I remember seeing a bedding set in chocolate and cream with dandelions and other plants on them, but can't remember where. Anyone know where that is?

is there a best day of the week to move in new york (esp. brooklyn)? the end of the month doesn't fall on a weekend, so i'm wondering whether it's better to move the weekend before or take a day off - it's not a big deal for my job. would monday be worse than tuesday or are weekdays all the same?

All I know is that many buildings won't let you move in a weekend, and some require that you have a specific time-slot. That's because they don't want your move to interrupt the lives of people who are doing their laundry in the evenings in basements, where there are special service elevators that go there, etc.

I would think that since it's summer, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday would ALL be better than Monday or Friday just in terms of getting people to help you who aren't on vacation.

When I bought my current place, my closing was on a Friday, and I moved on a Monday, so I had the keys to the place all weekend, and was able to paint the ceilings (especially) and the closets during that weekend before, which meant that it was MUCH easier than to have waited until all my stuff was in there.

Of course, since I knew that the ceilngs and the insides of the closets wanted to be white, that seemed like the obvious thing for me. I also knew the colors for some of the walls. But for wall color, you may want to actually see how your stuff looks in the new place before making color choices, etc.

By the way, I wonder if the appearance of these funny little code numbers we now have to enter will inspire more AT folks to play the lottery. Hmmm. Hope not.

Cuse: Do you mean Amenity?

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/main/archives/001226.html

I think it would be easiest to move on the weekends because traffic during the day is so bad. The times I've moved on Sunday morning it was always dead quiet out...

on a totally unrelated note- we have a small brick courtyard behind our house here in philly, and a mosquito problem that is likely only to get worse. does anyone know of nontoxic mosquito repellant for the yard? i'd like something that would work even while we're not out back- i.e., something other than citronella candles. thanks!

i swear to god that lavender keeps a lot of bugs away! doesn't need a lot of water but needs lots of light.

If you are moving with a professional mover, very often they offer slight discounts if you move anytime other than Friday, Saturday or Monday, and possibly also if you are not moving during the first/last day of the month.

cuse--
That sounds like Garnet Hill or Company Store to me, possibly Dwell.

In the hopes that Met Flower Matt is reading this...

I finally found that mention of the florist who had been doing the behemoth flower arrangements in the Great Hall that Matt has been so kind to capture and share with AT.

According to last year's House & Garden (I think... I tore out the pages and can't see from where!), the gentleman who, for over 30 years created them, is Chris Giftos. The mention was to commemorate his last arrangement before retirement (although he looks quite young in the photo.. lucky chap!!)

Apparently, his successor is Van Vliet, assisted by Pablo Perez and Ferida Coughlan.

None other than Reader's Digest heiress/co-founder Lila Acheson Wallace is the patron behind this wonderful floral tradition.

Thanks, Mary!

Katherine--I don't know if you can get them in Philly but we got some Japanese indoor mosquito repellent things and really like them. No smell and supposedly safe to use around pets and babies. We had one in a open air ceramic studio and it worked great. We just put it under the work table we were all sitting around. The one we used was called "Vape" and it looks like a little plastic box with a small metal plate and an electrical cord. You just place a Vape mat (looks like a little blue cardboard square) on the metal plate and plug it in. I've also got one that uses little pellets and is battery operated.

There are also those serious gas-powered mosquito traps (about the size of a Weber grill...) that use (I believe) propane to mimic human breath and traps the mosquitos.

The other thing I discovered, sadly, was that mosquitos like shade as much as humans do. So a sunnier garden is less apt to be attractive to the buggers (daylight-wise; Dusk is another story!). And make sure you have no standing water, not even the tiniest bit.

Hey, what about installing a bat house?!

Perhaps bat houses should have been marketed to coordinate with the opening of the new Batman movie.

I built a bat house last summer. Too bad we can't get the freakin' bat to move into it from the doorless 1-car garage.

That reminds me of this little girl I knew who had a new kitten, and this woman at this little gathering said, "Why don't you ask your daddy to build you a cat house!" And all the adults busted a gut laughing and the little girl had no idea why that was funny.

It only reminds me of it because it rhymes.

I'm getting images of mosquitos, bats, suspendered chair/Wilford Brimley, and "cat" houses jumbled in my head. Now I'm stuck with Wilford Brimley in a Batman outfit, pants falling (to reveal black dress socks pulled up mid-calf), waving wildly at mosquitos, in a cat house with kittens in scanty bondage-themed attire.

(I'd better stop checking the site and get back to work.)

Riye - Well, now it sounds like we're getting somewhere!

cuse,
is this what you were looking for?

http://www.edgemodern.com/shop/amenity/2741

riye--
You've just revealed the plot to Batman Begins, I think.

Patrick (TOO)--I’m sorry! I blew it. Well now that I’ve ruined it for everyone I guess no one will be upset when I further reveal that Wilford is Bruce Wayne’s father AND that his death was not a robbery gone wrong but rather, the murderous act of a jealous rival who was unable to compete with his piquant combination of interpretive dance, suspenders, bats, cats, and insects (soundtrack by Phillip Glass on koto).

Alas, I cannot muster a witticism about Wilford Brimley because I have a beef, have my panties in a knot, have an axe to grind. To wit: what's the story with sink drain baskets being so badly made that I end up buying them monthly? These freaking pieces of perforated metal can't be made with some structural integrity? Huh? It's not like I abuse them-- I tap them on the side of the trash can to dislodge the gunk, but honestly, within the month, they have to be twisted and coaxed and propped in weird positions to allow water to drain. Everytime I throw one away, I envision it lying in a trash heap hundreds of years in the future. It won't work, but it won't degrade, either. Has anyone seen anything better? Or another solution?

ann - you should check korean or japanese supermarkets for sink drain strainer things. the ones they sell are SO much better (both in design and quality of materials) than the crappy ones you see in american stores. shouldn't cost more than $5 at the very most, & you'll never have to buy another. (well, at least not for a long time--i don't know how long exactly, b/c i've never had to replace one!)

I second that sooj. I have one also, and all my relatives have bought them here when they have visited, after seeing mine. they are fantastic. They do not stop up the sink, if that is what you are after, but they let nothing go down the sink, and are easily cleaned with a tap against the rubbish bin. I call them drain strainers. I got mine at a .99 store. I never saw one before I moved to new york.

"cat house" . . .hahahahahaaa. That IS a funny story. Or maybe its the wine.

Katherine,
You might want to try a garlic spray to control the mosquitos. I have been having this professionally applied for the last 2 summers with great success. I noticed last week that the DIY product was available at the local giant home center store.
It does make the yard smell like garlic for 24-36 hours, but continues to work for about a month before another application is necessary.

curtis, mary, and patrick *the other one*... thanks for your advice!

thanks too for the mosquito advice!

In addition to the pant suspenders, I bet Wilford Brimley wears SOCK suspenders, too.

It's the right thing to do.

I've seen the new "Batman Begins" movie and there are no cats or Wilford Brimley involved.

Anyone ever used a showerhead by Zoe International? I am having major lust for this one here -

http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/_Shower_Head/Captain_s_Quarters_Shower_Head/captain_s_quarters_shower_head.html