Living in a building with just one washer and dryer can be frustrating, so I’ve considered purchasing a portable washing machine to make life easier. My past research always led me to clunky, electricity-hogging machines that sounded like more trouble than convenience. Today, I spotted the Hand Powered Portable Washing Machine from Clean Air Gardening, and I think I’ve found a gem. The hand-cranked unit can wash up to five lbs. of laundry at a time and uses way less water and detergent per load then a regular washing machine. Has anyone tried this before? Is it worth the $49, or should I just succumb to hand-washing? I’d love to get a real user review. –Erica P.

1) Lots of you don’t have cable. It came as a surprise that most of the commenters on the Do you have cable tv? post said no, you don’t. Erniebufflo says that, after cutting out cable: “I’m more content because I don’t want as much STUFF because I’m exposed to a lot less advertising.” Several expressed an idea that we could get behind — if we could just pick and choose one or two channels to buy, instead of a huge package of channels we don’t need, we would. Are you listening, cable companies?

2) Turtle bread exists in miniature, too! Uyek mystified us with her comment on Katie’s turtle bread, saying: “My first thought was ‘Re-Ment!’” Our first thought was, “What the heck is that?” Turns out that Re-Ment is the name for collectible miniature items that doll enthusiasts (such as Blythe collectors) purchase for their tableau. One of the Re-Ment sets, “Let’s Cooking,” features a tiny turtle bread. Uyek was so kind as to link to our post and provide photos of both here!

3) If you’re keeping chickens, keep a (fenced) roof over their heads. Alison says: “I lost a hen (from my open ‘roof’ fenced chicken run) to a young teenage raccoon thug a few weeks ago, and a ‘varmint’ proof enclosure would be pretty helpful.” She suggests a large-size dog run with a chain-link top. Visit with the city chickens here.

4) There are affordable modern mailboxes if you know where to look. Jo got a simple modern mailbox from Target for just $40, while Kristyn says: “I have been wanting this one for awhile now.” It’s red, great looking, low-profile, and only $58! Thanks, Kristyn!

5) For mini plush, $5 is the price to beat. Rebecca likes the idea of the Etsy PlushTeam’s $5 Mini Plush Mondays, saying: “Cute and a great priced item for a gift!” Find out how to buy mini plush for just $5 every Monday in June right here.

Photo by Patrick Wormsley

Yay, more plush moustaches! This one is so cute (it’s on Kidrobot’s Labbit) at swissmiss.

Yet another fail blog, CraftFail has some craft disasters we’re sure we can all relate to. (Via the folks at Etsy.)

Planning a wedding? This could be a list of how not to decorate, at Jezebel.

Jezebel also has a suggestion for a magazine to help replace the late Domino.

Tweet your way to a new job (maybe) at Research Goddess.

The Sunset Idea House at Casa Sugar — we wish we lived in the Bay Area to see this in person.

Check out the sewing machine repairman who makes house calls, at Curbly.

Take a virtual tour of the garden at A Way to Garden — if you can stop envying long enough, it’s inspriring.

So clever: the Garden Toad Stool (not exactly how you’re picturing it) at Charles & Hudson.

Last day to save 10% on your order at reprodepot. Use coupon code “Take10″ through the end of June 5 (that’s today).

Get free shipping from Target when you spend $50 online.

Velocity’s Herman Miller sale starts tomorrow, June 6, and goes through June 20 — get 15% off and free shipping. Also save 25% on Dwell Studio rugs, now through June 30.

I’m not sure how exactly I stumbled upon this website, but it made me want to tile my entire apartment. Artist Lubna Chowdhary creates the beautiful tiles in her studio workshop in london. The amazing colors and design of the tiles would be a beautiful addition to any home. Plus, for those of us who can’t tile our apartments (oh, the pains of renting), there are beautiful trivets available as well. Check out the site and be inspired. –Erica P.

More tiles? Check out our post on Trend USA.

For someone who spends 90% of her waking life online, I must have some Luddite in my background — not only do I not have a microwave, I don’t have cable TV. In fact, I’ve never had it — partially because I never felt particularly inspired to pay for it, partially because I spend so much time staring at screens already that I don’t need to add another time-suck to my day. These days, it’s so easy to get great shows through Netflix, Hulu, or individual TV channels’ own sites, I miss cable even less. NPR’s All Things Considered just ran a story on one man’s experience with cutting cable out of his life. What about you — where do you get your TV and movie fix these days, and why? –Mary T.

Photo by Vangelis Thomaidis

There’s a drawback to saving electricity with compact flourescents: depending on the bulb you buy, the glow can be a little sickly. These pine wood lamps, handmade in Costa Rica from sustainably harvested plantation pine by Hennig Dyes, are designed to give your room a warm glow no matter what the source. You can buy them hardwired or with a plug-in cord in two sizes: 18″ diameter for $205 or 12″ diameter for $120 from Click! –Mary T.

I’m not sure if it’s my current mood (or my twisted view of what’s funny), but these Manneken Pis Drinking Glasses at Cool Material had me laughing out loud. I don’t think I’d buy a set for everyday use, but I would love to give one as a gag gift. I get my sense of humor from my dad, so maybe he’ll get one of these for Father’s Day. –Erica P.

Baking bread has always seemed like something so unbearably difficult that I imagined only the Amish and housewives from Connecticut with plenty of free time still did it (Martha Stewart, I’m looking at you). Of course, that was mostly jealousy talking. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make bread from scratch but nothing uprooted me from novice attitude until I came across Betty Crocker’s adorable recipe for Turtle Bread. Not only was it much easier to make than I had built up in my head, it turned out to be delicious! –Katie D. Click for the recipe! (more…)

I had a recent visit with my friends in Cincinnati who just started raising chickens — it was enlightening! My friends live in a fairly urban area, so while they have a yard, it’s a small one. But they still managed to build two spacious, double-decker coops and scratching yards for a total of nine chickens. All the chickens are hens, so there’s no crowing to disturb the neighbors. The noise the chickens made was pretty minor; no louder than any other bird singing.

The birds were exceedingly cute, I thought (as you can see by my face in the photo) and obviously well cared for by their owners — they all have names, too, like Blondie and Roadrunner, who you see above. But as my friend Chris said, “People shouldn’t think of the chickens as pets. They provide food. They are very defenseless. You will lose one now and again to something that wants to eat them. It’s best to remember that they are livestock.” He knows what he’s talking about — one of the chickens managed to get out of the first enclosure that was built, and was quickly dispatched by a dog. Another had such a close call that they dubbed her “Stir-Fry,” as they worried that would be where she ended up. My friends have since beefed up “security” (six-foot-high chicken wire fences, better latches).

As for my dream of having fresh eggs all the time, as more of the hens reach maturity, my friends are getting a few more eggs every day. We tried some, and they were delicious. Now — how to build a Mastiff-proof hen enclosure? –Mary T.

Click for a short interview with my friend Chris about his city chickens. (more…)