It's a Major Award!

Oops, wrong one. Wait, this one:


I am unforgivably late in publicly acknowledging and passing along this award which loosely translates to "Your blog makes my dog fat" or "Your blog...completes me," I'm not sure which.

Thanks to Missy from That's So Missy for bestowing this award upon my blog.

I'll pass it along to 5 (who pass it along to 5 and so on and so on and so on...):

Raina at If the Lampshade Fits
Erin and Karly at Design Crisis
The Artist Formerly Known as The Nerdy Fashionista over at Designers Brew
Persian Tea
David at Midwestern Malaise (I just think he might like a pink butterfly award today)
I'd like to add a bonus person: Gracie at Woolgathering & Miscellany because she cracks me up

Okay, kids, take it away.

Light My Fire.

Domino

Domino

The Mogg Blogg

Color Me Happy

Absolutely Beautiful Things

Domino

Fireplace season is coming to a close. I can feel it. The birds are singing, spring is in the air. Cozy up while you can.

And what are the rules or ideas at the very least for decorating a mantle? I can never find things that look good.

Ban Men from Delivery Rooms?

The practice of allowing men in delivery rooms has only been around for about 35 years but it's something today's woman takes for granted -- often whether her husband wants to do it or not.

I just came across an article written by a top U.K. ob/gyn titled, "A Top Obstetrician on Why Men Should Never Be at the Birth of Their Child."

Click here for the article.

Your thoughts?

Sunday Night Confession.

I once ironed a shirt while it was on my body because I was too lazy to take it off.

I still have the scar to prove it.

(I ended up having to take the shirt off anyway.)

Ow, My Eyes!

Please click on photos for full effect.

Is this a joke or is Domino trying to make its departure easier on us? Behold, the home of Nina Campbell. No further comment.

So as not to leave my beloved Domino on a sour note, a couple of rooms I like (minus the deer noggin):

I love the painted paneling and the sofa cushion. The homeowner shoved together two parts of a sectional and had a new cushion made. That handrolled mattress cushion has long been a favorite of mine. I wonder if the edge is uncomfortable?

Every home with kids should have a teepee. Yep, in the dining room, family room, wherever. I'd like to point out that I do not like the Noguchi light fixture - it looks like commercial HVAC ductwork.

Thoughts on the final issue or is it taboo to speak ill of the dead?

Hello, Lovahs.

(Not really. I got nothing but love, baby.)

xoxo,

HG

Sweet Hearts.

All images via flickr.

Have a lovely weekend.

Koala Love.

I saw the photo of this yesterday on Pigtown Design but this video will break your heart (in a good way).

Millions of animals have been killed in the Australian wildfires and many more have been injured. If you are inclined to make a donation, click here.

UPDATE: Uh-oh. I noticed this morning on Yahoo that Koala's a star. Just wait til Fuck You, Penguin gets a hold of him. Oh, no, too late (actually, it's a different koala, but who cares?). If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here. It's the funniest thing on the internet.

My Dream House is for Sale.

Click on photo to enlarge.

Here it is, styled by Vogue.

Here it is with photos by the realtor.

More realtor photos.

As reported by the eagle-eyed Habitually Chic and quotable Page Six, my favorite residential place in the whole world (okay, in the U.S.) is for sale. The white marble-clad, unbelievably fabulous residence of the chic-and-sadly-divorcing-but-already-happily-dating-others Janklow kids on West 12th Street in NYC between 5th and 6th Avenues is for sale.

If you have $25 million lying around, contact Brown Harris Stevens NYC or go here.

Note to Self.

Start pronouncing it Pahkistahn.

Sunday Night Confession.

When I was in first grade, I had a crush on a fat, redheaded, redneck boy named Kenny.

The students in my class were sitting on chairs in a circle and Kenny and I were seated next to one another, holding hands. We were having a spelling contest and when you answered correctly, you got to leave the circle and return to your desk.

When it came to my turn the teacher asked me how to spell "as." I intentionally misspelled it so I wouldn't have to leave the circle and stop holding hands with Kenny.

As it turned out, because I misspelled the word (I don't remember how I misspelled it: az?) I had to go to the end of the circle, so to speak, to start over.

The things we do for love.


[This is my feature where on Sundays I share with you something that you may not know about me and you share something related or otherwise, depending on your mood, about yourself.]

Thank God It's Friday with an Apostrophe.

I see this misused on otherwise brilliant blogs all the time. I'd like to offer quick help to resolve the burning question: It's or its?

It's = It is (or it has). Every single time.

Its = Possessive. Every single time.

If you can't decide which to use, just remember it's is a contraction and it's= it is (or it has as in "it's been raining"). If that's not it, it's its. Got it?

Now, it's (it is) time for a little Friday entertainment from my favorite band, The Shine (my girl is its drummer), performing its original song, "Going Nowhere."

UPDATE: New song (poor picture quality due to low lighting at venue) but still a good song.

What's Wrong with America, Part I.

In 50 words or less. (And two pictures.)

"South Carolina authorities in the county where Michael Phelps was spotted smoking from a marijuana bong say they are considering a criminal charge against the Olympic superstar." -AP

"Madoff hasn't been indicted. He's being held under house arrest at his multimillion-dollar penthouse." -AP

Or as I've said before: go here to see it.

Baby, It's Cold Inside.

Hotel de Glace, Quebec

Hotel de Glace corridor, via Octobre46 flickr

Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden

Jukkasjarvi, Sweden

Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden

Hotel de Glace via Octobre46 flickr

Hotel de Glace Bar, Quebec, via Octobre46 flickr

The dacha from Dr. Zhivago

Although they look like movie sets, Ice Hotels are temporary structures made entirely of snow and ice (except for the fireplaces and the vodka). The first one popped up in 1989 in Sweden as an igloo intending to provide temporary shelter for an art exhibition. Some people brought reindeer hides and spent the night, reporting it to be an amazing experience. The builders of the igloo expanded on their idea and the Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel was born.

The hotels offer day tours or for the heartier tourist, overnight stays. There are wedding packages available, including same sex weddings (forget California, make it really memorable!). Their beauty is truly ephemeral, lasting about 3 months before they disappear.

For more on the Hotel de Glace, click here. The website wouldn't allow me to download photos and they are worth seeing. For the Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, click here.

Decorno and Just Plain Porno.

Thanks to the mighty, magical, omnipotent Decorno, I have received more traffic today on my blog than, well, ever.

I would like to say thanks if you came by to visit. And rock on, Decorno-ites.

I would also like to thank Internet Porn for increasing my blog traffic. On any given day, an unusual number of you arrive at my blog looking for "dicks," "famous dicks" or "infamous dicks" due to this post: Famous Dicks.

Sorry to disappoint. But, hey, since you're here, stick around, baby. You're looking good. We'll find something to satisfy your, um, cravings.

To whet your appetite and make this visit worth your while, I will post a surprising artwork by the last-remaining* (and my favorite) Wyeth, Jamie, at my favorite show to date at the Brandywine River Museum** called "Factory Work," which comprised the works of Jamie Wyeth, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat from their time together at Warhol's Factory:

In Drag, Drawing #1, 1977, Pencil on Paper, James Wyeth, Farnsworth Art Museum

Hey, I know I'm dumbing down art, but I'm just giving the people what they want. Like Emeril.


*Not technically the last remaining, but you know what I mean.
**Although his show with sketches on craft paper of Nureyev about killed me, they were so beautiful. And the retrospective last weekend on Andrew was very poignant.

Groundhog Abuse.

I'd crawl back into my hole, too. Crazy mofo.

Six more weeks, folks, like every year. Thanks, Phil.

Personally, I think Punxsutawney Phil is overrated. I like Staten Island Chuck. He's usually wrong but optimistic. Today, he predicted an early spring.

Actually, after a wee bit of research, I found this press release (although a few years dated) by NY Senator Chuck Shumer stating that historically Chuck has been right 90% of the time while Phil's record is an embarrassing 30% of the time.

I guess Phil's hiding his head in shame.

Sunday Night Confession.

I lost my virginity during Super Bowl XIV. Trust me, the Super Bowl was the only memorable thing about it.

Today is Super Bowl XLIII. Yowsa. It looks like I lost my v. when dinosaurs roamed. Actually, maybe it doesn't look as bad in Roman Numerals.

Too much information? Too bad. This is my new feature, as of last week, where on Sundays I share with you something about me that you (or anybody else) may not know about me and you share something related or otherwise, depending on your mood, about yourself.

Spill.

The Perfect Kitchen.

Back in the early days of my blog (lo, those many months ago) I did a post on my Dream House Tour which you can see here. Well, I think I may have a kitchen replacement. *insert angel choir* Tada!

Click on photos to enlarge.

The kitchen of Lindsey Buckingham (oh, yes, of Fleetwood Mac fame, looking quite fresh and unharmed by the 70s) and his wife, Kristen. As you may recall, I am currently obsessed with black cabinetry (see my post here); these are painted B. Moore's Night Shade. I love the white island to change it up and if that's not the most perfect kitchen table ever, then I don't know what is. The extra scrumptious Murano chandy was reportedly an eBay find.

The photos look the same but they're not. My scanner is only so big and the bottom photo shows the stove on the right with the cow painting on the range hood. I love cows in the kitchen. Heh.

The floors are paved cement tiles. They give me a backache to look at but they sure are purdy.

I am in love with her art studio (and jealous) and their veggie garden. Beauteous to the eyes, tasty and useful in the kitchen.

All from the March issue of Elle Decor, still in production, thank god. Get it while it's hot.

P.S. You may be amused as I was to see that Nathan's long-dreaded awaited Top Design spread appears and Ms. Russell spends much of her editorial explaining how it was that he won. Ha.

If you are here from Decorno, here's the editorial (just click to read):


You can also click here to read my original post on Nathan's win.