Growth Table Turns Homework and Craft Time Into Family Affair

Irwin Weiner ASID - Such a Family Fun idea! I admit that I'm sometimes late in discovering certain design innovations - there are always so many, I'm bound to fall behind - but I just had to share something cute as a button with you: the Growth Table by designers Tim Durfee and Iris Anna Regn.

Made from marine plywood and bolted together, it's a system of graduated-height desk/work surfaces and benches that accommodate humans of different ages and heights. Adults down to youngsters can have fun working and playing together, and wouldn't this be ideal for home schooling?

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More Halloween Art and Craft Projects for the Home

Irwin Weiner ASID - OMG. I usually refrain from using texting abbreviations in my post, but Oh My God doesn't begin to cover my reaction to the crafty, thrifty, enthusiastic Do It Yourself Halloween decorations coming from Barry Belcher. Today's featured video is a mash-up of his craft creations and inspirations from this year and last year, and you'll like his craft-craziness.

He's one part zany and two parts clever, and you might find some great take-away ideas - and you can click on the links in the video to see tutorials on how to make the projects that you see. Visit the Barry Belcher Art and Design website and blog for more information.

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Inspiring Video - Amazing Ethiopian Furniture Craftsman

Irwin Weiner ASID - I've been talking about furniture makers this week. Well, Sentayehu Teshale is an Ethiopian craftsman working around Addis Ababa, and he gives new meaning to the term "handmade." He has no hands, you see, but he uses the extraordinary strength and flexibility in his feet and legs to saw, measure, hammer, carve, and wield power tools to make stools and chairs. Life is a bit more precious, amazing, and inspirational because of Mr. Teshale's accomplishments, and I value his work over the finest custom-made furnishings in NYC. Enjoy this video, and a special thanks to my friend Drew Giehl for steering it our way.

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Avoid Halloween Decoration Overkill

Irwin Weiner ASID - Tis the season to be kitschy ... and I can say that about any holiday that demands redecorating your home to fit the season. For Halloween and any other season, I abhor the compulsion some homeowners have to create a holiday vignette everywhere you look. Jack-o-lanterns at the front door, witch cutouts on the windows, Halloween lights strung up on the eaves, ghost tea towels in the guest bath - you get the idea. 

Totally overboard.

Here and there, it's alright to add a holiday-themed accent, like the Woman's Day Felted Mummy Doll craft (top photo) added to the throw pillows on your sofa, a few Halloween silhouettes clustered together on a wall (below, top photo), or a Candy Corn inspired centerpiece - simple to make, yet imaginative - on your dining room table (bottom photo). These ideas prove

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