• AT:LA's latest house tour showcases one reader's updated heirlooms.
• Craft: shows you how to make fizzy balls for your bath.
• Desire to Inspire turns us on to some very cool photography.
• Inhabitat tells us about a burp-catching backpack that traps cow gas.
• Decor8 blogs about a mad tea towel party.
• Design*Sponge is voting on some gorgeous patterns.
• Daily Danny supports LED string lights year-round.
• The Moment thinks modern design hotels are becoming run-of-the-mill.
• The Selby is a cool new photo blog about creative people at home in their spaces.

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According to Big Time, funny woman Amy Sedaris has forked over $1.3 million for a 900-square-foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bath condo in Manhattan's West Village. She must have been charmed by the property, as she paid $50k over the asking price. The listing for the property reads:

Fabulous one-of-a-kind apartment full of original detail and prewar charm. Dramatic entry hall leads to rooms with arched doorways, over-sized windows and large proportions. Wood-burning fireplaces and double exposures grace both the bedroom and huge living room. Original beamed ceilings, floors, doors and hardware are all in mint condition. There are lots of nooks and crannies for special furniture and artwork. Located off Fifth Avenue in a prewar brownstone with both doorman and elevator.

I wonder if Sedaris will be making a decoupaged accent table for her new digs, or hanging portraits of herself by celebrity interior designers. The prewar apartment seems to have great bones, but I'm eager to see how she'll infuse it with her wacky personality.

It may no longer be Independence Day, but flags add Summer style to your home year-round. So if you haven't already, consider hanging a flag on the exterior of your home to cheer up the neighborhood — be it an American flag, a state flag, or the flag of your favorite sports team! To learn how to install one, read more

When reading real estate listings, most of us would associate granite countertops with luxury homes, and consider them a coveted feature. That is, unless you knew they could be emitting elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. A recent New York Times article, "What's Lurking in Your Countertop?" chronicled the trials of one homeowner and doctor who found that his radon gas levels were reading 100 picocuries per liter, a far cry from 4 picocuries per liter, which the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) considers a health risk. Apparently, as the popularity of granite countertops has increased in the last decade, so have reports of potentially hazardous countertops. While most "health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels," the risk of exposure from "exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia," has yet to be evaluated. When it comes down to it, "There is no known safe level of radon or radiation," says an E.P.A. program analyst. So, if you can choose a risk-free alternative, why wouldn't you? At the very least, it's a smart idea to have your countertops tested.
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Graphic designer and Parsons grad, Angie Hranowsky applies her knowledge of design, color theory, and textiles to interiors as well as the printed page with an eclectic and modern aesthetic. Her mix of vintage and new furnishings, bold color, and perfect composition, which can be found through the Southeast and Midwest and on the pages of Metropolitan Home, Domino, and House Beautiful, has an unmistakable Hollywood Regency influence that's comfortably chic. Check out the gallery below to see some of her work.