Weekend roundup

The majority of Yourhomers are staying put this spring, according to last week's poll. Only one third, 33 per cent, of those who voted said they're currently in the market to buy or sell a home, while an additional 13 per cent were on the fence. (Read our latest home sales story and check out our tips on selling your home)

This week, I'm wondering how many gardeners successfully completed their long weekend to-do lists. Is your garden ready for summer? Check out our outdoor living page for great gardening advice, and be sure to vote in the front page poll.

And, while I'm sure many of you will be out enjoying said gardens (or at least a stellar balcony or patio) this weekend, if you do take a moment in the shade to read (perhaps on your new iPad?), be sure to check out: 

- Colin and Justin's best tips for whipping your backyard into shape

- Iconic King Edward converting to hotel-condo

- A preview of the new season of Flipping Out

- The latest furniture trends

- Cool products for your backyard

- Mark Cullen's latest gardening column

Sex and the City's swoon-worthy home fashions

While the critics' haven't exactly been heaping the praise on Sex and the City 2, I can say that the shoes and the sets continue to be fabulous!
 

Bold wallpaper, the great blue sofa, below, (that Big shamefully puts his shoes on!) and, of course, a well-organized walk-in closet all star in Carrie and Big's modern new apartment (and may even steal a few scenes from the frocks).

 

While many of the sets are gorgeous - the luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi is out of this world - I was most taken with Carrie and Big's place - the grey walls, the fun blend of mid century modern and graphic prints, and the excellent balance of masculine and feminine accents (like the strong lined sofa mixed with that pretty floral throw pillow) will all be taking up residence in my personal inspiration file.

(Photo from Craig Blankenhorn/ELLE Decor)

There are a few jokes thrown in for home fashionistas, too, like Carrie saying "I've been cheating on fashion with furniture" and the admission that it took a year and a half for them to settle on the sofa.

Carrie even chats with Big about how she needs just one more piece to finish the room - a conversation I'm sure many of us will find familiar!

See a full slide show of the sets from the movie at Elle Decor and be sure to check out Colin and Justin's spin on a Sex and the City worthy dressing room.

An easy trick for cleaning your blender

After the scorcher that was the long weekend (hello summer!), I think it's finally safe to say that blender season has arrived. Whether I'm whipping up smoothies or daiquiris, I always pull mine out with a certain sense of dread, knowing that I'll need to clean all those strawberry seeds out of it later.

But, while catching up on some reading, I came across this brilliant and oh-so-easy tip from Lifehacker that almost guarantees the blender holding pride of place on my kitchen counter all summer long!

Instead of scrubbing all those finicky bits, or crossing your fingers that the dishwasher does the trick, when you're finished with your blender just toss in some hot water and a squeeze of liquid dish detergent. Blend it on high for 15 seconds, rinse, and it should be clean! After all, it's the blender's mixing that put the goop there in the first place.

If it's not clean after the first pass, try whirring your hot, soapy water mixture with different blend settings, including whatever one you used for your beverages.

Get more great cleaning tips in our spring cleaning guide (I promise, they'll work in summer too!)

Eat these, you will

Whether it's for pint-sized fans who love their lightsaber battles, dads who can recite all the lines from the original trilogy or that special guy who is the Han Solo to your Princess Leia, these new Star Wars pancake moulds and cookie cutters are just too cute to pass up.

Taking inspiration from a galaxy far, far away, the pancake set includes Yoda, Darth Vader and a stormtrooper. And, in theory, they seem easy enough for even a Jedi Padawan to use: place on a preheated griddle and pour in your batter.

 
 

The cookie cutters, which come in a set of four, includes Darth Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and a stormtrooper - and are a great chance to practice your mastery of the force, or at least your icing skills.

I love the retro sci-fi geek meets foodie vibe, and they might even spur on some brunches that I don't have to make myself!

The pancake moulds and cookie cutters both retail for $29.95 each, and are available at Williams-Sonoma.

(Found via Globe Life Style Counsel newsletter)

Weekend roundup

Happy long weekend! I don't know about you, but I'm certainly ready for the rest, relaxation and DIY inspiration that the (mostly) warm and sunny holiday weekend will bring!

But, first, I've got to share last weekend's poll results. Apparently, the much-maligned Murphy bed is really experiencing a resurgence as a stylish and space-saving piece, with 63 per cent of Yourhomers saying in last week's poll they would be willing to consider one for their own home. The remaining 38 per cent said no.

This week, I'm looking at the booming real estate market, and the lure of those long-weekend open houses, for a little poll inspiration - I want to know how many readers are currently in the market! Let me know in the front page poll, and be sure to check out all of our fabulous tips in our buying and selling a home sections.

And, for some long weekend reading and project inspiration, be sure to check out:

- Colin and Justin create a Sex and the City-worthy dressing room

- Mark Cullen's long weekend gardening to-do list

- Great products to get you grilling

- 10 easy bathroom updates

- Do your homework before listing your house

- Boomers retiring to the cottage

Could this app make me a gardener?

So, it's no secret that I have a black thumb. I have a terrible time keeping plants alive, and an even worse time nursing them back to health when things go wrong (and they often do!).

But, for those gardeners who are a little more nurturing than I, Ajax's Adelante Consulting Inc. has released a new iPod/iPhone app to help you cope when your houseplants are sick.

The Plant Doctor (free) provides 32 common symptoms and descriptions of 10 of the most common plant diseases. The app will also offer advice for resuscitating your plant. 

If your plant's affliction is something more rare, you can get personalized advice by purchasing a diagnosis. Your text description and photos are then sent along to a "professional plant pathologist", who will reply with the probably disease and advice on how to manage it.

You can also check out previous diagnoses on their blog.

Pretty computer accessories

As someone who works from home two days a week, not to mention all those early morning, evening and late night writing sessions, my first demand from my home office space (shown below - complete with a cup of tea!) is function.

While I'd certainly like to make it a more stylish, and creative, space, the truth is that office necessities - from chairs and filing cabinets to computer accessories - tend to be a bit blah.

However, I'm happy to be seeing more and more pretty technology floating across my desk and landing in my inbox these days, including the latest offering from Microsoft, the Arc series keyboard and mouse. 

Featuring curved profiles and clean lines, these accessories actually could almost blend in with a modern interior, rather than looking like a technological intruder cluttering up your coffee or kitchen table (which, to be honest, is where my laptop is most often found). 

Or, to quote their press release, it "looks and feels like it belong with other objects in the home and is as much a part of the decor as the chandelier in the dining room or the vase in the kitchen."

The Arc Keyboard is available at major electronic retailers for about $70. 

 

And the Arc Mouse, which folds in half to make it easier to transport, also retails for approximately $70.

What do you think? Is it worth making the upgrade to prettier computer accessories?

Stylish pixels

I must confess to having a bit of a soft spot for pixelated art. I generally swoon for anything that looks like it could have come out of an 8-bit game. (Space invaders ice cubes, anyone?) So, it's probably not that surprising that this cheerful graphic bathroom (spotted on Freshome) caught my eye - it even embraces one of my other loves, typography!

I think it's so cute that the shower reminds you to wash behind your ears! I always appreciate a playful touch.

The bathroom was created by De Meza + Architecture + Interiors for the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, and the pixelated look was styled using custom glass mosaic tiles. 

I also love how the dramatic black and white palette is brightened up with shots of a cheery, almost bumblebee, yellow, which keeps the space from looking too broody. Check out more photos of the room over at Freshome, and be sure to brush up on our tips for creating your own spa-like retreat at home!

Weekend roundup

While my mind was on patios, outdoor furniture, gardens and summer cocktails last weekend, the weather was decidedly less than summery. So, perhaps it's no surprise that Yourhomers weren't exactly champing at the bit to envision their outdoor spaces - only 17 people voted in last week's poll. Out of those respondents, a mere 18 per cent said they would be buying new pieces to spruce up their backyards this summer, while 71 per cent weren't planning any new purchases. Six per cent said they didn't know, and another 6 per cent said they don't have an outdoor space.

This week, I'm thinking about one of the latest trends for making small spaces work: the Murphy bed. To me, it feels a little bit like the fanny pack of the decor world (though the fanny pack is also, supposedly, experiencing a new popularity) - useful, but decidedly less than fashionable. However, companies are now giving it an update with sleek lines, more user-friendly functioning and higher quality finishes, so I'm wondering if it's time to give the Murphy bed another chance? Read the full story, then let me know if you'd consider one to help you max out your space by casting your vote in the front page poll.

For some more weekend reading, check out:

- Colin and Justin get busy in the garage

- Tips for getting a taste of the spa at home

- Lessons learned from this season's Canada's Worst Handyman

- Surprising uses for common household products

Kanye West's sleek, modern art filled home

Rapper Kanye West also happens to be an interior design aficionado (check out this feature on him in Interior Design mag) - he even studied fine art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago - so I was excited to take a virtual peek inside his 4,214-square-foot, three-bedroom, 3.5-bath Hollywood Hills home, which has just been listed for $4 million.

While it's certainly very modern, and more than a bit quirky - the Jetsons paintings, that stuffed-animal chair, even a giant Buzz Lightyear figurine (not shown) - there are also many sleek and more understated spaces to admire, along with fabulous art! Check out the full photo gallery over on CasaSugar.

And, for fab spaces a little closer to home, check out this recently listed Toronto loft with "a 'land of the silver birch, home of the beaver' meets modern/industrial" vibe.