This is a before-and-after that kind of blew our minds. See that gorgeous, bright sewing room above? Can you believe it was once a dank basment? AT has the photos.

And at The Kitchn, here are their picks for the ten most useful kitchen gadgets.

Beach reads? It’s not too late. NPR has audience picks for the 100 Best Beach Books Ever.

Have you been checking in with NOTCOT? Here’s her latest roundup of what’s fabulous and fun.

A British wigwam holiday, at Casa Sugar.

Also at Casa Sugar, this is cool: a sun-powered lamp from IKEA.

Ever wonder why dogs destroy their toys? A pet expert weighs in at the Seattle P-I.

Not Martha likes the plate bowl, and so do we — wouldn’t this be excellent for pasta?

Do you need management skills for all of your communication tools? Here are tips on “How to stay in touch without stalking” at Shine.

Yummy: Make your own at-home version of a Frappuccino at Savory Sweet Life (via Cakespy).

Two of the things I love most are great package design and delicious treats. Well, it looks like I’ve scored big with Donna Hay’s product line. I’m usually one to shun baking from a box, but I’d be willing to make an exception to try out the delicious looking cupcake and cookie mixes. I’ve always been in love with Donna Hay cookbooks and I scour the magazine (When I can get my hands on one!) from start to finish. Some liken Donna to an Australian version of Martha Stewart. I think her new(ish) product line, and especially her packaging, will only further spread this opinion. She has a retail store in Australia, but I’m hoping someone will start selling the Donna Hay products stateside. Just looking at the pictures is making me hungry! — Erica P.

Photo via dieline.com

We’ve been noticing large-plank fiber cement siding on houses around our neighborhood and we just love it. It’s modern looking and, according to our sources, it will last forever. Sounds like quite a step up from what we have now: painted wooden boards that were allowed to blister and flake before we bought our house, greatly reducing their longevity. A friend snapped the photo of a house in progress above, which resembles the shape of our house somewhat. I realize the above might be a bit too industrial for some, but with plantings completed I think the look is rather cool. We can’t afford to make any big changes to our house right now, so for the time being we’ll just keep slapping paint on it. In the meantime, though, I asked two friends — Steve, an architect, and Bo, an interior designer — to tell me more. Here’s what they had to say. –Mary T.

PS I also want the metal roofing, but that’s a different post.

Click to get info from experts on fiber cement siding! (more…)

If I had endless time, money, and an embarrassingly enormous estate instead of a tiny urban apartment, I would have a knot garden. My dream garden would be a glamorous work of art constructed of precise hedges dipping in and out of each other. I’d wander through the gorgeous garden down the elegantly laid paths of crushed oyster shells feeling so-oh-regal. Anyone else have a fantasy garden they daydream about tending to daily? Perhaps a lush rose patch (complete with gazebo), aromatic herb garden, or maybe even a hotdog tree just like in Big Top Pee-wee? –Katie D.

Photo of Sudeley Castle Knot Garden by Flickr user dublintimmy

A few years ago, my husband and I spotted a weird, smiling little Buddha-esque figure on the edifice of a building in downtown LA. It definitely wasn’t a gargoyle, but what in the heck was it? Turns out, the cherubic, pointy-headed figure was a Billiken, the “god of things as they ought to be.” Invented in 1908 in St. Louis by Florence Pretz, Billikens were little figures thought to bring good luck to the owner, though the luck was even greater if the Billiken was a gift. They were cast into iron banks and printed on post cards (which you can find on eBay) and soon swept the globe in popularity, making their way up to Alaska and Japan via the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition. The Billiken is even the mascot of St. Louis University. I think they’re a really cool piece of Americana, and I’m pretty sure our Billiken, a gift from my mom, has brought us a lot of good fortune! For more great images and information on Billikens, click here. –Megan B.

The trend watchers over at Cool Hunting just wrote about Ruth Slavid’s new book Extreme Architecture: Building For Challenging Environments. The book is divided into five sections that cover the major challenges the environment poses when building a structure — hot, cold, high, wet, and space. I love to see how people deal with the tricky environmental factors of their location, and Slavid’s book gives a good look into solutions with tons of information and stunningly beautiful photographs. The book will be available in August through Chronicle Books. — Erica P.

I’ll be totally honest with you — watermelon is not my favorite. I’m not sure if it’s the texture or if I just don’t know how to pick a good melon, but it’s never wowed me. That is, unless you jazz it up a little bit: a little lime juice, ribbons of fresh mint, and some good salty sheep’s milk feta, and a mediocre melon is transformed into a complex and refreshing salad. –Megan B. Click for Megan’s refreshing recipe! (more…)

I’m so excited to have scored a fantastic camping spot on San Juan Island in September: San Juan is known for frequent whale sightings (though, granted, those get a little less frequent late in the season) and we have a full water view with steps directly to the beach. I can’t wait! But the ugly truth is, camp cooking is still pretty intimidating to me. I know I’ll be be perusing this roundup at Sunset, and I have a feeling S’moreos will be on the menu. But I’d love to hear your tried and true recipes for cooking on a campfire or camp stove. We’re car camping, so I’ll be able to bring along plenty of supplies. If it’s still warm enough, maybe I’ll bake cookies in the car… –Mary T.

Photo by James Carrier via Sunset

Awhile back, a reader asked that we share a roundup of recipes that don’t require cooking — because for most of us, it’s hot! So we combed our archives for recipes that require little (there is the occasional steaming or grilling involved) to no cooking. For more inspiration, check out this recent article in the New York Times: 101 Simple Salads for the Season. Enjoy!

Salads:
Vegetable and grain salad with creamy chive yogurt dressing

Simple beet salad

Charred corn salad

Chinese chicken salad

Chicken bowtie pasta salad

Curried pasta salad

Sides:
Cook your rice on the grill

Toaster oven tomatoes

Holy guacamole

Peanut cole slaw

Sweets:
Grilled peaches with honey

Easy tiramisu

Watermelon popsicles

And finally, suggestions from you:
Picnic recipes

More sources for low- or no-cook recipes? Please add them in comments!

Congratulations to Nicole, the winner of our book giveaway! She wins a copy of Barking Buddha: Simple Soul Stretches for Yogi and Dogi from The Mountaineers Books. Nicole says:

This would be the neatest thing ever! I love yoga and I love my pup, so this seems like a natural step. Not to mention that she always does ‘downward facing dog’ on her own! She LOVES to play, so she practically lives in play stance. My pup is an 8 month old miniature schnauzer mix, and I love her to tiny little pieces! I rescued her 5 months ago, and we’ve been happy ever since. :.)

Sounds like our random number generator knew what it was doing! Thanks to everyone for entering, and special thanks to author and Doga creator Brenda Bryan and The Mountaineers Books for making this giveaway possible.