GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

The magazine serial is a lost art form these days. With websites, Twitter, moment-by-moment news updates, and yes, blogs, who can be expected to remember what happened yesterday, much less in last month's magazine? But serials used to be the lifeblood of magazines and newspapers; Charles Dickens published many of his stories in serial fashion, and crowds would throng the docks in America for the delivery of the latest installment of his stories from London. So kudos to - of all publications - a home decor magazine for experimenting again with the serial. House Beautiful's monthly installments of Frances Schultz's East Hampton's cottage makeover are as charming as the house itself. Here are a few snaps from this month's update (more here for last month's living room makeover).

Ms. Schultz's challenge was to combine two small bedrooms into a pint-sized master suite:

The new study includes work space and a cozy spot for guests. The lacquered blue walls add light and dimension to a small space.

All images, housebeautiful.com.

WHAT'S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Every week, my email inbox fills to the brim (somewhere out there on the internets, my emails are spilling out onto the proverbial floor). But sometimes, as I'm desperately trying to restore order to the mailbox mayhem, I find something truly clickable, like H & H Home (that's founding friends Heather & Helen, y'all). This Atlanta-based store refurbishes worthy pieces, burnishing vintage favorites into modern marvels. The results are truly home-worthy, from Vuitton trunks to charming chinoiserie furniture. I'm so glad I organized my inbox!

H & H Home

And a few of my top picks... so much chinoiserie! You can shop H & H HERE.

/Images/ All from H & H/

COTTAGE BEAUTIFUL

My favorite thing in the 120 pages of House Beautiful's February decor ideas was so missable - one page of snapshots and a smattering of text about HB Contributing Editor Frances Schultz' home makeover in the Hamptons. It was so much fabulosity packed into such a small space - I had to have MORE! Luckily, House Beautiful online offered more (and larger) pictures. Enjoy!

Green and white, and oh so right. Love the layered curtains and the bold, graphic patterns (stripes, plaids, botanicals - and stripes again). 

Country whimsy: a painted bee... next to a bee hive basket. 

In the former garage cum sun room, big pattern dominates a little space. Carlton Varney paper and a shade worthy of a 1940s ice cream parlor sweeten the space.

There's more charm to come! Other rooms in Bee Cottage's makeover will be featured in upcoming issues of House Beautiful. 

/Images/HouseBeautiful.com/

MY HEART IS IN PIECES

I'm waiting for a Hollywood director to make a thriller based on a girl who constantly haunts shopping websites - and then, mysteriously, gets sucked in and haunts them FOR REAL.

SCENE

A mod loft in TriBeCa. Late evening. We see a white laquer parson's desk piled with several issues of Vogue and a Prada handbag. In the center is an open Macbook Air.

Fashionable girl: [sitting down at desk] "I'm just going to click 'buy' and order this fabulous hand-loomed ikat pillow from Uzbekistan! It's perfect for my new Baker couch!"

[eery music]

The haunting, pixilated face of a woman appears on the screen. 

Fashionable girl: "EEEEEEeeeeeeeeek!" 

The pixilated face mouths "noooo," swipes the coveted pillow from the shopping cart, and disappears.

Fashionable girl: [weeping] "Now I'll never have my beautiful imported throw pillow!"

END SCENE

Yes, it would be a really scary movie. Especially if the Baker couch was in a very hard to match color. Anyway, I spend a lot of time "haunting" my favorite home decor websites, and one of my favorite spots is Pieces. Founded by Atlanta interior designer and tastemaker Lee Kleinhelter, Pieces features a mix of stunning vintage and modern favorites, and it's one of those websites that ALWAYS has something you want. One of those websites you do NOT visit when your bank account is low but your mood is ebullient. (It also has great shopping features, like a search engine just for colors.)

Dear Santa: please shop here.

Their website is so great, I thought the bricks and mortar version in Atlanta had to be even better - and it was. Prepare for some pretty!

A set of Jonathan Adler chairs cozy up to the table.

Flame stitch pillows in white arm chairs flank a pink murano lamp.

A gorgeous metallic speckled cowhide rug. I'm obsessed with these - remember?

The store mascot: a white Golden. He matches the pillows!

This stunning couch is vintage, repainted in a beautiful white laquer.

For shopping (and most of the items picture above), visit here. Happy haunting!

P.S. The customer service is also great. I had a thank you note for stopping by in my inbox before I even got home!

/Images/my own, courtesy of Pieces/

INTERNATIONAL SHEIK

Here's something Google could develop for me:  the source tracker. I'm always stumbling upon ideas online, only to forget where they are - or where they came from. My favorites tabs are glutted; my search history is yards long. So it is that I have absolutely no idea how I came upon lovely interior designer Caitlin Wilson, based in Dubai. But I did. And you'll be glad you did too.

Caitlin's own home has been featured in several magazines, and it's a charming, highly edited nod to old East and new West. Just the sort of thing Domino would have featured (sniffle). Enjoy!

P.S. She has a blog! And the tech saavy to logo all of her pictures - even if we can't remember where, we'll always know who. Hurrah!