I guess I could wax on and on about the dichotomy between beauty and violence represented in these wall-mounted gun vases from SUCK UK and their cultural significance with regard to the whole 60s stick-a-flower-in-the-barrel-of-a-gun thing, but that’s not why I like them.

They appeal to me because I can just imagine how surprised I’d be if I ran across them in someone else’s home. It is, after all, a white handgun, with an upwards pointing barrel, attached to the wall…and there’s a flower sticking out of it.

I will say that this is one of those things you might want to put away for a week or two after a school shooting or any other violent occurrence that hits the public consciousness, lest people think you are totally insensitive and also a little bit creepy.

Full disclosure: The Beard and I have a lawn. I wish I could bring myself to join the anti-lawn movement — cars all over my town sport FOOD NOT LAWNS bumper stickers — but I can hardly keep on top of the garden I already have, which is comprised of one rhubarb, four romaine lettuces, five broccolis, some carrots, and a few onions. This is one isolated in case in which I’d rather destroy than create. Pushing my squeaky old fashioned mower over my little patch of the world is wonderfully cathartic.

But while I don’t have to lovingly hunch over every inch of the thing sweating and swearing about beetles with a taste for salad greens, my lawn is not entirely maintenance free. Caring for it has brought up some interesting conundrums. I wanted to get a proper fertilizer and crabgrassicide until The Beard reminded me that we let the cats out, and they have a taste for grass. He wanted a proper power mower until I said they spewed pollution. We both wanted to pull the weeds until we read a notice sent from the city encouraging people to let ‘em grow for various green reasons.

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I, personally, am not one for hoarding. The mother of an ex of mine collected all things duck, so her kitchen and her bathrooms were constantly a-quackin’ with ducky statues and ducky toilet paper cozies and framed ducky art complete with sayings like “You quack me up!” For some people, it’s turtles and for others it’s cats. There are people who incorporate golf or the Red Sox into every facet of their decor.

But like I’ve said in the past, I’m generally a fan of moderation. A little bit of khokhloma here and a few pieces of seaglass there. A ceramic cat nestled in the corner and a couple of Asian busts displayed discretely among the books. No matter what you’re a fan of, if you care about aesthetics more than rabid fandom — not that this is the better or worse choice — you’ll have to exercise a touch of restraint.

Me? I like France…or rather, I like the idea of France, by which I really mean the idea of some magical amalgamation of Paris and the French countryside. I try to limit my obsession with all things French to things specifically not emblazoned with “PARIS” written in fanciful script or line drawings of the Eiffel Tower, but that’s just moi.

If you prefer to celebrate your love of France in unmistakable ways, ParisChic Boutique may just be the Etsy shop pour vous.

These knobs would look smashing on a vanity or bedside table, though I’d really rather they didn’t have Paris written on them. Of course, everything I’m about to show you has Paris written on it!

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I’m always a little wary of spending any sort of real money on children for anything other than health, safety, nutrition, and enrichment. I watched my six younger siblings grow out of clothes, get bored with toys mere minutes after receiving them, and ding the heck out of all of their furniture….that is, when they weren’t accidentally painting on it or carving their initials into it.

I understand that one must drop enough cash on things like carseats and cribs to ensure that they won’t suddenly turn into a fiery ring of snakes or devour the baby in the dead of night, but the thought of dropping a phat wad on a single purpose changing table because it will instill junior with an early aesthetic sense makes me cringe.

That’s not to say I don’t like looking at kiddie rockers inspired by the Galapagos Islands or a high chair whose design was based on the fabled hanging gardens of Babylon. So while it’s unlikely I’ll ever be purchasing any furniture from Arlington Modern Children’s Furniture, I do like to have a gander at what’s on offer on the web site and imagine the day I’ll be able to stock my home with expensive furniture that will be pooped on, scratched, and forgotten without giving it a second thought.

Plus, is it just me, or do both of the pieces above look darned uncomfortable?

My grandmother decided recently to clean out her cupboards and gifted me with a great deal of vintage upholstery fabric. I took it all, fearing I’d miss something spectacular if I poked through it to find the good stuff when my ferry was set to leave in a mere half hour. A lot of it is rather thick and nubby, leading me to believe my sewing machine would balk if I tried to make curtains, but a few yards were utterly gorgeous. One swath in particular is white and orange and two shades of blue that just happen to match the two shades of blue in my living room.

How is it that I only recently learned that blue and orange can be combined to good effect?

No matter! Thus far I’ve pre-washed and ironed the fabric to prepare it for its eventual fate, which is to become a pair of throw pillow covers for the living room. Too bad my sewing machine is on the fritz. There is, however, one benefit to not being able to indulge my need to sew, sew sew, which is that I can spend all sorts of non-productive time looking at beautiful fabrics, contemplating what I’d make if I had all sorts of money to drop on the raw materials for dresses and shams and slipcovers.

I’m a huge fan of Amy Butler fabrics — in fact, it was she who taught me not to hate florals. Previously, I associated all floral prints with a certain high school math teacher who daily wore dresses that looked more like couches.

Lovely, no? The nice thing about sewing pillow covers is that they’re generally square or rectangular, which means you only have to sew on a straight line. Additionally, you’ve got a lot of freedom where fabric is concerned unless your pillows see a lot of ‘butt action’ on a regular basis. If you want to give this simple project a try a try, the easy, illustrated instructions found here and here are a great place to start.

Now I’m off to inspect my newly delivered wicker set!

I don’t know about you, but seeing my wonderful blue Le Creuset pot always brightens my day. It’s already old as sin, but I’d wager that it will outlive me and perhaps even my children. It stays hot once it gets hot, making it perfect for simmering soups and deep frying. I can pop it in the oven if needed, and the heavy base means curious cats can’t knock it over if I leave it sitting on a tabletop to dry.

I tell you truly — if these pots and pans were not so pricey, I’d have an entire set made up of pieces of every color!

Living in a small house means that decorative items are stashed where they can be seen and yet still be out of the way. After all, it wouldn’t do to have occupants or guests banging their shins against flower pots or getting beaned by chandeliers!

Nothing brightens up a room or garden like a pretty little something hanging at or just over eye level. I’m obviously partial to hanging decor because it can be installed in small and unexpected places, like off the the side of an armoire in a crowded room or in the hollow created by two shrubs.

All of these accents come from Viva Terra, which carries eco-friendly gifts and decor made from sustainable sources by talented artisans.

I grew up on the water…boating and crabbing and fishing. Occasionally, snagging certain edible ocean life meant staying overnight on the family boat. Don’t let that fool you into thinking of a vessel larger than the ones we had — an overnight voyage was cramped and lacking in the amenities one is used to.

For those who can afford it, however, an waterbound voyage is a luxurious journey complete with all of the comforts of home. But consider for a moment that there is luxury and there is luxury. For some, the perfect watercraft is small enough to let its inhabitants experience the water below and the sky above. For others, a superior boating experience involves pretending one is not on a boat!

I present to you here two modes of water travel. Many of the boat houses in the Kerala area of India are gorgeous, comfortable, and functional. You can’t beat the scenery, and the water is close enough to touch. The World yacht, on the other hand, bills itself as “a seagoing community where adventure, excitement, and introductions to faraway lands are at your fingertips.” Every desire can be satisfied on board — there are movie theatres, you can play golf, and there’s a full spa.

I know which mode of travel I’d prefer — lounging around in a floating condo is not my idea of a good time. But YMMV, and I want to hear about which boat you’d rather occupy!

Channel 4 recently polled ten thousand people to determine which British buildings are despised the most. Twelve structures were chosen, spanning a variety of locales, and I can’t help but agree with those who were polled. Tastes may change, but I’m not surprised that many of these hated buildings are boxy, gray, and otherwise extremely drab.

Crown House, in Kidderminster, is a prime example of blah architecture. It once housed the Inland Revenue, but to me it looks like the yawn-worthy dormitory buildings I lived in while at university.

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The Beard and I spent the weekend jumping from shop to shop, looking for the perfect patio set. What we saw was somewhat dismaying…the sturdy metal chairs had flimsy plastic seats while most of the umbrella-ready tables were far too big for our modest deck. Even boxed, the sets we liked were too big to fit into our car, and we weren’t willing to pay $250 for shipping on a $500 item!

We eventually settled on a white wicker set from Target that received rave reviews from just about everyone who bought it. At some point in the future we’ll be buying an umbrella, but that can wait. All in all, I’m pretty excited and hope it arrives quickly.

Interestingly, wicker refers not to a material, but rather to the act of weaving fibers together. A wicker chair or table may be crafted from rattan reed, bamboo, or paper fibre rush, and a lot of the wicker-style furniture in the world today is made of plastic. Natural wicker is susceptible to the elements, so it has to be covered and brought inside when not in use…or, at the very least, in the wintertime. Unlike molded plastic patio furniture, it won’t last ages and ages.

The good news is that wicker can last quite a while with proper care, as outlined in this NY Times article. Cleaning and sealing are musts!