another AT house blogger

again, not ours, but you can read it here.

diy console table

can i just say finding a good console table for a reasonable price is nearly impossible? or rather, they are never on craigslist.

after seeing this nifty article on making a rustic bench in this month's readymade magazine, we decided to try our hand at a console table using the same concept (just a little taller).

we found an old joist in a local salvage shop for cheap.



ordered a couple of hairpin legs from hairpinlegs.com (good name, huh?).



screwed in the legs.



voila, nearly instant table!  (picture below photobombed by you-know-who)



we're pretty happy with the result. it's modern and rustic, but most importantly, sturdy. i think a little lamp would look great on one end.

decal dream

it's not that the coroplast on our windows isn't cutting it. actually, it works great.

but wouldn't something like this be much more fun?


via dwell

i am fantasizing about a cloud scene on our storefront windows. not only would it provide privacy, it would eliminate the need (notice: i didn't say "desire") for artwork in our big room all together.  plus, it would be art that could be seen from the inside and out. I WANT! I WANT!

anyone know any vinyl decal artists?

godzilla baby

more AT house tour samples

not ours, but read 'em here and here.

how to disguise your cow as an english springer spaniel

go, audrey, go!

congratulations to audrey on her directorial debut!

what if wes anderson directed spiderman?

via jezebel

coming soon: AT house tour

a couple of months ago, apartment therapy put out a call for new house tour contributors from various cities. dabney and i heeded that call and gave a tour of our own digs as a writing sample (a.k.a. "secret project"). honestly, we're hoping that the addition of AT credentials might just give us the perfect excuse to go snooping around st. louis's coolest places.

we learned the other day that we've managed to make it to the next round, which means sometime over the next few weeks, our sample will be up on the AT website for all the world to see (and possibly pick apart). so, dear readers, we ask that when our time is up - that you'll be one of our kind commenters.

there are other folks who are vying for spots. so far, just this one post has made it up on the site.
amy & stephane's minimalism meets hoardinghouse tour

more soon...

this is the house that dayquil built

we've been battling sickness around here. first dabney, now me. in the past 5 days, we've gone through three boxes of kleenexes, two bags of lozenges, and 1/2 dozen dvd rentals.

i hate being sick.

cheap amplifier

need a cheap, non-electrical way to boost the sound of your smartphone?

i just love this not-so-recent tip from lifehacker... put it inside a glass and place it on a hard surface. how's that for a simple amplifier?



i tried this while taking a shower today, and my iphone was loud enough that i could here it* over the water.

this is an especially perfect solution while on the road and staying in a hotel. i guess it wouldn't work so well at the "riff raff inn" (mogo's economical chain of choice); they only have plastic cups.


* fyi: i jammed out to this.

man, was she cool.

this comes from my dear friend, C, who admits this was one of her favorite music videos of her youth and where she learned all her dance moves.

it's official

yesterday, i went with sis and bro-in-law to their millionth sonogram, where i stared at strange wiggling shapes for half an hour. but mostly, i did a lot of nodding and smiling when told i was seeing a hand, a foot, and a little butt. what do i know? - except that i am so psyched for my sis and bro-in-law. they're going to be make great parents.

well, it's 80% official*. dabney and i are going to be aunties to a bouncing baby GIRL! while the news was enthusiastically received by most of the family, a slight bit of disappointment came through in my father's voice over speakerphone. after years of living with my mom, sister, me and my aunt, how can we blame him?

after being told that my sister would be giving birth to a girl, dad asked, "oh. are you sure? ...but i already have so many girls." to all of us, it has been no secret that he already had manly images of afternoons fishing with his grandson dancing in his head.

next time, dad. next time...




* the little doodlebug had its little legs crossed so tight, it's gender was difficult to read.

baby bump

today, we find out if we are going to be aunties to a boy or a girl. to us, it really makes no difference. we'll spoil him/her all the same.

in the meantime, mama is doing just fine and seems to be keeping her sense of humor.

man, i love japanese commercials

here's one for giga pudding. don't blame me for this song being stuck in your head all day either.

we're part of the cool crowd

i totally understand these folks. even the title of the accompanying article, "chilled by choice," hits close to home.

with twelve foot ceilings and over 3600 square feet to heat, we generally turn down the heat in our day to day lives by economic choice.  it's only when company is over that we'll pump the thermostat up.

dabney and i have made a habit of bundling up while working and hanging out in our house/store. that often means wool socks, fleece, and flannel.  in fact, i am wearing almost exactly that: long-sleeved tee, wool sweater, fleece vest, cords, and wool socks.  i look like i am about to go for a hike in the vermont woods rather than spend a day at home.

hot coffee in the morning helps. how dabney drinks ice cold diet coke each a.m. confounds me.

that little woodstove works overtime these days and thank god for it.  i've made a little nest at the end of our dining room table 'cause it's the warmest spot in the house.

does anyone else put themselves through this each winter?

would i trade lower ceilings for warmer temps?  hell no.

va visitors

it sure was nice to spend a weekend visting with friends.  we hadn't seen j in a long time so there was much to catch up on, including a not-so-new relationship.  in fact, we had a ball getting to know r and loved that the two of them could laugh at filipino humor as only people with insider knowledge can.

we hope that they didn't mind us stuffing them silly with local fare and dragging them around from neighborhood to neighborhood.  it sure was fun.

again, not suitable for young audiences

not suitable for young audiences

(sculpture at the st. louis zoo)

friday bueller

remember this scene?



man, i crack myself up.