1) Vintage Singer turned into a sink? You’ll take it. Our commenters and Twitter followers loved reader Matthew’s  vintage Singer sewing table turned sink project. Melissa says: “That is just beautiful. I’ve been looking for vintage/antique sewing tables lately for use as a table in my office, but would never have thought to make one into a vanity. Gorgeous!” Got a great design idea or completed reno project to share? Email us at letters (at) shelterrific dot com!

2) You may have solved Mary’s mys-tree! Turns out our readers are real garden gumshoes, and many of you agree that Mary’s mystery tree is in the plum family. Naomi says: “You have some type of purple leafed plum tree. There are hundreds of varieties of flowering plums, in addition to the fruiting variety. Some flowering plums do yield a small amount of fruit. This tree may bring you nice fall color as well, so kudos on the freebie. Take a picture of the leaves, branches and fruit, or better yet bring a sample to a nursery or master gardener to ID.” Care to weigh in on this mys-tree?

3) You’ll find a place for Cat Studio’s place pillows. Shannon says: “I have seen the Canada one before at our local Roots store and wanted it so bad!! I may have to save up because they are just so darn cute!” See the New York International Gift Fair find here.

4) For many of you, expensive espresso machines are worth their weight in incredible java. We know our readers have their coffee rituals, and Megan shared the main event in hers: her Rancilio Silvia espresso machine. And she’s not alone in her love. Julie says: “We have a Silva (w/ a Rocky) and love it. Several years later, it is still going strong and pumping out some lovely shots each morning.”

5) Surprisingly, sometimes custom work is the cheapest option. Sarah L. shared her livingroom makeover and her custom built-ins beat their Ikea counterparts any day. Ellie says: “have to love custom built-ins cheaper than IKEA.” See the transformation here.

If you weren’t in Seattle for Cakespy’s Cake vs. Pie Party, here’s your chance to bake the Best in Show, a ginger peach pie (with cayenne), from Kate Lebo at Good Egg.

And speaking of Cakespy, check out what she just made for Serious Eats: The lemon-lime cream cheese filled Pat Benatart. She’s wrapped in a “real tough cookie with a long history” crust. Love.

Poppytalk gives the world a look at the art of Jen Collins. We like what we see — and are going to her Etsy page right now to get that adorable bison gocco print!

We’re climbing the walls (excuse the pun) for CasaSugar’s roundup of ladders as functional decor. The ladder as pot rack is particularly stealable…

Introduce yourself to Gandhi’s favorite vegetable, purslane. It’s tender leaves are juicy and succulent, and uniquely high in omega-3′s. It grows like a weed in just about any soil and to top it off, is in it’s peak season right now! Via the Huffington Post.

Top Design finalist Eddie Ross does a delicious budget makeover for the Nest that we are loving. Not a trace of the “Golden Girls” aesthetic he got sent off the show for!

With autumn’s impending arrival drawing nearer, you can bet that long hot soaks in the tub are on our horizon. What better for your bathroom escape than a deep, luxurious clawfoot tub? Get all the inspiration you’ll ever need from design*sponge.

Read about a carrot cake worth going to Riker’s Island for at The New York Times. Unfortunately you can’t buy it, but you can bake a 25 loaf batch. Uhh… perfect for holiday gifting?!

Did you know that lack of sleep is a slippery slope leading to a messy home? Makes sense, but here’s the article explaining why, at Unclutterer.

Photo courtesy of Valentina Vitols Studio.