At Super Cool Pets, this birdsong alarm clock is rather sweet.

Botanic by Bolon — great, new vinyl floorcoverings at Moco Fresh.

Photos by Johnny Miller at beachbungalow8 — can you spot the repurposed tagines?

At Simple Things, some strawberry pie we really wanna try.

Turquoise continues to assert itself, this time on wishbone chairs as seen at the style files.

Isn’t this neat: a daily roundup of DIY across the blogosphere at One Pretty Thing.

Nom nom nom on ravioli casserole at Omnomnicom. (We like the casserole dishes, too.)

An affordable green desk at Green Your Decor.

Finally, here are some air purifying plants at Casa Sugar. (You can plant them in your Woolly Pockets.)

Around here, we’ve got spring on the brain — despite the winter weather predictions of a certain clairvoyant groundhog — and it turns out our timing is perfect. On March 5, the folks over at Woolly Pocket are set to add five new additions to the modular gardening family: four standalone pockets and an updated “Wally” vertical planter to offer a sleek design alternative to their utilitarian counterparts.

All Woolly Pocket planters are made from a breathable felt derived from 100% recycled plastic bottles, but the new planters are made from updated version that is twice as thick and three times as dense — in other words, sturdier. And were that not enough to ponder as we tick off the days until spring, new colors will be available in April, and by May, the Woolly Pocket site will include new features so that gardeners of all levels can discuss their passion and progress.

Woolly Pocket is doing good beyond their goods, too. Last summer, the company launched their Woolly School Garden program — learn more in Dwell’s interview with founder Miguel Nelson — to teach children in K-12 schools about gardening and nutrition. Such developments may just provide the inspiration we need to keep us busy dreaming, planning and indoor planting until the thaw. (And course if all else fails, you can carry a little garden with you in the Woolly Pocket handbag.)

Watch the video or visit Woolly Pocket for pocket planting how-to’s. — Sarah C.

In my humble opinion, coffee tastes best out of porcelain. It retains the heat well and, more importantly, makes me feel classy. But my favorite porcelain mug doesn’t fit in my car’s cup holder. What’s a commuting, coffee-crazed gal like myself supposed to do? Get myself one of these double-walled porcelain commuter cups from Vessel drinkware, that’s what. They’re heat safe to 170°F, have a nifty silicone lid, and are microwave safe. But best of all, they’ve got fun and modern designs. If you’re a fan of the original Batman TV series, the Pow! tumbler should appeal to your love of onomatopoeia. If your taste is less bat and more owl, then Tough Little Owl is for you. But my favorite of all is the Mustache Chart, simple white with a handlebar mustache — and a handy guide to other styles. Classy with a touch of kitsch, and totally affordable at $15.99. — Megan B.

Okay, so it’s robot vacuum day on Shelterrific! The table-top robot butler got us thinking about the Roomba. Even though they’ve made a splash (or vroom, if you will) on the domestic landscape, I don’t actually know of anyone who uses one. iRobot not only has the Roomba to vacuum your floors but they also make a Scooba to wash them, a Dirt Dog to sweep your garage, a Verro to clean your pool, and a Looj to clean your gutters. Do you have your own household cleaning robot? How well does it work? And, more importantly, how long before they become sentient and try to take over the world from their human masters? — Katie D.

This year, it’s happening: I’m starting my first real garden. Sure, I’ve done tomatoes and herbs in containers before, grown from expensive starts, but this year, I’m starting from seed, building raised beds, and going big. In my seed-starting class yesterday, the most popular tip the instructor shared was not about technical planting skills, but how to construct your own plantable pots from old newspaper. The first gadget she whipped out was the Pot Maker, a wooden contraption that allows for quick and simple pot construction, with no tape or staples required. You can get a similar result using a straight-sided drinking glass and a touch of masking tape: wrap newspaper strips around the glass, fold the newspaper around the base, and affix the tape. Cooler still, she showed us how to fold origami seedling cups that require no special tools other than nimble fingers.

When your newspaper pots are finished, just fill with pre-moistened soil, place the pots into sturdy trays for drainage, and plant with your veggie or flower seeds. Once plants are large enough to go in the ground, give the newspaper a couple of snips to loosen the roots, and plant the whole thing — pot and all!

A note that our instructor advised us to use the paper pots for warmer-season starts such as cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini, since those plants are more tolerant of the paper pots’ tendency to dry out faster than traditional plastic pots (as reported on Homegrown Evolution). — Megan B.

Photo via Homegrown Evolution

When I was little, I dreamed about when I would grow up. I’d picture myself in my twenties in a high-rise floating apartment with bright pink Jem hair and a robot assistant. I don’t live in a high rise and I’m still a brunette, but I’m one step closer to the personal robot assistant of my dreams with the mini robo vacuum from Fred Flare, $20. This adorable guy is happy to be your crumb valet and whisk away all those wayward toast morsels every morning. — Katie D.

I’m about six years behind on cooking for enjoyment, so I missed this Cooking Light recipe the first time it appeared. Fortunately, it’s on their “best of” list online, so I got a second chance. At just under 400 calories a serving, the end result is every bit as creamy as full-fat restaurant versions. I chunked some of the potatoes instead of mashing and added the bacon and all of the green onion to the soup instead of saving for garnish, but other than that, I followed the recipe. It’s definitely on my “best of” list now, too. — Sarah L. Click for baked potato soup! (more…)

This is the most bizarre strainer I’ve ever seen! The The FoodPod, made by FusionBrand, is molded from non-stick silicone and is (top rack) dishwasher safe. Designed to save time when boiling, blanching, and steaming, the FoodPod is sturdy (can hold up to a dozen large eggs), cheap (just $15), and I’m pretty sure the Na’vi* can plug in their tails into the built-in grip clip. — Katie D.

*If you’ve been living under a rock, click here.

When I was a kid, the snap-on hairpiece was the hottest commodity in our LEGO tub. My sister, brother, and I would fight over the premium parts (wheels, windows, flower pots) but I always went for the hairpiece, hands down.

Much development has been afoot since then. Today, a mere 811 pieces stand between this old-school builder and her very own replica of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and LEGO kits encompass everything from Atlantis to Star Wars. And now they’re conquering new territory in my favorite dimension: board games, which we previewed at the recent International Toy Fair. On March 1, LEGO will launch the first five of 10 games with buildable boards (even dice) and changeable rules so no game is ever the same.

Each product has a different theme and plot behind the play. In Minotaurus, mythology buffs attempt to get heroes to the temple at the center of the labyrinth while avoiding the Minotaur and moving walls to keep other heroes at bay.

Pictionary lovers might enjoy Creationary, which challenges players to build items in four different categories while teammates try to guess the object.

And Harry Potter fans will also be pleased to race around the changing landscape of Hogwarts, collecting homework before their fellow wizards in a game that launches with the second wave, available August 1.

Visit LEGO to learn more about the first five games! Hairpiece not included. — Sarah C.

You know we love Etsy around here, but lately I was wondering how 1000 Markets stacked up in comparison — I really hadn’t spent much time there since they launched last year. While the selection isn’t nearly as large as Etsy’s, I did some poking around recently, and I found a lot of things I really liked. Like these:

“Charm” Hanging Modern Bird Feeder (above) by Joe Papendick, $65

JESSIE Designer Dog Collar by Flying Dog Collars, $28:

Cocobolo Square Simple Napkin Rings by Chiossone & Co., $48 for a set of four:

Charles Potato Chips Tin Single Switch Plate by Tin Can Sally Switch Plates, $24:

Contemporary Garden Trellis in Charcoal by Andrew’s Reclaimed, $175:

Suzani Pillow by Decorative Instincts, $40:

Face of Spades Mask by John T. Unger, $59:

In fact, you can find Unger’s fantastic firebowls at 1000 Markets, too (We’ve written about them before.)

All in all, I’d say I’ve found a new place to shop. — Mary T.