So you have $1000 to spend. WHERE DOES IT GO?
This doesn’t happen often, but sometimes we have some extra money to spend on the house. A few hundred bucks for new speakers, or a grand for a couch. Each time we have a windfall we can put into our home, we stall with anxiety. Scott and I have been living together a long time, and out of our parents’ homes for a decade, and just like most people in their late twenties, money like this needs to be used carefully. We can’t just whittle it away on hookers and beer — we’d like a sensible piece of furniture good for a lifetime.
But that anxiety! What if we choose a couch we hate or our car breaks down the week after we paint the living room and then we wish we hadn’t dropped $400 on the job?
For the gamers: five great Nintendo DS games for kids
As an avid gamer I often find myself wandering the video game section and observing the myriad of parents attempting to choose a video game for their child. More often than not the parents choose a totally age inappropriate game (Resident Evil for a six year old?) or a game that is just plain bad. I understand that not everyone enjoys video games and that the sheer number of available games can be overwhelming so here is a list of five amazing, fun and educational (!!!) Nintendo DS games for kids that their parents might enjoy as well.
How to fill your home with art you love — even if you aren’t a collector
So y’all might know this already: I’m a painter. Before I joined the Offbeat Empire, I worked for an arts non-profit helping artists to get business skills and foster the creative economy in the midwest. I’m also the co-director of a monthly indie craft fair in Des Moines called Market Day — where we basically do the same thing.
I’m passionate about art, guys. Making it, buying it, hanging it, talking about it — it’s all gravy. But my jobs have also given me the chance to understand that art is no longer a part of everyday life as it once was — it’s downright intimidating to a lot of people. It makes sense: whereas art used to show up in the baskets we made and the jewelry we wore, we now have such a luxury in mass-produced items that Art — real, handmade goods with or without a purpose — is relegated to the elite few who don’t have to shop at Target.
I love that my jobs have given me the chance to help people put art in their homes — good art, bad art, big art, small art; it’s all meaningful. I want to talk today to anyone who loves beautiful objects but feels trepidation about bringing them home.
DAMN FINE paintings, prints, and samplers pay tribute to Twin Peaks with art
Let’s talk Twin Peaks! Its murky, cloudy, I’m-not-quite-sure-what’s-around-the-bend atmosphere also makes Twin Peaks ripe for the sort of fan art you can enjoy on your walls for a really long time. So let’s shop some.
The must-have accessory for the home of the modern adventurer: a monster-skin rug
Joshua Ben Longo makes monster rugs. They’re about $3000, so start saving now. Made with felt, stuffing, and polymer clay, these pieces make me feel more imaginative about my entire home. Like, what if I do something CRAZY with the linen closet? kind of imaginative.
Shop Clockwork Couture for an elegant Halloween and timeless home decor
New sponsor Clockwork Couture is all about looking good in timeless clothes. I was going to talk about all the corsets, lingerie, blouses and skirts that Clockwork offers, but then I saw the shoes. You will be pleased.
Five ideas to soundproof so you can turn video games up to 11 without waking the dead
Everyone needs a little soundproofing knowledge now and then, but nerds more than most. Here are our solutions for soundproofing your space.
Storage made especially for your comic books: The Comic Tomb solves the problem of backissues
Organization is a special problem for everyone, and no less so for comic collectors. We had a bunch of ideas for alternatives to the traditional short box come up in the answers to a reader question, but here’s a new alternative: The Comic Tomb.