Some fun finds this week in many a blog, notably this stairway with built-in storage at Swiss Miss! Amazing! Now if only you combined that with a secret room hidden behind a panel in the library, you’d really have something.

I’m also loving LuLu’s Vintage Blog this week — she did a post on retro aprons. How could I not love her? She rounds up the best vintage online (heavy on the clothes, I admit) and also sells vintage patterns for the sewing-capable among us.

Lauren Alane’s felted birds are just the cutest. (I can say “the cutest” on here, can’t I?) They’re not cheap, but when is anything worth having? I love their little stick legs. This felting thing is something I intend to try; more on that later (much). Update: You can buy on her Etsy site. (She promises new birds this week.)

I found Lauren Alane through Chris Glass, whose photos of his day-to-day life never fail to inspire me. Chris and friends recently started the online store Wire & Twine and got some press for their delightfully affordable Momergency Kit, a bag full of surprising life-savers — a balloon, a carabiner, a flashlight, and googly eyes among them. I can attest to the flashlight; my three-year-old nephew obsessively entertained himself by turning ours on and off for hours one weekend, to the point where I had to hide it when we went to bed. Great gift for a new mom, or to secure your status as Coolest Aunt or Uncle Ever.

Have a great weekend! – Mary T.