The Homies are up, Apartment Therapy’s contest to let readers vote for the best in Shelter/Home blogs. If you would be so kind as to vote for Create H, you can do so here!

Please use the URL: http://createhdesign.wordpress.com/

Thanks!!

Check it out! Apartment Therapy is hosting The Homies (awards) which nominates the best new home design blogs. There are so many fun, creative blogs out there that need a little credit. Vote for your favorite in categories like: Design, Tech, Green, Kids, Cooking. What fun!

The right sort of lights will make a nicely decorated room just pop right out, whereas the not so great light will only dampen all of your interior decoration efforts. Lights come in all shapes and sizes, and we’ve seen quite bunch here at Unplggd. A light can make or break a room, and that’s why they are so important. Not only are they important in the way they look, they are also important in the type of light they generate. We’ve seen a lot of LEDs lights coming up, and we look forward to OLEDs next year, but to end this year with style, we’d like to present our favorites from 2009.

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TONIGHT I NOTICED A NUMBER OF HITS FROM APARTMENT THERAPY, the insanely popular and widely franchised home-design website that puts mine to total shame.

They’ve got a cute awards thing going on for the best shelter blogs of 2009, called “The Homies.” Nominations are open till Dec. 29 – and I seem to have three votes already (not even from people I know!)

Design*sponge won in ‘08, deservedly, and I don’t expect to actually win (or even place or show), but every vote helps my visibility. Plus, there’s a $50 cash prize (no one said blogging was lucrative).

I’ve been stuck on a plateau. It would be great if 2010 were a year of expanded readership for casaCARA, and then, gosh, who knows what might happen?

Here’s where you go to read more about The Homies, which is a damn fine idea, really. And here’s where you go to vote.

Thanks for taking the time to vote in between shopping, cooking, decorating, traveling…and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

The London Times has made a list of the world’s 50 best design blogs. Most of our favorites are on the list including some new ones I had not encountered before. Oh the internets…a wide and vast world of creativity!

1. Apartment Therapy – Every aspect of interior design is covered in this American mega-blog, with the useful option of posing your design dilemmas to its readers.
2. Design Sponge – With a book in the works, Design Sponge includes readers’ DIY ‘before and afters’ and inspiring house tours.
3. The Selby – Uber-cool photographs of creative people in their living spaces, taken by photographer Todd Selby.
4. Desire to Inspire – Interiors inspiration galore, co-written on different continents by an Australian and a Canadian.
5. Oh Joy! – Stylish selections which complement the cool aesthetic of the writer’s own successful stationery range.
6. Decor8 – All-round comprehensive design blog written by an American living in Hannover, Germany.
7. Poppytalk – Vancouver-based blog with a marketplace for independent designers.
8. Emma’s Design Blog – Scandinavian style from a Stockholm-based design enthusiast.
9. Creature Comforts – Featuring Flickr favourites and promoting handmade design, this blog’s layout is itself a visual treat.
10. sfgirlbybay – Bohemian chic from San Francisco-based Victoria Smith, a former art buyer.
11. Design is Mine – A perfectly picked selection of art and design from independent designers worldwide.
12. Young House Love – Interiors advice, DIY and moodboards from a young couple renovating their own home.
13. Bloesem – Kuala Lumpar-based writer Irene also has an offshoot blog featuring child-specific design.
14. Swiss Miss – Unique ideas and products picked by a Swiss graphic designer living in New York.
15. Print and Pattern – Popular British blog focusing on colourful surface pattern design.
16. Grain Edit – Mid-century inspired graphic design.
17. Frolic! – Relaxed style from a Portland-based floral stylist.
18. Lobster and Swan – Hastings design muse Jeska shares her photography and vintage-styled vignettes from her home.
19. This is Glamorous – Consistently classy selections with a high glamour factor.

25. Wee Birdy – Incredibly cohesive: London shopping and birds-inspired design, authored by an Australian magazine writer living in London.
26. Coco & Kelley – Trend watch from a Seattle-based interior and events stylist with a penchant for elegant glamour.
27. A Field Journal – Visual eye candy featuring this talented student’s own photography and craft projects.
28. Bliss – Photographer Mrs French’s ‘I heart Monday’ wishlist is a weekly highlight.
29. Fine Little Day – Quirky Scandinavian style from a Swedish designer and photographer.
30. Oh Hello Friend - Beautifully-designed and curated posts from a graphic and jewellery designer.
31. Making it Lovely – Feminine favourites, independent design and home decoration.
32. Mint – Design, art and more from graphic designer Ellie Snow, with an interesting recent series on adapting to a freelance lifestyle.
33. Home Shopping Spy – Technically the blog of Ideal Home magazine run on the writer’s sparky comment.
34. The Design Files – Melbourne homes, shops and design.
35. The City Sage – California-based Anne Sage’s features include seasonally-themed styling and book reviews.
36. Oh So Beautiful Paper – Wedding invitations and inventive stationery ideas.
37. Modish – Portland-based champion of indie designers.
38. Simplesong – Design favourites with a clean and simple quality.
39. Katy Elliott – New England-inspired selections from an ex-Domino writer
40. Chez Larsson – The interiors and craft projects of a Stockholm family home.
41. Please Sir – Vintage purchases to covet and more from a North Carolinian designer.
42. Delight by Design – Glamorous interiors and classy styling ideas.
43. Brooklyn Limestone – The renovation of a traditional Brooklyn limestone townhouse.
44. Oliveaux – A Brisbane-based interior designer shares her passion.
45. Nestled In – Home renovation and thrifty finds from Finland.
46. Automatism – The daily visual inspirations of a Canadian illustrator.
47. Pillar Box Post – London style and observations from an American ex-pat.
48. Design Squish – Design blog with an emphasis on nature, sustainability and eco issues.
49. The Fabric of my Life – Musings and photo collages from a London interior stylist.
50. Lovely Clusters – Pretty design finds chosen by a Hawaiian-based graphic designer.

The Homies are up, Apartment Therapy’s contest to let readers vote for the best in Shelter/Home blogs. If you would be so kind as to vote for Create H, you can do so here!

1 DIY Turn Empty Can Tins Into Hanging Lights
2 DIY Install A Programmable Thermostat
3 A Curiously Strong DIY Project
4 The Great LEGO USB Hub

THE LIST CONTINUES…

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We’ve mentioned this extraordinary case before, but it’s only just become available for purchase and there’s some good news. The finished product looks almost exactly like the concept we saw in March.

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Espressos are an acquired taste, but once you start drinking them, it’s hard to stop. There’s no better way than making these at home.

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Skins and cases for your iPods, iPhones and mobile devices are a dime a dozen, but this is the first time that we’ve seen customizable cases. These cases can be customized thanks to your own photos or designs.

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After the papercraft Christmas tree, come the Star Light Minis, which are basically diffusers that are placed onto your existing Christmas lights to change the look and feel of your Christmas tree.

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photo from Jonathan Adler website

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing Jonathan Adler talk about his work and career at the Apartment Therapy Meetup at Knoll. He spoke about how his 16 year career evolved from the panic after a teacher advised him to give up on his pottery to his first pottery order from Barneys to interior design work and his design/life manifesto.

Points taken from Mr. Adler:

• think about what you’re trying to communicate on a larger scale
• be provocative!
• get inside your client’s head and figure out what they should be
• when in doubt – go with yellow
• think about doing the unexpected

Overall? One great evening.

photo from Jonathan Adler website

Living in New York, I’m used to small apartments. Still, it’s absurd that someone can live in a studio that’s only 170 square feet. The smallest space I lived in was a studio that’s about 300-or-so square feet. But this woman has made it work, and from the photos it looks like she is fairly organized, too. Plus, she lives there with her husband and dog. I have way too much stuff to be able to live in a place so small. My TV alone would take up a large chunk of the space.

Click here to see her apartment. Sheesh.

It’s great to see that another company has seen the light and has decided to offer an updated version of their robotic vacuum cleaner. It’s clearly a Roomba replacement. Competition is good as prices might get lowered.

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As technology evolves and advances, lamps and lighting are changing. We really like this lamp that was created in Poland. It’s kind of soft and its shape can be changed.

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Made me smile.

Scored this cute set of mugs while thrifting awhile ago. A pleasant way to share a hot cup with a loved one.

If you are thinking about adding some more screen real estate, then you’ve probably thought about the ways that you can mount that second monitor. The only problem is that these don’t come cheap. That’s why we really liked how the idea of putting one together ourselves.

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Those custom fancy keyboards are great, but they do cost a lot of money. That’s why we thought that creating your own wooden enclosure for your keyboard was a really good idea.

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We know that desktops are becoming less popular, but maybe with new the iMacs and computers like this 1950s inspired Philco PC, desktops computers might become more popular again.

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