The Ugly Baby Christmas letter (it rhymes)

Sixteen months ago we got the keyses, Back when the ‘Baby had contagious diseases, In that time, I’ve made heaps of friends, With lovely people – and some Australians, Thank you all for making this fun, And cheering us on until we’ve won. Christmas letters are for bragging of babies, How about this? Ours no [...]

Christmas chaos: this year & last

December 2010 Escaped for a few hours’ much-needed reprieve. At home, there’s no couch, no table, no floor. Everything I own is somewhere, in a box. A very dusty box. To get in and out of the apartment requires untold contortion – bending in an around rooms of sheeted poly-plastic, with a table saw in [...]

10 days left on the Ugly Baby advent calendar

Twelve days to Christmas – wahoo! We gave ourselves a Christmas deadline a month ago: as of Christmas Eve we could put the apartment on the market that minute. Welcome, Ugly Baby buyer! Joy to the world! Feliz Navidad! Wash your hands, please. Mince pie? We’re not selling quite yet – certainly not while I’m [...]

What chaos? 12 rules for prissy friends & family.

Americans: I think you’ve got some gluttony planned this week. Will guests be involved? Canadians, Rest-of-World: it’s a month ‘til Christmas and I hope your schedule’s filling up nicely. Me? I’m wondering who will win in a month-long battle of Ikea butcher block vs gallon-measures of mulled wine. Given that it’s likely your home is/has been/will be [...]

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Reviewed: Design*Sponge at Home [Book]

Late to the party? Nope. I’m trying to drum up some enthusiasm for the decoration phase of our apartment – and the book’s #1 in three Amazon categories. It’s an apt investigation. If you regularly read Design*Sponge and/or love design, you already own the book (it’s probably signed). For the rest of us – here’s [...]

Kitchen by Christmas? Done. (With pics).

Is it staged? You’re joking. It’s Christmased. Covered in flour and cocoa, the mulled wine able to knock you off your feet on fumes alone. Wine glasses waiting to be washed – that’s an esthetic I’ve yet to see on HGTV. Na, we’re a bugger-bugger-bugger-must-add-coffee operation – iPhone pics taken at 1 a.m. – that’s our staging [...]

Green cleaning recipes to download

Whether you’re into Christmas shopping or not, you can’t deny the siren song of free stuff. But classy free stuff. Downloaded with restraint and elegance, none of that jump-through-hoops-give-me-your-email-and-first-born-child crap. If you’ve noted I live in Vancouver, you’ve probably rolled your eyes: tofu-eating, yoga-pant-clad GreenPeaceniks. It’s worse than you think. West Coast hippies come disguised [...]