Tea Light Shelf How To

Remember that Apartment Therapy House Call I did a while ago? I forgot to tell you something kind of cool about the photo above.

The little votive shelves in the hallway are handmade. I went to a hardware store and bought some flat metal plates (I think they were mini circuit boards? Not sure.), and some metal L-brackets with holes for screws. I glued them together with epoxy, let them dry overnight, and screwed them into the wall.

Because we live in earthquake country, I affixed the Ikea votives to my mini-shelves with double-sided foam poster tape. All together though, each shelf, including the votive, only cost me about 90 cents.

We took them down recently, because hard metal edges and low flame aren’t particularly toddler friendly, but I loved them while we had them. They were gorgeous all lit up.

Knit Pro

Knit Pro is a program that lets you turn any image into a cross-stitch, knit, or crochet pattern.

The Mighties

New guides are up at Mighty Junior and Mighty Goods. We’re getting started on a whole series of perfect gifts for kids at every age. So far we’ve finished one, two and three:

15 Perfect Gifts for Three Year Olds

And now’s about the right time to order holiday cards if you plan to send them before Valentine’s Day. Have a look at the options we picked out for you:

2008 Holiday Card Guide

The Mighties

Lots of guide action at the Mighties.

I’m keeping this guide on file for the day when I can offer guests more than a couch to crash on.

Mighty Haus: Prepare a Welcoming Guest Room

Turns out you can still get candy cigarettes and pipes. Stay away from the Pop Rocks though. They’ll kill you dead.

Mighty Junior: Nostalgic Candy

I would have dressed the whole family as Devo, but Hank wouldn’t wear the hat.

Mighty Goods: Halloween Costume Guide

At Mighty Goods: 10 Little Luxuries Under $10

I have an on-off switch with money. If I’m feeling flush, I buy what I want. If I’m feeling pinched, I don’t buy anything at all. Of course, there is a happy medium between being loaded and being bang-broke. Here’s to the little pick-me-ups.

10 Little Luxuries Under $10

At Mighty Junior

When I had Hank, I obsessed a little over the hospital bag. When he came a week early, I was glad I had. If you remember nothing else, toss in a couple of comfortable knit dresses to wear as nightgowns. Half the cost of maternity PJs, and you’ll be cute for all the photos. The rest of our ideas are over here:

Maternity Hospital Bag: 16 Essentials for Moms in Labor

Mighty Halloween

Spookify yourself and your place at the Mighties:

Mighty Goods: A Handmade Halloween

Mighty Junior: 2008 Halloween Costume Guide

Mighty Haus: Halloween Decorating Guide

Congrats, Jaime and Henning! Congrats, Meg and Rahul!

We had a wedding-marathon weekend with two rehearsal dinners on Friday night, and two ceremonies on Saturday. For the morning ceremony, Bryan officiated Bond-style (in German, Mandarin and English — only one of which he speaks), and I made the flowers.

Of course, when we went to pick up the flowers we’d ordered, the florist didn’t have them. Had not ordered them.

So, instead of keening and rending our garments, the bride and I acted calm while we shopped for new-and-improved flowers. Here’s how they turned out:

Bridal bouquet