Three years is a very long time to put off something, especially when that something is a personalized birth print that you’ve been dying to order and hang in your only child’s bedroom. Cue severe mom guilt. I don’t know if it’s the fact that we just celebrated her 3rd birthday last week, or that I found out that I’m pregnant with her brother or sister, or that I stare at the blank wall above her bed every day, but I am FINALLY getting my order in. I fell in love with these illustrated prints by Swedish artist Isabelle Norman Sällström the moment I saw them. Don’t worry, she prints in English, too, and delivers to many places around the world. Just thought I’d pass along her website in case there are any other, ahem, guilty procrastinators out there. — Ginny F.

This project came about as I was thinking about a simple way to “Valentine up” the white twinkle lights I still had up in my office area. I remembered spying a few cool projects in the blogosphere (namely here and here) utilizing baking cups as a quick way to embellish a string of lights. So I grabbed a few colorful baking cups, scissors and a stapler, and came up with a quick and easy holiday craft that can be done in a snap! — Megan B.
Click for the how-to after the jump!

The front entry of our house isn’t big enough for a table. Our kitchen has no desk and no room on the wall for a ubiquitous Pottery Barn organizer or similar contraption. So where’s a person to toss the mail when they come in? In our case, it’s the mail bowl that sits at the end of the kitchen counter. Maybe not the usual vessel to hold bills and whatnot, but at 13-inches across magazines and larger envelopes fit perfectly. (Plus, it gave me a way to give a chipped and cracked bowl a new life.) I’m guessing we’re not alone in the no center hall table, no hanging organizer and no kitchen desk so the question is on. Until you file it or sort through it, where does your mail go? — Sarah L.

The winter here in the Northwest can be especially depressing sometimes, which is why I rely on coffee to give me the impetus to get out of bed each morning. Lately, we’ve been lucky enough to be brewing the incredibly delicious coffee grown at Waialua Estate on the beautiful north shore of Oahu; where we were even more fortunate to enjoy a tour and tasting bonanza with the incredibly gracious and knowledgeable Derek Lanter, sales manager and all-around man in charge of day to day operations a few months back.

We arrived right after the main harvest, so at that point they were mostly processing the coffee, a multi-step process that takes some time after the crop is picked. The estate produces two types of coffee: washed process, and natural process. Washed process is the most common method, where the ripe red coffee cherries are pulped in water and then fermented, dried, and processed. There at the estate, they mostly focus on a natural process method, where the coffee cherries ripen to a much darker purple color (called raisin), and are fermented, sun-dried and then processed. This natural process imparts a distinct juicy sweetness to the brew that is unique — and dare I say addicting.
click for more caffeinated goodness from Hawaii!

A few months back I bought a tub of white miso paste from my local organics store and have used it a few times for fish marinades, which have been really great. My most recent miso experiment has been to make salad dressing with it, and I think I’ve hit the jackpot with my ingredients! I came up with a flavorful blend of ginger, garlic, and miso that has made my winter salads very happy. Try it for yourself!
Note: this dressing is fairly thick, and works best on hardier lettuces or cabbage. Probably also tasty as a marinade for grilled eggplants or sweet potatoes.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
• 1-2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 2/3 cup olive oil

Preparation
Shred ginger and garlic on a Microplane and put into hand blender cup, or small food processor. Purée with vinegar, miso, and sugar. With hand blender or processor running, gradually pour in olive oil; blend until mixture is creamy. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. – Rebecca F.

Photo credit: Rebecca Firlik