SXSW 2010

Yep, it's that time of year again. SXSW has taken over Austin, so yesterday we took Ike out and had a lovely afternoon. First we hit Emo's to see The Magic Kids, and at least 15 people asked to take pictures of Ike in his Peltor headphones within a span of 30 minutes. Then we headed out to the French Legation (which is a super fabulous and totally under utilized venue) to catch The Antlers, Sharon Van Etten and Julianna Barwick, who were all both pretty good.

Tomorrow, if the stupid weather cooperates (thunderstorms, say what???!) I'm going out to partay sans Baby Ike, which marks the first night out on the town mama will fly solo in, oh, I don't know... EIGHT MONTHS. I'm hoping to catch all kinds of awesome acts, including Rye Rye, Broken Bells and The Black Keys, plus lots of sweet new discoveries. But most importantly, I want to get into Perez Hilton's closing bash so I can hang with Snoop Dogg. I'm sure Snoop will serenade me with the version of Sensual Seduction I rewrote for him, but not if we can't get in. So Perez, please send me some passes and I will broadcast your pink shenanigans for the world for thousands to see on Monday morning. Otherwise I will be forced to party like a Momstar again with Ike at the French Legation.

Actually, that don't sound half bad.

Have a good weekend, homies!

Austin Modern Home Tour

We love peeping into the homes of others -- in a legal way, of course. Well, a week ago Launch787 presented their third annual Austin Modern Home Tour, and where were Karly and I? Uh, not there. As K-Dawg herself would say: lametron. Thankfully, our good friend and awesome photographer Cory Ryan was Johnny on the spot with her trusty camera in tow. Cory was kind enough to let us use her fabulous images to wow you with some highlights from this year's tour. So, bust out your coffee and donuts because this is one long, mouthwatering post, and we can't have you drooling on your keyboards, now can we?

Concrete and steel get the sexy treatment with acres of gorgeous glass windows.

Wild horses couldn't stop me from moving into that snazzy house on the left, but the affordability index probably will. Too bad, because those limestone and gently pitched roofs set me a tingle.

Did I already mention gorgeous glass? Add in a fabulous indoor/outdoor living space and I'm sold. Also, after seeing this, I am never ever showing you people what my own backyard looks like. Its shame shall remain secret until the day we move.

Don't know about you guys, but I am all about the kitchen and bathroom pics. Bathrooms first.

I love, love, love, the clean lines and wide range of materials used in these homes. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but the skylit shower and double travertine showers are making me want to rip out my own perfectly serviceable, but snoozy bathrooms.

The kitchens ain't too shabby, either. Look -- even the rich and famous use Ikea cabinets (bottom image). Of course, they also use carrera marble counters and back splashes, as well as custom wood cabinets. Marble backsplash, you are a fancy bitch for making me love you.

Have I already mentioned that Cory is an awesome photographress? Check out this shot.

I have to admit that I find some of the living spaces to be kind of boring -- a little too cleaned up and soulless. But these dining areas have some nice pieces in them, especially the wooden trestle table and artwork in the right image.

I also dig the painting in this bedroom.

And this wall/curtain treatment is interesting. How long do you think it took them to match up the stripes? I guess you hang the curtains first, then tape and paint the wall, then rehang the curtains. It would be awesome if there were 10 million stripes that matched...

Some cute details of furnishings for your viewing pleasure.

Honestly, though, it is all about the windows. If we didn't have limestone exterior walls, I would totally get crafty with a jigsaw and start cutting.

Ok, ok, ok, I'm about to pee in my pants with excitement over these last images. Did you get your donuts ready, like I told you to? Because you're going to need to bite down on something to keep from screaming...

THAT IS A MOTHERBLEEPING CANTILEVERED POOL.

With a view of lake Travis, of course. Do you think I got a little carried away with the images? Neither do I.

One last view from the pool. Hey, guess what? This little honey is for sale. Situated on Mt. Bonnell, she is 3.5 million dollars worth of awesomeness, and worth every penny that I don't have. Actually, the tour was presented by my old buddy David's marketing and PR firm Wyatt Brand, and I'm a little concerned that he didn't feel the need to ring me up and offer this gem at a deep discount (like, free). Dude, we've known each other since high school. It's the least you could have done.

So, how excellent was that tour? Don't you feel like you were there in person? Thanks so much to Cory Ryan and her magnificent camera skills for inviting us along! You can check out the rest of the modern home tour on her Flickr set. Also, Cory is truly a multi talented lady, so be sure to take a look at her online portfolios and services here and here. Lucky Austinites can view her Holga photography until February 28th at Thunderbird Coffee on Manor. Not in Austin? Buy her Holga prints here.

Whew, all that lust has exhausted me. My head is spinning and I've broken a sweat.

Wish I were floating in that pool right now.

Rip Van Winkle

Every year I start off with a new laundry list of resolutions -- eat better, exercise (ha!), make stuff, be cooler -- but this year there's only one resolution that really matters: LEAVE THE HOUSE. Yes friends, I am finally out of the Guantanamo Bay stage of parenthood and IT'S AWESOME. Baby Ike is now magically entertained by salt shakers and menus, and wouldn't you know that mama's boy loves a good bargain. Whew! Thank jeebus he takes after me and not his thriftphobic daddy, because then I'd have to check the return policy on both of them. So, Karly and I took the Ikester out on thrift rounds recently, and I managed to score some great finds with my lucky charm in tow. In the spirit of my house sharing resolution, I snapped some pics so you could bask in the glory of my goodies, as well as in my delicious new freedom.

I almost had to scrap with some chick over my excellent new plant stand, which came from the Salvation Army for $25. Kinda steep, but it's heavy and has a mirrored bottom, and the middle thingie moves. Plus someone else wanted it, so of course that made me like it even more. But it does look pretty smooth with my new tulip chair, which is in dire need of a cushion. One day at a time...

I totally had the Lichtenstein post in mind when I picked up this set of dishes, although Karly says they look like a Bill Cosby sweater... we can both be right, can't we? $30 for the entire set, although I need more bowls. I found some replacements online, but two bowls cost as much as I paid for the entire set. Uh, no.

A closeup of the totally tubular 80s graphics. The Hunny stacked them all OCD like. I'm planning to display these babies on our newly installed kitchen shelves, which I was far too lazy to photograph today. What do you people expect??? I can't shop, and take pictures, AND clean. Priorities, priorities.

I snagged this vintage teapot for $1.99. It's marked Made in Sweden, which probably means it's from Ikea. Still, he is very handsome, no?

Ike picked out a few things for his room, too, like this Red Cross lightbox for $4.99, which is brand spankin' new. The hot gold lion came from Zid Zid, courtesy of Raina; Ike can look, but he can't touch mama's favorite stuffed animal. You can blame Karly for the boa constricted nightmare clown.

You can also blame Karly for spotting this badass giraffe head, a steal for only $4.99. Say what?! Yeah. It's HUGE.

Speaking of huge, these roided out lamps make Lou Ferigno look positively diminutive. I'm planning to give them a fresh coat of white paint from tip to toe, and top them with black shades for my new Bauhaus bedroom. Hopefully my nightstands won't buckle beneath them.

I scored some other sweet stuff, like a giant vintage painting and a ginormous mirrored picture frame (apparently I have contracted a severe case of megalomania), but I haven't found a home for them yet -- by which I mean they're still stacked in the entryway. The Hunny is not excited that I'm back to shopping, not that I'm going to let it stop me from adding to the piles of unused lamps, chairs and frames I'm "collecting."

Doesn't he realize that I have six months of thrifting to catch up on?