february 4, 2007--mini greenhouse

oh, ikea, you are full of cute yet mostly useless things. and they are all so CHEAP! this "mini greenhouse" was purchased on my very first ever trip to ikea and i really haven't ever used it. it's too small to be practical for anything and who am i kidding-- i'm no green thumb and i never start anything so early that i need a greenhouse. plus, it's proven itself fairly useless as a decorating prop as well.

February 3, 2007--soap dispenser

i think this soap/lotion dispenser is beautiful. i bought it to dispense dish soap at my kitchen sink. sadly, i'm not sure if it's broken or just defective, but the pump does not work. for several months, i "dispensed" soap by pulling the pump out of the bottle and dripping soap from the end of it like a honey stick, but then i found a different, more effective way to get soap at the sink and stored this under the sink for just in case. well, my husband pulled it out the other day and i was reminded that i owned it. guess what--i'd never missed it. so, off it goes!

February 2, 2007--planning book thingy

this was one of the last barnes and noble-talked-me-into-it purchases i made. it was after i stopped working there and i was there just shopping and this notebook called my name. it's supposed to help you plan/design your home redecorating plans. there are little plastic pockets with those string and circle closures scattered throughout the inside and plastic dividers with pockets that all make me drool (plus, it was only $5!) but, truth be told, my house is as decorated as it's going to get and even if i buy a new house someday in the future, i just can't see myself carrying this whole big book around with me when i shop for paint colors or fabric swatches.

February 1, 2007--i-zone polaroid camera and film

a few years ago (??), my extended family did a grab bag style gift exchange and i came away with this great prize--an i-zone polaroid camera and film. i still think they're super cute and fun, but i haven't used them! i have no idea if the film is even good anymore! a quick perusal of amazon leads me to believe that you can no longer purchase the film. i think i'll take this to work and use it for something there.

january 31, 2007--paper picture frame

this lovely little picture frame was given to me by my mother around the time of my wedding. for years, it has held a photo, printed on regular paper, of my husband and i cutting our wedding cake. the frame is now somewhat faded and my complete adoration of all things handmade paper has narrowed and i'd like to pass this frame along to someone else.

January 30, 2007--guandules

oh dear. my husband found this can of guandules verdes (i believe the english side of the label calls them "pigeon peas") in our cupboard the other day. he said, "what are these?" and i said, "oh, those are guandules--they use them a lot in dominican cooking. i bought a can while i was there to bring home and use sometime." he looked at the date stamped on the top of the can and said, " yeah. i think this is that can." if you can't see it very well, the numbers on the top of the can are 11 95. although the contents are probably still just fine, i cannot bring myself to open it. plus, i've loooong forgotten the recipe. [how embarrassing! we've been packing and moving that can for how many years?!]

January 29, 2007--drum lampshade

A good friend curb-shopped this lampshade for me at "hippie christmas" (august 15, when all the students move out of their rentals and leave tons of great stuff on the curb to be picked through by the locals before the garbage collectors arrive.) because i'd asked her to keep an eye out for shades just like this. unfortunately, to make it look right, i really need TWO matching lampshades (she only found one) plus, this has the wrong kind of hardware to work with my lamps.