in love with the benjamin moore iphone app
I was reading through the October issue of Sunset magazine the other day, and saw a little snippet about Benjamin Moore Paints‘ groovy new iPhone app, Color Capture. It accesses a photo in your iPhone, analyzes the colors, and matches them to shades in the Benjamin Moore catalog. Give your iPhone a shake, and Color Capture will then produce four coordinating shades to complement your chosen color. Then you can bookmark your favorite hues in your phone along with little notes for the future. The application then uses GPS to help find your nearest Benjamin Moore retailer! I have a feeling I’m going to be playing around with this one a LOT considering I’m already in love with Bejamin Moore’s Aura paint line, and I have quite a few color dilemmas of my own. I already messed around for half an hour and found five potential shades of gray for our dining room! If you’d like to download the app, it’s free — just go to the iPhone app store, search for “ben,” and select to install. –Megan B.
No iPhone? Try the Color-Helper.
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post off: how do you arrange your bookshelves?
Survey time, bookworms: How do you organize your tomes? Chronologically? Alphabetical by author? By genre? Have you made your very own card catalog for your personal library? (If you have, let’s be friends.) Mary T. artfully arranges her books by spine color — she says it’s not that hard, but also wants to point out that is not her home in the photo above! The effect can be absolutely gorgeous, but I don’t think I have enough tasteful orange-covered books to achieve the soothing result. Personally, I have two big bookshelves. The one in the bedroom is full of my absolute favorites and un-lend-able signed copies (close to the bed for easy access on sleepless nights). The larger bookcase in the office carries the rest, organized by genre, with the biggest shelf filled with Stephen King only. Sound off: How do you arrange your bookshelves? –Katie D.
feeling inspired by the bright ideas notebook
I woke up out of a dead sleep last week with the most fantastic idea for a recipe. I scribbled it down on the back of a receipt that was sitting on my dresser and climbed back into bed. I then forgot about it entirely. This morning I woke up and remembered having had last week’s flash of genius, but for the life of me I can’t remember where I stashed that receipt (I’m sure I threw it out). I’ve decided to put a notebook next to my bed to save me from a repeat offense. I’m thinking this Bright Ideas handmade book by Alison Hardcastle would be the perfect choice. I love the design of the screen-printed cover (and the fun lightbulb stickers that come with it). Buy one here for about $15. –Erica P.
want it now: chirping bird paper clip holder
The summer is winding down and the winter months are creeping up on us. All those lucky little song birds will fly south to escape the snow while the rest of us are stuck here to suffer the sleety commute. To get you through those winter blues, the chirping bird paper clip holder from Perpetual Kid, $14.99, is a pop of color to brighten up an otherwise dreary desk. Not only is this little guy adorable, but he’ll punctuate any paper clip usage with a happy little chirp. –Katie D.
measuring spoons get a magnet makeover
In the test kitchen where I sometimes work, we have a drawer full of measuring spoons. Many of them have been disconnected from the o-ring that at one point kept them in sets. For the most part I prefer them this way. I always find it difficult to carefully measure out a teaspoon of vanilla with 4 other spoons hanging awkwardly from the end. That said, it can be more than a little infuriating to search through a drawer full of utensils for a tiny little spoon that is lost somewhere between the vegetable peeler and the can opener. This is why I’m in love with the Stainless Steel Double Magnetic Measuring Spoons from The Container Store. The spoons stack together magnetically, but easily come apart for use. Purchase the spoons for $14.99 online. I’m going to pick up a set for my home kitchen, and then see what I can do about my work kitchen! — Erica P.
