I found this article in yesterday's New York Times about Wendy Johnson and her garden in Muir Beach, California. Inspiring reading for your coffee break today. The slide show has some beautiful images.

We've covered bulbs and the different types of lighting in The Ultimate Turn On: Lighting and Bulbs on Wednesday so now for the fun part (insert big happy face here) shaaa-opping! We all love this part, right? This post will lead you to some of my favorite sources for lighting but of course please chime in if you have any to add to the list so Simply Stated readers can be in the loop, too. Ready? Okay, let's go!

The Emperor's New Lamp from the portfolio of Swedish decorator Isabelle Halling.

I've tried to group them into categories to make this a little easier to navigate...

Handmade Indie Design

• Perch Design - I am 100% smitten by their ceramic birdie pendants. Can you resist such cuteness?
• Cicada Home - Handmade lighting for as low as $38 on Etsy. Yes, Etsy!
• Draw Flowers - Handmade retro lighting from Italy on Etsy.
• NICE - Handmade lamp shades that are feminine, affordable, and fun. Another Etsy shop.
• Orike Muth - I am nuts for Orike Muth's handmade Asian-themed lighting. She's based in Germany but ships to America and she's really, really nice (I met her). Her work is far better in person, trust me on this, photos do little justice. When I get to Germany this summer I'll show you her atelier if you'd like so you can see for yourself...
• Re-Surface - A Brooklyn-based indie lighting designer with work that has a very urban edge to it, it's super unique. Also an Etsy seller.

Modern - Other

• Scandinavian Design Center - They carry some awesome Scandi lighting, I have a soft spot for the Emperor's New Lamp (shown in the photo above), the stylish new Can, the Norm03, and the Bumling in white. 
• Roost Living (UK) - Love their lighting. Not a lot of inventory, but what they do have is excellent and their selection rotates throughout the year so check back each season.
• 2Modern - A terrific source for modern lighting from task lamps to pendants, the selection is great.
• Design Public - Great lighting from lots of companies, I'm looking into ordering the Orbit chandelier myself, I've been wanting one for ages. I ordered a large pendant Mibo light from them last year and it's great. The guys who own it are super nice too, I've placed a few orders with them and I'm always impressed with shipping and exceptional customer service.
• Greener Grass Design - Unique lighting, lots of European designers represented, tons of different shapes and materials, makes decision making hard!
• Velocity Art & Design - Modern lighting, fantastic people to buy from (they have an excellent relationship with their clients), and they carry some fabulous lights from Jason Miller with a definite hip hunting lodge vibe.
• Modern Dose - Family owned and based in New York, lots of modern goodies to choose from.
• Hive Modern - A modern lighting lovers dream. What a massive selection!

New - Classic, Romantic, Whimsical

• Shades of Light - Everything from Sconces to table lamps. Prices vary. Don't miss their sale items.
• Ballard Designs - Lots of classic and romantic styles, a very large selection and good customer service. Be sure to check out their chandeliers.
• Horchow - Lighting for all decorating styles, sometimes the prices can seem a little hefty but if you sign up for their email newsletter you won't be disappointed. They frequently have 20% off sales announced via their newsletter.
• Maura Daniel - "I can resist everything except temptation" - Oscar Wilde. When a website greets you with a quote like that, you know you're in for a treat. Maura Daniel gives you a chance to customize your own lighting, from shades to bases.
• Michelle Varian - Love her wood veneer shades, brass accordion lights, and her very unique cluster lamp.
• Stray Dog Designs - Colorful, quirky, whimsical.

Vintage/Hollywood Regency/Industrial

• Pieces - I frequently cruise this shop for vintage lighting in bright colors and crisp white shades. So fresh!
• LUM - A place you go when you have money to spend, but wow what a GREAT place it is. Vintage finds like you've never seen before. So haute!
• Tonic Home - The owner is fabulous, I've heard so many great things about how she deals with her customers, it makes me want to sing her praises from the rooftops! The fact that she carries exquisite lighting doesn't hurt either. A little Hollywood Regency and a whole lot of fabulous.
• Paris Hotel Boutique - Vintage lighting with a French flair, the owner is sweet, her San Francisco home has been featured in several magazines, and her eye for all things French is impressive.
• A Glow - A vintage lighting shop on Etsy based in Texas. Affordable and nice!
• Empiric Studio - A great source for new and vintage lighting, some industrial styles available, another small business with a great reputation.
• Frenchblue & Co. - Great vintage finds, bookmark this site and cruise it often so you don't miss a thing.

A simple black task light can add so much style to a room.

Please note that I intentionally left out larger stores like Pottery Barn, West Elm, Anthropologie, IKEA, Home Depot, and Restoration Hardware because I assume you are savvy enough to know that they carry lighting so why waste your time!

The above list also does not include to the trade only lighting, or else I would include my good friends Zia Priven -- you can only go through a showroom or designer to purchase from them but wow, are they high quality, glamorous, and totally drool-inducing to say the least. And I'm not just saying that because they are friends, their lighting is what created our friendship in the first place. I found them and had to know more and a friendship developed. I digress...

Have a lovely weekend everyone... I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning!

(images above from Isabelle Halling)

In recent months, I have morphed into the salvager of street strewn antiques. Although my tiny apartment cannot bear another thing, the horrific thought of a dump truck crushing the potential in these one-of-a-kind items, is well worth the space loss in my digs; hence the latest addition to my closet/office.

On a routine drive through my neighborhood, my sister (b.k.a partner in furniture-recovering operations) came across an antique desk that some unimaginative person discarded. One phone call and a borrowed mini van later, and the desk was on its way to my place. I had no idea what I was in store for, all I knew was that an antique desk had been dumped on a street corner--that was all I needed to hear. When it arrived, I found it to be the perfect workspace for my computer and sewing machine.

The only visible wound was a crooked door (which a new hinge would easily fix) and a few paint splats on the top (perhaps the reason for its untimely disposal). In my excitement, I neglected to take a photo before I got to work on it, so you'll have to use your imagination. The base was a forest green and the top a worn out maple.

Bringing this baby back to life took only four steps; strip, shellac, prime, and paint.

Tools Needed:

• Chemical stripper
• Paint brushes
• Paint scraper
• Fine grit sand paper
• Soft cloth
• Eye protection
• Chemical-resistant gloves
• Paint primer
• Paint

Good to Know:
Go with the strongest stripping solution you can find, it will cut down on the time and reapplications needed to break through old coats of polyurethane. Also, ask your home renovation store for an empty paint can. Pour the stripper into the can when using it, the chemicals will eat through any other flimsy material like plastic.

The Steps:

• Make sure that the area is well ventilated
• Brush on one layer of stripper and let it sit for about 20 minutes
• Use the scrapper (while the stripping solution is still semi-wet) to scrape off the loosened coating
• Wipe clean with a dry rag
• Apply a second coat of stripper and follow the same process as before until all of the polyurethane is gone.
• For areas that will be re-shellacked, once the surface is wiped clean, sand it with a fine grit paper.
• Use the soft rag to thoroughly dust the area clean
• Paint on two coats of polyurethane (using a tinted one prevents having to stain the wood first)
• Prime all other areas the be painted
• Paint with color of your choice

Do you have an antique piece that you would like to restore? Let's see it! Or if you've redone a piece share that as well.

How do you know when spring is here? Do you notice some bulbs are popping through the ground or that the days are getting longer? For me, the first true sign of spring started back in February when seed packets went on sale at K-Mart and Target. Going through the huge assortment of plants and vegetables presented in small 4" x 3" size seed packets is like being at a vast nursery, only everything fits in your pocket.

The first thing I'm looking for in seed packets are if the growing instructions say 'Sow direct as soon as soil can be worked' or 'after signs of frost have passed.' Otherwise, you will have to start the seeds indoors, under lights, thin your seedlings out, gradually expose them to the outdoor elements once they mature, etc. I have tried to do this in the past with some heirloom tomato seeds. They started off great inside, but then were zapped by a strong gust of cold wind and I was bummed. Someday, when I have the time, I'd love to start more seeds indoors, but for now, sow direct is my favorite seed starting method.

So far sugar snap peas, mesclun, arugula, and radishes (French breakfast which are a long, red, and white variety and Raggae which are plump and scarlet) have been planted. The method is pretty easy: you just take the grass up in an area that gets direct sunlight, mix some compost into the soil and you've got a bed that is ready to plant.

I had never seen lettuce seeds before. They are so small and sand-like. Planting these requires a technique called 'broadcasting' which for me meant putting the seeds in my hand and scattering them around. Per the instructions on the seed packet, I covered them with a small scattering of soil because the seed needs light to germinate. A light sprinkling of Garden Tone, an organic fertilizer, completes the process.

Radish and snap pea seeds are much more traditional looking. These are planted in rows. I'm not very exact in my row making skills, I just kind of drag a trowel in the dirt and plant in that line. What's fun about radishes are they begin to germinate quickly, sometimes in under 10 days, so you get to see some results pretty fast.

Once all the seeds have been planted, then they are watered thoroughly and some netting is put up to ward off any deer or other critters. They they are left to fend for themselves as I head back to New York City. Cross your fingers and hopefully I'll get some results.

What veggies or plants do you like to start from seed? If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them.

Unless you're sending your children off to sleep-away camp for the entire summer, you may be worrying right now about what you're going to do to keep the "I'm bored!" chanting to a minimum when your kids are out of school. Day camps and swimming lessons can keep them entertained for a number of hours, but you will still be faced with many evenings and weekends full of warm weather and kids who want to take advantage of their free time.

To stay ahead of the game, consider making a Summer Fun Kit. The purpose of the Summer Fun Kit is to have a book with a seemingly endless supply of ideas for summer fun. You'll need to do some brainstorming and decide how much you want to spend on possible activities, but it doesn't require much work after these decisions have been made.

To set up a Kit, you will need plastic sheet protectors, paper, and a three ring notebook. You can either print ideas on the top of each page with your computer's printer, or you can write them with a magic marker. Whatever is the easiest for you, go with that idea. You want to keep the majority of the page blank, however, so that your kids can write about when they completed the activity and provide pictures and reviews in the blank space. You'll want to use the sheet protectors so that you can put tickets and passes in the pages ahead of time and the kids can put mementos into the pages after an activity is completed. (For example, if you have a local pool, you can keep the pool passes in the sheet protector so you don't lose them.) At the end of the summer, your children will have a book full of memories and you'll have notes on what worked and didn't work when you're making plans for next summer.

Except for planned vacations or theater productions, I would avoid scheduling when an activity takes place. This will leave the choosing up to your children and give them some control over their summer.

Here are more than 15 ideas to get you started:

• Picnic in the park
• See a movie on the big screen
• Family bike ride to [X]
• Sleepover at grandma's
• Trip to local children's museum
• Afternoon at the zoo
• Painting piggy banks at the pottery center
• Trip to the amusement park
• Watch favorite movie at home complete with popcorn and soda
• Create a sidewalk chalk art gallery
• Rainy day board game tournament
• Morning hike to [X]
• Build sand castles at the beach
• Paddle boats at the lake
• Rainy day living room maze building
• Create a puppet show
• Family talent contest

Being organized and prepared with a Summer Fun Kit will reduce your stress and help keep your kids entertained. Please add more ideas in the comments section so that everyone can have the best Kits possible!

One of the hardest things about a small space is fitting in a dining table. With out the luxury of an eat-in-kitchen or a large living room my roommate and I normally end up eating on the sofa or at our desks (and breakfast in bed on the weekends).

A solution to this lack of space is a dining table that can be put away and then used for other things. My favorite option is from Tiny Living, a store in New York City run by a husband and wife team dedicated to living small.

This photo shows the table open, but when not in  use, all four chairs slip into the door in the middle and the leaves fold down. When you're not eating, it can be put up against a wall and used for a landing strip or slip behind the sofa as a lamp table.

My sister has a gorgeous teak version of this table that I've been scheming to steal ever since I moved into my own apartment. But I don't think she'll ever give it up.

What are some of your favorite furniture multi-taskers?

Have you ever arrived at a restaurant or the home of a friend and felt immediately welcomed and at ease because of great lighting? On the other hand, do you recall sitting down to a delicious meal but because the space felt like a cafeteria you couldn't fully enjoy it? I am extremely sensitive to lighting, I won't return to a restaurant no matter how good the food is if the lighting stinks. And we all know what I mean by stinks. Either too bright, not bright enough, flickering, buzzing, or it casts a funny tint that gives you and your friends an alien-like glow (Greetings earthlings). Some lighting can make you look downright bad, showing every blemish and line. Lighting in the home is equally as important. Not only should your home color palette look good on you (choose colors that you would wear to decorate your home, if you look great in red use plenty of it), but it should make you, and the things in your home, look like a million bucks.

What are the different types of lighting? Here are a few of the most common ones:

• Accent  - Also called 'mood lighting', it's primary function is to highlight something that you want to stand out. A bookcase, art, plants, a vase. Some use accent lighting in corners behind plants. It's suggested to use it sparingly.
  
• Task  - Most commonly used in an office area or near a cozy chair, task lighting gives you a beam of light meant for a specific task like reading, knitting, or drawing. A table lamp next to the sofa is a good example.
• Ambient - You find this most often in schools, medical offices, labs, office spaces, etc. Overhead lighting is the most common, fixtures, ceiling fans, etc. It mimics sunlight and illuminates the entire room with an even amount of light.

Then there is Decorative lighting -- Pendants, chandeliers, sconces... These not only provide ambient lighting to a room (most often dimmers are placed on them so they can create a mood for an event or dinner) but function as an attention grabber -- often one of the first things that you notice when you enter a room. Some decorative lighting also functions as an accent - such as sconces to accent a painted wall in the living room.

Now let's talk bulbs because a you can't do much with a lamp without these little guys. The most common are:

• Incandescent - These are recommended for living rooms, dens, dining rooms, and bedrooms. They bring out warm yellow tones and can be used on a dimmer. You can find decorative, bug, shatter resistant, 3 way, antique replica bulbs, you name it. My first experience with an incandescent bulb was when my mom and I had to replace the one in my Easy Bake oven. :) It provides good color rendition of human skin tones. If you don't like a warm glow, try GE Reveal bulbs or MB Halogen bulbs for clean, beautiful light.
• Fluorescent - Energy efficient, they often have a bluish tint. Most are linear, u-shaped, circular, or grooved. These are commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms and tanning beds. You can sometimes 'hear' them, as they make these cracking sounds and sometimes they flicker.
  
• Compact fluorescent (CFLs) - a smaller, even more energy efficient fluorescent bulb because they last up to 10x longer than standard fluorescents. The most common ones have this white swirly shape (think Dairy Queen soft serves), which not a lot of home owners like so they use them in lamps where the bulb is not showing. You can find some that are encased too. Not suggested in the bathroom as high humidity can shorten their life. You can use them in the living room, outdoors, bedroom, dining room, and kitchen. A panel of New York Times employees evaluated energy-efficient light bulbs in Any Other Bright Ideas? highlighting the benefits of CFLs though many are not sold on them yet. Common complaints: headaches, they make some people's eyes hurt, and they feel a bit institutional.
  
• Halogen - They last longer than other bulbs, cost the most, but are the brightest of the bunch. Think bulbs with flat tops and flood lights. Halogen light contains more blue and green than a standard bulb so the light appears whiter and brighter. There are also MB Halogen bulbs that look like your standard incandescent bulbs with the round top.

Quick tips:  Bulbs between 75 and 150 watts are the best for tasks and reading. Mood lighting is nice around 40 - 75 watts, use a dimmer and eyeball it. You should be able to see what's on your plate and the person in front of you. Distribute light evenly in a room, don't neglect corners or the room will feel closed in at night.

Now that we know all about the various types of lighting and bulbs, how do you use them to create the perfect environment in your home? Instead of telling you myself, I'll let the lighting experts over at GE  show you the way. They have an amazing site all about how to design with lights, you can click on any room in their virtual house and learn all about the best ways to illuminate it.

On Friday I'll be back to reveal some of my favorite sources for actual light fixtures including NICE, you can see one of their handmade pendants above.

(image from NICE)

A friend of mine is a psychologist who specializes in child and family treatment. I ran into her last month and before I could get out the standard niceties, she was bombarding me with questions.

"How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you work from home? More importantly, how do you work from home with your husband without getting on each other's nerves?"

Since she and her husband don't telecommute, my assumption was that she must have a client who has just started working from home and is having difficulties. I told her that I would forward a list to her that I started about a year ago on this very subject. After I sent her the list, I realized that some readers also might benefit from seeing it. So, if you're considering working from home, here are some tips for making it an easier task. A few of these items are specific to working next to your partner at home, but most of them apply to anyone who is telecommuting.

Must Have/Do:

1. Designated workspace with a door.
You need to be able to shut the door on your work, literally and figuratively. There are times when you just need to put physical and mental space between you and your work. Also, there are times when the creative process takes control and your desk becomes a mess of outlandish proportions. Most importantly, though, you need to find a way to feel that you’re not always at work when you're at home and a door is a good starting point.

2. Separate workspace from your partner.
I’m not advocating that you need two rooms in your house set aside for offices (our desks share the same room), but each person needs a defined "my" space. This means that you need two desks, two computers, and two phones. Experience shows that the minute you need to make a phone call is the minute one of his clients calls with an emergency.

3. Knowledge of your UPS/FedEx/Mail carrier’s first name.
Delivery people are not accustomed to your being home during the day. Make friends with these people so that they will actually ring the doorbell and wait for you to answer the door when they have deliveries.

4. A cleaning service.
Feel like procrastinating from your work? It’s amazing what you’ll clean when you don’t want to write a report. Additionally, it keeps you from being upset about working somewhere that isn’t clean. An office building has a cleaning staff, you need to afford yourself the same luxury. I’m serious about this one, even if it’s just twice a month.

5. Earphones.
Ultimately, there will come a time when you’re in "the zone" and your spouse decides to play music, talk loudly on the phone, or feels compelled to tell you about something funny one of his clients just e-mailed to him. Music playing through the earphones allows you to tune out his conversation or bad music selection. Additionally, if he wants to be chatty and distract you from work, he most often chooses not to do so if you’re wearing earphones — even if you’re not actually listening to music.

6. A dedicated work phone line with a Do Not Disturb button.
Often, clients assume that because you work from home that it's okay to call you at all hours of the night and on the weekends. If you worked in an office building, they would never have the expectation that you would answer your phone at 2:00 a.m. Just because your office is in your home doesn't mean that your home is in your office. When your work day is finished, press the Do Not Disturb button on your work phone and let it ring straight to voice mail.

7. Your desk and television in separate rooms.
You won't be tempted to watch television when you should be working if work and the television are in different rooms.

Good to Have/Do:

1. Single brew coffee maker.
My husband likes dark coffees and I despise the foul nastiness, preferring milder blends. Instead of brewing two pots, we simply brew our own cups. I highly recommend the Nespresso C190. Plus, you order your coffee over the internet and the nice UPS delivery person you’ve befriended delivers them right to your door. Yes, the machine is expensive. However, it’s much cheaper than going to the local coffee shop everyday. We learned that the hard way.

2. Get ready at least a little bit every morning for work.
It’s fun to work in pajamas, but it’s not fun to work next to someone who hasn’t showered in three days. Brush your teeth, it’s good for your teeth and your relationship with your family.

3. Leave the house once a day.
You need to get out into the big blue room at least once a day, if not more.

4. Agree when work will be done for the day.
I usually finish working around 6:00 and my husband typically finishes around 6:30. I will answer e-mails, start a load of laundry, or just play busy quietly until 6:30. Flipping on the tv or doing something to rub in the fact that you're done isn't fair to the other person. The same applies to family members coming home before your work day is complete. They need to know that you're in the office until a set time and respect that boundary.

5. Have breakfast and/or lunch together.
Take turns making meals and spend time together. One of the benefits of working at home together is being able to spend quality time with each other.

Do you telecommute? What must have/do or good to have/do items would you add to this list? I'm interested in hearing your advice.

New to Simply Stated, I wanted to explain what I plan on writing about. Simply, I'm here to help take the daunting out of DIY, by sharing easy and creative ways to spice up your space -- all without breaking the bank. Here's one option...   

A few months before our wedding, my husband and I were in need of a new bed. With wedding expenses boiling well over our budget, my dream queen was needless to say, out of the question. So, we settled on an inexpensive piece from Ikea Hopen Bed Frame. The faux wood slats (reminiscent of a park bench) on the headboard definitely did not fit in with the cozy and modern bedroom that I had in mind, but it had just the right structure for my first project. It was an easy solution that took one lazy afternoon to complete. The most difficult part was deciding which fabric to use!

From park bench blah...to contemporary boudoir. Here's how to do it:

The Goods:

• Ply wood (cut to the desired size and shape or you can use your existing headboard if it's unpadded)
• Foam
• Fabric (go with a heavier material, it will hold up better when folding and stapling)
• Staple Gun
• Batting
• Glue Gun

The Steps:

• Prep all of the components before constructing, it will make the flow a lot more organized.
• Cut the fabric to double the size of the wood (so that there's enough to cover the front and back)
• Stencil and cut the foam to the desired shape (for non-traditional style). Use the outline of your existing headboard as a pattern for the stencil.

Useful tip: If the foam needs to be cut, it's best to use a box cutter or straight blade that is long enough to cut through several inches in one swipe. (I of course learned this the hard way. What was I thinking trying to use scissors?!)

• Glue the foam onto the wood using the glue gun.
• Add a layer of batting for extra cushion and staple it to the back of the wood.
• Fold the fabric around the wood as if you were wrapping a present, tucking the side edges in and stapling down onto the wood. For a neater look, avoid wrapping the material from the sides around the back.
• When finished you should have a linear fold across the back and a fold on each side of the board.

Good to Know:

• A great company that I stumbled across in my search for foam was www.rochfordsupply.com. It's literally foam heaven. I was able to find a huge assortment, at great prices. The selection is a bit overwhelming, but just consider the level of softness that you prefer in a chair back and use that as your guide.
• In addition to measuring the width and height of your wood, be sure to take into consideration the thickness. You don't want to end up with a piece of foam that is layered too thick, it may look unbalanced against the rest of the bed.

Play it Safe:
Keep the back neat, if you decide later to move the bed away from the wall, it will look finished no matter where it is positioned. You can also cut an extra piece of fabric and glue it over the back to hide any folds or staples.

The best thing about this project is that if for any reason you decide to switch the color scheme or decor of your room, a simple fabric change can transform the entire look of the bed.

Is this a project that you would try? Let me know what you think about it.

One of the things that Real Simple is best known for is the feature "New Uses for Old Things." It's one of the hardest sections to brainstorm ideas for, as they're normally for small household goods--just things you have laying around. Well, I was forced into my own new use, due to the lack of outdoor space available with my small Harlem apartment

To keep myself busy during the New York winter, I decided to refinish a desk chair that I'd purchased at a prop sale. I stripped the chair down to bare wood and metal and then set about refinishing it. The problem: how to spray paint in a small apartment in the dead of winter, when the outside temperatures kept me from sneaking up to the roof. So I repurposed the one room in my apartment where I figured a little errant spray paint wouldn't be a big deal.

Yes, that's my shower stall--covered in newspapers with the chair seat upside-down inside. This was taken after the first coat of paint (with two layers of primer underneath). As questionable as this plan seems, it worked out very well. Although, I did have to shower at the gym for a couple of weekends. Here's how it turned out:

A lesson learned from this project: always take "before" pictures--you never know if you'll need them.

Do you have a home DIY project you're proud of?

Wall stenciling, decals, wallpaper... It's all good. Once viewed as passé or, "So 1980's", stenciling can be quite a neat DIY trick for those with a creative eye or who have a strict budget that doesn't include $180  a roll wallpaper. When most people think of stencils, they imagine rooster motifs as borders in kitchens, or pink roses on dressers. Let's change the mental picture. I want you to envision Wary Meyers in place of all that, okay? Think hip and now, not has been.

Images from Wary Meyers.

Wary Meyers is this super cool couple living between Brooklyn and coastal Maine who paint, design, DIY, and stencil their hearts out transforming mundane objects and spaces into swank pads. Yup, these hip New Yorkers stencil in style. Need proof?  Here are some custom stencils that they did for a few of their clients.

If you'd like to try your hand at a little faux-paper effect like the one above, here are some sources for stencils that I suggest. If you know of any others, please add to this list with your comments.

• Henry Donovan Motif
• Modello Desgin
• My Stencils
• Royal Design Studio
• Stencil 1
• Stencil Library
• Stencil Planet
• Victoria Larsen

Do you stencil? If not, would you consider it?

(image from wary meyers)

Let me start off by saying that I am not a gardener. I'm an art director for Real Simple and I am a busy person, just like you, who has found a love for digging in the dirt.

During World War I and World War II, Victory Gardens were cultivated by average citizens in the United States to reduce pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war efforts. These gardens were in people's backyards and considered a "morale booster" in that gardeners could feel empowered by their labor and rewarded by delicous produce from their backyard. The sowing, reaping, and consuming became part of a daily life on the home front and connected people to the food chain and their communities.

In 2008 the wisdom of a Victory Garden seems timely again: we are at war, the economy is on the verge of a recession, and the general atmosphere is one of fear. But today we have our own challenges like rampant obesity in children and adults, constant food recalls, and a climate crisis that threatens the very existence of the human race. Now more than ever is the perfect time to start a Victory Garden.

When I go to my local Shop Rite, there are all kinds of questions that I annoy my produce guy with like where did this lettuce come from or how can asparagus be so cheap when it's coming all the way from Chile? Then there is the amount of packaging that goes into selling a box of pre-washed lettuces. Sure the plastic clam shell box it comes in is recyclable, but can't there be a better way?

Victory Garden is my attempt to forge a different path. What if I could harvest ingredients for a meal right in my own backyard? My very own slow food movement! Shop Rite will always be in the picture (I'm not going to start raising my own live stock or pressing my own olive oil) but at least now I will know where some of my food is coming from.

What can one person do? Plenty. The journey begins with some simple seeds and soil. From there, I'll show you how things evolve from baby seedlings to harvest and then incorporating it into a meal. My garden also has some perennial herbs, fruit trees, and flowers, so from time to time I'll show you how those are progressing. By planting a seed, I'm taking a leap of faith that all the natural elements will align and produce some delicious food. I know there are bound to be some failures along the way, but hopefully the success stories will out number them.

"Think Globally, Act Locally" is a phrase you often hear when it comes to the environment and what you can do to help. My solution is to plant some food and flowers I love. I challenge you to do the same. Who knows, maybe you'll discover a vegetable or herb you didn't know you liked. You'll get outside and away from the computer or television and get some exercise while you are at it. That might even lead to some weight loss or other green changes. Before you know it Victory will be yours.

Hi everyone, I'm one of the new bloggers joining Simply Stated from the Real Simple staff, and I'll be focusing mostly on living and decorating in a small space (New York City apartments can be quite tiny) and on do-it-yourself (D.I.Y.) projects. I'm currently an assistant editor and have been on staff for just over a year. I work with several departments in the magazine and spend my time researching and writing articles like fun pet gear, nutritious fruit juices, and fair trade goods. I also get to work on our gift guides every year--searching through hundreds of products to find the perfect ones for our magazine.

I'm very excited to be joining such talented bloggers as Holly Becker and Erin Doland--I've been a fan of both of their blogs for quite a while--as well as two other staff members Heath Brockwell and Nykia Spradley.

I've been doing D.I.Y. projects for as long as I can remember: making ornaments when I was little, sewing handbags in high school, and writing a column for my student magazine in college, aptly titled Get Crafty. From which, I learned bookbinding, how to felt knitting projects, and how to silk screen.

As for living in a tiny space: I've been in a small New York apartment for a year now. It's quite a change from my former apartment in the Midwest--2,200 square feet for four girls. So aside from drastically paring down my possessions, I've been figuring out ways to use my space wisely, and I'm excited to share those solutions here.

Is your home or apartment spatially challenged?

I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

If you are new to purchasing original works from artists, here are some tips that may help you get started. First, you want to figure out what exactly floats your boat, that's a good start -- then you can start shopping. When it comes to art ask yourself: What do you like? Watercolor? Oils? Mixed Media? Still life? Encaustic?

Some practical ways to figure out what you like and then, where to find affordable works for a new collector...

• Art blogs - There are many great ones out there, do a little research and find some with work that speaks to you.
  
• Attend gallery shows.
• Look for originals at flea markets, auctions, and estate sales.
• Shop eBay, Etsy, Trunkt, DaWanda, etc.  If you find an artist that only sells prints of their work, ask them if they accept commissions or would consider selling you an original. Most will consider it.
• Take a class (community center, art school, etc.). Learn more by diving in yourself. Pick up a paintbrush and have a little fun. You may realize you can display some of your own work!
• Don't ignore the younger peeps in your family -- children and teenagers often have some pretty amazing stuff that they bring home from school. Frame and cherish it.
• Talk to an artist and ask them about their work and how a new collector can get started, they may know of some local artists or shows that aren't as well known.
• Find out if your city has artists lofts or a designated spot in the city where independent artists live and work and see if they offer public shows, most do.
• Visit museums and take note of artists names that you like and do research when you get home to learn more about their inspiration and technique.
• Visit school exhibitions. Most schools have annual art sales around the holidays where you can score some major finds, original works of course, at amazingly low prices compared to what you'd find in a gallery. Just call your local art school to inquire or check out their website. Some even have Spring/Summer shows. It's a nice way for a new collector to get started, or for an old pro that knows what they like and buys art for art itself, not for its current or future value, but because they simply love it.

Speaking of art blogs, New York Magazine has this great entertainment blog called Vulture that I just started reading. As in yesterday. I never paid much attention to it before but when I noticed Vulture has this daily feature called Art Candy where they spotlight one artist per day, I perked up. It seems as though the artists featured are ones currently showing at some New York area gallery, it is New York Magazine so of course the focus is going to be on Gotham City, but for the rest of us it's cool to follow what's happening for the sake of discovering new talent. I found a slew of artists I'd not heard of which makes me want to keep tuning in for more. Plus I like how writer Emma Pearse gets her point across. She's witty, to the point, and slightly sarcastic, a fun and easy read -- something you often don't find when you read articles about art. Pearse has the charm and ability to draw us in with gorgeous imagery and more, words that entertain and not put us to sleep.

One such artist Pearse mentions over at Art Candy is Susan Homer. At first glance Pearse calls Homer's paintings, "Something our grandmother would hang on her wall." After viewing them up close and personal her view changes and she concludes that they are,  "Actually lovely: bright and happy, featuring tiny birds with big personalities". I agree with Pearse. Still life paintings of flowers and birds doesn't fall into the grandmotherly category at all, to me they are charming and I'm pleased to see that she noticed this as well. Think of Homer's works displayed over a lush velvet sofa in gorgeous wood carved frames, perhaps in a grouping. Still life paintings, especially of birds and branches, are hot. Especially coupled with floral patterned tablecloths and delicate teacups.

A little background on Homer that I was able to find online... She lives and works in Brooklyn, studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (M.F.A), the Rhode Island School of Design (B.F.A.), and she primarily paints on canvas using oil paints.

(images from metaphor contemporary art)

Based on my wardrobe when I graduated from college, one might have assumed that I attended every fraternity party and school event ever held. The majority of my t-shirts, shorts, and jackets bore logos for parties, concerts, events, and organizations. I wouldn't have been caught dead in a Polo shirt, but branding for the Phi Delt date dash in 1992 was totally fine. (Too funny ...)

Within weeks of starting my job and saying farewell to collegiate life, I packed up the logo-laden clothing and had them sewn into a quilt. I'm not really sure why I went this route, but it made sense at the time. Now the quilt hangs out in my closet unless someone comes to visit and needs a blanket. It's a little cringeworthy, but my friends from college days get a laugh out of it when they see it.

Unclutterer reader, Megan, recently sent us a suggestion for an alternative to making the college t-shirt quilt, and I think it's really terrific:

After 7 years, I decided it was time to get rid of my sorority and fraternity t-shirts (I had over 20). While I've heard of making a keepsake quilt out of them, I see that as a lot of effort just to create more clutter. I took my old t-shirts back to my sorority where they were warmly embraced as cool "vintage" items.

This is a really wonderful idea, Megan! I can think of so many of my friends who were still in school who would have accepted my t-shirts -- I wish I would have thought of this.

If you have old t-shirts that still have some life in them, consider passing them along to others who might find them "vintage" cool.

I may have told you this already, but my husband and I recently took on a second property abroad. No, we're not rich -- we just live as simple as possible, own only one car, arranged things so that we can both work from home nearly full-time (sharing the same office!), and have gone from visiting Starbucks once a day to twice a month. We also decided to wait on having pets and children (a huge sacrifice) until we could realize our dream of living between two countries. Oh yes, this shows dedication to a budget!

Our goals to get back to the motherland have stayed strong since we married nearly 7 years ago. My husband was raised in Germany and relocated here to the states when he was in his late 20's to marry me. And together we vowed that one day we'd live between America and Germany and this year that dream has come true, as of April 1st to be exact. It feels really good to be where I stand today because a year ago I was still wondering how in the world we were going to pull it off and was beginning to feel like it would never happen. I was getting tired of putting a hold on my life. I want pets. I want kids. But now, things are looking up.

What's the point of this post? I need your advice this time around. We leave the states in August and will stay in our new place until the end of the year but currently the new digs have zero furnishings. We don't even have kitchen appliances or cabinetry because German apartments don't come equipped with them in most cases. The apartment was just gut renovated so the hardest part is over, now it's time to wallpaper, install lighting (5 pendants to be exact) and to get everything we need to maintain a home there. I've never done this before -- starting from scratch. How does one even begin?

So currently I'm devising a plan. I'm trying to figure out how to pull everything together from the floor up. From towels to toilet brushes, shower curtains to a sofa, I need it all and I pretty much to purchase a bulk of it when I arrive there in August. I just don't want to make expensive mistakes, buy for the sake of having, and in the end I've furnished my home but it's pretty much all from IKEA.

Have you ever moved into a home with nearly nothing but the shirt on your back? Any tips for me? I can't bring much with me in my luggage when I go over, so I'm starting at zero. What things should I consider taking with me? I'm thinking of prints from Etsy (lightweight, easy to frame as art) and personal items like photos to keep me grounded so my place feels personal a little quicker. And of course DVDs and CDs. It's odd moving to a new country when I'll only be living their part-time, but extremely exciting. I'm up for the challenge.

Any tips on how to start your life from scratch in a new land? Any expats out there living abroad? How do you get started from square one?

(image taken by holly becker)

My brother is a long-haul truck driver. His residence is the 264 cubic feet cab of his Volvo VN 670 semi. To put this in perspective, the cab of his truck is smaller than a cell in a U.S. maximum security prison.

Imagine for a moment that you lived in a space that small. What would you keep? What would go? How much of any one thing would you buy? Could you live that way?

I thought that you might be interested in learning about what he does keep and how he lives with so few material possessions. It's a great lesson in reminding us that to be happy and healthy we don't need a lot of stuff.

• Clothing: He has five t-shirts, three pairs of jeans, seven pairs of underwear and socks, two polo shirts, a sweater, two stocking caps, a winter coat, a sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of khakis, two sets of work gloves, a pair of coveralls to wear when he's working on his truck, a baseball cap, a white dress shirt, a tie, cuff links, and a suit. He wears a pair of black leather Dr. Martens, and keeps a pair of dress shoes that match his suit and a pair of flip flops to wear in the shower. He also keeps a bottle of laundry detergent and a box of Bounce dryer sheets.
• Linens: One set of sheets, a blanket, two pillows, and two bath towels. He also has two small towels he uses on his truck.
• Entertainment: He has a single, foot-long bookshelf with audio books, paperbacks, and DVDs he checks out from the library near his company's headquarters, a small television and DVD player, and a stereo built into the dash of his truck. He has a cell phone with charger, a digital camera with charger, a deck of cards, and a GPS unit specifically designed for trucking. He also has a guitar in a soft case and a laptop computer with carrying case (his two "luxury items," as he calls them).
• Food: He has a mini refrigerator, a microwave, and a small cabinet of food. Under his bed he stores two flats of bottled water. He also has a roll of paper towels, a can opener, two plates, two bowls, two glasses, two sets of utensils, three kitchen knives, plastic mixing bowl, and a bottle of dishwashing detergent.
• Toiletries: Toothbrush, paste, disposable razor, shaving cream, soap, an emergency roll of toilet paper, and small bottle of lotion. My brother is bald, so he has no need for shampoo or a hair brush.
• Other: A tool box full of tools, a three-ring notebook with personal papers (make-shift filing cabinet), a notebook with work-related papers, five pens, two pencils, a box of envelopes, a book of stamps, three legal pads of paper, a pair of scissors, three different kinds of tape, a stapler, a highlighter, a handful of paper clips and safety pins, a zip-top bag full of rubber bands, a bottle of pain reliever, a bottle of antacids, a thermometer, an extra pair of glasses, a pair of sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen, a scrapbook, a duffel bag, a bucket, a bristle brush, a telescoping window scraper thing, and a box of trash bags.

Now that you've seen the list, could you live in such a small space with so few material possessions? I have to admit that it would be difficult for me, but I know that it's possible and helps to keep things in my own life in perspective.

Image from Volvo Trucks of North America

Design magazines may be inspiring, but I often turn to illustration for inspiration, too. From graffiti to prehistoric cave drawings and colorful Target gift cards, artists and illustrators are doing their part to influence how we see the world. I always look forward to viewing illustrations in magazines like Real Simple and particularly enjoy looking at book covers -- some are just gorgeous.

I find myself inspired by these creative souls so often, I refer to their work whenever I feel like I'm stuck in a creative rut. How?

Illustration by Linda Ketelhut represented by Lilla Rogers Studio.

Usually my creative rut centers around developing new color palettes as I often tend to lean on my favorite combinations whenever I decorate a room. Do you do this too? Currently, I'm decorating a small apartment and I'm looking to use color in a new way -- one that breaks me of my color comfort zone while still being uniquely 'me'. I turn to art and illustration to help me in this respect. I've been tearing illustrations from magazines like a mad woman lately and putting them together in a journal with notes so I know exactly what I like about the palette and the feelings that the colors evoke. It's a fun exercise that you may even want to try.

Illustration by Lisa DeJohn represented by Lilla Rogers Studio.

Book covers, greeting cards, posters, gift cards, wrapping paper, children's books, there are so many places to find beautiful illustrative work -- allow yourself to be inspired by it. You may even want to do a little doodling yourself, it's fun and releases a lot of emotions and ideas - experimenting with color in this way can unlock a new idea or two when it comes to decorating. Here are a few places I turn to for illustrative inspiration.

• Illustration Friday is a website started by illustrator Penelope Dullaghan that draws together artists of all skill levels and asks them to get involved and create together on a weekly basis around a theme, or if one prefers, simply observe the works as I do here on the IF blog.
• 3x3 is a magazine devoted to contemporary illustration that I really like.
• I love to visit Lilla Rogers who represents lots of illustrators and I adore browsing the online portfolios, amazing work.
• Scott Hull Associates - Another rep website with portfolios that I just love to browse, great colors!
• Illustration Mundo is a website with loads of creative eye candy.
• Drawn! is an illustration blog.
• Fecal Face - The user galleries are fun to browse.

Though I find satisfaction in viewing beautiful work, I often challenge myself when I look at pictures so that I'm not mindlessly scanning pretty pictures only for relaxation and pleasure. Though pleasure is part of it, I often study what I see -- I view how colors are combined, their strength, how they relate to the other colors in the drawing, how often they are repeated in the work, etc. I often remove the images I see in magazines and paste them into a journal and make notes. I ask myself Why? What? How? Why do I like it, What grabs my attention? How does it make me feel? I also list the colors used in the piece. I try to group images within a similar color palette in the same section of my journal so I can see how the same palette appears simply by altering how the colors are used (in one composition, pink may be strong but in another, the weakest color in the piece).

So whenever you see a drawing that you like in color, or anything else for that matter (fashion imagery, photography, whatever), start questioning Why? What? How? etc. and put together a little inspiration journal of your very own. Over time you'll start to see a trend in what you like, you'll discover your own style, and you may even find color combinations that you love that you would have never dreamed of putting together on your own -- which can equal inspiration for your next bedroom redesign. That's how I allow all the beautiful illustrative work I see to inspire my decorating choices.

(images from lilla rogers studio)

I have this thing for animal motifs, maybe you do to? Take these wallpaper animal silhouettes from Inke in the Netherlands for instance. Love 'em. The first time I saw them was back in '05 in a German magazine, then a year later I spotted them in a little shop in Hannover, Germany while on vacation. I loved them instantly, I think they are so clever and unique. They're made using vintage wallpaper and there's more than wildlife silhouettes, Inke also has trees and imagery that is more 'adult-like' such as lamps, chairs, and table silhouettes as well. There's a little something for the nursery and the living room!

Photo: Inke giraffe silhouette, March '07 issue of Domino Magazine.

Inke Heiland is a Dutch artist/designer who graduated in '02 from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Inke "wildlife" wallpaper was an idea she had for her son's bedroom which then gave her the idea to produce them as a product. In '04 she presented them at an exposition for new design in Amsterdam and from there she expanded her collection to include tree and furniture silhouettes. Inke is mostly known in Europe with an expanding client base here in the United States thanks to design blogs and magazines.

Photo: Inke tree via Lille Mandarine.

Photo: Inke tree.

Each silhouette comes on a roll much like gift wrap and is made out of genuine vintage wallpaper from the 60s and 70s, all handmade in the Netherlands. Each roll comes with a do it yourself kit that includes adhesive, a brush, and installation instructions. Sounds like an easy afternoon project!

What do you think? Is this a look you'd like to try at home? I'd love to see one of these in a shop, perhaps a pretty stationery store or book store... Even a pediatrician's office -- now how cute would that be?

(images all linked to sources above.)

I was 20 years old the first time I had fresh garlic. My friend Ann had roasted some, smeared it on a slice of bread, and told me to try it. I ate it and fell in love.

Both Ann and I grew up in households where Lawry's Seasoned Salt was the preferred spice of choice. Our mothers were utilitarian chefs, and had kept things simple when teaching us cooking basics. It wasn't until we started making our own meals that we discovered flavors like thyme, garlic, and coriander.

Today, I treasure going to my local Penzeys Spices shop. Fresh spices of all kinds line the shelves and call to me to give them a try. I sort of understand now why nations went to war over spice trade routes.

When I was writing the entry last week on how to organize your pantry, I started thinking about how to specifically organize spices. If you're looking for an out of the box solution, here are a number of options I've found that I think could work wonderfully in many pantries.

Tin Magnetic Spice Rack

Spice Clip Set

Pull-Down Spice Rack

Expand-a-Drawer Spice Organizer

Spice Stack Cabinet Spice Rack

Feeny 4 Tier Spice Rack

Do you use any of these solutions? I'm eager to learn about your organization method in the comments.

There's a lot of truth to those silly eBay commercials highlighting the sheer thrill of shopping victoriously. Just recently I scored a vintage owl umbrella stand in white ceramics (view it here) that was even better in person than I had imagined -- and I definitely felt a sense of victory and pride over my win. From Blythe dolls to Hollywood Regency foo dog bookends, there's something on eBay for everyone. Problem is... There's a little too much. Need some help? Here are a few sellers that I watch on a regular basis for home decorating items so that you can shop victoriously, too.

Pair of faux cane chairs, $395 Buy It Now.

• Grey Gardens 101: Hollywood Regency style, mostly furniture and lighting, excellent selection.
• East Treasures - Watch them for suzani throws and ikat robes.
• Foster Pink 217 - Jane Foster screen prints her own line of textiles, beautiful things and you can sometimes find them in her store, although lately she's been listing lots of vintage textiles which are equally lovely.
• Posh Princess: Decorative collectibles, lots of modern glamor here.
• Vintage Rockford: Mid century modern finds.
• Home Republic - Great modern accessories for the home.
• Interiorz: Lovely designer fabric wall hangings, lamp shades, cushions and fabric made from Florence Broadhurst, Marimekko and Missoni fabrics.
• Capitol Salvage: These guys salvage it all. One of their latest finds includes an old roadside sign from a fruit stand that reads, "Big Melons".
• Daily Painters Gallery - Such a cool concept. Brand new paintings are listed here daily that you can bid on via eBay. Nice!
• Vintage Retro Store - Based in Germany, this man ships all over the world and has a great selection of retro everything from lighting to wallpaper and the prices are great.
• Blue Rocket Modern - More mid century modern goodies.
• DestinASIAN Home - Gorgeous Asian finds, antiques, porcelain garden stools, and more.
• Marie's Cosy Cushions - Retro pillows, brand new, mod patterns. All pillows, all the time!
• E Chic Boutique - Modern furnishings for the home at great prices.
• Looking for Mod: More mid century finds with a touch of Hollywood glam. I love this headboard.
• U Turn Vintage Wallpaper - They have the BEST selection of retro patterns - wow!

Now it's your turn... I showed you mine... Now let's see your favorite sellers, please share in the comments section below.

(image from grey gardens 101 linked above)

People move and change jobs so frequently that you probably receive notifications of address and telephone changes on an almost daily basis. It's easy for the information in your address book to become inaccurate and out-of-date in just a short period of time.

To stay on top of this constant stream of information, I recommend the following method for organizing this data:

• The first step is to have a computer and handheld device that talk to each other. I have Bluetooth capabilities on my computer and cell phone. A USB or WiFi connection also can transfer information, just be sure that you have the proper communication software on both devices to allow for transfer and syncing of address book data.
• Once these two devices can speak to each other, you'll want to create a single, master address list that is void of duplicates and inaccurate data. This will be the most lengthy stage in the process, and I recommend creating the master list on your computer instead of your handheld (this isn't the time to stare at a tiny screen, you'll just get frustrated). Both Macs and PCs come with address book software installed with their major operating systems, and I've found that they're intuitive and robust enough for most people's needs.
• When creating your master list, don't forget to add businesses that you frequently contact, like your doctor's office and your children's school. I also create files for businesses where I have membership cards and then enter my membership numbers into the notes fields. It can be wise to put the "lost card" telephone numbers off of the back of your credit cards in case your wallet is stolen, too.
• Allow only one entry per person that includes work and office information. In some address book programs, you can link couples and businesses with individuals so that you can see (but not edit) group data in a single entry. The program I use, Address Book for Macs, also lets me create smart groups.
• With a master list on your computer full of good data, you'll want to sync it back up with your handheld. Be sure to overwrite the data on your handheld so that you don't reintroduce bad data into your system.
• The next step in the process is to backup your computer's hard drive. We all know that hard drives fail, so take the time now to prevent a headache later.
• At this point, I also would recommend opening up a Plaxo account online and uploading your address book. Some people dislike this option because they're uncomfortable knowing that their data has a slim possibility of being hacked. In my situation, the advantages of an online service like Plaxo outweigh my fears of my information being accessed. The best parts about Plaxo are that my friends can change their own information, and Plaxo syncs up with my address book on my computer's hard drive. Ultimately, Plaxo helps me to keep my information current with very little effort.

Now that your information is organized, backed up, and easily accessible on your computer and handheld device, enjoy the benefits of your time investment. Throw a party, and send invitations knowing that they will arrive at the right address!

Image from apple.com

Last Friday we discussed Cutting Through Design Blog Smog and I promised that I'd reveal my daily reads to you today since you want to know. These are the design blogs that I don't miss at the end of each day when I've finished writing decor8 and have a moment to kick back and enjoy the voices of my bloggy friends. Of course, there are other blogs that I read via RSS feeds each week and others that I won't list because I consider them a bit more personal (blogs authored by family members and close personal friends, for example) but here is a grouping of reads that I refer to on a daily basis.

Delightful Blogs is a wonderful source for finding blogs organized by topic with an edited directory of 3,200+ blogs! Be sure to check it out to find blogs that you feel a connection to.

Here's some of my daily reads for design and a tad bit of fashion, too! Everyone has a different list of daily reads, so please share yours below.

• Creature Comforts - Founder and editor Ez out in Southern California gives me my daily dose of fashion and interiors inspiration, and I love the content and voice behind it. I also adore how well everything is laid out.

• Style Files - I met this blogger, Danielle, a few times already. We attended a design fair in Holland and another in Sweden a year later where we spent the weekend shopping, eating, and meeting readers who follow our blogs in Sweden -- exciting! I feel especially close to Danielle because she's more than a blogger to me, she's a friend now and I think that's pretty special. She also lives in Holland and is Dutch, so I really enjoy her perspective on design and her sense of style -- it's very clean and uncomplicated. Plus her blog is truly lovely.

• Making It Lovely - Nicole is a graphic designer and she loves to decorate, so I get my graphic design and DIY fix daily from this girl. She is a new homeowner and lives with her husband in Chicago in the cutest bungalow. It's fun to peek in on what she's up to next. Another thing I love about Nicole? She's humble. She asks her readers for decorating feedback.

• Emmas Designblogg - Another blogger that I met in person, Emma actually showed me around Stockholm last year that included cocktails and a beautiful organic buffet brunch. She has the typical Scandinavian style that I love and a genuine and sweet spirit about her. I like the products she finds because they're not typical to what I find here in American stores and magazines and because what she writes hasn't been all over blogland a thousand times already.

• SF Girl By Bay - Victoria is the big sister I never had but have always wanted. She's stylish, has a great sense of humor, and lives in San Francisco, a city that I would never live in (too expensive) but secretly wish I could. So everyday I live through Victoria instead. And I love how she decorates, it's Stockholm meets San Francisco with a dash of Sydney - fresh, white, jolts of energetic color, and vintage finds mixed in with modern pieces from affordable stores like Room & Board and IKEA -- so it's within reach. Plus Victoria has a good spirit, she's real and approachable. I really value her voice in the design blogging world so much.

• My Marrakesh - Who wouldn't love a blog authored by a savvy well-traveled American who is not only a mother and wife, but works as a specialist in human rights and democracy and is diligently working alongside her architect husband to build and soon open, a lovely hotel retreat in Marrakesh called the Peacock Pavillions. You can gaze in on her beautiful world via her blog and watch the progress she's making with the building project. I hope to visit Maryam in 2009 with my husband, too. We've become great friends through our blogs over the past few years.

• Absolutely Beautiful Things - Authored by Anna Spiro, would has exceptional style, this blog oozes with class and color. Anna lives in Australia and has impeccable taste, and she should, she's an Interior Designer and design shop owner. Love this lady!

• And Bloesem because Irene is just so lovely and down-to-earth and she blogs about some of the most beautiful handmade crafty things ever. She's a wife and mom and all around great lady.

The design blogs that we read reveals a lot about our personal style. When you look over the above list, it's clear that I love European life, am dying to visit Australia and Morocco, adore California (my favorite U.S. state), and love design that's a bit exotic and colorful, modern, lots of handmade tactile things, clean but with character, mostly neutral base with bright colors as accents, and enjoy being around laid back easy-going none over-achiever types. Not to say that these ladies aren't doing a lot in their life, they are, but they're balanced and live a life that I enjoy sharing with them daily through their blogs. They aren't just bloggers, they are mothers, business owners, wives, and extremely inspirational women that I've grown to adore. That's why these particular blogs click with me. Of course you are different, you may have your own list and by sharing mine I'm not stating these are the only blogs online worth reading. There are thousands.

If you'd like to find more lovely blogs, here's my own list of favorites right here: decor8 Links. Y

And a little note: these reads aren't the only blogs I'm looking at, I check out Apartment Therapy, Delicious Days, Dooce, Hatch, Hue Consulting, Turquoise, Unclutterer, Print and Pattern, and many others on a weekly basis -- lately the best time for that is on Friday afternoon after I've wrapped up everything for the week - my end of week reward. I find it a nice way to kick off the weekend too.

Who are you reading?

(image from delightful blogs)

So many blogs, so little time. How does one cut through the blog smog? As a blogger and a blog reader, you may be surprised to know that I read less than 10 blogs per day! In addition to Simply Stated of course. :) Sure, I scan a few others here and there, but that occurs less than once a week and takes me about an hour total.

A design blog article I wrote for a real estate journal back in 2006 pointing potential home buyers to some of my favorite reads on the web.

Why do I practice portion control when it comes to blog reading?

Mostly due to lack of time. Like so many of you, I have a life off-line that demands my attention in addition to my online responsibilities to my dear readers over on decor8 and here at Simply Stated. There are thousands of bloggers out there and more are joining the ranks each day, how could I ever keep up if I didn't exercise some self control? Plus I want to surround myself with people online who are making progress in their own life and through their blogs, they are not only sharing that progress but giving me encouragement and inspiration whether they realize it or not. And because anyone can start a blog also means that anyone will -- so you need to watch what your reading and make sure that the blogger isn't feeding you what they've either stolen off the web elsewhere and that they're walking the talk in their own life. Ask yourself:

• Does the blogger have their full name and complete bio readily visible, or at least their email address so you can ask them?
• If they are offering advice, do they have the credentials to do so? And when I say credentials, I don't mean they need to have some fancy background, I just want to know why they have a blog in the first place, what life experiences give them the 'right' to an audience so to speak.
• If they show photos on their blog, are they crediting their images giving the source full credit?
• Do they write well?
• Is their content consistent?
• Do they answer comments left on their blog?
• Are comments made by fellow readers constructive or are they snarky and bitter?

I think all of these points are very important things to consider because you want to make sure that what you're taking in is worth your precious time.

When I read a design blog I have to 'click' with the author. I need to like them.

If they are show-offs, snarky, rude to others, don't bother to reply to comments left, or lack a genuine warmth I don't bother tuning in regularly. My rule is that if I wouldn't consider having them as friends in my 'real' life, then I certainly don't want to associate with them online. Plus, it soaks up time that I could be spending on projects, exercising, or giving attention and care to my family -- my husband is precious and I never want him to take the back seat to over consumption when it comes to online recreation.

This is something I think everyone should consider. How much time are you spending reading blogs? Are they benefiting you in some way? Do you genuinely like the author? Is the message giving you feelings of hope or draining you? All valid things to consider.

I suggest making a list of your daily must-reads and sign up for their RSS feeds. That's what I do now and it really makes a difference in how I'm spending my time. Just as I wouldn't sit on the sofa for hours to watch television, reading blogs and surfing the net isn't something I do 24/7 either. There is such a thing as to much of a good thing. Whether it's cupcakes, sex, or blog reading, you can't do any of it constantly and not eventually tire out.

Of course, as my interests change, so does my list of must-read blogs for the day. I'll share my blog reading list with you on Monday.

If I didn't author a blog myself and write here for Simply Stated, I would read around 20+ blogs daily with no problem... But the 10 or less rule works for me and I'm quite happy with it. Everyone is different of course, you do what works for you.

I'm also not walking away over-stimulated and frustrated each day from over consumption. I believe that the time you spend on every activity should be as good as you can possibly make it. Even a mundane shower should be fun -- wash with your favorite soap and listen to a great CD and sing your little heart out. If you are consuming too much information daily, try to curb things a bit, reel yourself in, make an honest assessment about your blog intake, and then do something to shorten your list of reads so that you're spending more time enjoying the blogs you love, commenting on them, and showing the author that you appreciate their hard work so the good blogs stick around and continue to thrive.

If you have any blog reading tips to share, or if you'd like to tell us what blogs you read daily, please comment below!

(image: holly becker)

A good friend of mine currently has a job she hates. The hours are awful, the topic of the work is mind numbing, and a few choice employees are toxic and insist that every situation is an emergency. On the upside, though, the job pays extremely well and is less than a 15 minute commute from her home. Additionally, she knows that she is lucky to have a job at a time when a lot of people can't find work in her industry. She's been at the job for five months, and she's decided that for financial and professional reasons she will wait until January 2009 to start looking for a new gig.

Surprisingly, even though my friend has a job she can't stand, she is one of the happiest people I know.

How does she do it?

1. She doesn't let her job define her. She thinks about her job the way a teenager might think about his after-school stocking job at the grocery store.
2. She has a rich, active life outside the office. When she isn't at work, she fills every minute doing things she loves. She doesn't sit at home on her couch thinking about how awful her job is.
3. She views the position as a temporary state. She attends networking events and keeps the channels open so that when she goes back on the market, the transition will hopefully be a simple one into a new job.
4. She throws herself into her work when she is at work so that she never has to take anything home. In short, she does her work every minute she's at work, even though she dislikes it.
5. She organizes her day by doing the tasks she loathes the most first thing in the morning.
6. She tries to be a psychic and prepare for every possible, wacky situation her colleagues might put her into next. Even if she isn't successful at predicting their ridiculous demands, at least she is prepared for things not to go the way she would have done them.
7. When she's at work, she acts as if she loves her job. It's the ol' "fake it, until you make it" mentality.

My advice to her months ago was to quit the job. I've always been of the opinion that life is too short to have a job you hate. I have come to understand her reasons for keeping the job, and am even more impressed by how she is handling the situation. So, if you find yourself in a job you can't stand and leaving it isn't an option, try following her lead. Your home life will be more enjoyable for it.

Here's a creative exercise for you, especially helpful if you're trying to decorate a room and you've narrowed down your color choices but cannot make a final decision, or if you have no clue what colors to even start with. Train your eye and develop a stronger color sense (and sharpen your direction) by using a digital camera. When you're out and about, take photos of color combinations that you like, for instance a pattern you see in a clothing store or a painting in the lobby of a hotel. Capture things you like without concentrating on what you're photographing -- that's not important. Color is what you're after here. Whether it's the top of a buildi