The other day my mom called to tell me about a new show on Lifetime I “HAD to watch” called Picker Sisters. At first, it sounded like a version of American Pickers – which, I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never really been able to get into. On the other hand, outside of HGTV, my mom isn’t necessarily what you would call a “TV watcher”, and she even called me back later that day to make sure I set the TiVo. So I decided to check it out. Because mom said so.

To sum up my opinion of Pickers Sisters in one word: addicting.

Here’s the rundown: The show follows interior designers and best friends Tracy Hutson and Tanya McQueen (you might recognize them from ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) as they travel cross country looking for what some would consider “junk” to transform into one-of-a-kind pieces for their home decor “pop-up shop” in Los Angeles, I-10. I’m not talking about “Oh, let’s take this old wagon wheel and make it a coffee table”. No. We’re talking big, crazy, home decor pieces that pack a good punch made out of what most people call “junk”.

For example… in episode two, they find this crate of chain at an old sugar mill in Louisiana. They end up buying the entire 1,500 pound box for $250 (apparently 17 cents a pound is good for scrap metal)…

Once they got the crate back to LA, they have their business partner/friend/left brain/contractor, Allen, go to work on their vision. After a lot of strength and ingenuity (that stuff is heeeeavy), they came up with an awesome, one-of-a-kind coffee table…

After $250 for the chain, $200 for materials and labor, and a sale price of $1,200; they’re looking at a profit of $750. Not bad!

I don’t want to show you guys too much because I don’t want to spoil the show for you! But I must show you one of my favorite ultra quirky pieces… They found this old marquee light in someone’s yard and the man ended up giving it to them for free…

They came up with the awesome idea of replacing the wiring and removing the metal front, replacing it with an acrylic photo …

They took the marquee back to LA, thought up a design plan, let Allen do his magic, and $100 later, it’s in their showroom (with a price tag of $1,100).

Isn’t that cool?! Okay, so not everyone has room for a gigantic yellow arrow light in their living room (though I could totally see this in a lofty, quirky living room) but what I love about this show is that what the they do with “junk” can be applied on a small scale projects around our house as well. It makes me want to take a drive down the country roads around here (by the way, check out their tips and tricks for “pickin’” here).

On top of coming up with crazy awesome pieces, their funny, “classy cowgirl” banter is fun to watch, and they totally seem like the type of girls you’d like to hang out go “pickin’” with. I think we’d be BFFs. Just sayin’. They are only 3 episodes it’s already made it to my “keep until I delete” list on our TiVo. That’s TiVo code for “it better not be deleted, or else!”

So go set your DVRs to record Picker Sisters. Tuesdays on Lifetime. Go ahead. Go do it now. I promise you’ll never look at a piece of rusty scrap metal the same way again.

So we’re curious, have any of you been “pickin’”?

By the way… For those of you not in the States, check it out on the Lifetime website here. You can also download it on iTunes here (the first episode is free!).

All images property of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC.

While searching online for some fabric (for what, I’m not totally sure yet), I came across Spoonflower. Now… why I haven’t come across Spoonflower before today, I have NO idea! What makes Spoonflower so cool, you ask? Get this… you can design, print and even sell your own fabric! So if you’re looking for fabric with the ever-so-popular chevron pattern in that perfect shade of yellow, you can just design your own. Genius.

If you aren’t necessarily the artsy type, don’t fret. There are hundreds upon hundreds of patterns to choose from on the Spoonflower website, which are designed by other Spoonflower users. Ikat, chevron, herringbone, paisley – they’ve got it all. It’s kind of like Etsy for fabric. Here are a few of the unique designs that caught my eye…

1. tree hearts 2. gray + cream ikat 3. coral yellow 4. spring green 5. bird house 6. gray + cream chevron 7. geo tile in kiwi 8. c’est la viv garden lark poppies

They offer 7 different types of fabric to choose from, including quilting-weight cotton, organic cotton sateen, upholstery-weight cotton twill, cotton voile, and more. If you’re having trouble deciding which fabric type is best for your specific project, you can order a fabric sample pack for just $1.00 (with free shipping!). I ordered one because I’m totally new to fabric, sewing, and whatnot. I couldn’t tell you the difference between interlock knit and cotton twill. But hey, I’m learning (I keep saying “Baby steps, baby steps…” like on What About Bob?).

I’ve spent months looking for fabric for curtain panels in the dining room and my office. But I just haven’t been able to find anything like what I have pictured in my head. So, hopefully, the wonderful world of Spoonflower will come to my rescue. How about you… Would you be down for designing your own fabric or would you rather leave the designing to someone else? Have you ever used Spoonflower? If you have, how did you like it? (And leave us a link to your designs!)

Gardening has always been a bit of a foreign concept to me. When the idea of a garden came into my mind, it looked like a small farm with rows upon rows of vegetables. It was something that people with a lot of land did, and I thought I wouldn’t have that kind of land until much later in life. On top of that, I thought you probably had to have some machinery or expensive tools to make it all happen.

That all changed when I read Apartment Gardening by Amy Pennington (you may remember it from one of our giveaways a while back). After I read this book, I had a total “ah ha moment”… I can have a garden too! Not only did this book completely shatter all of my preconceived notions about gardening, but it also gave hope to a “brown thumb” such as myself.

Armed with my new knowledge that gardening isn’t just for a select few, I set out to find some items that might help me along my way. As with everything, choosing the right tools for the job is essential (or just a little more enjoyable). It’s obviously important that you find enjoyment in what you’re doing, so I selected several items that are both functional, fun, and, well, pretty! I hope this can serve as some inspiration to anyone else hoping to begin their adventure in cultivation!

1. Seed Bombs - These. are. so. cool. Purchase the Seed Bombs for your US region, toss these babies in your garden (apparently, you don’t even have to dig a hole!), and just add water (and a little patience). You can’t get easier than that! If that isn’t cool enough, they even have Dog & Cat Friendly Seed Bombs that include catnip, wheat, oats, and rye. I cannot wait to try these out!

2. Hable Sweet Pea Gloves – I’m a fan of these garden gloves because they are stylish and functional. A lot of times you’ll find stylish gloves but they are just that and nothing more. The Hable Sweet Pea Gloves’ thumbs, and pointer fingers are lined with tiny rubber polka dots – which helps you to easily handle plants and whatnot. And who doesn’t love polka dots?

3. Sunken Pool Gardening Hose - Yes, there is such a thing as a stylish garden hose! Who knew? Pool is one of my all-time favorite colors so this easily made it to the list.

4. Apple Bird Feeder – I’m pretty sure the squirrels (which we have a lot of!) in our yard would give the birds a run… er… fly for their money if we hung this in our backyard. We may just have to get one of these for the entertainment factor!

5. Crocband Flats – These cute slip-ons would be perfect garden shoes. You can easily slip them on and off, and hose them down when they get dirty. Not to mention, they are super comfortable! I have a pair of these which have been dubbed the “Bentley needs a bathroom break” shoes but I imagine these will be perfect “garden shoes” too!

6. Celia Birtwell Garden Tools – Yet another stylish yet functional gardening tool. The set comes with two one-piece aluminum tools and are lightweight, strong and have an ergonomic grip.

7. Gardeners Scrub Cleanser – This deep cleansing hand wash from Crabtree & Evelyn is a blend of plant-based cleansers and all natural exfoliants that cleanses while polishing away roughness and impurities. Crabtree & Evelyn has a ton of products for gardeners that are worth checking out (which would be a perfect gift for a gardner in your life!).

8. Apartment Gardening by Amy Pennington – Last but not least, once again, the book that changed my mind about gardening. It’s a must read for anyone who has the slightest interest in gardening. Pinky promise!

Do you have any garden must haves or favorite gadgets? Share them with us in the comment section…