Great Glass at CB2

I got the CB2 catalog again this week and the new products include some beautiful hand-blown glass tableware at rock bottom prices.

This hand-blown glass "Infinity" bowl is currently on sale for $14.95 at CB2.com.

This minimalist, micro-thin barware runs from $1.50 - $2.50. The best news is that they are dishwasher safe. Marta barware at Cb2.com.

Weekend Shopper

Dallas has shopping options this weekend, whatever the weather.

Sunny Day:

Head over to the Make Urban Bazaar starting Friday, 6/2 at 5:00 PM and running through the weekend. Everything at this street sale is hand made. 2632 Thomas at Boll, Dallas.

While you're uptown, stop by Forty Five Ten for their once yearly sale featuring mark downs on select clothing and housewares. 4510 McKinney Ave., Dallas.

Overcast:

Make the drive up the Dallas North Tollway to Ikea. There's no better way to spend a grey day than in a bright blue box, especially if that box is not a drug induced fantasy, but a store filled with furniture and home decor. Oh, and they are having a sale through 6/11. 7171 Ikea Dr., Frisco.

Downpour:

Forget dodging parking lot puddles and let your mouse do the shopping. Hold Everything, the site featuring perfectly designed solutions for everyday messes, is having an online sale. Up to 75% off on products for every room in the house.

Tiny Art

If you are interested in putting something on your walls that won't show up at your neighbor's, you cousin's, and your sister-in-law's next week, check out Tiny Showcase. This site features a new limited edition run of an original artwork each week. Oh, and did I mention that the prints are about 4"x5" and cost $20? You can get a whole wall of tiny limited edition prints that pack a serious design wallop for a fraction of the cost of that sad 90s CD collection you keep in the back closet. As a bonus, most of the prints will fit in prefab frames. Most pieces seem to sell out quickly, so sign up for the free e-mail alert.

This week's print, shown above: "Buildings on Nicollet Island, 1921 - 1944" by Rebecca Silus. 4.25"x5.75" $20.00 (sold out).

Grasshopper Chair from CB2

An affordable and toned-down modern chair from CB2. The frame is powder-coated steel and the seat is made of woven plastic.

The Grasshopper
$59.95

The Art of House Keeping

Thought I might give this book reviewed on Apartment therapy a read. If something can claim to make housekeeping more enjoyable, it must be good. Plus, who can resist the opportunity to have spotless whites and the freshest fruits and vegetables while simultaneously giving old-school feminism the finger. ;)

Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House

Weekend in Austin

I spent the holiday weekend at my brother's house. He's renovating and needed a hand painting a stripe around the wall in his bathroom (more on the details of that project to come), but we managed to make a few shopping stops while in town. Our first stop was the new Whole Foods flagship store downtown.

Low Down on the Whole Foods Flagship:
Good: They have a great parking lot, which is a big deal in downtown Austin. The store has a great selection of produce and wine. They do have a small selection of housewares and clothing which were not particularly impressive but were very pricey. Towards the meat section, there is a shelving unit of kitchen wares that carries the typical fare with a few pleasant surprises like the dishes pictured above (Blue Roses tray, teapot, cups, and dessert plates by Rosanna: $29.99 - $39.99).
Bad: Whole Foods is super paranoid about their merchandise. I was politely told that it is against Whole Foods policy to write down the names, prices, or item numbers of their products. I guess they need to rethink their prominent yellow product labels, which featured all three pieces of protected info. Luckily, they did not see me snap this picture. I get the impression that photos are frowned upon.

Overall Store Rating (from a home-decor point of view):
Quality: 4 out of 5
Selection: 3 out of 5
Price Reasonability: 3 out of 5
Service: edgy

Our second stop was Mercury Design on 2nd. I stopped by to visit their Artomat (photos of the Styrogami art I bought from the machine below), but we stayed to shop their beautifully merchandised selection of accessories. Items ranged from Juliska glass candle sticks to a Roost carved deer head. The prices were extremely reasonable and the service was polite and helpful, despite the fact that I was toting an entourage of bored, disgruntled men making snide comments and my mom.

Overall Store Rating:
Quality: 5 out of 5
Selection: 4 out of 5
Price Reasonability: 4 out of 5
Service: commendable