burning man

burning man starts today!

dog days of summer: life's a beach!

the dog and i took a trip to the beach today. good times.

back to school: the small bus

i would not have minded riding in the small bus to school if it was this one: trick-y!

best outdoor showers, ever!

well, i dont know if it is because i havent tried it...yet! i really would love to rinse off in any one of these shown on apartment therapy. i like this photo, though, and i love this outdoor shower's simplicity. i think you have to get a special hose for potable water, however: the regular garden variety hoses shed toxins!

jellyfish as pet

i see jellies in the bay all the time: never really thought of them as pets though! think again: you can buy a complete jellyfish aquarium set-up at jellyfish art for just under $300.
i might put one on my wishlist!

underground resistance

i'm a house head until the day i die, but i did not specifically know of underground resistance, defining the detroit-based techno sound, til i saw a pod on current tv, al gore's baby and my latest addiction.

best birthday present ever!

yesterday was my birthday and this was my favorite present. thanks!

china dress

what should you do with broken and chipped plates?
make a dress, duh!

restaurant week starts today

dc restaurant week gourmet prix fix menus august 24-30

bethesda central farm market

the bethesda central farm market is all the buzz! with a thursday afternoon set up on bethesda lane and a sunday morning location on elm street, this new farmer's market aims to satisfy your culinary cravings. over 20 farmers, producers and vendors sell fresh produce, meat, poultry, cheese, bread, prepared foods, seafood, baked goods, and more. parking is free! (i'm headed there today, 3-7!)

dont re-cycle, up-cycle!

from the contemporist comes this flower-shaped chair constructed of pet bottles on a stainless frame: pretty, but functional? bottles can be swapped out when they become compressed, says artist pawel grunert, who designed it for the 'eco trans pop' exhibition in milan. not that i am all matchy-matchy, but the chair coordinates well with sarah turner's awesome light fixtures.

dial-a-screamer

depressed and angry about the econoclypse? share your story and be heard for free @ dial-a-screamer

woodland tree coffee table

the jardim paulista residence by brazilian architect arthur casas is a nice modern dwelling, but what really caught my eye was that awesome slab o'tree coffee table: that is gorgeous! i just had my not-quite-as-large-or-diseased red oak cut down and i wish i had a slice as nice!

love love this heartfelt etsy treasury!

vivilian is in love with yellow hearts...i'm not surprised: yellow is the hot trend and she has great taste! vivilian has two great etsy shops: vivilian, featuring elegant modern jewelry and clubviv, filled with adorable and fun stuff: check her out!

the bloody beetroots

maybe this should have gone on my gardening blog,

the rusty hoe...

r.i.p. eunice kennedy shriver

earlier this summer i took a trip with friends to penn quarter in dc. between cocktails, we visited the national portrait gallery where i snapped a photo of this fantastic painting of eunice kennedy shriver with some of the kids who participate in the special olympics' games. eunice kennedy shriver was indeed a special woman herself:

her creativity and innovative spirit will truly be missed!

red birds on a wire

speaking of feathers, just sold these red bird on a wire earrings from my high contrast etsy shop. not sure if they are cardinals or (male) summer tanagers, but whatever: they are cool.

perseid meteor showers' grand finale is tonight!

i am revving up for the perseid meteor showers' grand finale tonight. The Perseids light up the night when Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings past the sun roughly every 130 years. Tuesday night through Wednesday dawn offered viewers the best chance to see the most Perseids without as much glare from the waning gibbous—or just past full—moon. it still has some punch tonight: skies appear to be clearing here in heathsville, virginia and i am optimistic i will get a super show early this morning.

feather wig by katsuya kamo

wow...i love this feather wiglet from katsuya kamo designed for the spring 2009 chanel haute couture runway show: c'est fantastique, n'est pas?! (shout out to mom and dad for forcing me to take 9 years of french back in the day: i can also say "croissant" correctly!) i also have the perfect choker to wear under that great coat.

pretty in pink

usually i am not in favor of colored fixtures...but these look great in that all white display. yes, i think i like these, especially the shower basin. my grandmother would have wanted them in her house, which was ...pink!

chesapeake bay blue crab pendant

in honor of summer, a chesapeake bay blue crab pendant: delicious!

trend alert: shades of yellow are hot!

colourlovers is one of my favorite blogs: they are a social-networking site for design enthusiasts and cover real-time color trends as generated by it's users. its a really cool place and inspirational, design-wise. yellow had been a hot fashion color all year and continues to rise in the home furnishings market. colourlovers gives examples! i like it: my living room is a gorgeous shade of sunflower!

i broke my i-phone screen

tragedy happened on my tiled kitchen floor: the i-phone was momentarily out of her case, when she slipped from my grasp, plunged headlong onto the hard black floor below, and shattered into a million shards. i am devastated, and run to macbook pro for advise: he sends me to youtube.com, where i am taught how to disassemble the device, separate the glass from the digitizer and replace the screen while voiding apple's warranty. i am not sure why i have a warranty. i head to the apple store, make an appointment at the genius bar, and $200 later, we have a new screen. shit.

mushrooms

totally spied these sears (?) mushroom decanters at a consignment mall: nothing comparable ( read: "as cool") on ebay or etsy vintage.

think i will head back for the purchase. at $24 for four, the price was right.

ghosts of america past

ghosts of the past: the death of small town america is palatable. makes me sad to lose the history, but what kid would want to stay here? there is nothing to do!

i truly want to rip this sign off this wall, however!

happy birthday!

today is the mister's birthday: he is sooo old! i got him a lot of cool stuff to help take the edge off: dewalt cordless saw, bykali belt buckle via etsy , m"n"m treasures belt buckle also through etsy, waterproof binoculars for when he's fishing. i also made him a few things: a t-shirt with the silhouette of his boat; another one of a gorgeous chesapeake bay deadrise boat; amethyst and sterling silver cuff links and studs; and buttons! i fabricated these buttons out of an old hammered flask found at a flea market some months ago...took three hours, but i finally sew'd them on his favorite jacket so he can wear it today: shiny!

national goat cheese month

did i just read that august is national goat cheese month? i am going to honor this celebration of yummy-ness by eating goat cheese everyday...oops: i already do that...i guess i should eat twice as much so i can feel the festivity of it all! local cheesemakers include firefly farms, cherry glen goat cheese company, south mountain creamery and apple tree goat dairy. visit cowgirl creamery, whole foods or the new bethesda central farm market for more options. delicious! cool photo from alexanderromero's photo stream on flickr.

august

august is my favorite month because it is so summer-y and hot. i like it hot...and my birthday is in august. i was born on the cusp, so i am a leo/virgo. the mister is a leo, also born this month. the sturgis motorcycle rally is held the first week of august... the perseid meteor shower hits it's peak during the middle week...it is also national goat cheese month. august's birthstone is the peridot, so i made a couple of peridot pieces and loaded them to my herban elements etsy shop today.