BECKY SHER | Hype Showcasing funky decor

So, you go to bed at night dreaming of zebra-striped wallpaper, fuzzy hot-pink carpet and a giant skylight in your bedroom ceiling. It's highly possible that you've watched just a few too many episodes of "Trading Spaces." But even if you don't think you can persuade the 'rents that animal prints are totally in, harness your inner designer and give your room a makeover.
Here's a place to start: Pottery Barn is launching a new catalog just for teens. PB Teen is full of stuff that you'll totally dig, like cheetah-print sheets, a dresser with drawers that look like school lockers and a surfboard bed. Admittedly, you're going to need some help from Mom and Dad (or an amazing after-school job) to finance your new pad. (The locker dresser shown below runs about 500 bucks.) But some of the stuff in the catalog -- such as picture frames and pillows -- are in the $20 range.
The PB Teen catalog hits mailboxes in mid-April -- check out www.pbteen.com to sign up to get one.
T-time
When is a T-shirt not just a T-shirt? When it's designed by Kirsten Dunst, that's when. Dunst and six other young celebs used their design talent (in some cases, "talent" might be an overstatement) for American Eagle Outfitters to create a cool collection of T-shirts.
Starting April 4, you can buy T-shirts designed by Dunst, Johnny Knoxville, Zach Braff, Jamie Kennedy, Mila Kunis or Elisha Cuthbert at AE stores in San Francisco, New York and Santa Monica, Calif., or online at www.ae.com. (It's happening only for two weeks, so get a move on.) Proceeds from each $19.50 sale will go to AE's charity, Jumpstart, a nonprofit that pairs AmeriCorps members with preschool children struggling in Head Start.
The T-shirts range from quirky (Braff's proclaims "I luv N.J.") to downright inexplicable (Kunis' depicts a bizarre-looking person with its tongue out). But hey, it's art, so who are we to judge?
XBecky Sher writes Hype for Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. You can write to her at bsher@krtinfo.com.
Notable quotes
"I change. I evolve. People can't understand that, so they put a label on it like 'marketing.' I call it growing." -- Madonna, in W magazine.
"I try not to think about my [success] because it could all be gone tomorrow. If I think about it too much, I'll probably get a headache." -- Grammy winner Norah Jones, in YM magazine.
How I got him to notice me
SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE
COY PLAY
I did everything imaginable to get Drew's attention: In class I yelled out answers to questions I didn't know the answers to, and I even volunteered to wash the teacher's overhead projector sheets. Whenever I saw him looking at me, I'd smile and try to act witty. Since I hadn't actually talked to him, I didn't know what he liked in a girl. So I did it all -- I was quiet one day then audacious the next. I finally decided to be coy and tell one of our mutual friends that I thought Drew was cute. It worked -- in a couple of days, we were exchanging numbers!
DYING FOR LOVE
I had been crushing on this guy for a year, but he didn't seem to notice me at all. The last week of school was Spirit Week, where each day you're supposed to wear certain things and do certain activities. One day was Love Your Love Day. By that point, I wanted to get his attention so badly that I'd try practically anything. So the night before, I made a shirt with his name all over it and dyed my hair his favorite color -- green. The next day not only did he notice me (how could he not) -- he asked me out!