My multi-talented friend over at Brooklyn Bachelor who apparently has a crush on me made this gorgeous leaf print for me for my birthday last year. But I'm not sure where to put it. Does it belong with the trees or next to this birdcage in the bedroom?

If you were Emma the cat would you want to curl up and sleep on this cat bed from Lexie Lew with a pattern that looks an awful lot like the Dwell sheets I wanted to buy ages ago? Or would you rather sleep in your ratty fur-filled carry-case, or on top of a cardboard box, or on top of Scrappy's papers or...

This morning Holly at decor8 asked me how my living room is coming along. I've sort of been hiding it--got a nasty case of house shame again. It's also hard to get a good photo of it...not that that's stopped me from posting in the past.

Well, here's one side--the dining room side. I wasn't thinking of leaving those things on the table quite like that but what do you think of the gold lamp on the table where you're eating?

Ugh, I can't tell you how awful the lighting situation is in this room If there's not a lamp on the table, you can't see your food. Would one of those hanging lamp things that plugs in work even if the cord were visible?

This lamp is too tall for this file cabinet, right? And it's too tall for this bookcase, right? I was hoping to do this pair of lamps in diagonal corners of the room thing, but doesn't seem to be working. Low tables for these lamps, right?

Remember this scene from American Beauty with the plastic bag floating around all over the place. Since my dear readers have convinced me that I need to buy the special, wecial bags that go with my new SimpleHuman garbage can, I'm going to have a lot more of these floating around my house. This upsets me. What's a green girl to do? Can plastic bags be recycled?

eHow says so, but I'm not sure I trust a Wiki that has step by step instructions for how to pick up a sailor or have fun at a party.

Since I discovered SimpleHuman, like a hundred years after everyone else. Here's the question, my friends: am I going to be happier if I just break down and buy the bags that are designed to go with it? Because right now, it's driving me nuts.

It's amazing what bacon and eggs can do. This weekend I used them to lure over a few friends to help me hang my mirror in the living room. Over they came and up went the mirror--vertically as Nick Olsen suggested. What do you think? Should I try it horizontally If so, what should I feed the friends? I think they're on to the bacon and egg trick...

Incidentally, that is art on the walls, Casapinka and lsaspacey. Thanks for the challenge!

Most mornings, Emma the cat wakes me up by howling in my ear about an hour before my alarm is set to go off. It's pretty irritating, and I think it's aged me twenty years in the past ten. I'm serious. I've even tried dosing her before bed with some Bach's Rescue Remedy, but it doesn't work.

I never get up when she yells, but just lie there, a glutton for punishment, until she quiets down...and my cell phone alarm goes off. I wake up angry every day.

Since I can't exactly put a muzzle on the cat, I decided it was imperative that I get a soothing alarm clock. In comes the Now & Zen digital alarm clock. It's one of those incremental alarms that chimes once, then chimes again progressively more frequently. (I don't think that's English, but you can read the translation and listen to the sound of the alarm on the Now & Zen website.) I got the "E tone". So far, I love it. I'll keep you posted.

I am. And I think Casapinka might be too. But don't tell her I said so. Over a month ago Nick The Deal Hunter said, hang your art! Have I? Nope. Will I? Yes, this weekend. That's my commitment to you. Something's going on the walls in the living room. Cross my heart.

This morning I got caught on the train. Literally. The belt buckle on my velvet trenchcoat slipped between two benches and got stuck. I missed my stop. Several people kept trying to use pens to coax the buckle out, but it wasn't working. Then they missed their stops. Finally we had to stop the train. Someone yelled, "get the conductor." Someone heard, "get a doctor." The train went out of service. And thus, I became what the nice man who finally freed me called "the most hated person in New York."

This set me thinking. Why didn't I just leave the belt or cut the buckle off? Would I be one of those people who perished in a fire because I wouldn't leave my vintage bag collection? My answer: maybe. Because I absolutely adore my black velvet trenchcoat. It's vintage '40s from B. Altman and it was a serendipitous find. Gut love. I need to have that feeling about all of my furniture, don't I?

Yeah, so all day long I've been trying to write this post about a great door mat from Suck UK that my friend Thaddeus sent me last night. It says "Come In" to people entering the house and "Go Away" to those leaving. But clearly I took too long, because Holly from decor8 found it and a billion other mats too! That's her collage up there of the "Come In" mat. If you aren't into clever here are some more she found from Anthropologie. I like the bird one on the bottom left. You?

I wish I had a sugar daddy. I really, really do. Because here's what my house looks like today. It's a beautiful, sunny morning; I have energy; I feel like I could really get things sorted out a bit if I could just have a big chunk of daylight hours to putz around; I almost see how this corner of the living room is too busy, and could be sorted. But here I am, hurrying to finish this post so I can get on the train to go to work in Times Square.

I ask: what good does this early Daylight Savings Time do me (I can never figure out what it means anyway)? It'll be dark when I get home and I'll want to get in bed and watch the end of The Last Picture Show, which you must add to your Netflix queue right now. But if I were home, here's what I'd do:

1. move the red vintage phone to some closet
2. move the cameras to some closet
3. move the stethoscope to some closet...

Recognize this lamp? It's  from my parents' house at the Lake of the Ozarks, where a pair were perched on two end tables that match my beloved Noguchi knockoff coffee table. Sadly I only have the bottom of one of the end tables left. Friends whom I've tortured enough about it LENT one of the tables to some guy in Iowa for his TV stand, and then lost the other glass top.

Here's a before picture for some perspective. What kind of tables would work with these tall, narrow lamps?

Okay, I grew up with cowhide rugs from Argentina. You might say I was raised by them. So you'd think I could handle this cowhide sofa in the Driskill Hotel in Austin. But I couldn't. I think it smelled. Is anyone into it?

Phooey. While I sat around drinking bourbon by myself last night, this Tommy Nolley auction was going on with what sounds like the mid-century credenza I've been wanting.

On the hunt for more. Maybe my timing will be better. If you know of any auctions in the area, let me know...

This here is The Driskilll Hotel in Austin. Built in 1886. I saw a real cowboy there. He was sitting at a piano bar singing along to the songs Julie London liked to sing. First I went there and had a very strong small batch bourbon at the frontier town bar, then I had a strong cup of coffee (served with full cream!) and a delicious pistachio-raspberry cake at their coffee shop, where I sat beneath his beautiful old light.

Then I wandered back to the Hilton where you won't find Paris, but you will find this chandelier, which for some reason seems like the same thing.

All's I'm saying is that I'm a Driskill girl, and it's just good to know that.

I'm going to Austin for the South by Southwest Conference. If anyone else is there, let me know and we can try to find each other like two needles in a haystack. I'm hoping to thrift like mad and blog aplenty.

Oh, and if you have any thrifting tips in Austin or just tips about where to go, let me know. I'm all alone in the Lone Star state.

Nick Olsen suggested that I get a couple of ottomans (as opposed to Ottomans) to add to my seating options in the living room. I just bought some fabric--it was the Albert Hadley pattern from one of the sofas that's in our April issue for the sofa guide--and I thought it'd be great for either pillows or ottomans. I decided against the couch because my cats are just going to ruin it. I figure this is a good compromise. In any event, I'll probably try to find a few ottomans at a flea market, but I'm wondering about shape and comfort. Are they better with legs if you're going to use them occasionally for seating?

Which of these do you like? The one above is from the Roma Contemporary Ottoman from the Home Decorators' Collection. The one below is the Roma Bernini Ottoman from the same place.

Here's the deal with the fabric. It's called "Russell, and it's available from Hinson & Company (212) 475-4100.

It's Le Creuset day. Kate F is baking some Bittman no-knead bread in her Le Cresuet dutch oven that looks a lot like my Staub La Cocotte. Kate was worried about the plastic knob on the Le Creuset melting in the oven. I have a baby Le Creuset that I wanted to use for some pot de creme and was worried about it too. Kate, smart girl, just replaced her plastic knob with a stainless steel cabinet handle. Since I'm unlikely to get my act together to get a replacement knob, I was happy the Staub actually comes with a stainless steel knob.

We should have a bake off. In our spare time.

Before: this is after a little advice from Nick.

During: remember floppy disks? Anyone else still have them? I just tossed mine.

After: Melisse thought the books were a nice touch. The cameras are obviously not staying on the windowsill, nor is the stethescope hanging from the window lock. In any event, ta da...

I've been focusing on the little things--like this Staub La Cocotte dutch oven--because they often turn out to be big things. The other night, Melisse and Isaac helped me move my living room furniture around--photos to come--in exchange for dinner. I made them pasta with a Swiss chard, white bean and tomato sauce that I swear cooked iself in my pretty blue pot. I completely forgot about that I had something on the stove, but it didn't burn, it just stewed while we went about our business.  Here's what I'm thinking: When dinner makes itself, there's more time for decorating. Now if I could just get the cats to do the laundry.

I've had my eye on this hanging lamp I saw at ABC Carpet and Home for a few months now.
But I can't afford it. I think it's about $600. And I think, think, think, that it's a one of a kind from "Judi's Lamps." Isaac and I are almost done repairing my mid-century lamps, so now I'm all smug and think I can make this lamp myself. Do you think?

I remember the first time I heard the phrase "thread count." It was 1995 and my girlfriend had just watched me open a set of burgundy sheets that she'd given me for Christmas. I must have looked disappointed because she said in this little voice she used when she felt guilty, "They're 250 thread count." This was long before luxury brands had made their way to Target and Wal-Mart, but I knew instinctually what she meant. These were special sheets. And they were--I still have them 12 years later. I got all smug about them.

Of course, now the luxury bedding market has gotten out of control and 250 thread count is laughable. The last time I went to Bed Bath and Boys, I think I saw some 1000 thread count sheets. I doubted whether you can tell the difference between 250 and 500 thread count.

But you know what? You can. And my new 100% cotton, wrinkle-resistant 500--count 'em 500--thread count Pinzon sheets from Amazon are proof. Plus, the pretty taupe color matches my lamp.

It's been a really tough day for me--I finally, after ten years of not writing my dissertation, decided to throw away all my graduate school papers. Here's the pile for posterity's sake. Out went just about everybody but Derrida and Barthes. Those who know me well will understand what an enormous unburdening this has been. I'm trying to treat myself with compassion, so you should too and forgive the ugly picture...

Phew.

Casapinka can't get cherry blossoms or this wallpaper out of her head. Neither can I apparently. First there was the original tree mural from Tim Walker. But what about this chair--is it too much? I kind of think so.

I've been trying to post all day, but my pesky job keeps getting in the way. I'm kind of off the couch for right now and back on the tree mural idea. Call me fickle. Or suggestible. And today it's Holly at decor8's fault. Look at this goreous wallpaper and decals she featured from Ferm Living.

I love the color blue of the one above (image from Ferm Living website). I look at it and all my indecision vanishes. I'm not painting a tree mural, I'm papering a wall.