Are you obsessed with Pinterest? Is 95% of the art currently hanging on your walls from IKEA and Target? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this contest is for you! Artspace is offering a chance to win a $1,000 eGift card (the perfect amount to start an exquisite collection), along with four $250 gift cards to the runners-up.

Follow these 5 easy steps to enter, then cross your fingers and pray that you’re their grand prize winner:

1. Follow @Artspace on Pinterest.
2. Create a board called “Art I love”, and write one sentence in the description explaining how art inspires you (Check out mine here!)
3. Pin at least 5 artworks found on Artspace, and include the tag #artspacefaves.
4. Re-pin the Artful Pinterest Contest official pin to your board to complete your entry.

Full terms and conditions here. The contest ends on May 31, 2012, so get to pinning!

Outside of a glamorous photo shoot, an attention-grabbing neon pink couch or highlighter yellow desk is hard for most people to pull off in their homes. But a small pop of neon here and there will inject a playful, yet modern air to any room, and that is something everyone can get behind. Really!

Bugs in general freak me out, but spiders are in a class alllll of their own. I’d happily spend the night in the bathtub if I saw one of these creepy crawlies scuttling across my bedroom wall, or even worse, ceiling! And so I must thank Thomas Shahan for taking these absolutely stunning macro shots because Lord knows I’d never ever get close enough to a spider to appreciate their strange beauty otherwise. Does anyone else feel slightly hypnotized staring into those shiny, alien eyes?

*Apologies to arachnophobes who came here expecting something pretty to look at, and then BAM – giant spiders in your face!! I just thought these photos were too incredible not to share.

Need a little pick-me-up at the office? Well, put down the coffee, and reach for these cute desk accessories instead! I strongly believe that something as small as a new mousepad can do wonders for reinvigorating your workspace. Having a fun and inspiring desk doesn’t have to break the bank!.

Happy Friday! The weather is supposed to be faaabulous this weekend, so I’m looking forward to running around outside in shorts and sipping iced coffee in the sunshine.

PS. Does anyone have recommendations for a simple detox diet/cleanse? I’ve been feeling sluggish the past few weeks, and I think my body needs a jump start!

You may have noticed that the last site redesign here included a little Tobygrams (ie. Toby meets Instagram) section in the sidebar. The term “section” is rather generous, as it was, umm, one static image that didn’t do much of anything…until now! New photos will be added regularly, so if you like gratuitous photos of French bulldogs, go check it out!

My transition into a crazy lady who gives her dog his own blog section is finally complete. Excellent.

Although I like checking out flea markets and vintage stores, I’m not really someone who can go thrifting for hours on end. My patience for hunting through pile after pile for hidden treasures just isn’t that high. Luckily Gallivanting Girls has done all the work for me! The lovely Etsy store is curated and styled to perfection – I couldn’t stop clicking through all of their sweet vintage wares without thinking I want that…and that…and that…There would certainly be a permanent spot in my fridge for that fun sangria pitcher, that’s for sure!

I developed an obsession with caterpillars in first grade after learning about how they transform into beautiful butterflies, and one day I spent an entire recess collecting the fuzzy critters and placing them in my lunchbox to take home as pets. I promptly forgot about all of this by the time I got home and handed my lunchbox over to my mother. Let’s just say I’m surprised she didn’t immediately give me up for adoption after opening it up to find a whooole lot of dead caterpillars. Surprise!! She deserves all of these gifts (and much much more) for Mother’s Day next Sunday.

Happy Cinco de Mayo weekend! We plan on celebrating with feast of tacos, guacamole, and spicy Mexican brownies, and dressing Toby up in a piñata costume since he loved being the Easter bunny so much. Okay scratch that last one, but seriously, you should make these brownies – they’re rich and fudgy, and the added spices really give it some kick! And even better? They’re basically made on the stovetop, so no mixer or extraneous bowls are required. Less time spent washing dishes means more time sipping on margaritas, amigos. Olé!

PS. That little pig dish is one of my favorite (and cutest) pieces in the kitchen. In fact, I liked it so much I ended bringing home his friend, the baking dish, as well. You can purchase both on Amazon here and here!

Mexican Brownies (adapted from Food Network)

1.5 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.

Melt the butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.

Easter may have come and gone, but pretty pastels are still on my mind.