If you want to jazz up your summer, may I suggest a candlelit hurricane lantern from notNeutral? With a baked-on finish in a variety of spicy summer colors, they’re a deal at just $28 for a set of two. (Nice gift for a summer party, perhaps.) I got mine at Click!, but you can find them online, too: choose from the Season Hurricanes or the Triton — I chose the latter because I dig how the faces in the pattern light up and throw shadows. We have a persimmon hurricane lighting up our mantel and a blue one on our deck. One unhappy note, however: our blue hurricane still looks nice, but three weeks of weather that alternated between chilly rain and blazing sun, the finish is now cloudy rather than shiny. I’d advise that you use this one in a sheltered spot. — Mary T.

Are we nuts, or would this deceptively simple craft be a colorful addition to your summer decor? The folks at Ohdeedoh recommend wrapping sticks in yarn as a fun and super-easy summer craft for kids. We find it appealing for craft-challenged adults as well. (Let’s just say we didn’t master the god’s-eye in Girl Scouts.) What do you think?

Exclusive Deal: Save 10% or donate 15% to Clean Water Action with each purchase!

Nothing makes us swoon more than a gorgeously reupholstered chair, so when we laid eyes on the beauties over at blugirlart.com our hearts skipped a beat. Then we learned that not only are they made of 80% recycled goods, but 15% of their proceeds are being donated to Clean Water Action. These creations are by Suzanne Meyer Pistorius, a textile and pattern designer who has worked for Brooks Brothers and Banana Republic. Her hand painted upholstery fabric gives new life to discarded chairs, which are true investment pieces. Even if you’re not up for a chair right now, Blu Girl Art also sells handbags, photography, and fabric artwork. Alternatively, if you have a piece you’d like to have upholstered, Suzanne will work with you to create story boards and fabric swatches. Though she is based near Boston, pick up and delivery can also be arranged.

If you’re interested in purchasing something from Blu Girl Art, email Suzanne Meyer Pistorius directly at suzanne (at) blugirlart dotcom and mention Shelterrific to receive a 10% discount to your order. Anything purchased directly from the site will automatically have 15% donated to Clean Water Action.

For more about Blu Girl Art, click here. Read more about Clean Water Action here.

Have you seen “A Man Named Pearl” yet? It’s a documentary about an untrained horticulturist who creates a yard with topiaries that defy convention. Again and again as I watched it, I was reminded
of a story I read to my kids: “Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney. In the book, a young Miss Rumphius tells her grandfather she wants to travel the world and live by the sea. He responds that she must do a third thing — make the world more beautiful. In the documentary (without giving too much away), Pearl Fryar starts out merely wanting to dispel the neighbors’ notion that he won’t keep up his yard. Along the way, he manages to make a garden — and a community — more beautiful. Find “A Man Named Pearl” on Netflix or buy it at Docurama. — Sarah L.

I’m not a tea drinker, but a coworker is, and she is raving about this on-the-go tea infuser she received as a gift. Made by Chinese company Dinisi, it features screw-on lids on both ends–the tea infuses from the bottom and you drink from the top. She absolutely loves it. Where it can be found, though, is a little trickier. Her friend purchased it at a local tea shop, but I’ve only been able to find it online at Ali Express and Ali Baba — two sources that I’ve never shopped before. If you like your tea, keep an eye out for this one. (And let us know if you’ve spotted it somewhere, too.) — Mary T.

1) Bed bugs make bad neighbors (and hotel guests). Not too many responded when we asked if you’d had bed bugs — perhaps you’re all too busy cringing? But we did relate to this comment from Amy, who says: “I’ve known a few people who’ve had them and it was a NIGHTMARE. They had to throw out tons of stuff, their landlord didn’t do anything to offset the costs of having bed bug exterminators come in, and they were sorta social pariahs for a while. I myself cringed a little the next time I saw and hugged said friend.” Our own Megan B. points us to a really “helpful (or terrifying) resource I found about hotels with bedbug problems: http://bedbugregistry.com/.”

2) Add quinoa to your summer salad mix. Shannon says: “I have never tried wheat berries, but we do cook a lot of quinoa in our house. I make a big batch at the beginning of the week, then for snacks or as a meal side I mix in dried cranberries, flax seed meal, almonds/walnuts, and a salad dressing (usually cranberry walnut vinegarette). The possibility for mix-ins are endless!” Yum! See Laurie David’s wheat berry salad recipe here.

3) Fred has fans. Sarah L. wanted to know what to do with a vintage frame, and the photo that came with it of a gent her family nicknamed “Fred,” and you lobbied to save him. Nick says: “I don’t want Fred for myself, but I think it would be a horrible shame to throw him away. If you decide to get a mirror cut for your frame, you should reverse Fred and put him on the back side of the mirror (facing the wall), so that he’ll be with the frame forever. If you’d rather get rid of him, take him to your local antique mall and ask if they’d like him for free. The picture of Fred is quite old and that man must have paid a lot to have such a nice portrait of himself taken. It should really be saved.” Others offered to take Fred off Sarah’s hands — and we think she’s taking you up on it!

Photo by Flickr member Cinamonas

These fantastic DIY coffee can lanterns at Design*Sponge are the perfect project for all the fun tin cans you’ve been saving. (Or is that just us?)

Build your own modern fire pit that will last forever, perfect for backyard s’mores! Via the Brick House.

Back in October, we wrote a post about gorgeous short-term rentals in Paris. Well, sadly, it looks, as if those may be no more, according to this New York Times article.

Are mosquitoes draining you of your precious type-O? Make your own organic insect repellent, thanks to Instructables.

Even more outdoorsy goodness — galvanized flower buckets used as table bases at Remodelista.

The Beachgreens blog introduces us to Çoban Salatasι, or Turkish Shepherd’s salad, the quintessential summer dish. Anything with homegrown tomatoes has us salivating…

If you’re packing up the car for a week at the beach or the woods, then why not freeze soup to bring with you — it will also serve as a bonus ice pack! From the Kitchn.

Running through the sprinklers all day has been giving the ol’ hose a good workout. CasaSugar tips us off as to why rubber hoses are better than vinyl.

And if you need a cool treat in all this heat, Epicurious shares their picks for the three best-tasting frozen yogurts.

The best finds come when I’m just surfing around, not looking for anything in particular. These upcycled zipper jars and vases, magnets, artwork and more by Amalia Versaci, for instance. Who knew zippers could be so gorgeous? I am dying for the turquoise vintage zipper jar, $48. If you just want to decorate yourself, there are lots of great jewelry selections, too. — Mary T.

A colleague suggested I sign up for the Springwise newsletter for new and fun finds, and already it’s paying off with this note on “Food from the Sky,” a rooftop garden project that is a collaboration between London grocer Thornton’s Budgens, The Positive Earth Project, and the local community. In short, Budgens is growing produce on the roof that it can sell to customers. That, my friends, is thinking locally. Read more at Thornton’s Food from the Sky site, and sign up for Springwise (if you’re so inclined) here. — Mary T.

In New York, it feels like bed bugs are everywhere. Even if you don’t have them, you can’t ride the subway or read a newspaper without seeing an advertisement or story on them. Just last week, the New York media were abuzz with the closing of a Hollister and an Abercrombie & Fitch store due to infestations, and I also read about how popular they are with the plush seats in movie theaters. A few weeks ago we had our own scare and it was completely emotionally draining. The good news: we didn’t have them. The bad news: many people do, and they’re very hard to control. There are numerous online resources for identifying and treating the problem, but when we were buggin’ out (sorry!) we found speaking to friends who’ve dealt with them most helpful in quelling our anxieties. So sound off, for the love of bug-free beds! Have you ever experienced bedbugs? How did you know, and what did you do about it? — Sarah C.

Photo via MedicineNet