I know gun imagery has been popping up all over the place for the last few years, but I have to admit, I still sort of dig it. Not everything, of course, but every so often I see something that’s just really cool, no matter how many times the same idea has been used elsewhere. For me, there is just something about having a gun represent beauty and art instead of something deadly that resonates with my style. The jury is still out on this Gun Mug from Urban Outfitters. What do you think? — Erica P.

Photo via RVA Taste, where they rave about the mug’s ergonomics.

UPDATE: Please note that this contest is open to US residents only. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

True story: I was setting out an oil diffuser with the traditional reeds in a jar and musing over the new Febreze No Spill Wood Diffuser, wondering if “no spills” was a worthwhile benefit, when my hand slipped and I spilled the oil from my (non-Febreze) diffuser on both hands. That stuff smells great in a room, but concentrated on my hands, it reeked. For hours! Suddenly, I realized, Febreze had a point! As the company says, “The No Spill Wood Diffuser technology allows Febreze scented oils to be absorbed into the wood and then diffuse through the air for an authentic scent experience without the worry or hassle of spills.”

Perhaps you’d like to try one yourself? Well, you’re in luck! Our friends at Febreze have given us three No Spill Wood Diffusers to give away to Shelterrific readers! Not only do they smell great (in the air, not on your hands) they look attractive, too! We’re going to do this the old fashioned way: leave a comment on this post by Monday, June 14 at 5 p.m. EST telling us about the room scents you use — diffusers? Others? — and letting us know what you like and dislike about them (and if you’ve ever spilled one on yourself). When the deadline arrives, we’ll use a random number generator to pick three lucky winners. Thanks, Febreze, for making this possible! — Mary T.

I am far from goth, but would I hang an iron gate in the shape of a spider web outside my house? Absolutely! I was probably searching for items for my mastiffs when I found ModernIron, the shop of a metalsmith named Chris Dunn, where there are some decorative garden stakes in the shape of my favorite dogs. His fantastically detailed garden gates really wowed me, however. And at $275, they’re a downright bargain. Visit ModernIron right here. — Mary T.

I grew up in a house full of pets — cats, dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs — and all left fur on our couches! When I left my small Connecticut town to attend college in big-city Boston, sadly, I left the menagerie behind. The most I was allowed in my tiny dorm room was a single beta fish. Had I known about the Fish Hotel by Teddy Luong, my fish would have had some higher-class digs to match my higher education. A student at Carlton University’s School of Industrial Design, Luong designed the gorgeously modern fish bowls to be stackable. Since we’re right in the thick of graduation season, why not send your favorite student off to college with an aquatic friend in swanky digs? — Katie D.

Since we moved into our house a year ago, I’ve been trying to figure out an effective (and decent looking) way of corralling all of the random things that end up on our kitchen counter — shopping lists, mail, recipes, pens. Everything I found was too big for the space, so I finally settled on a vintage wire basket I found on Etsy. But though I love the basket, it just didn’t do the job — notes got too easily buried and things slipped through the openings. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a Real Simple organizer at Target, $16. It solves all of those problems with its multiple, sturdy compartments and compact size. Plus it’s cute. And now we have an organized mini-workstation in our kitchen. Sometimes it’s simple things in life that make me happy. — Michelle V. K.

Related: Real Simple organizers at Bed Bath

Some of us can’t wait to get the to-do list app for our iPhones, others of us just want a pleasant pad to keep track of day-to-day obligations. I’m one of the latter — I’m tired of scribbling lists in random notebooks, and I figure (in theory, anyway) a fun-looking pad might take some of the drudgery out of my daily tasks. I found a surprising number of cool to-do lists just doing a quick search on Etsy. My front-runner is this Octopus to-do list notepad by boygirlparty, $8. (All of the notepads listed here have 50 pages.) Mainly, I love the illustration, but I’m also amused that there’s a “not yet” circle that you can check off — I guess to make you feel like you’ve accomplished something.

The For the Birds to-do list by Notebooks, etc. is cute, colorful, and affordable at just $5.

The elephant illustration on this Things to Remember pad by This Is It! Creations, $7.50, is simple and sweet, though I probably need lined paper to help keep my thoughts straight.

Offering lined paper and a message that made me laugh is Finch and Hawk’s “The Freakin Never Ending To Do List” notepad, $5.50.

The vintage pistol notepad from Two Poodle Press is only $2.50 and has a whole lot of attitude and style — that might be a nice addition to my desk.

The long list notebook, $8 from REDSTAR ink, is nice way to cover up the list and forget about it for awhile.

Finally, I was delighted to find this notebook from My Book of Lists, $10. Behind the pretty cover is a way to organize a lot of the fun things in life such as movies you keep meaning to see or music you want to buy, as well as the practical like online passwords. That’s a nice reminder! — Mary T.

Two years ago, we bought a two-bedroom house with a finished basement. One-and-a-half years ago, we had to un-finish the basement due to termites and mold. This summer, we’re finally, finally taking baby steps toward putting the basement back together. The first step was calling a plumber to consult on adding a utility sink (I would really like to be able to feed and water our super-drooly mastiffs in the basement) followed by a toilet and shower. Check out that beautiful corner where all of this will go! So far, we have absolutely no ideas of how we want it to look, though we’re pretty sure when it’s finished it will be much nicer than our upstairs bathroom. Our plumber won’t even be able to start until August, so it’s not going to be as delightfully speedy as Angela’s attic re-do. But like I said…baby steps. What do you think of this tile? — Mary T.

1) We think this “iPhone” thing is going to be a success. You are crazy for your iPhones! A typical response from Laurie, who says: “Another iPhone user here, responding from the waiting room of my husband’s doctor’s office. My husband was the one who insisted we both get iPhones and I was on the fence. Now, I cannot live without it. Running my business from home and on the road, it is pretty much essential. I mean, before smart phones people did the same things just fine — I know. But the fact that I can relist Etsy items while I am online at the post office shipping orders out… has to make me more productive, right? (I hope, ha). I do feel too accessible at some points…” What role does technology play in your life?

2) You can even help finding bottle brushes. Who knew that so many of you would have helpful tips on finding brushes that fit the Soda Stream bottles! One good tip from tgd: “Go to a pet store or aquarium store and look at the brushes sold for cleaning out aquarium tubing — they’ll fit in anything!” See more suggestions here.

3) Some have doubts about silicone. The Yellow Submarine tea infuser is a hit, but Szig says: “Very cute, but I’m really wary of silicone. A few years ago I bought silicone baking pans and after a few uses they became impossibly sticky.” We did a little research and found varied responses — some don’t like the idea of baking with silicone, some say it’s just fine as long as it’s not heated beyond 450F degrees (and if you’re drinking tea that hot, you’ve got more worries than we can address). But according to the Canadian government, “There are no known health hazards associated with use of silicone cookware. Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages, or produce any hazardous fumes.” Any scientists who care to weigh in?

4) You can’t get enough of green cleaners. Greta says: “My favorite ‘green’ cleaner is vinegar. I use it for practically everything. I use it on all my glass and windows and it does wonders on my wood floors. I love that I can let my 2, 4 and 6-year-olds clean along with me and I don’t have to worry about a thing. I posted my recipe for all purpose vinegar cleaner here.” Thanks, Greta! See our test of cleaning with citrus and salt and read even more great info from Greta in comments.

5) You have tips on the cell phone charging shelf. Saritha says: “I have one of these and it’s the most useful thing I own. One small issue is that when not connected, the loose end of the wire tends to unravel. So, I use a one of those binder clips to keep it in place.” Thanks for the tip! Also, thanks to Lorri, who reminds us that it’s important to unplug chargers when not in use to save energy. See the cell phone shelf right here.

In the photo: Block Lamp by Harri Koskinen

If you’re still looking for that *perfect* iphone cover, look no further than Design*Sponge’s roundup of iphone covers under $100.

Swissmiss introduced us to the cutest disposable paper cups we’ve ever seen: abc paper cups. Love the idea of the cup banner! And it looks like our favorite NSFW friends at Badder Homes and Gardens liked them, too, we think?

Oh. My. Gawd. Root beer float cupcakes? They had us with root beer, the rest is just ice cream icing on the cake. Via Smitten Kitchen.

Over at MocoLoco, we spotted this fantastic lamp made from recycled egg cartons: the “Trash Me lamp” by Victor Vetterlein.

Ever wonder what you should do with that bracelet your ex gave you now that you are paramours no more? Unclutterer has got some great advice on handling sentimental clutter after a breakup. And yes, many commenters had fire-based ritualistic purging stories.

Get out of the house and in to the sun this weekend! Even if you don’t have a yard of your own, you can still frolic in nature’s bounty. Shelterpop’s list of America’s prettiest gardens is a great starting point for finding your own oasis.

Good has a highly informative set of charts all about oil consumption. 71% of oil consumption in this country is used for transportation. Yikes!

With that being said, perhaps we’ll skip the car this weekend and stay at home and lounge on a hammock with a nice book. No hammock yet? CasaSugar’s got a great hammock roundup so that you can be swinging in the breeze in no time!

Beginning today, enjoy 15% off all Herman Miller products during YLiving’s semi-annual sale. Most products are in stock and ready to ship, but hurry; the sale ends June 14th.

Save 15 – 30% on Le Creuset favorites at cookware.com, and enjoy free shipping on all orders over $75. Sounds like a great time to round out that colorful collection!

Stock up on necessities at the Company Store with their sale trifecta: up to 35% off at the summer white sale, up to 25% off all comforters and special savings on their entire collection of outdoor furnishings.

Take advantage of Reprodepot’s moving sale and enjoy 10% off orders of $50, 25% off orders of $100 or 50% off all orders of $150 or more. Click here for details.