This apartment in Nimes, France manages to make unfinished, de-wallpapered walls look chic and textural — at The Style Files.

Trick out your yoga gear with Finnish style : DIY Marimekko yoga bag, at Always Mod.

Kick autumn in to high gear and celebrate all things apple-y and delicious, at Fresh Home Blog.

Great gates: a modern roundup, at Casa Sugar.

At Bloesem we spotted this playful yet cozy bedding from Dutch design firm Snurk. LOVE.

Good to know: why decorating with salvaged pallets indoors is a bad idea, at Curbly.

NotCot got a sneak peek at what’s new from Dyson, like their new covetable Dyson Hot fan heater.

What could be bad about potatoes cooked with a smoky, paprika-infused tomato sauce? Not eating them right now! Patatas Bravas, at Simply Recipes.

image courtesy of Marie Claire Maison.

Summer may be over, but here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re still reaping the bounty. As in my tomatoes are just now ripening. Peppers and squash are everywhere — it’s a bit overwhelming finding ways to utilize it all, honestly. So while perusing one of my cookbooks recently, “Recipes from America’s Small Farms”, I was stoked to see the perfect recipe for right now: Tacos de Calabacitas a la Mexicana, from Top Chef Master and PBS mainstay Rick Bayless. The recipe is so simple — just roast and peel peppers; make a sauce from browned onions, garlic and fresh tomato puree; mix with crema, roasted peppers, corn and squash and cook until tender. Boom — dinner is done! The squash gets a meaty, juicy bite, and the peppers lend a smoky, earthiness to the sauce that is hard to beat. Garden fresh, affordable, vegetarian, and great for a crowd, I’ll be adding this recipe to my repertoire from now on! — Megan B.

Get the recipe, after the jump! (more…)

You know how gift-wrap stations were all the rage several years ago? (I still drool over the idea of having one.) All these cupcakeries in Portland now have me seriously wanting my own cupcake station at home, and I have started collecting sprinkles, pretty jars to display them in, wrappers and decorating ideas — like these cute cupcake toppers. To celebrate my 9th wedding anniversary recently, I picked up a variety of mini cupcakes at my favorite cupcake joint and spotted a number nine sign to put on top. But at $2 a pop — more than the cost of the cake — it could get pricey to put one on every party cupcake. Hello, DIY! All you need are some lollipop sticks or toothpicks, plus a paper punch and stencil. This Martha Stewart snowflake punch or pumpkin punch would instantly make holiday treats more festive. Or download and print these really adorable ones for $2.99. OK, now I just need to get baking! –Ginny F.
Photo credit: Ginny Figlar

It may be early days of fall. but it feels like it is in full swing. I’m back to baking again, now that the house is cooler. And we’ve attended our first fall festival. Getting there involved a ferry ride, which caused some confusion and disappointment on the first river crossing because the backseat occupants thought that it was a fairy ride. Just one of many pitfalls we’ve discovered in the English language! The return trip was met with a lot more enthusiasm, although that could have been the lingering affects from the apple desserts/sugar high.

We’ve got two more festivals marked on the calendar. Hopefully I can find some regional artwork at one of them but if not, these two small oils caught my eye on Etsy. The first measures 6″ x 6″ and is by Etsy seller erinspencer. Yours if you’re more decisive than me for $70. The second measures 3.5″ x 2.5″ and is from UK Etsy seller wildatartshop for $10.25. Either would look great propped against a bowl of apples or my blue and white Cornishware canisters. — Sarah L.

Just when I think I know everything there is to know about Martha Stewart and her perfectly manicured homes, gardens, horses and dogs, she surprises me with something else. In the October issue of MSL I found this treat: From My Home to Yours: Taxidermy Tips. Turns out that at her house on Mt Desert Island in Maine, she has quite the collection of stuffed critters. (Note to Martha: If your house has a name — like Skylands — it’s not a house, it’s an estate.) Apparently the queen of domesticity has been collecting the frozen balls of fur since her childhood. I, too, have a soft spot for mounted creatures (especially if they’re mystical, like the jackalope). As an animal lover, however, I am torn. I love looking at these wild beasts up close, but can’t imagine every hunting or stuffing one on my own. Martha and I agree on that point as well. She says she has never actually had an animal stuffed herself, but my guess is that it’s only a matter of time. I mean, if you want something done right…. — Angela M.

As autumn starts to settle in, what could be more comforting than a plate of these short ribs with wine and cream from The Pioneer Woman?

The story of Rya rugs, vintage Scandinavian DIY textiles you can still make today — and still look fresh and on trend. At Retro Renovation.

The coolest treehouse ever, at ModFruGal. Those “things” are lucky — wonder if they’d consider renting it out?

For the love of laminate: The WilsonArt House, a time-capsule of 1960’s fabulousness, at Whorange.

Remodelista has us coveting this cast iron spice grinder from Canoe in Portland.

Whether we like it or not, the holidays are swiftly approaching. CasaSugar is scouting out the hot holiday trends from West Elm’s 2011 collection.

At Fresh Home Ideas, find out how to fabricate a smart slatted bathroom shelf.

You may remember the national mourning that occurred a few years ago when Easy Bake Ovens were recalled. Generations of passionate bakers wept when the news arrived that their very first oven — which baked small goodies with a really hot light bulb — was dangerous and being pulled off the shelf. Well, Hasbro has fixed the problems by replacing traditional lightbulbs with energy-effecient LEDs and compact fluorescents. Apparently the new version heats up to about 375 degrees, but the exterior of the oven remains warm — not hot — to the touch. It also got a little bit of a makeover. It’s sleeker and more purple than ever before. Hooray! Read more about the new design at ivillage.com.

In my quest to try every one-dish recipe I can get my hands on, I gave this one, gnocchi with squash and kale from the Food Network magazine, a try last week. Gnocchi is one of those pastas I always enjoy in restaurants but it never occurs me make them at home. This is definitely a non-traditional recipe, where the pasta is soaks up the cooking liquid, rather than being boiled separately and added. First you saute onion, garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and the squash in butter. Add chicken broth and let it cook a little longer until it simmers. Then add kale, stirring until it wilts. Bring to boil. Add the gnocchi, stir, and cook for another five minutes. Once most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is soft, sprinkle some parm cheese on dop and broil it in the pan for a minute or two until golden brown. The squash and the gnocchi were nice combo and similar texture. I should have chopped my kale into smaller pieces. Next time! Click here for recipe from Food Network mag. — Angela M.

Perhaps it is some recessed Paleolithic gene, but men just don’t enjoy shopping in the same way that women do. Any gal who has tried to maneuver her man through a crowded Nordstrom knows that he does not have the same patience for trying on clothes and waiting in line as she does. Ikea, forever determined to be a lifestyle leader, is attempting to address the conundrum with a new designated area for dudes, called Manland (see this story in news.com.au for more details). Currently available only in Europe now, it is outfitted with foosball tables, video games and free hotdogs. Though my husband, Chad, rather enjoys our strolls through Ikea and a good debate about lighting, I could imagine this being helpful. Now, if we could place one of them in H&M, that’d be special. — Angela M.

Do your guys like shopping as much as you do? Let me know!

via Gizmodo and The Week

We’ve been noticing all sorts of lovely fungi sprouting up in our neighborhood the past few weeks. New to the suburbs, I didn’t think much of it until spotting this story on npr.com. Apparently in addition to water damaged basements, mold growing in walls and downed power lines, Hurricane Irene also left behind some extremely fertile conditions for growing mushrooms. I’m not sure if any of our local yard varieties are edible (we take a strict “don’t eat that” policy on any plants we’re not sure of) but they are sure cute. I like to picture little gnomes and fairies taking shelter under them during rains. It’s best not to step on them, as they can be slippery like a banana peel.

Have you ever gathered your own mushrooms? Would these taste good sauteed in butter? — Angela M.