Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Today is the big day! We have a winner in the first ever Home Sweet Split Level Giveaway sponsored by the fine folks at All Modern. To be fair to everyone, we listed all the entries on individual paper tags. Everyone who entered by multiple means received the corresponding amount of tags. So to avoid voting irregularities (who needs another Florida?) lets all see who the big winner is:

Congratulations to Northcrest's own, Kathi and Paul! We'll send an email your way so you can get your Alessi honey jar, nice choice!

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun. It was fun hearing from people both in the neighborhood and new friends from all over. All the nice comments were very appreciated, many of them coming from our neighbors here in Northcrest. To those that we have not met yet, let's make sure to change that soon. We hope everyone has a great weekend and who knows what may happen next, so keeping reading and commenting!

Eames Lecture

While we wait to see who the winner is to the Home Sweet Split Level Giveaway, I thought I would pass along a great lecture about the design of Charles and Ray Eames given by their grandson, Eames Demetrios.


Speaking of giveaways, Jordan and I entered one for a Eames chair, but were not the lucky winners. Oh well, I will say everyone wins with this rare footage of Charles and Ray and the interesting discussion from their grandson's point of view. Enjoy the video and thanks to everyone so far that has entered our little giveaway, your comments have been so nice and very appreciated.

Who Likes Free Stuff?

So, as promised, here we go with the first ever Home Sweet Split Level Giveaway! The nice folks over at All Modern contacted us and asked if we were interested in teaming up with them in a fun giveaway. If you don't know about All Modern, they are a great resource for all of your modern needs. All Modern has a fantastic selection of modern furniture and home accessories from many leading designers. Part of CSN Stores, All Modern is just one of over 260 retail sites that offer a diverse array of products from Herman Miller’s popular Aeron Chair to cookware by Rachael Ray.

So without any further ado, lets get started. Let's start with the good stuff. Instead of us telling you what you can win, All Modern let us choose a variety of prizes, all with values around $75.00. If you win, you will get to choose one of the following fantastic products:

George Kovacs - 4.5" One Light Vanity Wall Sconce

This is an amazing one light bath sconce from George Kovacs that is truly unlike any other sconce you can find. It features a sleek antique nickel finish and an acid etched glass shade.

George Kovacs - 12.5" Wall Sconce in Brushed Nickel

This is an exquisite one light bath wall sconce that will look great in your bathroom. It's unimposing and should blend well with your bathroom decor. This particular sconce features a brushed nickel finish and a slender cased etched opal glass shade.

George Kovacs - Seven Light Table Lamp

A bold step in the future of lighting brought to you by George Kovacs. This wonderful seven light table lamp (15.5" H x 13" diameter) will add excitement to any room as the seven lights appear to be growing from its base. Place this lamp on any table and watch as it quickly becomes a conversation starter.

Nuvem Wire Flower Vase by Fratelli Campana

Nuvem Wire Flower Vase (6.7" H x 3.9" W x 3.9" D). Brothers, and long time partners, Humberto and Fernando Campana make up the dynamic design team “Fratelli Campana.” Their signature Brazilian touch to the design world, significantly emphasizing their take on European design with each work. Their forms are hallmarked by the usage of materials in their raw state and experimentation with poor and recycled matter. The vase is available is Anodized Aluminum, Gold and Blue.

Alessi - Honey Pot by Theo Williams

English designer Theo Williams, known internationally for his tremendous achievements in consumer product design, crafted this piece of functional art in 1995. It's made of clear crystal and mirror-polished 18/10 stainless steel (7.75"H x 3.5" diameter). It features a wand to serve, stir or spread honey that is cleverly attached to the inside of the crystal jar's lid. That way, honey stays inside the honey jar at all times. Plus, it is so attractive, with its hive-style horizontal ribbing, that you can display it with even the most formal of your table settings.

Menu - Pernille Vea Black Milk and Sugar Set with Spoon

The Milk and Sugar Set with Spoon is perfect for any kitchen. The milk pitcher holds a half-liter, and the sugar bowl conceals an accompanying sugar spoon that is held in place by the lid. All of the set's pieces are made of porcelain of the highest quality, fired at 1320 degrees Celsius, ensuring strength, durability, and an easy to clean surface.

CAKE - Node Bowl

An elegant play of light and shadow, the Node Bowl (3.5" H x 11.75" W x 11.75" D ) is as useful as it is beautiful. This bowl makes a great sculpture, but also makes an elegant display for fruits, vegetables or dried flowers. Available in chrome or white, this bowl will be a great conversation piece.

Nuvem Wire Mat by Fratelli Campana

Nuvem (16.9" W x 14.6" D) is an experiment in wire-working, featuring matte aluminum wire that has been tangled and twisted, squashed and then spun to achieve its signature look that again fuses pandemonium with poetry, and embodies their unique experimental approach to design.

Menu - Jakob Wagner Wine Cooler

Elegant and practical, the Wine Cooler (8.7" h) by Jakob Wagner is great to have on hand. Keeping drinks cold, this bucket collects condensation and is a joy to the eye for any occasion.

Now that you have seen what you can win, I’m sure you’re asking “What do I need to do to win?” There are three ways in which you can win. You may do one or all three options, the more options you do, the better your odds will be as each option will count as an entry into the drawing for you.

1) Leave a comment telling which great product you will choose if you win

2) Become a follower of our blog and leave a comment

3) Post a link to this contest on your own blog, Facebook, Website, etc and show the link in your comment.

If you only leave a comment, make sure that we get your email address so we can get a hold of you if you win. The contest starts today and will run for a period of a week. Next Thursday (July 16th), we’ll lock the comment section of this post and choose a winner in a random drawing. Again, the more options you do the more chances you will have to win! Please note, this giveaway is only for folks living in the US and Canada.

We will notify the winner on Friday, July 17th and put them in contact with the great people over at All Modern who will then ship the product of your choice to you! Good luck to everyone and let’s have some fun with this!

Good Luck Everyone!

Summertime and the Living is Good....

Summer has really set in here in Atlanta. Work around the house recently has been focused on the backyard. This work is preliminary work for the deck that we are about to start. The back portion of what we now know is our property is completely covered in kudzu and other awful vines, scrub, and other various evil vegetation. People that know me understand that I have a deep appreciation for nature and a true love for backpacking, camping, and just about anything that keeps me outside. I can now say, that for the first time in my life, I truly hope that plants feel pain, real pain. Let me explain.

Before

This picture shows the horror that is the backyard. In order to deal with it, Jordan and I have developed and implemented a multi-focus plan of attack to reclaim what is rightly ours. Our D-Day was roughly two weeks ago. Armed with all sorts of implements of destruction, herbicides, and determination, we stormed the hillside. I even looked on Ebay for any remaining left over Vietnam era Agent Orange to no avail.

The Battle Begins

Some of The Victims of a Senseless War

Where we stand today

While battling away on the frontline, I started to think about where on earth this stuff came from. After doing some reading, kudzu had a very innocent arrival in America. In 1876, Philadelphia held a Centennial Expo to celebrate the 100th birthday of our country. Various countries from around the world were invited to build exhibits to highlight important elements of their culture. Japan installed beautiful gardens using native plants to their country. Included in these gardens was the infamous kudzu that was also used in traditional Japanese and Chinese medicines. Interest in the plant by Americans was almost immediate due to the plant’s large leafs and fragrant summertime flowers.

During the 1930’s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service viewed the plant as having limitless potential for controlling erosion. During the 30’s, approximately 85 million seedlings were planted by the CCC across the country. Later in the decade, farmers were paid upwards of $8.00 an acre to grow the vine. The 1940’s saw kudzu’s champion come on the scene. Georgia’s own Channing Cope praised the plant and sung it’s virtues on radio shows, newspaper articles, and even went as far as starting Kudzu Clubs across the southeast to promote what he called a “miracle vine”. However, by the 1950’s, the U.S. government finally came to its senses and began to recognize it as a problem and quickly stopped promoting the plant. Finally, in 1972 the USDA declared kudzu a weed (to nice a word in my opinion).

The southeast maintains the perfect climate for this awful creature. Anyone that has driven along just about any road in the south has seen this pest quickly taking over the countryside. One hero in a war against this silent enemy was Dr. James H. Miller who worked for the United States Forest Service in Auburn, AL. He spent 18 brave years trying to identify a successful weapon for killing this stuff. Basically he found that it takes multiple salvos of herbicide over multiple years to really kill kudzu. He even identified one herbicide that kudzu loves and actually helps it to grow! If you are currently engaged in battling this vine, take a look here for up to date battle plans.

So, we are slowly making some headway in taking back our backyard. In addition to kudzu, we are also under attack by English Ivy. I see this stuff in just about every garden shop and I think to myself “Why are you allowed to sell this weapon of mass destruction?”. Currently, Jordan and I are engaged in a jihad against this waxy leafed terrorist.

This bank next to our car port was once covered with ivy. We removed it all and were able to create a nice space that we are no longer afraid to walk in. Enough about the evils and on to the fun stuff.

One of our new found loves is Northcrest’s Swim and Tennis Club. This oasis is located in the center of our neighborhood and at least once a month holds a social dinner for all the members. This month’s event was on the 4th of July and allowed us all to express the tacky tourist side of our personality. In addition to a great meal and really fun conversation, we were all treated to a great firework show.

The club is run by a great group of neighbors. When I try and explain our neighborhood to friends and so forth, I don’t think they really get it. Really, only people here in Northcrest understand what it is like to live here. The neighbors we have met so far are simply some of the nicest and most interesting people I have met. One great example of our neighbors are Brian and Kevin.

They are currently working on a very well done addition to their house. As a result, the are losing their Hollywood bathroom. They made the effort to save all the vintage pieces from the bathroom for others in the neighborhood that may want to use them. You may remember in an earlier post I made reference to the wonderful vintage bathrooms found here in Northcrest. Well, I can now say thanks to Brian and Kevin, Jordan and I are proud new parents of an original bathroom sink and faucet.

The faucet will need some work, but this beauty is going in our basement bathroom in the near future. All we can say is thanks to Brian and Kevin and to all of our Northcrest neighbors for making this such a wonderful place to call home.

One last thing to mention…..if you like the chance of winning free stuff for your home, check back Thursday for a great opportunity!

The Future Is So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades!

Our little spot in the digital universe is about to get pretty exciting. I can't spill all the baked beans today, but stay tuned over the next few days for a great opportunity for everyone that reads the blog from our friends at AllModern.Not only that, but we have been making some pretty strong progress in the backyard. And if that were not enough to tune in, some friends in Northcrest made our day a few days ago. I can't wait to share all this!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!