Win more

Linda Merrill at ::Surroundings:: has a fab new contests sponsored by Artaissance. If you ever wanted a piece of custom art to complete your sitting room or bedroom now is your chance.
Just go to ::Surroundings:: and tell the internets what inspires you. It's that easy. Leave your story in the comments and you could win a gift certificate for any single item currently available on the Artaissance site, floral, modern, abstract - it's up to you. Competition closes Monday, May 12th and unfortunately for me I am banned from entering as I won the fantastic lamp time. Sad for me, more chances for you.

It's going to get a whole lot lighter

Look, look. Do you see what I see? Do you recognise that light? The sofa? The balcony? It's my living room.
I entered a competition over at Surroundings, a site run by designer Linda Merrill of Chameleon Interiors. Check it out, it's dedicated to all aspects of design - and there's plenty of information over there as well as lots of Insporn - it's full of lustworthy objects.
And what did I win? Why this absolutely gorgeous Jonathan Adler Carlyle Beaded Table Lamp offered by Croft & Little. It couldn't have come at a better time. I've been looking for a lamp to go here since I moved the old lamp to the master bedroom in the great art reshuffle. I almost bid on two lamps on eBay, despite the $0 in the lighting budget, one I forgot about until 10 minutes after the auction closed, the other I was going to do today. This is a gazillion times better, it will wake up that boring little corner in terms of light and style.
It would be very remiss of me not to thank the person who sent me to the competition at Surroundings in the first place, Susan Serra of The Kitchen Designer, whose blog I read avidly. If Susan were thinking of giving away a kitchen, especially a beautiful Hansen Kitchen, I'd enter in a heartbeat...