Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 411

Changing Seasons Rug

It's started to feel like fall here in New York. And I, for one, am ready for it. I love the changing leaves, the cool air coming in through my open window (no more A/C, yay!), and the excuse to pull out all the blankets and throws that I don't need during the summer.

 

I like the idea of making small decor changes as the weather changes. And here's an easy place to start. The Turn The Season Rug From YLdesign, which I came across on Design Milk last week.

 

 

Do you have plans to update your...

Vintage Finds @ AM Radio

I LOVE the vintage finds in etsy shop, AM Radio. I envy those of you
who live in the states and can easily order from them because I'm
currently in Germany and it costs an arm and a leg to have stuff shipped
over here. But wow, AM Radio has the best stuff -- so carefully curated
and unique. Would you like to see some of my favorite things?

 

 

 
 
 They have such great industrial and vintage home decor finds, don't they? 

(images: am radio)

Overpriced Items We Buy Every Day

I did a segment on the Today Show on Friday looking at six of the most overpriced items we buy frequently. (You can check out the clip here.) Below I've listed nearly a dozen items that burn a big hole in the average consumer's pocket. Are any of your pet peeves here?

-Movie Popcorn: Movie popcorn can cost as much as $1 an ounce – or $16 a pound. That's more than filet mignon. The kind you microwave at home costs less than 10 cents an ounce – or $1.60 a pound. (You can't even buy hamburger...

97 Orchard: The Glockners and the Moores

Hi, everyone:

I hope you've enjoyed meeting the Glockner and Moore families. In the first two chapters we learn about their moves to America and how each in its own ways influences or adapts to a completely new life.

The 1840s German immigrant Lucas Glockner and his family are 97 Orchard's builders and original tenants. Built on the site of the Dutch Reformed Presbyterian Church, it is eventually one of several properties owned by Glockner, who by his late fifties is living comfortably as a...

Early Bird? Night Owl? What If You're Neither?

We haven't even had to change the clocks yet—Daylight Savings Time ends on November 7th, boo hoo!—and already I'm finding my own biorhythms are more marked than ever.

And what I am noticing is something I can't believe it took me this long to face: I'm neither a night owl NOR am I an early bird. Almost as abruptly as a hapless bird flying into a pane of streak-free glass, I simply run out of steam after about 9:30pm. I struggle to keep my eyelids open after that time, and feel like there's a ...

Email Overload

Some days, I just can't face my inbox. Despite my aggressive use of filters, folders and color coding, email tortures me throughout my work day. Currently my Gmail inbox has thousands of messages in it. Many have been read and responded to, but most sit there, taunting me with subject lines that have no relevance to my work or life.

Technically, the messages are not spam (more like bacn), since they are usually pitches from PR people who would like me to review their product, plug their...

Experience Fashion Week LIVE!

You might not have a ticket into the Fashion Week shows, but you do have ME! 

I'll be tweeting all week from @Real_Simple (follow me) and bringing you all the amazing new looks you'll be wearing this coming spring/summer!

And if you're craving even more fashion...there are several designers/collections that will be streaming their shows LIVE! Incredible right? It's like having your very own front row seat. Move over Anna Wintour!

• Ports 1961: 3 p.m. on Friday, September 10, at

"Fashion's Night Out" Returns Tomorrow Sept. 10th!

The biggest night in fashion is baaaaack! It's "Fashion's Night Out" 2010!

From New York to France to China...your favorite stores, designers and celebrities will be out and about shopping and partying--all in the name of FASHION!

Participating stores will stay open until 11pm and many are offering amazing discounts and tons of excitement (insert: djs, drinks, giveaways and more)!

This is definitely a night to round up your girlfriends and hit the town for some fierce and fabulous fun! I k...

The Caller ID Conundrum: How do you answer the phone?

 

These days, just about everyone has Caller ID on their phone, or a cell phone that shows the number of the caller. So it's become pretty common for people to answer the phone by addressing the person by name, such as, "Hi, Holly...." Yet for some people, including my mother, it's jarring to start a conversation this way. It's as if what was once the natural order of the phone-call universe has been upended. For instance, every time my mother calls and I answer with, "Hi, Mommy!" she's...

Excuses, Excuses ...

It's easy to come up with excuses. Heck, I tell them to myself all the time:

"I can't cook dinner tonight because I had a hard day at work. I can't put that dirty dish in the kitchen because I'm so comfortable sitting here on the couch. I can't because ... I can't because ... I can't because ..."

Since excuses are so easy to make, it's no wonder they keep people from uncluttering and organizing their homes. Here are the five most common excuses and what you can do to overcome them:

I can't...