I picked up this card for a friend recently, thinking it was another clever faux bois rendering. Turns out the card is actually printed on a real (very thin) strip of wood. It’s designed by Alabama-based Night Owl Paper Goods, who have tons of delightful designs — including wedding invitations and affordable art — printed on sustainably harvested wood. Love them! –Mary T.

Thank you so much to all who entered our small garden contest — this was not an easy decision! But everyone who voted mentioned this small (tiny!) garden by Mary Heightchew. Why we liked it: Mary combined three simple elements into a tiny yet very attractive garden. She used hen and chicks that she thinned out from a different section of her yard and some rocks that were mementos from a family trip to Michigan in years past. “I remembered a forgotten dish in my gardening nook and “voila” — instant little garden!” she writes. This one inspires us to look around for the little elements that we may not be using, but that we could pull together to make something pleasing. Congrats, Mary!

We’ll share a few more entries for inspiration this week. Thanks again to Teknor Apex, the maker of the lead-free garden hose (Here’s a tip: we spied them at Target this weekend!) and everyone who entered.

When you’re vacationing in Florida, who wants to spend time inside? But if you have an hour or two and an interest in surreal art, I recommend the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. It’s been a few years since I’ve been there, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Most impressive were gigantic “masterworks” by Dali that became even more fascinating when their background and origin were explained to us by a tour guide. And it was also interesting to see works from Dali’s early years — including some art from his boyhood, when it was clear he already had major talent. Could be a nice counterpoint to crab, frozen drinks, and lying in the sun. (And it does rain in Florida sometimes, too.) –Mary T.

Image: The Hallucinogenic Toreador

1) Eating locally and saving are big around here. Lee had this to say about Megan’s post about a new blog where a couple is eating on 30 Bucks a Week: “We are working on eating more locally and this blog’s suggestions will help tremendously….thanks.” Read all about it here.

2) Bulk shopping can actually help with storage. Ellie says: “I sometimes tag along with a friend and buy my toilet paper in bulk because I prefer the individually wrapped rolls. Then they can be stored separately. Some in each bathroom and the rest I leave hidden in the linen closet.” Do you buy in bulk?

3) Thrift store shopping can lead to classic design finds! Alison says: “I found an Ironrite chair at my local Goodwill last September — didn’t know what it was then, just that it was something special. (I am always on the lookout for chairs of an interesting design that are the right size for my short legs…)” As Alison says at her blog, not bad for $4.99! Read more about the Ironrite Mangle Ironer here.

4) Megan B.’s curry and orzo salad recipe remains a winner. Rebecca says: “Any chance you’d be willing to post that curry orzo salad recipe? That sounds delicious!” Actually, we already did — before Megan became a contributor, she won our picnic recipe contest with the recipe she included in her cookbook — you can see her yummy entry and get links to others here.

5) A personal cookbook as a gift is also a winner. Jaymie says: “One of the best Christmas gifts from a college friend once was a cookbook, she printed all sorts of salad recipes in different fonts and then put them in one of those cheap $1 4×6 photo albums. And included the coolest salad forks, serving ones. Adorable idea!” See what Megan made for Mother’s Day here.

Photo by Tunckan Yildiz

Tokens of your affection, at More Ways to Waste Time.

How to freeze food to save money, at the Consumerist.

Five tips for getting anywhere on time, at Team Taskmaster.

Top ten green design Twitterers, at treehugger.

Drool-worthy converted sheds at Apartment Therapy.

Textiles that play with tradition, at MoCo Loco.

The evolution of housing, at Charles & Hudson.

Gettin’ trippy, at beachbungalow8.

The gorgeous wood furniture of Matthew Hilton, at Urban Flea.

You may hate the Twilight movie, but you’d probably be okay with the house, at Casa Sugar.

Our new contest is compliments of our friends at Barely Native, purveyors of soap products made with organic herbs and essential oils to leave skin feeling clean and moisturized. Barely Native is generously offering one lucky reader an entire YEAR of their non-toxic, cruelty-free soaps with a free membership in the Soap of the Month Club — a $100 value. We kind of wish we could enter this one!

Here’s how to enter for your chance to win: Tell us what scent evokes a pleasant memory for you, and tell us about that memory, in a comment on this post. Leave your comment between now and Tuesday, May 12, 5 p.m. EST. When comments close, the Shelterrific team will read them all and choose the one we think is the winner. That’s right — no random number generator this time. Instead, we’ll be selecting a winner based on our favorite comment! So think before you post! Be sure to leave a working email address. We can’t wait to read your comments!

Thanks so much to Brian and his team at Barely Native for making this giveaway possible.

P.S. We’ll announce the winners of the previous Small Garden Contest next week.

All this rain better mean we’re having a beautifully green and flower-filled spring. After waking up to another gray morning, I’ve been desperately searching for something to brighten my mood. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon these images of tulip fields of the Northern Netherlands. it’s hard to believe nature can produce such vibrant colors. (And can you imagine how sweet the air must smell around there?!?) A little closer to home, take a look at Paola’s gorgeous photos of the Skagit Co. Tulip Festival in Washington State at her site mirrormirror. –Erica P.

Everyone seems to be looking for ways to do more with less money. A huge source of thrifty inspiration is the blog 30 Bucks a Week, about a couple who eat insanely well on a meager weekly budget of, you guessed it, $30. And it’s not just rice, beans, and packaged ramen, either. Granted, they are vegetarian, but this blog is chock-full of delicious recipes and ideas anyone can use, from simple things like saving your veggie scraps in the freezer for stock to more in depth how-to’s like making your own homemade corn tortillas for less than 5 cents apiece! They even scan in their receipts for proof that they’re sticking to a budget. This makes me wonder if I could do the same – I think I may just challenge myself! –Megan B.

Nate Berkus formed his own interior design firm at just 24 years old. He went on to land projects for Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, Barney’s New York, and W hotels, became a design expert for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and authored the best-seller “Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live into a Place You’ll Love.” Nate just debuted his new home line on the Home Shopping Network — you can view his Spring & Summer Look Book here. Somehow he still found the time to answer a few of our questions — thanks, Nate! –Mary T.

Shelterrific: What should we look for in a good bath towel?
Nate Berkus: The most important thing is that they’re all-cotton. Anything that is a cotton blend means they won’t wick away the moisture as well — and who wants that, a towel that doesn’t dry you off? No thank you! I tried about a hundred towels before I landed on mine. I had a checklist: It had to keep its shape, dry well in the dryer, keep its color wash after wash, and work. These passed each and every test with flying colors.

It was really funny; I sent out an email and we did a blind “taste” test where my staff tested the samples for themselves. Each person chose the towel that we ended up going with. I discovered that Deborah, one of my staffers, is truly towel obsessed. She took them home and made her family try them, washing them over and over to make sure they kept their loft and softness. By the end of the whole process, I felt like she should have her own “Inspected by Deborah” sticker!

Click for great Nate advice on waking up bedrooms, bathrooms, and tabletops. (more…)

Let’s face it, everyone is thinking about these tough economic times and trying to find ways to conserve cash. One thing you hear time and again is the benefit of buying in bulk. Living with limited space has always made bulk shopping a difficult task, but I think it might be the time to make it work. I’m always amazed at the deals my mom gets at BJ’s Wholesale Club, and my Gramps is a regular at Costco. Do you buy in bulk? If so, which items are best in big batches? Where do you shop? How do you store everything? I’d love to get some insight and tips from savvy readers. –Erica P.