i want to play with the hopscotch rug

March 16th, 2010

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I’ll be the first to admit I was never into hopscotch as a kid. I didn’t understand the point in taking time to draw the grid in chalk just to enjoy three seconds of hopping through it. Me? I was a four-square girl. This fact hasn’t swayed me from totally digging the hopscotch rug from CB2. Maybe it’s that I don’t have to draw the grid myself, but more likely it’s jut the fun-loving feeling I think it would add to a room. Sure, most people will put this in a kid’s room, but I think it would add loads of character to a living room. Buy the 100% wool rug for $199 here. — Erica P.

exclusive giveway for shelterrific facebook fans! liberty of london goodies from target!

March 15th, 2010

Become a Shelterrific Facebook Fan to win!

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Design magazines and blogs have been abuzz the past few weeks about the launch of Liberty of London’s limited edition line for Target that features 35 of their classic prints. If you’re obsessed like us, you logged on this weekend and tried to score some before they sold out. (Sadly, the insanely cute chairs are gone already!) But here’s the good news: We have a box chock-full of the collection’s home decor items to give to one lucky reader.

To enter to win, all you have to do is become a fan of Shelterrific on Facebook by next Monday, March 22nd at 9 p.m. EST. One lucky fan will be chosen by a random drawing to win a box full of goodies that includes: A lidded storage box, a ceramic Floral Piggy Bank, and a gorgeous Maynard Canister. Also included is a picture frame, some purse-sized notebooks, and small note cards.

Don’t miss this chance to snag these groovy items! Become a Shelterrific fan on Facebook now, and you could win! See more great Liberty of London stuff at Target here.

twin peaks decor: coffee, donuts, and pie

March 15th, 2010

Sheriff Harry S. Truman: Jelly donuts?
Special Agent Dale Cooper: Harry, that goes without saying.

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The only thing the citizens of Twin Peaks like more than a fresh-caught fish or the Miss Twin Peaks contest is a cup of damn fine coffee and an endless array of donuts or a slab of pie from the Double R Diner. (Played by Twede’s Cafe, which you can still visit today in pretty much its original incarnation.) Tula from Whorange helped us track down these fantastic additions to our Twin Peaks tribute.

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You may not want to take a bite, but it sure has staying power: a fake donut, $15.99, from Fake Food Online. We were amused to learn that David Lynch has his own brand of coffee! We assume it’s best served black as midnight on a moonless night. It can’t taste better than in a vintage Fire King mug (found on eBay) not unlike those at the Sherrif’s office, but we imagine a serving from an I’m Not a Paper Cup ceramic mug, $16, would be just as tasty. Also from Fake Food Online, keep a bit of Norma’s home cooking with you at all times with this fake slice of cherry pie, $22. You can also keep your coffee warm on your trek to Jacques Renault’s cabin with this knitted coffee sleeve, $18.

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Emory Battis: You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Miss Horne. You don’t know how deep you’re in.
Audrey Horne: Oh, yes I do. I’m Audrey Horne and I get what I want.

Of course, no tribute to Twin Peaks would be complete without a nod to the scene that launched 1,000 tries at tying a cherry stem with our tongues. Audrey Horne, we toast to you with a Sweet and Snappy Cherry Drink, a sweet and sassy cherry knob from Anthropologie, $8, and a bit of Northwest flavor: Chukar cherry pie and cobbler filling, $14.95.

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Finally, we’re sure that there are cherry pie recipes to die for, but frankly, we don’t have the patience for rolling that crust. So for us, this cherry cheesecake that Paola Thomas of mirrormirror made using a Nigella Lawson recipe. Paola also took that gorgeous photo above. So mouth-watering, you’d think it worked at One-Eyed Jack’s.

Previously on Twin Peaks decor:
The Lady with the Log
Welcome to Twin Peaks

five things we learned last week

March 15th, 2010

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1) Really into Twin Peaks decor? You can buy Laura Palmer’s entire house. Jess says: My husband and I have been house hunting, and while browsing we ran across the house used as Laura Palmer’s home on the show! It’s for sale, so you really could take the whole decor tribute one step further and spring for this beauty. Thanks for an awesome find, Jess! See our Twin Peaks tribute starting here.

2) Do you wear an apron? Heck yes. And if you don’t, you fully intend to, according to our comments. Letitia says: “I definitely wear an apron when making bacon and chicken cutlets. I also wear one right before a party starts and as the guests arrive. Even though the food is all prepped, I still have to pull it out of the oven and fridge and reposition that crock pot of Nancy’s meatballs! God forbid I spill something on my outfit! And of course, I wear an apron when Clyde gets a bath…Two things that an apron MUST have are an adjusting neck strap (you’d be amazed at how many are not adjustable!) and at least one pocket.” Good tips. And Clyde’s a dog…right? Do you wear an apron?

3) Guinness cupcakes, now with icing recipe. You liked the look of Katie’s Guinness cupcakes, but you had questions. Elayne says: “How many cupcakes do you get from the ingredient amounts that you listed?” And Katie answers: “The recipe made about 20 cupcakes (although, fair warning, I couldn’t get a decent count since they were gobbled up so fast!). I used out of the can, store-bought icing. I used plain old vanilla, melted it in the microwave to smooth it out, and dyed it green. For a really decadent St Pat’s treat, the girl’s at We Are Not Martha have a recipe for Bailey’s frosting that would be delicious on Guinness Cupcakes.”

4) Pewter stoneware shines on. Virginia says: “The ‘Pewter’ Stoneware from Juliska is fabulous and shiny (but I don’t think that is such a bad thing). Pairing the Pewter with Juliska’s Berry and Thread pattern creates an instant modernized, cutting-edge look to an otherwise classic table-set. My favorite piece in Pewter Stoneware is the ramekin. It can be the perfect end to a dinner party when you bring out individual desserts in the ramekin.” See the oven-safe “pewter” here.

5) You have the hots for El Yucateco sauce. Roche says: “I try a lot of hot sauces, and this is the best one out there. Everything from the fancy-nancy to the homemade fails to compare. It comes in green and red, which are essentially the same, but then there’s a brown chunky kind that will kill the uninitiated. It’s really strong, in a really good way.” El Yucateco, here we come.

blogwatch: where we were clicking this week

March 12th, 2010

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Chicken pot pie gets simplified at Bitten. Looks like the antidote to a cold late winter night.

It’s impossible not to drool for this coconut milk fudge at smitten kitchen. Bookmarked!

We’ve gone on about city chickens. Now Good has a post on backyard bunnies. (Warning: skinned rabbit photos at link.)

It’s kitchen and bath month at Apartment Therapy, which is perfect, as we seem to perpetually have bathroom remodeling on the brain. This roundup of dark grout in bathroom is a great big bunch of “Yes.”

An adorable desk organizer made of soda bottles at Craft. Looks doable for even the clumsiest craftster (like some of us here, but we’re not naming names)!

Do your devices keep powering down? The New York Times has tips on keeping device batteries going and going.

A mushroom even us fungiphiles haven’t tried: the hedgehog mushroom, at the Kitchn.

Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded what magic a little paint can do. Pimp your bookends, at Decor8.

It doesn’t cover every question, like whether it’s appropriate to have a housewarming party two years after you moved in (”The house just isn’t ready yet”), but Casa Sugar has many other helpful housewarming party tips.

twin peaks decor: the lady with the log

March 12th, 2010

FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper: Who’s the lady with the log?
Sheriff Harry S. Truman: We call her the log lady.

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From the woman who talked with a log to the man who played a deadly game of chess, Twin Peaks was jam-packed with character(s). And so is the next stop in our tour of decor. Wooden you like to come along?

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You’ll cut veggies as attractively as Leland Palmer cut a rug with these hardwood cutting boards and trays, $36. Keep warm on your fishing trip with the campfire votive, $25, and up the outdoor quotient with ceramic pinecones, $75. If you’re not up to a game of chess with Windom Earle (we can’t say we’d blame you), how about a hand of woodgrain playing cards? $12. Now you can have an intelligent log, too: USB wooden memory sticks will set you back 50-60 Euro. It’s not Owl Cave, but you can decorate with Cavern Blackbird wallpaper, then spin your vintage copy of “Pennsylvania 6-5000″ on your own Barky Turntable, $1298.

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Even at a funeral, everyone’s a suspect. So these Suspicious Paintings, $80, should feel right at home. Have a kinder, softer log with the stuffed log kit, $25. Wilhelm Staehle’s “I Deduce” owl silhouette print, $30, seems sure of the murder weapon. But, of course, the owls are not what they seem. Matte Stephens has perhaps our favorite piece of Twin Peaks-evocative decor we’ve seen: the Charles Eames as a Log limited edition print, $35. Want a creepy outdoor story anytime? Take the Actaeon At Home Vladmaster Viewmaster, $20, for a spin. The Yellow Owl Workshop Rubber Stamp Set, Winterscape, $26.25, lets you create your own woodsy crime scene. But if you just want to go curtain runner-shopping with Nadine, the deluxe eye patch, solid black, $3.95, should fit you nicely.

Next week: black coffee, the Black Lodge, and some real cherry ideas.

Previously: Welcome to Twin Peaks

post off: do you wear an apron?

March 12th, 2010

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Walking into Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, or even Anthropologie, you’d think that an adorable apron is just as essential to making a good meal as an understanding of baking soda verses baking powder. They’re always displayed in fancy baking stores alongside the cash rack (primed and ready for impulse buys), as bright and cheery as a Doris Day movie. I, for one, love the bright pink apron that I wear on busy baking days, but can’t recall ever seeing anyone else (outside the movies) wearing an apron while they bustle around the kitchen. So how about it, readers? Is everyone wearing a cute apron while cooking or entertaining, or am I just watching too much Mad Men? — Katie D.

welcome to twin peaks: a tribute in decor

March 11th, 2010

“Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men’s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee.” — Special Agent Dale Cooper

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When Twin Peaks made its television debut 20 years (!) ago, I was one of those geeky young folks who met up with friends to watch each episode while indulging in strong black coffee, an assortment of donuts, and, of course, delicious cherry pie. I recently got to thinking that while I may not want to live on the Twin Peaks set (though I now live just an hour from the famous falls), it was begging to be saluted in decor. So I invited the most stylish woman I know, Tula Jeng of Whorange, to capture the Pacific Northwest-inspired, slightly freaky, utterly fabulous feel of the show. Behold: from log to antler, a tribute to Twin Peaks in decor! — Mary T.

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Breathe that fresh mountain air! Smell those Douglas firs! And watch for falling deer heads. Above: Keep Twin Peaks green with a recycled cardboard moose or deer head, $28. Share a drink with Ben Horne in an animal shot glass, $32, or simply admire his taste in Native American artwork from the Steinbrueck Native Art Gallery. Get that modern rough-hewn feeling with a set of three birch lamps, $450, or an indoor mountain view with the Coat Range coat rack, $195. Keep the darkness of the Twin Peaks woods at bay with an antler table lamp by Jason Miller, $270.

Tomorrow: the Log Lady!

a camera so simple, your dog could use it

March 11th, 2010

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We love our pets at Shelterrific, and often wonder what the world looks like from their point of view. Thanks to the Pet’s Eye View Camera from Fred Flare, $50, now anyone can get a sneak peak into Fido’s world. The water-resistant, lightweight camera clips onto your furry anipal’s collar. A timer can be set to snap a photo every one, five, or 15 minutes. The internal memory can hold over 40 pictures for you to gush over (and for Fluffy to use to update her Facebook page). There’s already one animal ahead of the proverbial pack. Our furry friend Cooper, a four-year-old American Shorthair cat who lives in Seattle, has been photographing his day-to-day adventures for more than a year now — he’s even had his work exhibited! My favorites are the portraits the portraits that he’s snapped of his human family — especially his new baby brother. — Katie D.

a trip to texas for a matchbook?

March 11th, 2010

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I’m seriously considering a trip to Texas based on a matchbook I saw on Sub-Studio. This totally awesome design is by Christine Celic Strohl for La Condesa, a Mexican restaurant in Austin. I’m convinced that a restaurant that’s cool enough to have commissioned these matchbooks must be worth a visit. Any Austin readers in the house who can confirm? — Erica P.