Archive for the ‘Fine (Fun) Things’ Category

Great Finds at Design Within Reach Sale Today

Friday, August 8th, 2008

If you haven’t heard, Design Within Reach is having a HUGE sale down at the Fort Mason! I received this email from the PR person of DWR:

Design Within Reach – Fort Mason Warehouse Event

The DWR Warehouse Event is back in San Francisco in a big way, at the 50,000 square foot Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, with over 40 truckloads of furniture at savings of up to 80% off. This is a limited time opportunity to access an extensive selection of pieces at substantial discounts, including crystal-clear Louis Ghost armchairs, height-adjustable Lem Piston Stools, classic Eames Lounge and Ottoman sets and industrial chic stainless steel tables and credenzas. Dining solutions from $99, beds from $599, living room sofas and arm chairs 30-70% off. Delivery service will be available on site for a fee. Daily furniture replenishment will ensure that great deals are in stock around the clock.

When:

Thursday, August 7 Noon – 6pm

Friday, August 8 Noon – 7pm

Saturday, August 9 10am- 5pm

Sunday, August 10 11am- 5pm

Where:

Fort Mason Festival Pavilion

Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard , San Francisco

For more information:

http://www.dwr.com/category/warehouse+sale.do

So what did I do? Of course I jumped into the car once I finished at the office and headed over to DWR sale at Fort Mason.

I snagged some awesome deals on Knoll Classic chairs (Chadwick & Life) for the new office. These are NEVER on sale! Plus, me and my assistant have been lusting after these at the showroom. A great office chair is a great investment since you will be sitting in it for a long time. More importantly, you want to have a chair that will support your body so you are not at risk of hurting yourself. (Next week, I will be starting a series of what furniture you should splurge on and what you can save with cheaper substitutes)

Both come with lumbar support, which is important for long hours doing admin work.

I also have snagged 2 slightly banged up Prince Aha Stools. I have been wanting these forever! These are great everyday stools or side tables. They are also frequently used in spas & outdoor pools of hotels. They are very versatile and fun.

Here are a few tips when you are there:

  • Do bring a buddy if you can. These sales tend to be chaotic. It’s great to have someone there to help you sit on the stuff that you want while you go off to grab a sales person.
  • Do pay attention to the damage. There are things that are fixable such as nicks and dirt, but permanent stains or rips or broken legs may be a difficult/impossible fix. So ask your sales person to see what is wrong with the merchandise.
  • Go EARLY if you can. Saturday and Sunday will be a total zoo.
  • Bring a bigger car! At these prices, these are total steals!
  • Do your homework before you go, know what kind of stuff you are looking for. Fort Mason is HUGE, it helps to have a focus on what you want.
  • HAVE LOTS OF FUN!

Let me know if you have snagged some great deal, I would love to hear about them!

Cheers,

Cindy

Edible San Francisco Buildings

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Jello, anyone?

(wonderful work by artist Liz Hickok)

Have a delightful and yummy Friday :)

xoxo,

Cindy

Lost on the Road without a GPS? No worries.

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Dial Directions is an amazing service that is free (except long distance charges may occur depending on your service plan) You don’t need to give them anything or register. All you need to do is dial the number and give them the directions, then you receive a text message (see the nifty comics above). Pretty cool, huh?

Do you have any other excellent tips for finding your way on the road? If so, jot it down here in the comments box.

Incredible, Simple, Eco & Kids Friendly DIY Art For Your Home

Friday, January 25th, 2008

I recently came across this and thought this was an INGENIOUS way to involve your kids (or your inner child), recycle, reuse some colorful waste and to make something fun for your home that can serve as a conversational piece at dinner parties.

Some junk mail facts for you:

Do you know that

# Each year, 100 million trees are used to produce junk mail;

# 250,000 homes could be heated with one day’s supply of junk mail; and

# Americans receive almost 4 million tons of junk mail every year.

Here are a few sites that you can help reduct junk mail:
Do-it-yourself: Stop junk mail, email and phone calls
Bay Area Junk Mail Reduction Campaign
MSNBC Article: Consumer expert Sid Kirchheimer’s tips for ending unwanted mail

Are there any other way you can recycle, reuse or stop junk mails that you would like to share? If so, please do at the comment area below!

Hot or Not?!

Friday, January 18th, 2008

cardboard rugs by Dutch designer Wendy Plomp

So after my post of cardboard furniture for staging, I found cardboard rugs! These rugs are the brain child of Dutch designer Wendy Plomp, whose artist statement is :

“Cardboard is probably the cheapest industrial packaging material available on the market. Any image that is printed onto this typically throwaway material can turn into a streetwise design object; something that can have a glorious second life if left to the street where it can be spontaneously employed in new applications.For instance, it could be reborn as a disposable carpet that could instantly provide you with a clean space wherever you are, almost like a home.To prolong the lifespan and usefulness of boxes, informative messages or ornate arabesque patterns reminiscent of precious carpets could be printed on the inside surfaces. An example could be the food parcels dropped in disaster areas; this unexploited space could be used to provide valuable information which, especially in those conditions, might be enormously helpful.”

What do you think? Do you think this is stagable? ;) Share your thoughts below at the comment section!

Cool Tools

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

I get a lot of questions about tools, especially from homeowners who are afraid of their wall, so they rather live with really white walls than walls with big beautiful art & photographs. Or homeowners who can’t visualize their spaces. I want to introduce cool tools, which is a wonderful site that the site owner, Kevin Kelly, really believes that

cool tools logo

“Cool tools really work. A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on [cool tools] are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We only post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.”

The site has a great deal of tools, which you can browse under their categories, ranging from (more…)

Hot or Not?!

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Should I add this to my staging arsenal? Do you think buyers will be able to visualize themselves living there now? :) hee hee

Found on SappyMooseTree. You can find other fun stuff like Angel Bacons, Snow Ball Ornaments, and even apparel & paper goods. It’s very quirky and fun stuff, and the artist is actually still pursuing her undergrad education! I always love to support budding entrepreneurs! :)