For the most part, my office aesthetic can be described as classic, clean and organized. I’m in the planning stages (just dreaming, really) of an everything-in-its-place, comprehensive desk makeover, but that didn’t stop me from laughing out loud when I spotted this little sticky note in a coworker’s office. Classic and clean? Not really. But I can appreciate a well-designed detail any day. I guess this is where my minimalist style hangs a sharp left into Snarktown, but I just love accessories that coax out a smile. Another favorite is Knock Knock’s self-inking WTF stamp, $10. Surely this won’t get as much legitimate air time as my beloved Dozi paperclip holder, but it definitely provides momentary solace from those manic Monday mornings. Where do you stand, readers? Does snark have a place in your office? –Sarah C.

Right on schedule, my hellebores — also called Lenten roses — are blooming. It’s taken three years for them to establish themselves, but I’m finally being rewarded with dinner-plate sized clumps of semi-evergreen leaves and flowers ranging from a deep plum to a chartreuse. The blooms will last for well over a month if not trampled by kids or dog. They’re ideal for shady spots and are pretty tolerant of poor soil. If you have a little patience, now’s the perfect planting time. If you live in Zone 4 or lower, check the hardiness of individual varieties. — Sarah L.

After reading reviews for RubberMaid storage sheds for the kids’ bikes, I’m on the hunt for something that doesn’t leak. Enter the YardStash. At 78” long, 32” deep and 62” high, it should be able to fit two bikes and scooters easily. And at $99 (plus $19.95 shipping), it’s less than half the price of the hardware store option. While I certainly have bad memories of leaking tents from camping trips, in theory, it seems like this could work. My husband, however, is convinced it’ll end up in Kansas. Anyone tried it? Got a better idea? — Sarah L.

Since finding these Message-in-a-Cookie Cutters from Williams-Sonoma, I’ve taken my cookie decorating skills to a whole new level. These little gems come in cute shapes and complete with three cutters, common phrases, and extra letters to customize your message, the set would be just the thing for inside jokes, theme parties, showers, or holiday events. The possibilities are endless. Let’s bake! – Rebecca F.

Photo: Williams-Sonoma

1) Our love of Star Wars goes beyond the movie. We’ll take it in the kitchen, too, in a villainous cookie jar. Daffodil says: “Is it wrong that I kind of want one for an objet d’art?”

2) The Zip-It is reader-approved for unclogging problem drains. JulieKP says: “I love the Zip-It. It was an impulse purchase only because I was tired of putting chemicals down my drain. I figured for three bucks how wrong could I go. Now my two Rapunzels in training can brush and dry their long hair over the sink without me yelling for them to put a towel in it.”

3) We love Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Room & Board for couch replacements. Where else should Sarah L. look?

4) Anthropologie’s done it again in the cute kitchen accessories department, this time with these Milk Bottle Measuring Cups. Claire says: “How cute! Anthropologie has the best stuff — where in the world can you find the cutest measuring utensils but here?!”

5) The recent crisis in Japan has us all thinking about preparedness. We’re updating our home emergency kits. What’s in yours?

Nothing sounds better this weekend than busting out the Dutch oven and slow-simmering some spicy Haitian Stewed Chicken, made from this recipe at Saveur.

And if cooking isn’t your thing, how about crafting with cat hair? Too good (bad) to be true. Via Whorange, of course.

Apartment Therapy discusses the safety of melamine dishware — a controversial topic in the comments.

The 50 most important inventions and discoveries in food and drink, at the Daily Meal.

Unclutterer has us coveting a flashback to our days hanging out at the library: a Kik Step stool.

Lighting lust: 24 upcycled pendant lights made from thrifty vintage treasures, at Retro Renovation.

At Casa Sugar, see 10 tiny homes that prove small is beautiful. Inspiration to minimalize!

There’s a whole world of pop culture that my kids are just now nearing the age to take in. Key word: nearing. (The oldest came home from book character day saying that one friend had dressed as another friend’s dad. It was like pulling taffy to figure out one boy came as Luke and the other as Darth Vader, at which point, it made perfect sense.) So while the Death Star cookie jar is still a little bit beyond them, there’s still something pleasing about the gray goodness of the thing. 12 x12” and $49.99 from the geniuses at thinkgeek. — Sarah L.

Now Zip-it! Zip-it good! Sorry — as a big DEVO fan, I had to. But seriously, can we talk about how brilliant the Zip-it is? As someone who seems to shed her abundant long hair as much as our long-haired cat does, our drains slow down often, even with mesh traps and lots of careful cleaning. I’d even taken to unfurling a wire hanger and using it to fish out the nasty stuff that gets down in our shower drain. It took a while, and it seemed to only KINDA make it better. So when I spotted the Zip-it at my local Home Depot for about $3, I figured I’d give it a test run on our sluggish shower drain. Lo and behold, one rip of the Zip-it, and the scariest, grossest tangle of hair goo came up with it, and my drains have been clear ever since. Heck of a lot better than caustic chemicals! And if you don’t believe me, take a look at the many photo testimonials on the site (for those blessed with a strong stomach). Find them at your local hardware store, or online, at Amazon. — Megan B.

We’ve all been glued to our computers and t.v.’s, heartbroken at the images of the destruction following last week’s Sendai earthquake/ tsunami. It inspired us to get prepared, as shown in Ginny’s post yesterday. But that helplessness we feel looking at the displaced victims — it has motivated us to give. The best way to do this is to donate directly to the Red Cross (though doing this through text message is a reportedly sluggish method). Businesses worldwide, large and small alike, have come up with other ways to help, donating some or all of their proceeds to help the people of Japan. Here are some of the ones we’ve ran across:

Heath Ceramics (from our recent tour) will be donating 25% of all online sales to Architecture for Humanity’s relief efforts in Japan through March 24.

Three Potato Four will be donating 10% of their profits to relief efforts in Japan through Sunday. This would be a good time to splurge on a big ticket item, like this amazing 12 seat cafeteria table at $4000.

Seattle’s Zoka Coffee will be donating $1 per bag of coffee sold to the Red Cross. Coffee is a necessity anyway, so why not grab a bag of Organic Espresso Quatro coffee (which is crazy delicious) and help a bit at the same time?

Etsy is chock-a-block with generous artists who have donated their time and work to help the relief efforts. A search for “Japan relief” and “pray for Japan” resulted in a wide range of items, like the photo above, by erinlarue.

Other sites have more links to charitable crafters, like this post at Craft and this one at Readymade detail. Please leave any other businesses you know of donating to relief efforts in the comments. — as well as any other ways you’re giving to the relief effort. Hopefully we can all try and help Japan through this difficult time.

Image courtesy of Etsy Seller erinlarue.

It’s time to get serious about a new couch and I am dreading it like a trip to the dentist. Ours has lasted 11 years but between kids and constant use — yes, that’s the inside of my couch peeking through in the picture — the time has come. Hopefully, you can help take the pain out of the decision process. I’m looking for a couch that isn’t deep so I can sit comfortably without having to stick a pillow behind me. What else? No down (allergic!), no big puffy arms or back and no skirt (too easy for kid or dog toys to disappear). Style? Nothing too traditional — or too contemporary — and with a decent amount of fabric choices. Brand? I really don’t care. That said, I don’t want a couch that costs as much as a small sedan or a super cheap-o that won’t last five years but other than that, I’m open. So if there’s a couch you love, point me in the right direction. — Sarah L.