So, remember this post? Yeah, when I said I should take on Maggie's challenge and do three things on my life list in a month? Here's an update:

No. 67: Make a Camilla Engman crochet character. This is the first item that I thought of when I decided to take on the challenge. I mean really, how hard could crochet be? Turns out, pretty hard. Especially when the book doesn't really give you great directions on the project you are attempting. Don't get me wrong, Stitch & Bitch Crochet gives good directions for general crochet instructions. However, this pattern required you to do a spiral stitch, and to do the stitches in an atypical way. So, I tried to persevere. I attempted to start maybe 8 or 9 times. I could do the first three chain stitches. I could combine them to start the circle, but from there everything fell apart. And it just got increasingly frustrating. So I think I was a bit ambitious to think I could figure it out on my own, and that maybe a trip to a stitch and bitch night my be in order.

No. 79: Refinish a Piece of Furniture. I have a pair of midcentury teak chairs that I picked up at a flea market a few years ago. And Margot was a puppy at the time, so she proceeded to treat them as a bit of a chew toy. They weren't in fantastic condition to start with, but they definitely need some attention now. So the plan is to strip them down, stain them dark, and add some new upholstery to the cushions. The trouble is, March isn't a great time to decide on a project like this. I can't exactly sit on the balcony sanding these things off in early spring. The weather is just too inconsistent. And this is a multi-day project, which I am notoriously bad at getting done in a reasonable timeframe.

Am I making excuses? All to say that I didn't do anything on my life list this past month, and essentially failed miserably at the challenge.

However, I have been preoccupied. With another life list item really. No. 44: Buy my own house and then spend time making it into exactly what we want. We have been checking the MLS and driving by potential properties all month. We haven't consulted the bank about preauthorization, or a realtor about getting out current condo into saleable shape. But we keep having mini love affairs with properties from afar. So hopefully that item will be getting underway shortly. Fingers crossed.

Confession: I bite my nails. Badly. Like not just down to the nail bed. They are really weak, obviously, and peel a lot, so not only are they as short as they can go, but the top layers are often peeled away too, which is really painful. But once one is started the rest follow, and I fall into a continuous cycle of biting them down again and again.

I have tried to stop biting them. Someone once told me it takes 21 days to break a habit. I've done that on several occasions to no avail. The only time I successfully stopped for any amount of time was before my wedding. I think I stopped for 2 months. But it's amazing what one will do for their wedding day.

So in my attempts to stop, I've tried a couple of different things.

1. Sally Hansen Nail Biter. This is really just a bitter tasting serum that you paint onto your nails to get you to stop. But I must be really determined to bite my nails because this stuff was not bitter enough, and really just washed off with saliva. So it didn't last very long.

2. Press on Nails. The theory here is that I put on nice nails and get used to not biting them, while giving my natural nails underneath a bit of time to grow undisturbed. Well, when you take the fakes off, the nails underneath are soft. So my logic completely failed here.

Then over the Christmas holidays I saw an article about trying to kick the nail biting habit. And they featured this product:

Folks, this stuff is like the second coming of the Messiah. It is awesome. It's like a very thin nail polish, so gives a nice sheen to the nail, while also having the most awful taste that just lingers in your mouth. Truly disgusting. But does it's job perfectly. I am such a convert. I am almost at the stage when I can paint my nails with actual nail polish, which just helps all the more in deterring the nail biting. I can't wait.

So what nail polish brands would you recommend? And what are some of the hot colours for spring?

While browsing through my links list the other day, I came across Firm Living's new collection. Having always been a fan of their unique handprinted wallpapers, I was thrilled to see that they had branched out into expanding their collection. They have added some great new home products, hello pouf!, and also expanded their offerings for kids, which are really fun.

The link at the top is to their international site, and some of these things, pouf?, are not in the US site yet. However, they do have an expanded retailers list, so check out your local stockist to see the new collection in person. Calgary retailer Kit Interior Objects is now listed as a stockist, so I think I know where I have to go this weekend.

When I talk about delightful design, this is what it's all about. What other word best describes this picnic cutlery?

From Kate's Paperie, via design*sponge.

I think I mentioned a while ago that my sister in law is getting married this spring. Lately, I have been feeling flowery, and have been checking out the following sites for some floral accessories:

emersonmade

Set up in a farmhouse in rural New York, Emerson makes a wide variety of fashion blooms, with a clothing line in the works. There are lots of bridal choices from bouquets, corsages, hair blooms, and clips, and also options for groomsmen. But she does have less formal items, like these large roses. All items are unique, one of a kind pieces, lovingly made by hand.

handle&spout

These girls specialize in hair pieces, and have adorned bobby pins or large blooms like below. They also have some other jewellery pieces, like leather link necklaces, that I have been coveting for awhile.

I just discovered this miniature artist, Slinkachu, after browsing through old copies of Dwell magazine. He takes miniature figures, which are generally used for model train sets, and places them around London, where he photographs them, and then leaves them for others to find. Wouldn't you love to come across one of these little guy's?

His website also has great shots that show the miniatures in context with the normal sized world.

Slinkachu also has a blog and a book. Both are great resources to learn more about his projects, and see more images. The shows listed on the website are fantastic, some featuring a single, large installation of miniatures with photo's to accompany it.

These kids are awesome! I encourage you to check out the rest of the channel too.