I recently inherited a bunch of fabulous stuff from a friend’s mother who was moving out of her home. Pyrex bowls, clothes, and sewing patterns, yes, but the greatest find were these two crocheted lawn chairs. I have never in my life seen anything like them — it’s nylon yarn woven over an aluminum frame — which is why I grabbed them. When I got them home, I was even more delighted to realize that the chairs don’t have just an abstract pattern, but are representations of a squirrel and deer. They are the perfect summer chairs! Has anyone out there seen anything like these? Were they homemade? I just may have to learn how it’s done so I can make myself some more! –Megan B.

Update: See kourtney’s link in comments — looks like they’re macrame!

Remember my quest for leather sofa help a few months back? Well, our old girl the kitty is still hanging in there, and so is our sofa, though recently things have gotten a bit more problematic. Our second cat has decided it’s just not fair that Griffin has made the couch her domain, so he’s tried once or twice to make it into his litter box. Sigh! I am not kidding when I tell you that I am ready to staple together a couple of plastic shower curtains as a cover and call it a day, but this new Pet Couch Cover from Sure Fit has me intrigued. It’s available online beginning July 10 and will be in Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target in the fall. Our friends at Sure Fit tell me that the fabric is washable, like every Sure Fit cover, is backed to stand up fairly well to moisture, and because it’s quilted and made to handle pets, it looks like it could keep the claw marks on the leather to a minimum while not looking completely terrible on our sofa. The price is right, too — Just $30 for a regular size and $50 for a larger size. Thanks for the tip, Sure Fit! –Mary T.

Want to bring a bit more fun to your backyard BBQ? Why not try taking aim with this condiment gun. I spotted the gadget over at CHOW just the other day, and was wishing I had had time to purchase it before this past weekend’s holiday festivities. Ketchup and mustard are the obvious choices, but you can fill the cartridges with any “sauce.” Stick ‘em up! –Erica P.

We are not advocating violence, but Erica does like fake guns.

Summer’s only just begun, so let’s celebrate outside! Our friends at Living Rooms Direct have generously offered this fabulous giveaway — leave a comment below and you’re registered to win a set of FOUR notNeutral Melamine Snack Sets in your choice of color! Choose Yellow/Orange, Blue/Green, or Red/Black, and get ready for some unbreakable outdoor summer eating fun.

Here’s how to get registered: Simply leave a comment on this post by 5 p.m. EST Wednesday, July 8, telling us about your favorite summertime outdoor activities. When comments close, we’ll choose a winner using a random number generator. Be sure to leave a working email address in the email field so we can get in touch with you if you win. And be sure to check out all the fun living room furniture and other goodies at Living Rooms Direct!

PLEASE NOTE: This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only. One entry per person, please.

After spotting this adorable Woodland Overnighter Bag at a local gift shop, I knew it would be a perfect new all-purpose bag for me — large enough to hold a week’s worth of produce or to carry a couple of towels, picnic lunch, and a book to the beach. So I went to the site to order one, and to my surprise found a bunch of other must-haves for the home, all with the kitschy, sassy flair you’ve come to expect from the folks at Blue Q. I love the nauti-cool flair of this stainless steel Bottoms Up Water Bottle, $18. If you’ve got a roommate who likes to “borrow” your stuff too much, then maybe this toothbrush holder is for you, $8. And this Tidy Up Dish Towel may be the motivational message I (and many of our readers, seemingly) need, $10. Check out the Blue Q site for more naughty-and-nice new stuff. –Megan B.

1) The tulip hub is a no-g(r)o(w). Chez shoes says: “I’ve been seeing this pop up all over design blogs lately, and I always feel obligated to warn people not to buy it despite its cuteness! The packaging doesn’t tell you much, but this device is not high speed. It’s USB 1.0 and is not Vista compatible. Don’t waste your money.” She’s talking about the tulip USB hub. Thanks for the warning!

2) You like gross stuff on your dishes. Printed on them, that is. The ant dish is a hit, and Lindsey asks: “Has anyone else seen at tjmaxx/homegoods the giant white bowls that look like they are screenprinted with blown up images of bacteria from under a microscope? they’re way creepy, to the point where i feel compelled to get one of them!” That sounds great — anyone spotted them? See the insect ware here.

3) The SJP bed continues to please. IKEA no longer makes it, but readers are still buying, selling, and looking for Sarah Jessica Parker’s bed. Tara says: “Does anyone still have this bed? I live in the Detroit area but would love to arrange shipping.” The SJP bed post does seem to have become its own micro-mini Craigslist — if you’re selling the bed, click here.

4) Mrs. Meyer’s products are on sale online. Sharp-eyed reader kj says, “Just to let you all know, I just found a sale on Mrs. Meyers and other green cleaning products on http://www.greencupboards.com under “specials,” and bought nine different products for under $40, plus free shipping!” Great tip, kj! Thanks.

5) Grilling is great, but not cooking would be better. Daffodil says: “I’d love to see a roundup of no-cook recipes. Today’s pretty nice, but it has been too hot to be outdoors long enough to grill lately, and turning on the oven is completely out of the question!” Not a bad idea, Daffodil! Meanwhile, see the rice-on-the-grill recipe here.

We’re excited to announce this great opportunity for Shelterrific readers from our new sponsor One Kings Lane: sign up now for access to exclusive, three-day online sales of designer home goods from One Kings Lane, and you’ll receive an instant $20 credit.

One Kings Lane has been creating some buzz, and for good reason. Because this isn’t a cut-rate outlet; these are amazing savings — we’re talking 50-70% off — on perfect firsts from designers like Adrienne Landau, John Robshaw, Dwell Studio, Vera Wang, and Serena & Lily. But the savings don’t last forever — each sale runs for just three days, and you have to be a member to access the savings!

So we’re making it easy — sign up now, receive an instant credit of $20 toward your first purchase, and shop the 4th of July weekend sale. This weekend’s sale features OKL Favorites, items that One Kings Lane members already love, like the blue and white Caddy Porcelain Lamp from Arteriors, bamboo frames from Atticus, a musicians tray from Laura & Corrado, plus luxurious homewares from Le Cherche Midi, Siena, and more. A three-day weekend and three-day savings? Sign us up! And look for more fabulous deals from One Kings Lane in the coming weeks.

A note that we’re taking off for the holiday on Friday and hope that you can, too. Happy shopping and we’ll see you Monday!

Short week, slightly shortened blogwatch!

A sneak peek at a home revamp where no piece cost more than $100. Amazing! At Design*Sponge.

Swell new stuff from IKEA PS at MoCo Loco.

Buyer beware? A PayPal horror story from Luann Udell.

A kooky new site of home DIY disasters that’s been making the rounds: There, I Fixed It.

Tuft Love at Revival Home & Garden.

July Must-Haves from Casa Sugar.

Top ten IKEA mods at Lifehacker.

Here’s mine: Picture a traditional Fourth of July picnic complete with hot dogs, beer, and baseball. Now change the hot dogs to some kind of veggie dogs that are a very strange shade of orange, substitute a cricket bat for the baseball bat, and locate the whole thing in the yard of an ancient castle in County Clare, Ireland. That’s where I spent Fourth of July in 1999, along with my sister, a friend who was going to school in Ireland, and an assortment of displaced Americans and amused students from other countries. It was great fun, and made me appreciate even more the unique love that we all hold for our own countries. Have a favorite memory yourself? Please share. Let us know what you’re doing this year, too! (Lucky us — we get to watch some fireworks along with Paola!) –Mary T.

Photo by Kathryn McCallum

We’ve been experiencing some hotter-than-normal temperatures lately here in the Pacific Northwest, which makes cooking indoors an absolute don’t. So when I was prepping some tofu steaks for the grill the other night and started measuring out my brown rice (I love the Cook’s Illustrated Oven-Baked Brown Rice Method) I thought maybe, since I was already heating the grill, I’d just try the oven method on the BBQ. And it worked! I followed the recipe’s exact proportions, but I used a heavy-lidded, iron Dutch oven instead of glass. I placed it on the grill over low, indirect heat. 45 minutes later, I had perfect brown rice and a cool house. Cooking over the charcoal even lent a faint smokiness to the rice that was quite tasty! –Megan B.