Just for fun: Most days I love houses ...

Other days I just want to do this to them ... 

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Pictures: JaapScheeren via Ffffound

Eco renovation: do you know about earth ship houses?

I rather like the idea of these earth ships, having read the story of the man who "invented" them. Could you live in something like this?

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Home hint: insulation cools and warms the home all at once

Insulation is like a shade umbrella for your house in summer. It will instantly slash home heating bills by up to a quarter and your cooling bills by up to one-third if you install insulation in the ceiling. It won’t make your house look any different but it will be up to seven degrees warmer in winter and five degrees cooler in summer than a similar home without ceiling insulation.

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Pictures: UrbanBalcony

Are water features on their way out?

Urban Balcony is a lovely little shop for those who love their teensy tiny gardens. Owner Joanna Rogers was telling me that water features are no longer selling like they used to - "I think the maintenance and the hassle of them meant people no longer consider them a must-have" - but gorgeous outdoor art is becoming popular. And why not? Small pieces start at around $55 with larger laser cut steel art heading up to the $1000 mark. They'd look rather lovely all lit up at night, don't you think?

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Pictures: UrbanBalcony

Christmas is coming

IKEA just emailed me about Christmas. Cripes. It's around the corner. And this year the furniture giant is selling stuffed toys to raise money for Unicef. This oh-so-Swedish goat decoration thingy is $17.99 and is part of the new range for Christmas. It beats a kitschy Santa that dances to a bad Christmas carol.

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Am developing a Lisa Mitchell obsession

I am known for ruining music by playing the saaaaame thing over and over again. Lisa Mitchell is my new favourite. It reminds me of the angst I used to have as a young 'un. Oh, and the chooooons are catchy and make me smile.

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