This rug is amazing. It’s by Flocks, a project by Dutch fasion designer Christien Meindertma. Click on the little field of sheep (on the right of that page) to see more pictures, including someone weilding some very large knitting needles, and take note of the little knitted swatch they are using as a guide. Also take a look at the sweaters made using wool from just one sheep, keeping the color of that animal’s wool. via Cool Hunting.

I bought a box of Jules Destrooper Almond Thins on a whim, and oh they are so yummy.

The cover of The Stranger (Seattle’s cooler-than-yours free weekly) this week is a photo of little tree sweater made by Erika. It’s so exciting.

Also Seattle related — I have recently become interested in tracking down a VHS tape (not on DVD yet) of Solarbabies to watch. This is likely a result of my lingering fear of post-apocalyptic societies, love of bad movies I can barely remember and Scott has never seen, and the Rat City Roller Girls. We found a copy at the mecca, Scarecrow Video, but it takes a three-figure deposit to borrow. This means it is rare, and makes me want it all that much more. (We didn’t rent it though, our VCR is unreliable and we didn’t feel like risk takers at that moment.)

Yikes, I’m distracted these days. Here are the things I’ve been keeping:

Good Things site, inspired by You Know Who.

Fabric Mache Baskets, little egg containers for Easter.

Felted Fortune Cookies

What sort of long lasting food do you stock in your refrigerator? at Ask Metafilter.

Domicile’s search for a 6″ pie plate is over (they have them at Sur La Table), and mmm, they look yummy.

How to give your keyboard a thorough cleaning, at Life Hacker.

A good nail file for your bag, at Cool Tools.

This is way overdue – I really like Dioramarama’s quilt.

I, I, I… love the pizza cone.

Loveschool recommends corn huskers lotion for ailing skin.

I’ve been meaning to check out I Heart Switch, at Cool Hunting.

Fixing a squeaky bag, at Ask Metafilter. My mom nearly cried when she got a Coach purse, and didn’t love it so much when it turned out to squeak like a broken baby bird record.

The Government Food photo shoot project looks pretty interesting, via Brownie Points.

Mozarella stuffed dinner rolls at Baking Sheet.

Finding jeans for the short and curvy, at Ask Metafilter.

Cupcake stencils at Williams-Sonoma.

Wine for tightwads, at Slate. We’ve been having good luck with $8 – $10 Chilean wines lately.

What’s the funniest joke that doesn’t involve making fun of anyone?, at Ask Metafilter. My favorite: Why did the octopus cross the road? Because it was nailed to the chicken. And someone offered an old favorite of Scott’s: Knock knock? Who’s there? Control freak. Cont� Now you say “control freak who?”

Keyring kite, I like tiny kites.

How to keep consistent temperature oil when frying donuts, at Ask Metafilter.

Shelterrific is a blog by the people who used to make Budget Living (rip).

Note to self: Lavender Festival, July 14,15 &16, 2006.

What is pig candy?, via The Food Section.

Gorillapod, a grippy-bendy camera tripod. At Coolhunting.

Yeasted Buckwheat Pancakes, at Bakingsheet.

Apartment Therapy has a book coming out soon — The Eight Step Home Cure, and they have excerpts on the site.

Tarp grabber, at Book of Joe.

March 31st is the deadline for the 2nd Fred Flare Next Big Thing!

Wow, so it turns out looking for a house turns me into a very dull person. Also a forgetful one – late last night Scott asked me what was up with my hair, and I had been wondering this myself since when I put it up in pigtails the texture was different. Turns out that while I did take a shower that day I had forgotten to actually use the shampoo. (Just now I discovered that I didn’t put on deodorant today, what is wrong with me!? Don’t worry though, I’m at home and so have not offended anybody.)

So an update? We like the mattress, but have decided to attempt to return the memory foam mattress topper. It was just too squishy for us. Perhaps, having been raised Catholic, I need more punishment when I sleep? (Though I can say with certainty the beds at the Ace Hotel here in Seattle are a little too much punishment for me.)

I burned my hand while ironing and have been wearing the equivalent of oversized band aids for a week now. They are actually quite funny looking if you think of them as a prop (like a jumbo pencil), or as me like a 1/4 scale person. They don’t come with Scooby Doo printed on them though.

We’re still living in the small rental house and while we’ve discovered we can comfortably live with less square footage, I think the idea that we don’t need or give a damn about the stuff in those boxes we didn’t unpack for our short stay here is beginning to haunt me. Now that I don’t have a kick ass kitchen any longer all I wanna do is make big meals. We’re surviving on bagels and frozen stuff from Trader Joe’s.

I’ve been working my way through Netflixed wine films – Jancis Robinson and Mondovino. They are making me discontent with $10 table wine. Also, they make me wish I had a crotchety French man for a great uncle.

We’ve decided to concentrate our house seeking in the Columbia City/Mount Baker areas for the time being. Trouble is that besides knowing there is a Tutta Bella down there we’re completely unfamiliar with the neighborhoods. Anybody have any tips on what to get to know? Or areas to avoid buying a home in?

Is there a super great super secret place in or around Seattle that sells a wide variety of things like purse frames, corset boning, and millinery supplies? I’m thinking someplace like Lacis in Berkeley. I have been to the usual suspects – Nancys, Pacific Fabrics and Stitches – but I’m looking for things outside of the Ghee’s hex frames and needlepoint coin purse set. I’m happy enough ordering online but I really like to see things up close when I can. tia!

If you’re interested in sites selling things like magnetic snaps and purse feet here are the usual suspects I come across:

Lacis

Tall Poppy Craft

Create For Less

M&J Trimming

UMX Fasion Supply

BagLady

Ghee’s

I have a new thing to make up on Flickr – a door draft stopper for our cold little house. The doors in our house seem to have been trimmed to accommodate a layer or two of carpet in the past leaving them almost two inches off the refinished wood floors. The inspiration for the project came from this thing on Cool Tools, but that one would slide right through the gap underneath my doors so I decided to have a go at it.