For a few years now, I’ve been spotting these super-groovy vinyl wallets designed by a bunch of different artists all made by Poketo. I’ve always thought they were great, but I knew nothing about who made them at all. So when browsing around one of my favorite shops the other day, I ran across some of the grooviest stationery products I’d ever seen, made by, you guessed it, Poketo. So much more than wallets, Poketo (named after a mispronunciation of the word “pocket”) is, as they call themselves, “art for your everyday” — that means smart and whimsical stationery, housewares, and oh so much more. It’s easy to get lost in this art-filled wonderland; but a couple of points of interest are the brilliant Desk-it calendar (a weekly calendar post-it note pad), the open-dated Clover planner, the rechargeable Music Balloon portable speaker, and the perfect gift for dad: a Cast Iron Tool bottle opener.

Best part? All this “everyday art” is priced affordably for just about everyone. And if they sound familiar, they designed a hyper-popular line for Target last year that went in a flash. Thankfully for us though, they’re sticking around. — Megan B.

1) Our edible gardens are on their way. Angela just planted hers and is looking for inspiration. Js says: “I have about 8 different herbs, cherry & regular tomatoes, cucumber, and assorted flowers, all still in pots. I thought I planted them early enough but they are still so tiny! I hope they grow super fast super soon so we can actually eat from them this summer. Raspberry bushes are wonderful to eat from, but they spread like weeds. Almost as bad as mint.” What’s in your garden?

2) We’re divided on the outdoor art by Cumulus Studios. Beth Ellen says: “That dead animal swing is a little bit cool and a little bit creepy….” Weigh in here.

3) Plastic wrap, ice cube trays and paper towel tubes are integral to these simple kitchen tricks from professional chefs. Julie says: “Good tips! Although I’m not familiar with one phrase you used…”leftover wine.” What is that? ;]”

4) Shelterrific readers are expert centerpiece designers. Sarah C. asked for inexpensive ideas for a bridal shower and it’s clear once again that our readers are not short on creativity. Submerged flowers, purple kale, potted miniature roses…the list goes on in comments.

5) Kartell Plastic Cleaner: Shelterrific-approved. Mary T. gave it a try and shared her endorsement. Ellie says: “Ooh, interesting. Anyone have feedback on how it does on the clearer pieces, I’m thinking about my Louis Ghosts with dog nose prints and some scratches.” Anyone know?

ModFruGal shows us how to create a groovy outdoor space and fire-ring that may just be temporary, but has got style and functionality in spades. Oh — and IKEA has re-released the fabulous Vago chair!!!

Over at Green is Universal, find instructions on how to make your own Cork-covered monograms that can pull double duty as message boards. Via Re-Nest.

Gizmodo is featuring the world’s most perfect picnic table — with convertible seats for maximum comfort in eating and relaxing.

We’re in LOVE with these bright, shiny and fun duck decoys by Tommy Hilfiger we spotted at CasaSugar.

A Design*Sponge sneak peek into the Seattle home of Textile artist Ashley Helvey. Such clean, open spaces — and can we talk about that bed?

Proof positive that all of the most beautiful hotels are in Spain, at WebUrbanist.

Peas, carrots, and corn — and we’re not talking about food. Examples of orange, green and yellow together that work, at sfgirlbybay.

Cannelle et Vanille has the perfect thing for a springtime sunday breakfast: Mulberry and rhubarb crumb cake.

As someone who has a heartbreaking egg allergy, most traditional cookies and pastries are often verboten. Unless I bake them myself or go to a special bakery, I go without. (SOB!) So when I was tooting around the local Whole Foods last week, I saw this beautifully packaged refrigerated cookie dough on special by EatPastry. VEGAN! Yes. So I took it home to test it out. We bought the “Chocolate Chunk” Cookie dough after perusing the ingredients and being impressed with its lack of impronounceables.

Because it’s vegan, you can eat the dough unbaked, straight from the container — which is what we did. Heaven. Though they were fantastic in that form, there is nothing, I mean nothing better than a warm chocolate chip cookie from the oven — sprinkled with a touch of sea salt on the top. EatPastry has a wide range of more drool-inducing dairy-free flavors, like peanut butter and even a gluten-free chocolate chocolate chunk. West coasters can find them in their local groceries, but sadly, the rest of the states will have to be patient — they’re on their way soon. — Megan B.

Much akin to my feelings on the Food Face Plate, the kid in me squeals with delight at the sight of the Construction Plate, $14.95 at UncommonGoods. Paired with the specialized set of utensils ($17.49, sold separately), this duo has the potential to make food fun, even for the pickiest of eaters. Would it have kept me at the dinner table for nine hours as a kid? Absolutely. But if you can’t play with your food then, what good is childhood? Dishwasher safe for easy cleanup, this might be the perfect gift for a night when the babysitter’s on. — Sarah C.

This is the first spring in our house and we are timidly dipping our toes into edible gardening. There are a still a bunch of plants around the yard that haven’t flowered yet, so rather than dig things up, we decided to start some containers with vegetables on our deck. We didn’t get our act together in time to grow from seeds, so we picked up some plants at our local nursery. We chose stuff for pasta and pesto — tomatoes, basil, oregano — and things to help with guacamole — peppers and cilantro. For kicks I planted a few fennel bulbs and some bib lettuce, both which look lovely in our bright plastic pots (from Home Depot). Elsewhere we have raspberry bushes which seem to grow like weeds. I can’t wait for our first home grown feast. What’s growing in your garden? Please share and inspire this novice. – Angela M.

If you have any plastic furniture, I’m sure you’ve done what I’ve done: you notice your chair is a little dingy, so you get out Windex or some other cleaner and give it a spray. And then you have a chair that’s only clean in stripes from the drips the cleaner left behind. My beloved Verner Panton chairs have been through two moves, two dogs, and five years, and they were the poster chairs for this situation. Even scrubbing them with an SOS pad (I probably don’t recommend that) didn’t fix the drips. So when I came across Kartell Plastic Cleaner at a local modern furniture store, I wasn’t very hopeful: my S chairs have more texture than what I’ve seen from Kartell. Well, I needn’t have worried. A spray with the foamy cleaner and a rub with the enclosed cloth, and suddenly my entire chair was clean and bright again, not just in spots! It really took minimal effort to get them both looking good again.

The downsides to the cleaner? Though it’s free of ozone-depleting chemicals, the spray is petroleum based, which I’m sure will be a barrier to some. (Yes, plastic is also petroleum based, but plenty of us aren’t buying new plastic but instead buying vintage pieces.) Also, it honestly smells terrible to me, a lot like the spray a car wash place might use when detailing your car. So my advice is to use it outside if you have that option. — Mary T.

A dear friend of mine used to live in Maui, and when ever I visited (which was never often enough) he would have just-baked chocolate banana bread to greet me upon arrival. Bananas are omnipresent wherever you go in Hawaii, and they get overly ripe fast in the humidity. Baking banana bread is a great use for the super sweet fruits. Fast forward to my own kitchen, where there now always seems to be about three bananas on the verge of turning brown. I hunted down an easy recipe for chocolate banana bread (on food.com) and modified it slightly. It’s pretty simple pantry fare: mix butter with sugar and vanilla, add in eggs, mashed bananas and milk, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt. My secret twist? Replace the 1/2 cup of walnuts with chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes. The results are just as moist and lovely as the ones I remember from Maui. This recipe makes two small loaves. One for eating, one for sharing. Here’s the recipe — Chocolate Banana Bread — definitely one for the files! — Angela M.

P.S. Here’s another banana bread recipe from our archives that’s not chocolate, but also very yummy!

I can’t remember where I saw it, but I ran into the top photo recently when browsing around the interwebs. I never saved the link, but scribbled down the name of the company, or so I thought. All I wrote down was “cumulus”. A lengthy google-quest ensued, and I found my proverbial holy grail: Cumulus Studios. Cumulus, founded in 2008 by landscape designer Nathalie Karg, is dedicated to producing limited runs of weather-safe, functional outdoor pieces by emerging contemporary artists. Benches, tables, umbrellas, and sculptures are just some of the fabulous items featured — priced, according to the company’s website, “to accommodate all budgets and tastes”. Keep an eye out for even more unique designs coming soon, like outdoor textiles and swimming pool tiles. Or, if you’ve got the budget, why not commission a custom piece? — Megan B.

I love working from home, testing out recipes in my sanctuary of a kitchen — it’s just me & the food (and music, usually). The serenity in itself is inspiring, but occasionally, I miss the choreographed rhythm of working in a busy teaching kitchen. I learned a lot from the folks I worked with (mostly off-color jokes), so I thought I’d share some of the helpful hacks passed on to me from my well-seasoned (excuse the pun) ex-co-workers with our fabulous readers.

- Halving cherry tomatoes or grapes with ease: Instead of wasting time slicing every single one in half, use a small dessert plate to hold a handful of fruit, roll gently to level, and slice slowly with a serrated knife. It may take a little practice, but they should come out perfectly halved and ready for your recipe.

-Wrap your mixer: When whipping cream or egg whites in a stand mixer, avoid the messy splatters all over your kitchen by draping the top of your mixer with plastic wrap. Such an easy (and obvious) fix — I can’t believe I never thought of it myself!

-Upcycled knife guards: When transporting your kitchen knives or storing them in a drawer, protect the edge and your fingers by using a flattened empty paper towel roll. Just slide your blade in, secure with a binder clip, and you’re done. TP rolls are the perfect size for paring knives.

-Ice cube trays to the rescue: Use ice cube trays to freeze small squares of homemade stock, then pop them out and store in ziplock bags. You don’t have to thaw a whole quart of stock at a time, just pop out exactly what you need. I also freeze left over wine this way and I’ve got it ready for deglazing and reduction sauces.

Do you have any helpful hacks of your own to share? Leave them in the comments! — Megan B.