PictoBrowser

This handy little tool lets you display a Flickr photo set in a blog post, like this. Nifty. To set up yours, click "PictoBrowser" in the lower right corner.

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Metremade desktop wallpaper

Noting my computer wallpaper fetish, Tess from Metremade sent me a link to their collection of patterned backgrounds. Help yourself right here. (In Firefox on a Mac, control-click the pattern you like. Choose "View background image," then control-click that image. Choose "Set as desktop background." If the image stretches to fill your screen, choose "Open desktop preferences" and set the display to "Tile."

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Simple notecard with buttons

I stole some cute buttons from my mom's stash and repurposed them here. If you want to make this easy notecard, download the PDF template and print it out. (Each sheet makes two cards.) Cut the sheet in half and fold the two cards. Attach some colorful buttons with hot glue and round the card's corners if you want. This could make a quick and easy Valentine, especially if you use red and pink buttons.

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Good design and cattle

Two things dear to my heart. My family runs a dairy operation in Minnesota. I grew up ignoring piles of unattractive ag business magazines, so I'm completely dumbfounded by the new look of Dairy Today. My mom just emailed me pictures she took of the first issue, knowing I'd get a kick out of it. The redesign is by Pentagram (AKA, super famous design firm). DT certainly called in the big guns! You can see the before and after and read more about the design decisions here.

These must be cow supermodels because they're squeaky clean, don't have ear tags, and one is sporting a bridle. Work it, girls.

Update: Excuse me, that's a halter, not a bridle. Thanks, Pa. I've been in the city too long.

(Images from Pentagram)

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Photoshop is easier than sewing

While scheming about projects to make with fabrics from my new line, I figured I'd test some ideas to see if I like them before I go through the agony of actual sewing. Some of this might be on the ambitious side for me. Who am I kidding? Reupholster a chair? Definitely beyond my skill level. But I think I could pull off the pillow.

I would love to see what you guys make from Modern Flora. And now you can get started, because it's available to order at j caroline creative! Yep. Right here, right now, for How About Orange readers. The link is hidden on her site so only people clicking over from here will find it. And better yet, Caroline is generously offering 20% off Modern Flora purchases just for you guys! (Ssshhh, don't tell anyone.) Enter the coupon code ORANGE at checkout to receive the discount. The coupon is good through this Wednesday, January 30, so don't waste any time. The fabric will be advertised to the rest of the world on Monday morning.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and enthusiasm, guys. You're wonderful.

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Quiz: Donald Judd or cheap furniture?

"Who?" I asked myself. Never heard of this dude, but I bet I can tell the difference between furniture made by a "famous minimalist sculptor" and Walmart. Ready? Go! Um.... my result: 58%. Oops. Test yourself! And learn more about Donald Judd here.

(Image from reverent.org)

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Vintage coasters

See what I bought from etsy seller Fat Patch. Aren't they fun?

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Make little paper buildings

Look at this website! You can download tons of papercraft models for little dollhouses and shops and all the furnishings that go in them. I would have loved this when I was a kid. (Okay. Who am I kidding. I still love it.) The food models are cute, too, especially the paper sushi. Via Papercraft World.

(Images from Paper Museum)

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Mid-century modern postage

Eames stamps come out this summer. Via every design blog on the internet.

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My fabric is finished!

I'm thrilled to pieces to reveal my freshly printed fabric collection, Modern Flora, created for J. Caroline Designs. Remember that sneak peek from ages ago? It has finally materialized! I just returned from the print run in Massachusetts.

Sprig, Peapod, and Leaflet are printed on 54" wide 7 oz. canvas, perfect for home dec projects like cushions, bags, upholstery, shower curtains, you name it. Herb is printed on a 54" wide mid-weight cotton sheeting, good for linings and projects where you'd like a lighter weight fabric.

How did this collaboration with J. Caroline Designs come about, you ask? Caroline stumbled upon my blog, decided to take a crazy chance, and hired a girl who had never designed fabric before. In other words, we met online and it was a match made in heaven. Countless hysterically funny emails and one face-to-face meeting took place over the course of several months, and here's the result.

The finished product should arrive in Caroline's store, J. Caroline Creative, in 10-14 days. Get ready!

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Guess where I am

I'm overseeing the print run of something fun. More about that later!

(Image from netstate.com)

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2008 greeting cards

I procrastinated too long to get Christmas cards out this year, so I opted for "Happy 2008" cards instead. Here's what I made. What a totally unexpected color choice.

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German apple pancake

I give it two thumbs up.

What you need:
2 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp. butter
3 medium granny smith apples peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

What to do:
Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 500º. Combine eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, salt, and granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and process until well mixed, about 15 seconds. Add the flour and process until lump free, about 30 seconds; set the batter aside.

Add the butter to a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Add the apples and sprinkle them with the brown sugar. Cook for 9 or 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden brown.

Remove pan from heat. Quickly pour the batter around the edge of the pan, then over apples; place pan in the oven. Reduce heat to 425º and bake until browned and puffed, 16 to 17 minutes. With a heatproof spatula, loosen the edge of the pancake. Invert the pancake onto a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately.

(Recipe from Swiss Ms. back when she was American Ms.)

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Rooms for youngsters

If I had a bigger place, and lots of money, and a couple kids, I would put them in a room like this. Fun. I wonder how long it would take them to learn to swing from the lights? See more room ideas for babies and kids at 2Modern.

(Image from 2Modern)

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FOUND magazine

Visit their site to see the "find of the day." A new photo or note found in a public place is posted daily (use the arrow underneath to see previous finds). There's some crazy stuff floating around in the world. You will scratch your head in bewilderment. I forgot who gave me the link to this site, but thank you!

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How to paint a file cabinet

A recent project. Our steps:
1. Hunted for a file cabinet in all the major office stores. Became dismayed to learn they only come in black and a nasty putty color. Had hoped for white. Settled on the only silver cabinet we saw.

2. Carted it home. Became dismayed to see that it stuck out like a sore thumb in the office. (Accentuated by the fact that the north corners of our room have slanted walls that prevent sliding a cabinet all the way back, so it literally stuck out. But we expected this part.)

3. Impulsively decided to paint it white. Googled to learn how.

4. Determined we needed: sandpaper, spray primer, and spray paint for metal. Got these at Home Depot.

5. Detached any removable hardware that we didn't want painted, e.g. the drawer handles.

6. Sanded the cabinet to rough it up and remove any oils transferred from our hands. This helps the paint stick. Wiped off the dust with a damp cloth.

7. Put painter's tape over any hardware we couldn't detach that we didn't want painted, e.g. the lock and side edges of drawers.

8. In a well-ventilated place (okay, it wasn't, but I don't want you to sue me if you follow these directions and end up getting high), we put down a drop cloth and sprayed a coat of primer on the cabinet. Followed directions on can for application and drying time. Started with the back side to get our technique down. Worried that it looked uneven. (Turns out it doesn't matter. It will be covered up later.) Used up one can of primer.

9. Applied as many light coats of spray paint as needed for good coverage (three, in our case). Note: don't spray on too much at once or it will make drips that run down the side. Luckily that spot is in the back. Used up 1.5 cans of spray paint. Allowed it to dry. We like it!

Note: If you know ahead of time that you're going to paint a cabinet a color you can't find anywhere, and you don't have the cabinet yet, you may as well buy a used one and save some money.

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Glowing things

Check out these candleholders, a Christmas gift from my girlfriends. I happen to know you can get them at Pier 1 very reasonably priced. The girls remembered me admiring them in the store, and now they are mine!

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Make a lucky paper cat

I kind of want to make this Japanese cat to go with my paper bamboo, but I think it might be too much work. If you want to give it a go, here's the downloadable, printable template.

(Image from Canon)

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When black binder clips simply won't do

I just spent $2 of my Christmas money on a pack of trendy faux bois binder clips from Staples. They also have a fetching black and white pattern in a larger size.

I know. Who'd have thought "Staples" and "trendy" would appear in the same sentence? Seriously, why are all the office stores in this country so dull? Office Max, Office Depot, Staples... They're like the PC in the Mac commercials. See Jane Work is the Mac. Please, SJW, open brick-and-mortar stores all over the country. Hurry!

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Desktop wallpaper addiction

I can't help it. Changing the wallpaper on my computer is a compulsion. Get these and other "colourcode" wallpapers here at Olschinsky, which appears to be an Austrian design firm.

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Random act of kindness

Look what came in the mail recently, all the way from Australia! A mysterious person called The Craft Fairy sent me a box of orangey goodness. The Fairy has a blog and lists random acts of kindness as her single interest in her profile. Thanks for making my day, CF!

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Quiz: Famous or unknown artist?

View a painting and decide whether it was created by a famous artist or an unknown artist. I was a lucky guesser and only missed one, but learning who the "unknown" artists were was the best part. Take the quiz here.

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I don't mean to make you all jealous, but...

I got Charley Harper plates for Christmas. A wonderful surprise.

[1/4/08 update: If you decide you need Charley Harper dishware, this pattern is called "Harper's Harvest" and is manufactured by Tag. You can get the cup and saucer set that matches my plates here, on sale now. The full product line is available from TAG here. And I discovered that Tag has a secret, hidden outlet store at 1730 West Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago. We were out and about yesterday and stopped in. They have four or five of the serving bowls, one platter, and one table runner in stock. And some great modern furniture, on an unrelated note, if you're looking for a coffee table, side table, or chairs.]

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Free printable desk calendar

Need a 2008 desk calendar? Download and print these sheets compliments of Blueprint magazine. Detach the front cover of an ordinary CD jewel case, put it on backwards, and insert the calendar pages. (Note a commenter there said the pages need to be reduced 85% to fit the case, so you might want to do a test before printing all of them.)

(Image from marthastewart.com)

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Happy new year

We had a great time with my family for Christmas. It's a 9-hour drive to the farm in Minnesota where the view looks like this in every direction (minus the tree, generally). We stopped at the Spam Museum in Austin, MN on the way. It made me hungry for a spamburger. You should go if you're ever in that neck of the woods. Or plains.

Hope you all had a nice break. Best wishes for a blessed and happy 2008!

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