our mansion in the sky

these treehouses (via apartment therapy) have inspired me to go back to my parents' house in south carolina and spruce up our own "mansion in the sky." i helped my dad build our treehouse when i was in seventh grade (even had my first kiss there! shhh don't tell my parents), but i honestly don't think i've stepped foot in it in over ten years. kind of sad to think about, really... anyways, i think it'd be a fun little project to tackle one weekend.

design*sponge gets a facelift

let's all take a moment to ooh and ahh over the new-and-improved design*sponge site [ooh ahh]...

design*sponge has recently added a new member to their online team, amanda brown of spruce austin (those wise upholstery gurus), who will offer up her infinite wisdom and ever-impressive DIY advice through monthly step-by-step/how-to video segments.


there is nothing that excites me more than watching the folks at spruce reupholster a dirty, beat-up chair.

see what i mean?!

it's science!

the nerd in me had to post these delicious (and educational) scientific cookies i saw on make magazine's blog last week. the gel electrophoresis cookies are my absolute favorite.

gel electrophoresis

circuit board

when in venice...

i recently returned from a work trip to the west coast (los angeles/san diego). while traveling for work is always a little stressful, i managed to sneak away to venice beach for the day... here are a few of my favorite snapshots:

firefly -- venice, ca

i happened upon this great little shop called firefly on abbot kinney when i was in venice the other week. after browsing their collection of coffee table books, my amazon wishlist skyrocketed to upwards of 50 new "must haves." while i didn't buy any books in-store, i did walk away with a sweet little flower vase (a birthday gift for my friend claudia) and a picture frame for myself. be sure to check 'em out if you're ever in the neighborhood!

before/after

these are quite possibly some of the best "before and after" projects i've seen in a while (via design sponge). love what they did with this ikea dresser!

the great outdoors

longer days and warmer weather mean more opportunities for dining al fresco. check out some of these neat outdoor spaces: