spring, literally? Set up your own water supply with help from Charles & Hudson.

Curtains can mix and match (and look great). See how at Casa Sugar.

A simple tip on hanging pictures evenly comes from Mrs. Blandings.

More Ways to Waste Time has just fantastic prints by Brandi Strickland — go look!

We always like finding a colorful new shop, and Modish found Red Velvet Art.

Here’s one we could use help with, from WikiHow: how to remove tomato sauce from fabric.

Planning makes perfect at Eddie Ross.

Trunks as a trend at Elements of Style — are you in on this one?

Take a look at some fun vintage wallpaper (one word: poodles) at Retro Renovation.

sales that make us happy

West Elm, 20% off cute office storage, like the above woven storage boxes.

Click! Design That Fits, 20% off entire order (including already discounted items) throughout the month of March — enter code MARCH20 at checkout. In-person or phone, get 15% off one in-stock item — mention “March online sale.”

Designpublic.com, 50% off select OFFI furniture.

Conran Shop, 20% off all furniture, lighting, rugs, and upholstery.

Paper Source, save up to 50% off envelopes, wedding invites, stationery, and more.

Fishs Eddy, 20% off the melamine collection.

Dwell Studio, take an additional 25% off items already on sale. Enter code SALEONSALE09 at checkout.

hot laptop? cool feet!


My laptop gets hot. Really hot. I don’t know if it’s due to the voracity of my web surfing (I kid, I kid), or just standard happenings, but I like the idea of cooling it off. These suction cup “cool feet” over at Charles & Marie would do the trick. According to the writeup, they will also increase the efficiency of my machine: “when laptops release their excess heat, they become faster!” Sounds good to me. Pick up a set for just $13 and start chillin’. –Erica P.