Ray’s BBQ Pit, at Pacemont and High St in Clintonville. No website or phone number, but if you go during the day, you will likely find him. On Sundays, he serves grass-fed brisket that has people around town very happy.

Mickey’s Late Night Slice is located next to Bodega in the Short North, and in various location throughout the night. They get extra points for the tagline on the side of their truck: EAT PAY LEAVE.

The new darlings of the Columbus’s food scene, Foodie Cart makes Japanese crepes, along with some lovely desserts. They are mostly in the Short North and Clintonville, raising the bar for food trucks everywhere with their inventive deliciousness. Find them on Facebook or Twitter and they will give you up to the minute reports on where they’re going and what they’re serving that day.

Rad Dog sells vegan hot dogs, brats and locally made Luna burgers. His website will tell you where he’s going to be.

Newcomers Fusion Cafe serve Jamaican food out of their awesome converted, solar-powered  former Wonderbread truck. They do day and night times. Check their Facebook and Twitter page for details. Super-exciting for them (and Columbus)- they are nominated for America’s Favorite Food Truck over at  the Food Network- vote for them early and often!

Much, much more at  alt.eats.columbus, Taco Trucks in Columbus, and Hungrywoolf.

{images from courtney hergesheimer for the columbus dispatch, streeteatscolumbus,  foodie cart, patticake, fusion cafe }

Probably none of us has enough light in our homes. Apart from fabulous lighting and some well-placed candles, mirrors are often the easiest way to add a little illumination. A gallery wall, interspersed with a few other pieces of art or ephemera, makes a strong focal point, and large mirrors hung or even leaning against a wall can make a powerful statement, and even make a room feel bigger by reflecting existing light.

Also, don’t they just add instant glamour? Probably none of us has enough of that, either.

{ images via cup of jo, poof your a frog, this is glamorous, the selby, ida }

Have you been to the Book Loft? Good Heavens. It’s pretty much a dream- room after room of books, new and used, and all discounted. Also, the prettiest patio in town- books+cobblestones+fairy lights= my fantasy outdoor space.

Located in German Village- plan on a couple of hours, seriously.

{images from hellocolumbus, sheistoofondofbooks, fiveforfive}

These are all books that have been around for a few years, but I come back to them again and again. They share an aesthetic rooting in simplicity and an appreciation of old things- lots of white, lots of wood, uncluttered spaces, and a personal POV. Beware- you might be tempted to buy a lot of white paint!

{ shabby chic interiors, by rachel ashwell, pure style, by jane cumerbatch, the simple home, by sarah nettleton, family spaces, by tizrah ortiz-wanglass, and for the love of old, by mary randolph carter }

For reasons known only to wordpress, many of the links you’re trying to access are not working (but not all- crazy, huh?). I’m working on it! Keep checking them- I’ll update when it’s all all better.

Thanks for your patience.

Update- all better! (I think- let me know if I missed one).  Thanks again for sticking around, and many apologies to those I thought I was linking to!

Some of the paintings at the festival, happening over the course of the day.

Franklinton Gardens- community gardens in Franklinton that sell their produce at neighborhood farmer’s markets. Inspirational folks, for sure.

Saturday Giant, part of a line-up that  included Behind you with Knives, The Ill Fits, The Receiver, and others.

Breakdancing- they were pretty good, actually.

The cutest ice cream truck this side of the Mississippi.

A genuinely idyllic day in historic Franklinton for Urban Scrawl. I’ve never been to this festival before, and I have to say, I’m really impressed with everyone who put it together- really, a great event for Columbus.

This couple in Minneapolis bought the house next door, connected the two houses with an atrium, and turned their new house into a library! Super swoon.

{ more here }

{image from doe-c-doe}

There are nearly as many ways to arrange books as there are, well, books. The traditional way is to separate fiction from non-fiction, alphabetize the fiction, and arrange the non-fiction by subject, and then alphabetize the authors. And that’s an extremely functional way to do things.

I decided recently, however, that I was ready for a change, so arranged my books according to color. I’m pretty crazy about my books, and I wasn’t sure I could take the disorder, but it turns out I think it’s lovely! And I still know where everything is (mostly) because the pairings are so odd they are memorable- Little House on the Prairie next to a biography of Frieda Kahlo- sure, why not!

{images from i just might explode, passansplume, designsponge, the selby, m.a. belle, domino}

When you find yourself shoving things into your dresser, it’s probably time to organize your drawers. First things first: get everything out of your drawers. Really, everything. There’s often an astonishing amount of junk you don’t even notice anymore that somehow sneaks in, often not even clothing related! Sometimes in an effort to keep things looking tidy, we dump things into our drawers to get them out of sight. If you have any effluvia that ought not be there, put it aside to deal with later. Once you have everything out of your drawers, go through everything, making sure that you separate the  items you love from the ones that don’t work for  you anymore ( I know, blah, blah, but one must). It can be enormously helpful at this point to have someone with you, as we can be blind to the flaws of things we are used to seeing; a good friend or friendly organizer (me!) can be invaluable here.

Now that you have everything you’d like to keep, separate into piles, with similar things (jeans, or underwear) going together. If you find that you still are a little short on space, choose a few things that are not in regular rotation but that are still loved and put them into some kind of secondary storage (some ideas here ). Remember, the things that go in drawers  (vs closets) will be things that can be folded and not tell a tale about it later- sweaters, bras, etc- save your blouses and blazers for the closet.

After separating things into like piles, back in the drawers they go. But how? Some people like to use drawer dividers, especially in an intimates drawer, as smaller things can get all mixed up together. Some people even like to have separate boxes within a drawer, and if you find this helpful, by all means get some, but most of us carry on with having manageable (making a stack too big is a recipe for your organization not to last very long) stacks of things grouped by category. Ideally, each drawer has its own designation- ie, pants drawer, or sweater drawer- but if you don’t have enough space for that, just make sure yours stacks are distinct and things are grouped together as logically as possible.

Bonus points for drawer liners- some people feel this is too fussy, but I find it very cheering to catch a glimpse of something beautiful under the socks. Fragrance is a nice touch, too. Simply putting a bar of soap with a pleasing scent in each drawer works well, as does having a sachet, filled with your favorite herbs- lavender is always lovely. Cedar blocks are very practical, in addition to smelling good.

And then- finished! You now have drawers  you could actually get dressed from in the dark.

{image ‘you can’t lay down your memory’ chest of drawers, by tejo remy, @ moma}

This Saturday, August 28th, from noon to 8, at Dodge Park in Franklinton.

At which we will see people paint, skate, and dance, cheer for Behind you with Knives and all the other bands, eat yummy food, check out the wonderful architecture of Franklinton,and generally have a fine time. See you there!

Info about Urban Scrawl  here.