HF Weekly Obsession: Right On Time

I need a clock. I don't really have a clock in the living room, except on the DVR menu and if the TV isn't on, I can't see what time it is. That's quite frustrating. And so, I plan on buying a clock. Grandfather clocks are too big and the roman numerals are annoying to read. This clock, above, is cool and minimalist and easy for slackers to read. It's really just a chunk of wood with a power cord attached, but plug it in and red LED lights appear from behind the thin veneer displaying the time! File that one under "How the heck did they do that?". At $176, it won't break the bank, and all of your friends can ooh and ahh over your uber-stylishness. And that's priceless.
Wood LED Clock at High Fashion Home.

Happy Turkey Day!

Eat lots of good food, enjoy your family and friends, and, should you decide to go shopping on Black Friday, best of luck! Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo from Tastespotting.

Is Your Upper Lip Feeling... Naked?

A mustachioed wedding... So that's what mine was missing!

Does anyone else notice that the most random things seem to take off overnight and become full-fledged uber trends? Men have rocked facial hair of centuries, so why, all of a sudden, are people going gaga over mustaches? Let's discuss...

Mustache March

Growing your mustache is the latest way to raise money for charity. What happened to the good, old-fashioned car wash? Google "mustache for charity" and you'll get over 300,000 hits about the subject. Here are a couple to get your started:

Mustaches for Kids

Movember (sponsored by Canadian Club- maker of this hilarious ad. Oh, and beer.)

Michael Phelp's (America's swimming sweetheart) rocked a pornstache at the Olympics. 'Nuff said.


Mustache Hankie from Avrilloreti

If you're follicly challenged, a chick, or just don't want to deal with the upkeep, you have Mo options, too. Don't grow a scraggly trash stache! Just fake it.

Stylish Mustache Kit at High Fashion Home

Mustache on a Stick from Something's Hiding Here

Mustache Pint Glass from Bread and Badger

The moral of this story is, "Put a mustache on anything and it instantly becomes cooler". Feel free to experiment with little mustaches cut out of black paper. Put one on your dog, your girlfriend, your boss (wait until after your performance review for that one). Watch the hilarity ensue.

The Tom Selleck at Plan B Bar in Chicago. See the resemblance?

Mustachioed art. Hang that in your entryway.

And now, grow forth...

Oprah's Fall Bargains!

From Oprah Home's Fall Bargains for $50 or Less, here are a couple of nice items to pick up for the Holidays.

A cool glass vase with a flamenco lace etching. Maya Star: 512.912.1475.

Vintage etchings on a pillow with a forest on one side and a bird on the other for $24. West Elm.

A cool decorative frame with a chalk board interior for $20. Kikkerland.

Valley of the Dolls

Designs by Sonia Rykiel, Gucci, Giles, and Dolce & Gabbana.

For the 10th birthday of Russian Vogue, 31 magnificent designers lent their talent to create custom Matryoshkas- traditional Russian nesting dolls. On November 20th, the dolls will be auctioned off for charity. It's high fashion for a good cause... Happy birthday, Russian Vogue!

Designs by Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Marc Jacobs, and Antonio Marras.

Designs by Yves Saint Laurent, Moschino, Blumarine, and Dries van Noten.

Posters are Cool Again! Part Three

And now, to complete the trilogy, part three:

For the younger sister:

Poster for The Museum of Childhood.

For the Domino Magazine reader:

Modern Romance poster featured on the cover of Domino's Sept. 2006 issue, by Village.

For the pensive pirate in your life:

Pirate Posters by 826 Valencia.

For the girl who looooooves pink:

I Make Things poster by Samantha Hahn.

For those times when all you need is:

Love Candy poster by Made by Girl.

For the anglophile:

Keep Calm poster from Keep Calm Gallery.

Well, that's all folks. I hope you found some of these picks to be inspiring, because if not, I need to work a bit harder at doing my job! If you've found any cool posters you'd like to share, leave me a comment. I'm always up for a part four!

Posters are Cool Again! Part Two

I hope you enjoyed part one of my foray into posters. It's time for part two- posters for the kiddos and the music lovers, and a little DIY action...

For the hip eco-kid room...

Orange Animal ABC poster by Branch.

For the totally customized kid room...

ABC Kids poster by Made By Girl. It can be totally customized- color scheme and all!

For the music LOVER...

Mates of State silkscreen by The Small Stakes.

For the MUSIC lover...

The National Tour Poster by Spike Press.

For the Do-It-Yourselfer...

Try out the Rasterbator to create your own, giant poster. Mount on canvas or frame the pages, and hang. Cheap and chic.

Toys R Us: Don't Procrastinate!

This is short notice, but this coupon is good for 15% off on any one item at Toys R Us (In-Store Only). It expires tomorrow. Christmas is not too far away and I know people need to get some toys for their loved ones.

Posters are Cool Again! Part One

Remember the posters you used to have in high school? I used to tack mine up with ticky-tack so I could frequently rearrange them. I had all the cool pop stars plastered on my walls. Then came college, and I couldn't find a single dorm room without the requisite Dave Matthews Band poster on the wall. Posters have a bad rap, but there are lots of artists and graphic designers and general cool people out there trying to change that. You just have to know where to look. I'm going to tell you.

When you need a little motivation...

Alternative Motivational Posters from Right Brain Terrain.

When you need a LOT of motivation...

Limited edition screen prints by Orange Beautiful.

For the design addict...

Chair Exam poster by Blue Art Studio.

For the cinema addict...

Polish "African Queen" poster by Polish Poster Gallery.

For a simply cool graphic...

Poster by Ugmonk.

It's Fall Somewhere...

On the final day of our weeklong honeymoon, John and I made our way to Lost Maples near Vanderpool, Texas. It was about an hour out of our way, but WORTH IT! We don't get to experience the season changing like those in the Northeast do, but you can see it at Lost Maples. Peak time is late October/early November, so plan accordingly if you want to go. Here are a few pictures to tide you over until next Fall!

SUCK UK!

So here's a totally awesome website that you guys need to check out called suck.uk.com. We've got quite a few gift items from them in our store--so if you see anything you like, let us know!

Clocky is my new favorite toy! I'm never able to get up in the morning because I press my snooze button about 8 times every morning...I think this could solve the problem. :)

This is a bottle opener magnet so once you pull a cold one outta the frig, you can pop the top right off and enjoy!!

I like this doormat because you can either decide to let people know the can "Come In" or if you don't want visitors, tell 'em to "Go Away"!!!

So I know a few starving artists that might like a drumstick pencil, don't you?

Be a greenie and buy this SOLAR clock!

Laser cut into the shape of a common incandescent lightbulb. Too kewl!

Let's whip out this chess set and play!!

Book Madness: Day 1

Our team was inspired by the September issue of Metropolitan Home. In it, they highlighted the interior decor from the Showtime hit show, Californication. We decided to take on the task of building one ourselves, book by book.


11-15-08: Lady S' knees are hurting! Task seems daunting. Morale low. Hope to finish by the 2012 Olympics in London. But we will press on..a slave to our craft...

You might even find some surprises hidden within our book tower... No, your eyes do not decieve you. That's JK Rowling's wildly popular Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in there! Who knows what other classics we'll stumble upon in this journey...

Here's our inspiration photo and our goal. We think David Duchovny would be proud of our efforts.

Our fearless leader also got the grand idea to follow suit with a 3 row by 4 row stacked book coffee table:

This table was the talk of the of the town in its completion, catching lots of HFH customer's attention. (I've also heard the DaVinci Code is located within base.)




Til' next time..

When Ya Gotta Go...

This one is my favorite! The signs on the side read from top to bottom: "No tooting in the presence of the Queen!", "No peasants were harmed in the making of this Thunderbox", and "A man's throne is his castle" By David Querbach of Boerne, Texas.

When we began writing this blog, I thought of a lot of things I'd like to write about- fashion, interior design, cool findings, general stylish goodies. It's safe to say that outhouses did not top my style list. And yet, here I am, blogging about outhouses. On day two of the honeymoon, John and I went to Grape Creek Vineyard to sample some delicious wines (try the Black Label Port!).

A hot rod outhouse, flames and all. Love the wings! By Nancy McGalliard of Comfort, Texas.

Imagine our surprise when we encountered a plethora of outhouses. No, they were not functional, just totally pimped out- outside and in.

The inside view of an underwater outhouse. Note the algae green velvet seat cushion. The front view is the the photo above. By Dotti Brundrett of Kerrville, Texas.

The decorated outhouses are part of a traveling exhibit called Thunderbox Road. Local artists we invited to participate in the contest for cash prizes and, of course, bragging rights.

A front view of the hot rod outhouse.

Check out the Thunderbox Road website to see all of the Thunderboxes and get more information on the artists that participated. You can also vote for your favorite on the website. The winners will be announced on May 9th, 2009. Afterward, the Tunderboxes will be auctioned off at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas.

Outhouses by Rex Hausmann of Boerne, Tami and Charles Kegley of Boerne, and Betty Rhodes and Greg Glowka of Wimberley and Fischer.

Enjoy the pictures and make sure you check out the website. If you're in the Hill Country between now and May, look up the exhibit's location and see them in person!

A closeup of Rex Hausmann's Thunderbox.

And the inside view.

My wishy wishy list.

It's almost that time. I know this for a fact because I work retail and that means that when Santa rolls on through at the end of the Macy's parade it is officially the holiday season no holds barred. By last month, I had my holiday window display fully formulated and plan of action in place. I have more magazines in my mailbox and email inbox alerts singing the praises of the how to's for the fastest/ juiciest/ healthiest etc. turkey preparation. Brine, don't brine, breasts only, infuse, citrus, stuff, don't stuff... And please do not get me started on the best cookies of the season. I have my own tried and true recipe, but I try all the new ones every time. I am a holiday sucker. Growing up in NYC, my Mom and Grandma would pick my little sister and me up from school the Friday before holiday vacation, layer us in thermals, lacquer our faces in Vaseline to prevent chapping and we would make our pilgrimage on the subway from Flushing, Queens into Manhattan to see the windows and the tree in Rockefeller Center. The day would not have been complete without the ubiquitous pretzels from the street vendor and some hot chocolate. New York holiday bliss!
But I digress... It seems that the last ten years working in retail display, attacking holiday merchandising plans in August and installing all week prior to Thanksgiving (no rest for the weary ha ha) has not made me the Grinch you might suspect, but quite frankly the opposite. In fact, I am working on my indie holiday music mix now to play on my ipod while I apply vinyl lettering to our windows. Call it a whistle while you work approach.
So, in the spirit of the season (and I do work retail, soooo a bit consumeristic in my approach today) may I present my wish list part one. And yes, I did say part one. And yes, it is random because it is after all a wish list!

The Tall Sapien Bookshelf from Design Within Reach has an amazingly small footprint which would be fabulous for my studio apartment. In fact, I have a space set out already just waiting for this bookshelf to come home. I just can't decide whether I want white or gray. I did request this for my birthday but alas, no one took me up on it. So it remains on the list hint hint!

The Loeffler Randall Olivia D-ring flat boot and the Tashkent by Cheyenne Florent Hidden Platform Bootie are both available at ShopBop. (Two pairs of black boots are not unreasonable... One is a flat, and the other is a heeled bootie! So obviously different!) And while on ShopBop, check out the scalloped leather LAMB booties with the peep toe. I would be happy with these as well. (size 7.5 fyi)

The Alexander Girard Wooden Dolls available at DWR are actually on the top of my list. I have been obsessed with the quirky dolls for years and would live to have one (or preferably 2) on my bookshelf. I do have my favorites, but I promise not to be picky and adore whatever one you wish to bestow upon me!

This Charcoal Water Pitcher from DWR filters water using Iouseki stones and Binchotan charcoal to create filtered, mineral-rich water! Stones! I will have the coolest water filter pitcher around. And eco friendly! My ongoing quest to impress my jaded "been there, done that" friends continues! Onward... (please pause to insert evil genius laugh here) Besides it just looks so chic. I am smitten with the Beam Coffee Table from High Fashion Home. It's clean lines and juxtaposition of polished metal and reclaimed peroba wood is eye catching and stylish.

Little House in the Country

The Old Alsatian House in Castroville, Texas

Hubby and I just returned from our fantastically relaxing honeymoon in the Texas Hill Country, which means I have great stuff to share! Don't worry, it's nothing cheesy or super romantic. Just cool design, inspiring landscapes, and a bit of history.

I promise this is the only heart you'll see here, but aren't these shutters sweet?

Exhibit A: The Steinbach House located in Castroville, Texas (it's just west of San Antonio!) is a relatively new addition to their town, but the house isn't new at all. Oh, no. It was built in 1618. Yes, 1618, in Wahlbach, France. How, you may be asking, did it get to Castroville, Texas, then?

The posts that made up the entire house were held together using these wooden pegs.

Interesting story actually. The Steinbach family lived in it for many years, housing as many as 15 people (at once!) in the 1,232 square foot space. Eventually, the family decided to build a new house, so they disassembled the old one, labelling each post, and storing it for several years.

The posts were numbered with little wooden tags and stored.

It was shipped to Castroville in 1998 with lots of donations and help from many volunteers. The home was rebuilt and furnished and open to the public by March 2002.

The home was furnished with antiques donated by individuals from Alsace.

Can you believe a family of 15 lived in four open bedrooms and a small loft?

If you're ever in the area, I suggest you take a peek at it. It's absolutely adorable!

I love the patchwork!

A Domino Love Affair...

I couldn't help it when I saw the cover of this month's Domino- I fell in love. Then, when I flipped through the pages, that sealed the deal. I saw dark, nearly black walls everywhere and it's a look I know I love! It may be a lot of deep color at first, but it looks so chic, so antique. Charcoal grey paired with white trim or accents is very elegant, and every bright color is multiplied by a thousand against a dark wall. A dramatic commitment? Yes, but totally worth it. Check out the inspiration pictures I gathered, all via Domino, of course.

I Love The 80's...

File this one under "Awesome 80's Flashbacks". Designer Ignacio Pilotto fused the Rubix cube with Pantone color chips to give us the Rubitone. Each side features nine colors fading from light to dark making a beautiful new design for an old toy. The bad news is, it's not available for sale. So gaze upon the pictures longingly, or try pleading with him to bring it to the masses!

That's All Folks!

These screen captured shots, taken from the end of old movies, really caught my eye. I would love to get some printed and framed to make a unique grouping for a small space. Check out the entire series via Flickr and contribute your own if you have some. Enjoy!

Vote...in Style.

Vote ring by Renee Frances

This is not a rant on the importance of voting. I have confidence that you already know that. This is a lesson in election style. Support your candidate with flair be it Red State or Blue (or undecided)! Now get out there and do your civic duty!

Split Decision Toms by Toms Shoes.

Republican (above) and Democrat (below) silk or cotton scarves from Echo Design. The patterns are elephants and donkeys! Adorable!

Wallpaper, Wow!

Until designers stop coming out with amazingly innovative wallpapers (glow in the dark, light up, and heat sensitive, oh my!), I am just going to have to keep writing about them. Just when I think I've found the coolest wallpaper possibly imagined, someone else swoops in with an even cooler concept. I last wrote about wallpaper technology at the end of August, so I think it's time for another venture into the wide world of wallpaper technology. Yes, technology.

Phosphowall by day and by night.

It's never fun stubbing your toe on the way to the bathroom at 3 am, but "Phosphowall" by Ich&Kar will make that history. By day, the perky stripes soak up any light they can get their hands on, be it natural or artificial. Then, once every light has been extinguished, they cast a gentle glow on the room.

I love a good combination of light and design. The Nature Ray Charles wallpaper by Camilla Diedrich is a perfect example of beautiful technology. It also comes in a few gorgeous colors to enliven your decor. The first thing that came to mind, when I saw the green version, was the room designed by Andrea in the Swarovski challenge in Top Design. Wouldn't the Glitterbox Vertical Chandelier she used look breathtaking in front of this wallpaper?!

The green version of Nature Ray Charles wallpaper and Andrea's room from Top Design

A closeup of the Glitterbox Chandelier. Whoa.

Life is busy. This we know. If your looking for a way to multitask better, I love PixelNotes wallpaper by Duncan Wilson. The entire wall is made up of little post-it notes in four layers, all in different grey tones until you reach the bright red base layer. That takes the notepad by the telephone to a whole new level. I wonder if you could line your office with this...

This may seem low tech at first glance, but there's a whole lotta tech that goes into it. Every last detail of your wall is measured to create custom warping wallpaper by Surrealien. Subtle, yes, but so, so cool as well.

I've saved my favorite for last. It doesn't light up or make pancakes or anything like that, but it's really neato. Basic white wallpaper by Samantha Johnson, complete with a zipper, so that you can layer the incognito wallpaper over something bold, and unzip your zipper to reveal the bright paper beneath it. Let your imagination run wild!