To celebrate the release of their book the awesome girls at Raised Eyebrow Web Studios would like to give away two copies of The Boss of You! I missed Lauren and Emira when they were here in Seattle last weekend because I was in Ohio (figures). So, thanks to them both for being so generous, and best wishes for the remainder of the book tour. You can see my earlier entry about the book here.

If you'd like to enter to win a copy simply leave a comment with this post. I'm going to steal a good idea straight from Loobylu, who took it from the book itself, and request that you, if you want, leave a comment describing the type of food or meal your business (or so-far-theoretical business) would be. You've got until noon, PST on May 25th. (Claire, I hope you don't mind that I'm stealing the idea outright. I tried to think of another thing to use -- shoes, perfume, bicycles -- but in the end I was more interested in reading about food!)

the fine print:

- You don't need to leave your real name, but do leave a valid email address. I'll be the only one who can see your email address (just don't put it in the actual comment box as well). I'll write to get a shipping address when you've won.

- If you have never left a comment here before I'll need to approve it before it publishes so don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away. That said, you might not end up being the comment number you see so know that if you want to say "pick 35!" you might not be comment number 35. I don't know why it works that way, and I'm sorry, there is very little certainty left in this world and this isn't helping any.

- If I have not heard from an initial winner by May 25th I will choose another winner.

- The winners will be picked by the cold, unfeeling random number generator.

Good luck!

my $6 kitchen makerover at Browning Points

We're in the middle of a big kitchen remodel and have been stymied by (of all things!) the kitchen faucet decision. We've been looking at models with integrated sprayer heads that pull out from the faucet but just received a warning about that style of faucet. at Ask Metafilter. We have this style of faucet and I loathe it. Or at least I loathe mine since you cannot turn the sprayer off, you have to make sure it gets back into the faucet so that it doesn't spray all over the kitchen. But of course, I use the sprayer when I'm holding something large and awkward so having to fuss with getting it back into place right at that moment is frustrating.

What's the best home-repair / fixit manual for someone with little-to-no experience in such matters? at Ask Metafilter

Our place in sunny Los Angeles at Design*Sponge -- note for Scott to check out the padded walls in the music room

Instant Kitchen at Uncrate

Paint Everything By the Numbers! at Shelter

Green Idea: A Moss Yard at Re-Nest. If only our back yard wasn't sloped, I would love to do this (damn grass).

Caulk Singles! (Scroll down a bit.) Before you tell me how not-Green this is let me tell you how many half used tubes of caulking I've thrown away when I've moved.

This Method Home Le Scrub bathroom cleaner is pretty darn good. It smells nice, is non-toxic, and the little scrubby sponge is a good size for my wimp hands. The notch in the top of the bottle is for storing the sponge (and perching it to allow it to dry), perfection.

Instant Blossom at Product Dose

an entire wax dipped chandelier, cool, at NOTCOT

Bottle Shock: Better than Sideways? at Chow

If Nerds Ruled the World at The Park Bench

Purse contents for the perpetually prepared person at Ask Metafilter

Clue Premier Edition at Uncrate

The Pen Addict writes entries with the pen he is reviewing, via Doane Paper Blog

Cynthia Rowley pink garden hose! at Shelterrific. I've seen these in the store, instantly wantable.

Design*Sponge on The Regional Assembly of Text in Vancouver

My dog loves dried sweet potato chews. They go for $20 a bag in the pet store even though the only ingredients are potatoes. It must be that I can make them at home for the cost of a potato. at Ask Metafilter

Poppies! at Chez Shoes

spoon scale at Product Dose. La la la, for bakers not just for drug dealers, la la la.

I made the mistake of going into a Macys where I instantly fell for the (very delicate) Hadley drinking glasses from the Martha Stewart Collection.

Sniff Rare Device in Brooklyn is closing down.

A list of responses to "The Question" asked of all kilt-wearing gentlement: What's under your kilt? at Kottke

I need to look at every online women's clothing store in the world. at Ask Metafilter. This is how I shop too.

What do we absolutely have to see/do in Vancouver, Canada while we are there? at Ask Metafilter

decorated cups at How About Orange

Oil of Olay Warming Hydrating Cleanser at Sundry Buzz

Surprise! Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" ads actually kind of fake. I knew it!

Happy happy joy joy: Teva Women's Kena. Reasonably price, flip flop foam, no between the toe stuff. Thanks again Mandy!

Transparent Post-Its, oooh, for notes in books without ruing the books. At Cool Hunting.

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7



I sprinted to the finish line and it's done! It's not perfect but I'm very happy with it. The pattern was great, the yarn was great, the final sweater is soft and fuzzy and pleasingly warm. (more...)

limoncello at Pink of Perfection

arepas at Gluten-Free Girl

So, is anyone else out there a frustrated wannabe Croissant Chef? at Ask Metafilter

Cupcake Pops and Cupcake Bites at Bakerella. I'm so very far behind on this -- Congrats to Bakerella on being on the Martha Stewart Show!

Squeeze Cookies (A Roasted Flour Experiment) at Chocolate & Zucchini

Triple Coconut Cream Pie at Cakespy

What digital cooking thermometer do professionals use? at Ask Metafilter

jim lahey’s pizza bianca at Smitten Kitchen

put the crack in cracker: chocolate-covered caramel crunch at Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Cookthink - enter what you're craving and see what turns up. Nice interface once I figured out how to use it.

Bourbon and Peach Smash at Imbibe

Evany, genius, freezes her leftover lemon wedges

Does anybody know of someplace online I can purchase hot chocolate with extra caffeine in it? at Ask Metafilter

Roasted chèvre, please at Ask Metafilter

all about candied flowers at Baking Bites

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa Recipe at 101 Cookbooks

Knife Skills Illustrated at Cool Hunting

I like the ginger grater halfway down this page at The Food Section

How to Boil Corn on the Cob Perfectly - Too Easy for a Recipe! at Joyful Abode

Tomato Pie in Flaky Pastry Crust - Take 2 at Joyful Abode

Lotta Prints, I heart the Jansdotter you know.







Sew U Home Stretch, stretch sewing is something I know very little about. Read a review over at Angry Chicken for more about it.







Waiter Rant, I've been reading the Waiter Rant site forever, I'm so thrilled to see his book appear.







The Beauty Brains, another book from a site I've been a reading for a long time. I love the straight talk about products and real recommendations vs. hype.







Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy), put together by Dooce and including chapters by Defective Yeti and Mighty Girl? Yes, please.

Candy Blog Photo Studio, nice set up you got there!

Busywork points us to this video tutorial for pockets at Simple Sparrow

How to Knit in the Woods coming soon, oh! I know a knitter who is on the Appalacian Trail right now.

DIY: How to Cut Glass Bottles for Use in Other Projects at Unplugged

Protecting Your Creative Work at The Boss of You blog

How Marimekko fabrics are made, at the Marimekko blog

True Up, new(ish) site, all about fabric

The Lauren Jacket from Weaverknits. I already bought this pattern, love it.

Mannequin Madness, from now until May 25th, is offering 20% off any of their products to Project RunGay readers.

I dig the wave scarf, at Grumperina

The Knitting School has launched. It's here in Seattle and offers a bunch of machine knitting classes. Little known fact: I have a Brother Chunky machine with ribber and a bunch of accessories.

finding sewing contractors at Sommer Designs

Via Craftzine:

sewing bag tutorial at Mackville Road

hand braided scarf at ah-yi

sewing machine monster tee! by CubistLiterature at Etsy

catnip eyeballs by hannapt at Etsy

cute japanese coin purse at The Purl Bee, I have a few of these frames, must try this

Philosophy The Supernatural poreless, flawless, tinted spf 15

I dig this stuff. It doesn't hide everything, but it does give your face a soft focus (like it says on the back of the package), while providing some SPF. At first I wasn't sure how well it worked so I applied it to half my face (don't worry, I was home all alone) and the difference was pretty big. It's a bit too dark for my pale skin, so I have to be careful not to apply too much. While it's not a foundation, it's a great "just need to leave the house to go to the library" quick product. Despite the $$ and the not-this-not-that nature I'll be buying this again. Note: Some people react very badly to the silicone, so buy it somewhere you can return it if need be.




Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara

As a mascara, I like it a whole lot, but there are problems. The big fat brush confounds my early morning self and I always end up with a bit of it smeared around my eyelid. (Afternoon self can manage to apply cleanly.) It's got the volumizing while still looking natural thing down, but if it's a day when I apply my (Neutrogena Ultra-sheer) sunblock it runs almost immediately. Will be banished to use only after the sun has gone down.




MAC eyeshadow, in Print

Nicely pigmented, no creasing, no smudging. Might be worth the price, just the way everybody is always saying it is.

Beautiful Dog Crate at Door Sixteen

Is there any earthly way - preferably on the up & up - to get a copy of Raiders of the Losk Ark: The Adaptation? at Ask Metafilter

coffee curls at Mighty Goods

Help me make a costume of Peter Pan's shadow for a theme party, at Ask Metafilter

inkjet paper tatoo at Swiss Miss

photos of Miette confiserie at Bluelines, so sweet

Want to see Jekyll, at Bookshelves of Doom

How to treat/prevent ingrown hairs at Ask Metafilter

Can you please suggest simple pranks, stunts, and tricks that fall under the category of "physical challenges"? For example: Offer 2 kids a piece of newspaper, and challenge them to find a way for both to stand on the paper at the same time, without ripping it, such that neither kid is able to touch the other. For kids birthday parties, at Ask Metafilter

Hey, remember crazy mannequin shows from the 80's? at Ask Metafilter. I TOTALLY watched this show as a kid. I didn't know it was a Canadian import, but there had to be some reason I liked it better than other shows.

Chic Peeks Adhesive Cleavage Covers at Sundry Buzz. I needed one of these for that dress.

Are "fast zombies" really plausible? at Ask Metafilter

Seven new adventures—from the Grand Canyon Skywalk to Zorbing in Tennessee—are sure to deliver a rush, but you might not want to look down. at Budget Travel. Gosh, I remember the Zorb is one of those things I saw on teh internets way way back, like 2001 back. At that point you only find them in Australia.

Who to read besides Coupland, Stephenson, Gibson, and Sterling? at Ask Metafilter

Does anyone know if they make a Tupperware or Tupperware-like food storage container system that has one interchangeable lid size for all the different bins? at Ask Metafilter

I'm looking for dialog-heavy scenes (in books, movies, TV shows, etc) where a group of people solve a problem or make a plan in the course of one long conversation. at Ask Metafilter

Is Curves International (i.e. the company behind Curves gyms) really that bad? If it is, are there any other gyms that are similar to this chain in terms of target clientele and training plan? at Ask Metafilter

Fun facts about your favorite writers at Pop Candy. Woah, JD, I had no idea. Via The Park Bench.

Velocity has announced the next event for The Lab, and I'll be speaking, or at least answering questions. The next Lab event will focus on blogs and will have four speakers for the night, Paola from MirrorMirror, Elaine from Decorno, Mary from Shelterrific (whom I only met last month and was so pleased to find one of the authors from a favorite site lived here in Seattle), and myself. I'm terrified, and excited. Honestly, I don't have much to say so you'd be doing me a huge favor if you come armed with questions.

Here are the details:

Please join us Wednesday, May 28th from 6-8 to meet prominent voices in the rapidly growing, ever-evolving world of blogs. Blogs purport transparency and openness, but there are less-apparent elements behind blogs, like relationships between bloggers and importance of search-engine optimization, which will make this such a fascinating topic to discuss.

Dry Soda will be offering refreshments (so there will be plenty to eat if you're coming straight from work) and last time there was wine. Thanks, Dry Soda.

Now, at the last event Velocity raffled off a few Matte Stephens prints so of course I feel like we should have something to give away, but what? Maybe I should make everybody some jello orange slices? Or teeny tiny cupcakes?

The first event was a lot of fun and the stories Matte Stephens had to tell were fascinating. Future speakers include Lauren and Emira from Raised Eyebrow Web Studios (and the authors of The Boss of You), and there was a hint at some local wine and cheese makers. So please, come join us.

More on why we don't need two spaces after a period anymore. At Word Wise. Also see, style guides at Grammar Girl.

Flip Video Ultra Accessories at NOTCOT

Garmin Nuviphone looks to Take On the iPhone at 37 Signals

HTC Touch Diamond