Happy Groundhog Day! Speaking of rodents, critters, and the like, I've certainly had my fair share of animals playing house in my love shack. Has a groundhog wandered into your living room? A bat flew in your front door? Found a rattle snake under your bed? A scorpion IN your bed? A mouse helping itself to your kitchen cuisine? A cockroach staking claim to your living room? Ladybugs creeping all over your windowsill?

For this week's Open House, I want to hear all about your history with unexpected creatures in your house. Tell me by leaving a comment below, and next week I'll compile your responses so we can hear all about everyone's animal houses.
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What's the word? Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. A sweet mingle of pretty pinks and ravishing reds in a variety of dashing fonts with, of course, a handful of hearts for good measure, the SusyJack* Set of Four Valentines ($6) is the perfect way to express the "L" word to friends and lovers alike. The lovely set of notecards will have you set for an entire presidential term. Or, if by chance you have four lovas (or friends) this year, it's good for all of 2008.

This airy, honeycombed octagon headboard from west elm (regularly $299-$399, on sale for $99.99-$139.99) looks like just the place to rest my head, or to prop with pillows as I sit up and read long into the night. Available in either beet or chocolate colors, this all-hardwood headboard is a great deal, and a lovely one at that.

Designer Johan Bruninx showed off his excellent idea for restoring furniture, Paperskin (Plakbanterie), at the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show, held during Dutch Design Week 2007.
The artist writes that

The objective was to upgrade the value of old material by using brown eco tape in a crafty way, similar to the art of marqueterie. By creating patterns with the tape one gets an aesthetic quality and a change of identity. We move from functional to ornamental values. From low to high, from packaging to an haute couture skin. Because of the association with marquetry the paper skin becomes like wood… the ultimate disguise!

To see another picture of this cool project, just read more

I first encountered the Schoolhouse Electric Co. when I was writing about The Ace Hotel in Portland, Ore. The Ace Hotel sourced their Edison light fixtures from the 150-year-old Portland lighting company to contribute to the quirky, vintage look they were going for. Schoolhouse Electric began when its founder discovered a collection of original cast-iron moulds in an upstate New York warehouse, all but forgotten for more than a half century. The collection represented some of the best examples of true American lighting design, and inspired the founder to replicate more than 100 light fixtures from the early 1900s to the middle of the twentieth century. Schoolhouse Electric's fixtures and shades are authentically American, and have a place in both historic and contemporary buildings, as well as everywhere in between. Since its establishment, the lighting company has discovered more fabulous moulds and fixture patterns, including collections of art deco, arts and crafts, early electric, transitional, art nouveau, colonial revival, and classic modern pieces, making it a go-to vendor for all of your luminary pursuits. Check out the gallery below to see some of their fixtures in place.

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