Hey Austinites, You Need to Just Dewit Already

You already know AB Chao, although you may have trouble placing her face. That's because she looks like this:

Yeah, she's kinda famous for her headless self portraits. But she's even more famous for this:

You can't even google the words "farrow" and "ball" without this room coming up. EVERYONE has seen it -- even Kelly Wearstler. And she liked it. A lot.

But AB Chao has made other things, too. Like this:

And this:

And even this glamazing garage redo:

Pretty awesome.

And sure -- you might hate her a little. She's tiny and even peppier than her teenage daughter, she used to write for fancy tv shows, and her clothes are always cute. Even her husband is cute.

I mean -- dammit, AB. You need to quit it with the cuteness.

But here's the thing:  I've known her for years and she's a really nice, really real person who knows how to make something out of nothing (those curtains in the top shot? first dropcloth curtain diy I know about). This is important because being an average middle class wage earner should not be an impediment to style.

And now you can join her Dewit Design Camp and be like AB.

Dudes, AB Chao is coming to Austin from June 30-July 1 to school you! Learn this stuff:

• Basic principles of design • Creating inspiration boards • Drawing layouts • Paint, wall coverings, lighting, window treatments, furniture, art • Using and repurposing existing items • Decorating on a budget • Common mistakes • Putting it all together • Styling • Shooting interiors • Q & A

Plus you will get to eat yummy food and hang out at Meredith Pardue's fancy new art studio. You know Mer:

She makes those paintings that are in all the glossy magazines.

She lives in Austin, too.

Austin is cool.

Cool people live here.

Be even cooler and meet Misses Chao and Pardue in person and soak up their coolness by osmosis.

Sign up for Dewit Design Camp right HERE.

I might even show up if I don't drop a baby first.

Curtain talk tomorrow.

Comment if you have any Dewit questions today.

Scene Stealer

Craigslist can change your life, people. Behold what it did for our fellow Austonian Elisa of What theVita? fame, who scored a sweet Moravian Star fixture after reading a CL post that I wrote:

Remind me why I didn't buy that sucker again? Because it's almost like a real star sashayed into her window and took up residence, except better since you can actually turn that mofo off and catch some shut eye. Real stars just don't know when to simmer down, now do they? Anyhow, her bedroom looks supah flossy. Good job, Elisa!

mikkel vang moravian star

I'm really star-ting (oh god, I hate myself) to think I need one of these guys for the bedroom. Although I would not kick that bad boy out of my fancy man cave library, either.

moravian star

I really wish we could do a ceiling mounted fixture in the bathroom. This would be a 1000000000000% improvement over the tacky builder grade bar lights. Oh the shame!

So, I have a miserable spray painted chandelier in the bedroom that needs to be kicked to the curb and replaced with a flush mount fixture because Better Half Ben is as tall as I am short, and I think he is developing a dent in his bead where the top of said chandy has grazed him (lovingly, I am sure) a zillion times. I want a flush Moravian Star, but it's out of stock everywhere... grrrrr. Anyone have a lead?

Today is Ike's first day at day camp so I'm signing off and either A) jumping all over the couches and having a one woman dance party, or B) twiddling my thumbs while checking the time til pickup every 5 minutes.

Hopefully there is a C option available.

[What the Vita, Mikkel Vang, Rue]

I'm Riding the Thrift Train to Flossytown

Last week I flipped the thrift switch, and now I'm an unstoppable bargain buying machine. Vintage ikat and paisley tablecloths, overgrown 70's floral needlepoints, a crazy musical cakeplate, and 5000 ceramic pieces later, I show no signs of slowing down -- which is handy since Round Top is tomorrow. (Will Karly buy another coffee table, or won't she? Tune in next week to find out...) My latest find has left me with a bit of buyer's remorse, not unlike the time I bought this.

Let's see what y'all think of my latest purchase:

A vintage Milo Baughman brass based barrel chair in lipstick red. Homegirl still has her Thayer Coggin manufacturer labels intact. And she swivels and rocks. Tease.

But what the hell am I going to do with this thing? Although I love the color -- despite pledging my allegiance to the black and white stars and stripes forever -- the upholstery has seen better days and probably needs to be redone. And wouldn't it look amazing in this?

But since this fabric is $150/yd, I'm thinking no. Dammit.

Of course what I really wish I could do is upholster it in a vintage Jack Lenor Larsen fabric.

Did I say I was afraid of color? Well, If someone gave me a bolt of Larsen fabric, I wouldn't bat a lash -- I swear I would redecorate my entire house around one of his crazy psychedelic prints.

But back to the real world, and the most pressing question: do I keep this chair for which I have no available space and no real need, this chair which needs a $400-500 upholstery job, or do I sell it and make a little cash for... more thrift purchases (duh).

Sleepy eyes sure likes it.

In fact, since I brought little miss hot stuff home, Ike and the cat have fought for space on her bountiful seat -- sometimes to deleterious effect. Ike and the chair are a little worse for wear. The cat, however, is doing just fine.

Keep or sell, people? Help me out.