How do you make a gun fun? Make it out of light pink, rose scented soap. I’ve always been happy with a plain old bar of Dove (heck, I can even get down with a little Irish Spring now and again) but I’d love to trade in my standard soap for this amusing bar…er, gun. At about $22US, it’s a bit pricey for something you’ll literally wash down the drain, but I think it would be a fun twist on a popular hostess gift. Order one from uptoyoutoronto.com. –Erica P.

I’m an avid cook, but I rarely host dinner parties. Mostly I avoid the affairs because I don’t have a table. On special occasions, I turn my freestanding butcher block into a small kitchen table, but most of the time my boyfriend and I eat on the couch. (I know, I know.) Despite my lack of a table to set, I’ve come to appreciate a beautifully laid out table. I saw this red radish place setting over at Apartment Therapy Re-Nest and my mind has been racing with new ideas. Do you take the time to really set your table for dinner? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for making a statement with your setting? –Erica P.

Mary Heightchew may have won the garden hose, but we really enjoyed all the entries we received. Here’s a peek at a few that we think are inspiring, whether you have a yard, a balcony, or just a windowsill.

Meghan says: “My husband and I live in Rochester, NY and are renting a house — our first real house with no neighbors upstairs, downstairs, or on either side — and we have a yard! For a year before getting married, we lived on my sister’s mini-farm in Western Massachusetts. We spent our days weeding the beds and picking the crops, preserving the harvest, and indulging all winter in our homemade grape juice and homegrown tomatoes. We learned to love this work even though we are city people through and through. We could not be more excited about our little 4′x4′ raised bed (inspired by the Squarefoot Gardening craze). All the starter plants are plants I split with my sister, or were given by friends. I love going out every morning to visit my plants: heirloom tomatoes, kale, chard, peppers, strawberries, onions, and all.”

Monique of lekkercraft says: “This is my first attempt at a garden. I have an apartment with a small balcony, and decided to keep everything in relatively small and separate containers. I have no idea when I’ll be moving again, and
wanted everything to be as portable as possible, even mid-season. Who knows if much will come from it, but I’m enjoying the practice! Some of these were started from seeds, a few were bought as transplants. Clockwise from left front: Scarlet runner beans (they will have red flowers — I’m hoping to attract hummingbirds); carrots with chives (companion planting!); a sugar cherry tomato plant (indeterminate… oops!); lemon cucumber; cilantro; Easter egg radishes (almost ready to harvest); poblano pepper; lettuce mixes (a bit overcrowded, but I’m actually eating this already!); rosa bianca eggplants; genovese and thai basil.”

Heather says: “This is a photo of my favorite garden at our house from last year. This garden is just starting to wake up for the season. The calla lilies are just pushing above the soil, getting ready to grow to their normal three foot tall height. Each year we look for the baby praying mantises since we always seem to get a batch and usually two to four settle into our garden for good. The front of the garden contains herbs which we use to cook meals. The rest of the garden is given to bright flowers — mostly perennials, but each year we include a few annuals: a bright daisy and sunflowers. The garden is a good mix of useful, fragrant, color, and wildness, as some of the flowers and grasses get quite tall. It provides an urban oasis for us each evening in the summer.”

I just stumbled upon the great site Alltheluckintheworld. The pages are filled with beautiful handmade products and artwork, fantastic vintage finds, and lovely, restyled found objects. I’m drooling over the Pierre Paulin Chair (pictured above). Head on over and be inspired! –Erica P.

So many great scents, so many amazing memories, but the Shelterrific team agrees: this comment by Krista really got to us. It’s not only a wonderful smell, it’s a great memory. Congratulations, Krista — you win the year of free soaps from Barely Native!

Here’s Krista’s winning comment:

My favorite scent is tomatoes on the vine. It reminds me of my childhood. I grew up in Southwest Detroit and although we must have been surrounded by violence all I can recall is love. My whole family lived in the same neighborhood and one of my very favorite things was to pick cucumbers and tomatoes with my Mamaw and Papaw. Mamaw always knew they were ready by smelling the vines. We would wash them in the garden and eat them, still warm from the sun, with salt and basil. Papaw has since passed away and everyone has moved to their own areas of Michigan to escape Detroit’s devastation. It hurts me to visit the city, to see what it’s turned into now, but I realize that the houses didn’t make it home. I moved to New York City about 4 months ago and have experienced more than a few pangs of homesickness but all I have to do is go to the market and hold my nose up to the fruit to feel close to home again.

The contest inspired us to talk about our favorite scents. Mine is the smell of an approaching summer thunderstorm — I’m hoping to get one when I travel back to Ohio next week. (We may get a lot of rain in Seattle, but it never smells the way it did in the Midwest.) Paola T. says that one of hers is “the indescribable scent of hot pine trees — reminds me of so many vacations in Italy and Greece. It is the scent of happiness.”

Feel free to share more of your scent memories here. And many thanks again to Barely Native — be sure to check out the wonderful, affordable selection of organic, all-natural soaps. Lots of amazing scents (Citrus Spice, Caribbean Lavender, Peppermint Leaf…) to be sure. –Mary T.

Our former neighbors just had a baby boy, and I wanted to bake something nice for them. I rifled through my recipes looking for something easily transportable (no tippable cupcakes or delicate layer cakes) but special. And then I thought of the macaroon-like chewy amaretti sandwich cookies from Gourmet that I’d seen on a few blogs recently. Even though they look dainty, they were delicious, easy, and cute as can be — but also sturdy enough to put in a box to send to someone. –Lisa C. Click for the recipe! (more…)

It seems that British design icon Sir Paul Smith is feeling a little militant about the environment. He’s brought out the ultimate fashion statement for the eco-warrior — a reusable shopping bag that folds into a grenade-shaped shell, the better to fight the “war on plastic.” You can pick up your own bag from Paul Smith for £14, or buy one from a variety of sources such as lovegrove & repucci for about $16. –Paola T.

I find the idea of a tattoo appealing, but I’ve never been able to make a commitment to something that long-term. For instance, what if I had gotten a Tiki tattoo five years ago when I was into that style? Because now I’m kind of over it. But the new Tattoo collection from Jessica Rust Designs? I think I could commit to this one. The line of plates, mugs, dessert plates, and platters feature designs by Minneapolis-based tattoo artist Mike Tofano. Like all Jessica Rust ware, the dishes are meant to be personalized. Such a sentiment makes the cost ($160 for a set of dessert plates and mugs, $98 for a set of four dessert plates, or $72 for a set of four mugs) a lot more palatable. And if you preorder now, you can save 10% when you enter code “tattoome.” Either way, it’s a lot cheaper than getting an actual tattoo. –Mary T.

This year, instead of spending our tax return on things like paintings and fancy dinners out, we’ve decided to put some money into our new home — we’re springing for double paned windows. Not only will we be seeing savings on our energy bills, but the government has added some extra incentive. They’re offering a 30% return on the retail cost of certain eligible energy-efficient upgrades to your home. Eligible improvements like tankless water heaters, roofing, Energy Star-rated windows, and insulation could net you a tax credit of up to $1,500. And it’s not just for this year — the credit is extended for 2010 as well. To get the full $1,500 credit you’ve got to spend $6,000 (which was easy for us with the windows). You can find more detailed specifics about the rebates here. –Megan B.

Last year, I was excited about our DIY dog poop composter, but that excitement waned once I started reading the comments and their links to all the negatives of composting pet poo in one’s own yard. We did use our composter up to a point, but let’s just say input (read: two very big mastiffs) overpowered space available, and with some of the bad environmental reports we read, we decided to suspend that project. So I was very excited when Leah at More Ways to Waste Time sent me this link about Samu, a robotic pet poop composter that is also ridiculously cute. According to hometone, it can decompose 600-1000g of waste per day. The downside? It costs $900! But if you want to look into purchasing one anyway, Crunchgear has links on where to start. –Mary T.