I admit that I am addicted to dinnerware. I love all the different sizes, shapes, colors and patterns. Thats probably why all of our plates and bowls are either flat black or flat white, because I just can't decide what I want. CB2 has got another hit on their hands with these great Bubbles porcelain dipped plates and bowls. The grey, charcoal and olivine circles have a nice pop on their white background making it interesting without being to over the top. Pricing ranges between $3 for a bowl to $5 for the largest plate, which is pretty spot on, especially when you consider that they are porcelain. Available from CB2 for $3 - $5.

I think it is generally accepted that Ikea designs and produces some pretty good looking affordable modern furniture. The question is, can that same knack for affordable and modern transfer over to architecture? Ikea would like to think so, and has been working diligently to make pre-fab townhouses and apartments for middle income families. Dubbed BoKlok for "smart living" these prefab units go up as quick as 16 weeks start to finish and cost around $260,000 for a two bedroom townhouse. While those numbers don't sound too bad, I have to admit I thought that architecturally they would look a little nicer. What do you think? Via Treehugger More info here at the BoKlock UK site.

If you live in Salt Lake like I do, you know that there is a select number of modern stores at our finger tips. One of the newer kids on the block is Modern Materials and Design. I have been following them since they opened in Sugarhouse, and then moved up the road to the Brickyard area. It looks like they are getting ready for another big move, this time to the internet. They have decided to go straight internet, and will no longer have a brick and mortar in SLC. With the recent closing of Form and Function followed by By Design moving into their warehouse, and now Modern Materials going straight internet it appears modern is on the run. I wonder if business is suffering now that Ikea has opened? The good news is that for those outside of Utah, you can now check out all the goodies at Modern Materials online. Their store had an overwhelming selection of EQ3 products which I always find to be modern and affordable. Modern Materials and Design Online.

Katrina Kaye knows vintage. She has been making wonderful handmade bags out of vintage material and army bags for some time now. I am lucky enough to have one of her bags, and I use it every day. Not only is it a truly unique bag, but the quality is great too. With that in mind when I noticed that Katrina has cushion covers too, I knew I had to share. For those of you looking for some true vintage cushions with some great colors and textures, look no further. Katrina has a great rotating selection of colors and patters, each one better than the last. Best of all, you can have your very own, straight from Amsterdam for only $25. Available at Katrina Kaye's Etsy shop for $20 - $25.

I know that radio's are so old school now, but if you are lucky to live in an urban area with some good radio stations they can still be a good deal. While this portable radio doesn't compare with the iPod when it comes to technology, it's 3.5" x 2" x .75" footprint comes pretty close. I have to admit I am loving the old school styling of it as well. It comes with headphones as well as a built in speaker, and best of all, it will only put you out $19.Available from MoMA Store for $19.

While we absolutely love our Nurseryworks Storytime Rocker and Arial Crib, we will be the first ones to admit that some ot their stuff isn't the most affordable. It has been extremely durable however, and we still think its a good purchase, especially if you can find it on sale. Sparkability is having a big sale with 40% of many of their nurseryworks items. That makes the rocker shown above $480 instead of $800. The 3 wide dresser and 2 wide changing table are for sale, but additional shipping costs almost make it a wash. The best thing about the sale is they actually have a decent selection of colors left, so if you've been debating whether to get a quality rocker, now's your chance.On Sale at Sparkability for $480.

Kitchen trash cans aren't cheap. While your best bet for something inexpensive is to get a small one and keep it under the counters, some of us don't have the luxury of having that extra space. If your trash can has to be out where everyone can see it, it makes sense to invest a little in one that looks good. This new 10 gallon trash can from Oxo looks great in white, and has a soft touch opening lid (no more banging around as you step on the foot pedal). It has a narrow footprint so it can easily fit into a tight spot. My favorite feature of all is it is designed so that you don't see the bag hanging out. Available from Oxo for $119.

This sleek and simple stoneware vase from Wrapables reminds me of a really good skipping stone turned vase. Sitting approximately 2.5" tall and 11" wide these wonderful vases come in olive or lime. To be used as a flower vase you would either need a cast iron floral arranger shown in the picture to the left, or some floral foam or rocks. No matter what you decided to use it for, the pod stoneware vase is sure to bring a new dimension to your vase collection.Available from Wrapables for $19.

Open source is a word I like even more than grassroots. In fact, now that I think about it, maybe I should have named my website opensourcemodern.com (anyone want to buy that domain for me?) and not grassrootsmodern.com. Open source means you are sharing your knowledge for the greater good, free of charge. That the exact idea behind this open source storage drawings on x818.com. It has all the information you need to make your own affordable DIY modern storage. The end result is quite impressive. All you need is a power drill and $200 and a little sense of adventure.Free plans available from x818.com

If you prefer words to numbers, this is the clock for you. The spell it out clock is a creative take on the traditional analogue clock. Instead of having numbers, everything is spelled out, like seven twenty four. Not only does this make for a great looking clock, its probably pretty handy for those new schoolers that struggle telling time on the old analogue clocks (you know who you are!). The clock itself has a clean brushed metal frame, and the words are in Helvetica font. For only $24 this clock is a great deal for any design junkie who loves words. Available from Signals for $24.

With spring just around the corner, it means that one of our favorite affordable modern stores Ikea is scheduled to have some new products coming out. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of some of the goods so I though I would share them with our readers. This KNUBBIG table lamp was designed by Japanese designer Michiko Nakato and promises to be some great inexpensive lighting. It comes in 5 different colors (flower pink, butterfly green, cherry blossoms/ frosted white, black, and butterfly turquoise) and two different sizes (approx 4.75" and 8.25"). Stay tuned for more new goodies!

Even though Crate & Barrel is the less hip older brother of CB2, they still kick out some great products every once in a while. This willow wood tray is a great example. Nothing ornate or fancy here, just some nice clean sweeping lines of the natural willow. At 22" x 14" its just the right size for a breakfast in bed, or to carry a bunch of glasses for your next soiree. Available from Crate & Barrel for $19.

I have featured quite a few different sites that sell vinyl wall art before. Most of them are pretty similar on pricing, and the biggest difference is the selection of designs. DVider is no different in that aspect. They do have a nice selection of wall stickers (I especially like the nature series) and prices start at around $25 which is typical. What I was impressed with was their room dividers. They sell modular kits that are available in different configurations. They are basic pole mounted white canvas sections, but the hardware makes for a very clean installation. When combined with some of their wall art, they make for an impressive little wall divider. Prices start at around $363 for a small 4x6 divider, and while that's not cheap it's a lot easier than building a wall and looks better than hanging an old sheet. Available from DVider.

I am always on the look out for a new simple alarm clock. We have a small round one from Ikea that sits on the floor next to our bed. It takes plenty of abuse on early mornings as I flail to hit the snooze button on the back.These Wiggle Wiggle Clocks designed by Chris Koens look like they could stand up to my abuse, although I'm not even sure if they are an alarm clock or not. One thing I do know is that they rock, literally! From the description it sounds like the rocking is never consistent, sometimes slow and smooth and sometimes quick and jittery. You've gotta like a clock with that much personality.

Available from Generate for $29.

We always said that we would never sell our house for another fixer upper, that we would hold out for that perfect lot and build on it. Unfortunately lots are far and few between in areas that I would want to live. With that in mind I occasionally watch for houses in good areas that could become another epic GRM remodel. This last week I think I found one. We now find ourselves in a sticky situation. Before we can even put a bid on the house we need to sell ours, but we don't want to sell our unless we can get this new one. It's really quite frustrating. I have a feeling that this new house will sell in the next couple of weeks, so I put our house up for sale on Craigslist and Zillow just to see if I would get any bites. If we don't end up getting a full price offer in the next couple of weeks I imagine we will just end up staying here until we can find an affordable lot in a location we would want to live. Any advice?

April, one of our great GRM readers sent me this link last week. Its for a convetible stool from Costco. The convertible part is the fact that you can throw some castors and a tray on it and use it as a shop stool. Personally I like it just the way it is is. It has a great retro/industrial look to it. The 304 stainless steel seat and crome legs are built to be shop tough, so they will last forever in your home. It is also pneumatically adjustable from 25" to 30" which makes it much easier to get just the right height for your countertop. Best of all is that you get all this great stuff for only $39. You gotta love Costco.

Avialable from Costco for $39.

I posted last week about Dwell bedding coming to Target, and a good looking modern crib from Target that was actually affordable. In the comments it was mentioned that Baby Italia was bringing their line to Babies R Us. I checked out Baby Italia's website, and sure enough it looks like they will be selling through Babies R Us, the only thing I'm not sure about yet is pricing. Any ideas?

I also noticed that Babies R Us is now carrying the Quinny Buzz, which is one cool stroller. I saw one of these last summer and was amazed at how small it could fold up. At the time there was no one selling them in the US. Unfortunately at $550, I probably couldn't afford one if I had to do it all over again. Besides, were pretty happy with our Bob.

I have been coming across a bunch of good DIY projects online lately, and I thought that I would share some of the recent ones I have found. The most impressive of them all is this Ikea hack by the folks at Moddi. It uses some off the shelf pieces as well as some Ikea goodies, and the result is a great looking murphy bed for under $200. You can buy the plans from Moddi for $8, and with a little elbow grease have your very own affordable modern murphy bed. Plans available at Moddi for $8. If your not feeling quite that ambitious, you could always tackle a smaller job, like this DIY stuffed animal. This little kit comes with two hand screened pieces of canvas. All you have to do is follow the instructions, cut them out, sew them up and stuff them. It would be a nice and easy little project, and you have to admit that Claus is one of the cutest racoons you've ever seen. Available at Egg Press for $26 If you don't have a kid to make a stuffed animal for, or just aren't into that thing, you could always treat your laptop to it's own little felt cozy. Grace over at Design Sponge has posted a great little how to on making your very own laptop cozy. This one is even easier because there is absolutely no sewing involved. The end result is a very nice looking protective sleeve for your laptop. Full instructions at Design Sponge

I happen to think that cardboard is one of the best materials for kids toys. Whether it is just a big old cardboard box and a lot of imagination, or you get a little more creative and build your own modern cardboard playhouse. If you have ever had the hankering to build something more elaborate, but were looking for a little direction, here is your chance. Fortytworoads Etsy shop has plans for building your very own cardboard kitchen. This fairly full featured little guy can be easily made out of a couple of cardboard boxes and some other spare goodies you have laying around your house. The end result is really quite impressive. Plans available from Fortytworoads Etsy shop for $7.

I came across this post at Materialicious yesterday and it reminded me of when we were doing our Hardie Board rainscreen, We had originally bought a chop saw with a hardie blade to do all of our cuts, but it turned out to be a lot more dusty and less accurate than a good pair of power shears like the ones in the picture. Apparently Fine Homebuilding did an entire article on fiber cement tools, and the best way to work with this great affordable material. Unfortunately I don't have a subscription, so I can't access the whole article.Are there any other Fine Homebuilding subscribers out there? Is it worth it?

Via Materialicious