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Problem Solver of the Day: Touch-up paint dispenser

nospam@example.com (Valerie Rains, Shine staff) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:41:14 -0700

You know you've got one (or five)—the half-empty can of paint that's been stashed in the corner of the garage for so long that it's practically part of the architecture. The paint's probably gone bad by now, or the room you were saving it to touch up has since been painted another color. You couldn't get the lid off if you tried. The time has come to lose the paint can. If the contents are still good, pour them into a Rubbermaid Paint Buddy. It's both an airtight storage device and a touch-up tool, and it definitely takes up less space than a gallon can, making it easier to keep it near where you'd need it, rather than at the back of a cluttered supply shelf behind the motor oil and surplus bags of kitty litter.

The greatest use of an old futon I think I've ever seen

nospam@example.com (Valerie Rains, Shine staff) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:01:00 -0700

Perhaps the largest piece of furniture that routinely gets left out on the curb and not picked up again (except by the garbage men), the futon lives a sort of sad life. It's a need-based item, and once most people have outgrown the futon-owning stage in their lives, there's no amount of...

Problem Solver of the Day: Tablecloth weights

nospam@example.com (Valerie Rains, Shine staff) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:38:30 -0700

There are many things that can go wrong with outdoor dining—plates blowing away, tablecloths flapping in the wind like bedsheets on a clothesline, bugs in drink glasses, mosquito bites—and yet it is still right at the top of my list of favorite summertime things to do. Nuance tablecloth weights eliminate one of the above problems, unobtrusively anchoring even a delicate spread to the table. (They're also a huge style step above the plastic insect- and fruit-shaped varieties that seem to dominate the market.)

Interesting...

nospam@example.com () — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:19:49 -0700

Tell me, what brand of beer do you prefer?

So long, Playgirl: A eulogy

nospam@example.com (Erin Flaherty, Shine staff) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:25:01 -0700

The big news in publishing today is that Playgirl the magazine is sadly, no more. (Although I had a sneaking suspicion they were going downhill when Popcrunch reported that editors asked Spencer Pratt to pose for the mag. Hahaha...barf.) Now, now, not to worry fans, you can still find pics of your favorite oiled down beef cakes like that hot torso above on their blog, so don't despair. Still, this landmark occasion in magazine publishing history has got me contemplating why porn rags geared towards women just don't seem to sell that well in the first place.

It's not that chicks don't like porn. Many of us do. Like, a lot. But there is a reason why Playboy continues to reign as a bleached blonde, double D-sized multi-million dollar empire, while its sad, dumpy little sister Playgirl has always floundered in comparison, and not so surprisingly, always managed to attract a large constituency of gay men to its muscle-laden centerfolds. Perhaps the sophisticated lady of good taste desires I don't know, a slightly more subtle touch than say, an airbrushed image of Mario Lopez spread nude on a fur rug? Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Expensive things that look cheap and cheap things that look expensive: A meditation

nospam@example.com (Valerie Rains, Shine staff) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:42:27 -0700

Just ask an Olsen: When you have more money than God, sometimes there arises an inexplicable attraction to things that make you look way less affluent than you are. Some would call this boho chic, some would call it slumming it; either way, it's not just the Olsens who are afflicted. Witness the burlap-upholstered antique chairs selling for $1,400 a pair at Paris Hotel Boutique (yes, similar to those featured in the Country Living House of the Year bedroom tour), or the new line of recycled-feed-bag pillows from SOWN that are burnin' up the design blogs, or the classic: a $220 designer version of a plain wooden box. I have to say, I feel a little torn about these developments. On one hand, almost all the stylish people I know are adept at mixing high and low in their wardrobes and their homes, and it's pretty much the style tactic that won Kate Moss her eternal icon-hood, but isn't part the of the fun that the low is actually low, and not an expensive thing designed to look cheap or run-down (hello, designer jeans that are so "distressed" they fall apart after three washings)?

Speak for Yourself: Do you do fake plants?

nospam@example.com (Valerie Rains, Shine staff) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:11:05 -0700

While we've certainly seen how beautiful a Frankensteined real branch/faux cherry blossoms arrangement can be (thanks to Pink of Perfection), the issue of real vs. fake houseplants can still be rather divisive: To some, great idea; to others, an abomination fit only for the fluorescent-lit waiting room of a strip mall doctor's office. I'm wondering if the answer might be to go super-fake when you're going with the fake stuff, rather than trying to approximate real flowers in a way that is just disappointing when you get up close...