Even if you don’t have kids, you might have a lingering fondness for LEGOs. We’ve talked about the iPod mini-speaker before (it’s not an official product) but I just realized that LEGO has a whole shop devoted to home goods. Check out this egg timer, $7.99 — he’s fun! Or the rolling cookie cutter, $9.99. See all the LEGO household items here. –Mary T.

There are three things that I use WD-40 for most: loosening rusty screws, de-squeaking hinges, and helping unlock frozen car doors. But there are lots more uses — the company lists 2,000 (!) like cleaning crayon from “just about anywhere” or freeing stuck LEGO blocks. Well, now WD-40 is looking for a whole new approach, and they’re willing to pay you for it. They’ve joined Edison Nation in a search for a new WD-40 product or innovation to the original brand. If you come up with a great new product idea or use, you’ll win $2500 and a percentage of product sales for up to 20 years. The product search ends May 20. Learn more right here. –Mary T.

Last week, my husband and I got barraged by a vicious cold and it rendered us useless for three straight days. During that time, we watched a lot of movies, moaned, and discovered that we live in a food delivery no-man’s-land. So, in my misery, I mustered up the strength to make this soup out of stuff in the fridge and pantry. It turned out to be everything we needed to feel better: spicy, sour, and satisfying. It’s basically a miso soup with vinegar, chiles and ginger, and I just added frozen grocery store wontons to finish. It was really awesome! And did I mention it’s ready in 10 minutes? –Megan B. Click for Megan’s easy, yummy recipe! (more…)

They weren’t exactly hard to find since Etsy featured them on the front page this week. But don’t you love the shapes of these pots from Savannah-based Greenware Designs, not to mention the fact that they come already planted? (Again with the succulents!) These would make a fantastic gift, and they’re just $35-40 each.

I got my April/May issue of Readymade today, the first under the new editors and produced in Iowa. (You can read the backstory on that here.) As I’ve mentioned, I’m fairly new to Readymade, so at a glance, it’s hard for me to tell if anything major has changed (besides the staff, that is). There’s still a challenge where readers make something completely new out of a common object (the upcoming challenge is to make something from a slide carousel). There’s an article on the “Tao of Pie” and a peek into a Portland home that I like a lot. (The home includes quite a few succulents — these are obviously getting really popular.) There are lots of DIYs on sewing, making a chandelier, revamping a desk. I am not ruling out, of course, that some of the stories may have been filed before the staff was replaced.

Interim editor Kitty Morgan addresses the changes in her letter, which I was happy to see; better to acknowledge than pretend nothing is different. It does make me sad that Readymade won’t retain the exact style and culture of its founders, though it’s not as if you have to live on the coast to be creative — after all, I’m from Ohio myself. Are you a longtime Readymade reader who’s received the new issue? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts. –Mary T.

We’ve been in a bit of a dry spell lately, so to speak, and it’s been really fun to try all of the delicious non-alcoholic alternatives out there. Recently, we picked up a couple of bottles of First Blush, made from unfermented varietals of traditional wine grapes like cabernet, syrah, and chardonnay. We tried the syrah juice and the cabernet white, which is 50% juice and 50% white tea. The results? We really enjoyed the syrah — it was very sweet and rich, without that tart pucker you come to expect from concord grape juice. My favorite was the cabernet white, which was both lighter in texture (and lower calorie!) and more refreshing. I also felt that the tannins in the tea lent a wine-like dryness that was pretty awesome! Find your own First Blush here. –Megan B.

I just spotted these great rope and chain tapes at Oh Joy! I keep thinking how cool it would look to wrap a present with solid-color paper, using these printed tapes. In fact, you could save money on fancy wrapping paper and just use simple craft paper. The printed tapes are just $5 for a 50-meter roll from designer BB/S at Supermarket. –Erica P.

Okay, okay — it’s water in general, but I knew that would get your attention. Remember our post about how bad soft toilet paper is for trees? That was a popular one. Well, here’s a neat little device at American Standard that shows you how much you could be saving on your water bill if you install some water-efficient fixtures. Yes, American Standard is trying to sell their own of course, but it’s still interesting to get a picture of what you could save, especially if you’re contemplating redoing a bathroom or kitchen (as we are pretty much non-stop). –Mary T.

P.S. You may also enjoy this one: a toilet that promises to make your home “plunger-free“!

I stumbled upon this delightful bud vase from Etsy seller mudpuppy, and I’m just dying to pick one up. Each vase is handcrafted and glazed inside and out in a handmade glaze. Then the artist weaves a beautiful net out of waxed linen thread around the base of each egg. The thread is available in four colors: natural, honey, walnut, and charcoal gray. Which one should I get?!? –Erica P.

As a home espresso enthusiast (coffee geek), it has been a bit of a challenge to find accessories that are not only functional, but also attractive. The item giving us the most problems has been the knockbox, an espresso essential for knocking your tightly packed espresso “pucks” after they are brewed. Our first knockbox was small and attractive, but couldn’t hold up to the constant thwack of the portafilter (brewing basket). We bought a sturdy commercial model, but it was bulky and took up way too much of our precious counter space. Thankfully, Australian design firm Dreamfarm has brought us the fabulous Grindenstein knockbox, designed to be stored directly beneath the portafilter of a home espresso machine when not in use, thus eliminating our counter clutter issue. Plus, it’s impossibly sturdy, super cute, dishwasher safe, and affordable to boot! The grindenstein is available in six colors (our favorite being that hot red) for $19.95. –Megan B.