mipmup.

i don't know if this is real.

if it is, i am terrified on so very many levels.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week.

• softie clothes. gotta love the swedes. prices vary.
  

• plates. beautiful set of four aviary plates, 40.

• flowers happy wallet. handmade oilcloth wallet. 20.
  

• leaf necklace. sterling silver charm necklace. 25. 

• cute tote. with pink and grey pinstripes. what could be better? 90.

mipmup's friday favorites is a weekly look at fab-u finds. g'ahead: subscribe to the friday favorites feed.

photo credits: granit  .  global table .  darlybird  .  little paper planes  .  mighty flirt

kitchen tips.

a few of my favorite tips:

to soften brown sugar when it's hard as a rock:
seal in ziploc bag with a damp paper towel and leave overnight. once softened, store in an airtight jar (thanks lynne rossetto kasper!).

to soften butter:
instead of nuking it, use a cheese grater to get easy-to-use butter (thanks chef at home!).

to eliminate the garlic smell from your hands:
rub them on your sink faucet (thanks, me!).

i'm in the club.

i joined the "no knead bread" club today. it's pretty awesome.

while pretending to work.

watch these:

mac ads in japanese.

stephen colbert on "the o'reilly factor."

bill o'reilly on "the colbert report."

gethuman.

being stuck in customer service hell right now with time warner and having to endure their automated customer prompts at least twice a day, i can more fully appreciate the robustness of the gethuman 500 database. click on over to find out how to bypass the phone tree and reach an actual human within various companies, including bank of america, amazon, apple, ford, verizon, amtrak and more. i'm tempted to post my experience in their "worst customer service stories" in their forums.

about the project:

the gethuman project is a consumer movement to improve the quality of phone support in the us. this free website is run by volunteers and is powered by over one million consumers who demand high quality phone support from the companies that they use.

every pampered princess needs these.

i know these $128-pedicure boots are ridiculous on many levels, but i just know my frozen toe-toes would love them as i walk back from my mani/pedi appointment today. hey, it's in the high 60s here today! now, that's cold!

photo credit: bootie pies.

time warner, how do i loathe thee?

let me count the ways.

i have spent four hours on hold with you.
i have a spotty internet connection.
i have a "upgraded" to a dvr that does not record.
i have a cable guide with no program listings.
i have an "earliest available" service appointment scheduled for next week.

i have switched.

goodbye.

(if i were less cranky, i may have tried this post as a sonnet. at least this made me feel better.)

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week.

• fleecy clean dog toy. my dog highly recommends this in either orange or pink. of course, she has both thanks to gramma. around 5.
  

• adorable stationery. i am in love with this designer. 3 €.

• darling unmentionables. i'm not one for frilly undergarments, but i must say, this is too cute for words! set, 86. [via naaley.]
  

• camper twins. my new(ish) pair of camper shoes needs a friend or two. 145. 

• modern flashcards. flashcards as art. who knew? 25.

mipmup's friday favorites is a weekly look at fab-u finds. g'ahead: subscribe to the friday favorites feed.

photo credits: jungle doggy  .  fifi mandirac  .  anthropologie  .  camper .  jargon boy

toasta!

i really love this toaster, or "toasta," winner of the designboom/macef "ceramics for breakfast" design competition. from the designer, george watson:

this toaster is designed to engage the user, re-invigorating the social context of toasting by questioning everything about what we toast with today. i was also keen to make playful object to be proud of having on your breakfast table. this is a toaster that brings life and joy to a stagnant domestic appliance... .

i could probably will spend hours going through the other entries.

photo credit: designboom.