Mixed Messages

I can’t stop thinking about all things outdoor related, and this witty doormat is no exception.  If you’re feeling friendly, turn it one way, and if you’d rather have some privacy, flip it over!  A mat for all moods… I love it!  (-Laur)

Come In/Go Away Doormat, $30, SKdoormat

Buckle Up

Yeah, OK, so I may have a fixation with chairs these days. But when I keep stumbling across far-from-ordinary (slash fabulous) designs, I feel obliged to share. This handsome guy will be finding a home in my current project as a bedroom desk chair. Lucky guy… (-Allie)

Buckle Chair, $795, Restoration Hardware

New World View

I love this idea: A globe covered with chalkboard paint, so you can mark off where you’ve been—or where you hope to go. What a nice reminder that there’s life outside of the daily commute! (-Moe)

Chalkboard Globe, $98, VivaTerra.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Our friend Kelli works at Seventeen, and she recently challenged us to come up with a Swatchbook for a teen girl’s room.  We did some research on their site – they’ve got a “Bedroom Battle” feature where you get to rate fellow readers’ rooms – and the main thing we got out of it was: girls love color. Specifically pink! So that is obviously our base color for this palette. But the challenge with your high school room is that you want it to grow up with you. So we toned down the color a bit, added some accents in blues and greys (with a pop of red to keep it lively), and – voila! – a color scheme that’s young and fun, but not so crazy you’ll hate it six months from now. (-Moe)

Paint colors: Rose Geranium A34-4, Sweet Dreams A52-3, Shooting Star A50-1, and Royal Hyacinth C45-6; all Olympic. And Poinsettia 150B-7, Behr. Paxton Wall Shelves in White, $49-69, West Elm. Klappsta Chair in Sanne Blue/Black, $199, Ikea. Primrose Bolster Pillow, $190, John Robshaw. Seventeen Flirt Sparks Rug inAqua, $199 for 5’4×7’8, Target. Bubble-Up Bedside Table in White, $199, PBTeen. Boka Table Lamp in Persimmon, $179, Crate & Barrel. Charisma engineered flooring in Weathered Walnut from Dream Home collection, $1.39 per square foot, Lumber Liquidators. Focal Point Grand Tuscan Frieze molding, $39.99, Home Depot.

Swatchbook Gift Guide: $10 & Under

As promised, the first installment of Swatchbook’s Gift Guide! First up: an assortment of budget-friendly tokens perfect for coworkers and friends. (-Moe)

Clockwise from top left: Big Colored Pencils for Tiny Hands, $10, at Fred Flare. NPR Map, $9.50, at Delight. This Economy Sucks, Show Me the Money and Tips coin purses, $3.99 each, at Blue Q. Connect Four Travel Game, $7, at MoMA store. Nose Pencil Sharpener, $1.95, at High Fashion Home. Enlightenment matches, $7, at Auto. Marled Knee-High Socks, $9.50, at Gap. Recycled Floppy Disk Notepad, $5.95, at World of Good.

Back to School…

I admit it: I was one of those students who LOVED tests. (And I not-so-secretly miss them as an adult.) So when I come across an online quiz, I get a little (OK, a lot) excited. So you can imagine my thrill when the fabulous Shelter Pop asked me to design a quiz of my own—on quirky kitchen gadgets nonetheless! Give it a try and see if I can stump you! Comment on the quiz and let me know what you score! On a related note, even more exciting news: Shelter Pop and AOL Home have signed me up as a contributor. So stay tuned for more fun and (hopefully) enlightening content! In the meantime, check out some of my favorite pieces, such as the view of Brooklyn’s $25 million clocktower penthouse or great products for dressing your home for fall. Click around the site for plenty of great reads! (-Allie)

Bags of Yum

It’s time to eat your way to eco-consciousness. These cute cutlery sets are made of bamboo, a renewable material, and the pouches are reincarnations of plastic water bottles. Plus, washing and reusing these babies – instead of trashing plastic silverware – cuts down on your waste. Not to mention: Fun colors! (-Moe)

RePEaT Utensil set, $11.95 each, at To-Go Wear.

Horsing (and Seahorsing) Around

Thanks to the lovely Patricia for sending me a link to Humble, a company that designs simple-and-sweet, but oh-so-fabulous eco-friendly home accents. They have far too many awesome items to highlight just one, so the entire company gets my Daily Obsession nod today. I’m especially obsessing over their new Seahorse dish towels (or guest bathroom towels) that come in a set of four juicy colors. They’d be a PERFECT addition to my mom’s colorful beach-side kitchen. Mom, click here to buy a set. 😉 Oh, and as if their looks alone weren’t enticement enough, Humble donates $1 of every sale to Coral Reef Alliance, which helps keep coral  around the world a Marine Protected Area (MPA). Gotta love that. (-Allie)

Set of 4 Seahorse towels, $36. Seahorse pillows, $34 each. Nautical Collection Seahorse Pillows, $34 each. Horse Pillow, $34 each.

Happy Father’s Day!

 

Since I’m home in Virginia, I couldn’t resist scanning in my favorite father-daughter photo (ok, making my dad do it) and sharing it with you.  Love you and Happy Father’s Day! (-Moe)

There are many moments when I dislike the fact that I live on the opposite end of the country from my family—but especially today when all I’d like to do is give my dad a HUGE happy Father’s Day hug. Dad, you’ve always been and will always be the greatest man I know! LOVE YOU! (-Allie)

Happy birthday…

…to me! I’ve been saving these cupcake stands for this very special day. Aren’t they the sweetest? (-Moe)

 Cupcake Stands, $37 for set of six, Victorian Trading Company.