Maybe it’s my age, but brass furniture and accessories sometimes give me a creepy feeling, kind of like I imagine the decor would have been at Robert Evans’ house in the 1970s. DWR is trying hard to win me over, though, with this line of Walter Lamb outdoor furniture. Okay, unless I come into some money, it’s doubtful I’m going to spend $845 on a patio chair, but they do look attractive coupled with the white webbing. I will certainly look into these as poolside accessories for when I purchase my Palm Springs getaway. What’s your take on brass? — Mary T.

One of best treats of my third Mother’s Day with Isadora? Having an hour to myself (during her afternoon nap) to bake up some goodies. I spotted these yummy French breakfast puffs at iVillage Food and had to try them. They are by Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman, who tempts me all the time with her hearty homemade goodness. The puffs were easy enough to make — though the recipe did call for shortening, something I rarely use. The dough is flavored with a hit of nutmeg, and baked in a muffin tin. Afterwards, you dip the baked puffs in melted butter (yes, melted butter) and then roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mix to coat. They are crazy decadent! I would definitely bake them again, but next time I would use a mini-muffin tin and make a twice as many — so they would be bite size. They were a little too heavy to eat a whole one without feeling like a slug. Click here to see the recipe (and Ree’s pretty picture). — Angela M.

May is National Bike Month and this week, May 17-21, marks Bike-to-Work Week. In New York City, the land of bike rentals and designated lanes, it’s not hard to find a bike for a casual afternoon ride if you don’t own one, but the thought of biking to work is bittersweet because New York is also the land of tiny apartments, and renting one such space means I have little room for the ride of my dreams. It’s not surprising, then, that I was included in a mass of onlookers at Areaware’s booth at last weekend’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. The demonstration? The collapsible capabilities of the IF Mode, a foldable bike designed specifically for commuters. At $2,250, it may be a tad pricy for me, but is an interesting idea for those short on space. What do you think, readers? Will you be biking to work this week? Own a foldable bike, or have any other crafty storage solutions to my bike bind? — Sarah C.

Check out Areaware’s complete line of foldable bikes, and click here to find a bike event in your area. Happy cycling!

Did you have a treehouse growing up? Or as a grownup? Visit Popular Mechanics to take a look at Ten Awe-Inspiring Treehouse Designs. They’re all pretty fantastic, but if you’ve got a serious DIY bent (and a big, sturdy tree) one or two actually look, well, do-able. What do you think?

Continuing my tradition of the takes-three-years-to-complete yard projects, I’ve finally started taking steps (har) to place the bricks that I salvaged from the old Rainier Brewery building a couple years ago. Frankly, I just finally got sick of seeing them stacked against our shed, so a couple weeks ago I laid out the bricks to start to figure out a configuration and also to just make sure that we have enough. As you can see, we have plenty! Now, the bricks aren’t all completely uniform, so it will be slightly more tricky to place these than it would standard yard pavers, but I found a couple how-to’s online at This Old House and Home Tips to help. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m actually planning this one ahead of time with measuring, estimating, then buying the correct amount of materials, instead of just buying a bunch of random sand and gravel and hoping that it works out. Welcome, summer! Wish me luck. — Mary T.

I’ve been in love with Amy Helfand’s designs ever since reading about her at Apartment Therapy, so I was thrilled to finally meet her at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair where she was displaying her latest work. Inspired by the prayer flags of Kathmandu and artwork connected to those images, her gorgeous Garland rugs are hand-knotted in Tibetan wool and Chinese silk. As a dedicated member of GoodWeave, Amy ensures that her rugs are independently certified as child-labor free. While her designs are (regrettably) out of my price range, they might be the perfect addition for those looking for one-of-a-kind pieces with a story to boot. –Sarah C.

Visit Amy’s website for more on her ICFF installation and additional designs, or tour her row house in Red Hook, Brooklyn, courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

A reader sent in a super-enthused letter about the wedding site Once Wed. Jess writes:

I’m completely giddy! Used wedding dresses! More genuine DIY ideas than “The Knot” and no need to register your email address and find yourself bombarded with body image assumptions and $10,000 options!”

Thanks for the suggestion, Jess. Once Wed looks just gorgeous at a glance! Check it out here.

While we’re on the subject, Offbeat Bride is another site that has fantastic ideas for all manner of non-traditional brides — or anyone getting married who just doesn’t want to spend their retirement on one party. For instance, you can learn neat tricks like how to DIY decorations. We’re always happy to get suggestions on more great sites to see!

Rather than trying to hide the countless cables on my desk, perhaps I should just gussy them up. The leaf tie from Lufdesign acts as a simple cable tie with the added bonus of pretty little leaves. Apparently I’m not the only one who loved the design: Tsunho Wang of Lufdesign says that, after a barrage of emails asking for the product, they went into turbo mode to produce leaf ties to sell to buyers directly. Get yours while you can for $7. (Click on “Store” at Lufdesign for details.) — Erica P.

While January was devoted to his junior line, May is about metallic accents at Jonathan Adler. From the polished nickel handles on the new Preston Console to table legs to his iconic sculptural figurines, re-imagined in polished brass, we’ve got some shiny new reasons to keep an eye on Adler. His booth at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair also emphasized the reintroduction of masculine elements with the expansion of the Bond Collection, which has grown to include the mirror and dining table (with leaf!) pictured above. — Sarah C.

Check out our ICFF photo album on Facebook for more from Jonathan Adler and our other fair favorites!

1) Sometimes all you need is tape. Of the Rebecca Ward for Kate Spade tape-happy interior, ellobie says: “This might be my favorite thing ever.” See it here.

2) You gush with praise for bidets! (Sorry.) (Not really.) The responses made us laugh, but seriously, many of you love bidets, some are afraid of them, and most are baffled as to why they’re not more common where you live. C. says: “I have and use one and live in the upper mid-west. [U.S.] It’s a ‘Biffy bidet’ that hooks onto my toilet and cost around 100 dollars. It’s cold water only and you may think that’s awful, but it’s not and you adjust mighty quickly. I keep fabric ‘drying pads’ in a pouch near the toilet. I’m the only one who uses it as we have roommates who are ‘afraid’ but I’ve found it’s wonderful and I feel cleaner. Don’t know how else to put that one.” Marissa says: “I would LOVE to have a bidet. LOVE LOVE LOVE. i find them to be incredibly civilized, and SO much cleaner than just plain, dry, TP.” We think we agree! Join the civilized conversation on bidets.

3) Spice packs as party favors? Yes, please. Shoppingsmycardio says: “We did something similar as a holiday gift to friends and family…they’re always demanding my husband’s secret recipe for his ribs, so we gave everyone a jar of ‘top secret pig rub.’ It was a huge hit (of course, the fleur de sel caramels we included probably didn’t hurt either…).’ See this great idea for a wedding favor or other gift.

4) You also love Blue Carrot Shop. Wow, what didn’t you love last week? Sarah C’s report on Blue Carrot Shop also garnered praise. Michelle V.K. “Wonderful selection. Great website, too! The ‘grilling’ TV tray is fantastic. I think I’m gonna buy it.” Better hurry, Michelle!

5) And finally, you love Mexican chocolate tofu pudding, too! Love all around! Streakyj says: “Yes! last year, instead of making a cake for my b-day, I used this pudding to stuff popovers — worked reasonably well, esp. w/ a drizzle of dark choc on top. This recipe makes an unusually dark, rich pudding.” Yum! See it here.