This genius idea, from the Summer 2008 issue of O at Home, has been making its way around the interwebs recently. And for good reason: Using vintage wooden pants hangers is a simple, clever, and inexpensive alternative to framing your prints and photographs.

Here’s another iteration of the idea from Jean and Dylan, the bloggers behind Ladies & Gentlemen Home, who came up with a
grid-and-hangers system to display art without marring the walls in their rented Seattle apartment.

Want to try it yourself? You can find the vintage clamp-style hangers at flea markets and garage sales — or maybe even in the back of your parents’ closet. And, of course, there are dozens of them to be had on eBay at any given time. The set shown above, for instance, includes seven hangers in a variety of sizes. Current bid: $10. (Hurry — the auction ends Tuesday afternoon, July 1.)

See more of Leah’s great finds at her blog, More Ways to Waste Time.

Sure, the book Bend-the-Rules Sewing sounds great — “a down-to-earth introduction to sewing, including thirty projects so adorable and cool they’ll inspire anyone to pick up a needle and thread.” But who will really be inspired to do so? Well, see for yourself at the Flickr group The Bend-the-Rules Sewing Pool, where almost 1700 members share their Bend-the-Rules projects. Terrific for even more inspiration, and just plain fun to look at, too.

The folks at Chronicle Books were kind enough to let us post this ‘lil excerpt from the book Eco Dog: Healthy Living for Your Pet. It’s written by Corbett Marshall and Jim Deskevich, the talents behind Variegated textiles, and must-visit store in Catskill, NY.

There are many flea products on the market that are made from chemicals intended to kill the pests in your pet’s coat. This may seem like an easy and effective option, but remember that chemicals toxic enough to kill fleas are not going to be healthy for your pet. Putting these chemicals directly on your dog’s coat — the easiest place for him to ingest them — just doesn’t make sense. We offer an alternative, in the form of powdered herbs meant to repel the fleas, while being harmless to your dog.

Ingredients
Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lavender, Fennel, Yellow Dock, Pennyroyal

How To
One: Combine as many of the powdered herbs you can find.
Two: Mix together equal parts of each herb in a shaker-top jar.
Three: Brush your pet’s coat backward with your hand or a comb while sprinkling the powder onto the base of the hairs. Apply sparingly, paying special attention to the neck, back, and belly.
Four: Put your pet outside for a little while afterward, so his pets escape into your yard, not our carpet.

For more great eco-friendly pet tips, pick up a copy of Eco Dog. You’ll even find a few craft ideas (like tote bags) in their for you, too.!

photo by Aimee Herring

You know we’re fans of the Etsy Plush Team, and now even more so: they’re giving away a huge assortment of wonderful plushies made by their team members! Here’s how it works: You visit the Etsy shops of participating members and find the Plush Team mascot logo hidden in each. Once you find all 16, you’re entered to win the entire collection of plushies you see above! The winner will be announced Monday, so start hunting now. Get all the details on the contest here.

P.S. Speaking of contests, don’t forget to enter Shelterrific’s very own recipe contest for your chance to win Cynthia Rowley picnic gear — our contest ends Friday! Click here for all the details.

If you have a love of the original, unvarnished (and pretty dark!) Grimm’s Fairytales, you will love these Three Sisters dolls as much as I do. The dolls came about through a challenge from the Etsy Plush Team. In this particular challenge, plush artists were matched, and each created characters from the other’s favorite children’s story. Zeldaloo suggested the story of Little One Eye, Little Two Eyes, and Little Three Eyes — one of my favorite fairytales, too. As abbydid explains, “One Eye and Three Eyes were the gorgeous and privileged sisters, while Two Eyes was the oddball outcast, only worthy of their leftover scraps. Now, I don’t want to give away the ending, but it involves a magic goat, a fairy godmother, and a golden apple.” You can get all three of these fanstastic sisters for just $42.

But don’t stop there — check out the Plush Team site for more amazing dolls that are the result of collaborations between fantastic Etsy artists, like the combo Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf by AreaThriftyOne, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee by redmag, and Zeldaloo’s Princess and the Pea, complete with a stuffed pea with eyes. –Mary T.

I confess I buy toys made for adults — and no, not what you’re thinking! A collection of Kidrobot Gorillaz and Smorkin’ Labbits have a place in our china cabinet. So I asked Kristen Rask of Schmancy to talk to us about the explosion in collectible toys for adults. Here’s what she had to say. –Mary T.

“I would say since opening Schmancy that the ‘gateway’ toy is Dunny by Kidrobot,” says Rask. “Those who know nothing of the urban vinyl toy movement still are attracted to them. Those are always, without fail, a big seller.” Can’t get enough toys? There’s more. (more…)

I love the patterns at my local fabric shop, and made the pillows shown above with their cotton prints (the pink one is vintage). I’d like to use their fabrics as art above our couch as well. My plan is to stretch a piece of material over a rectangular wooden frame, secure it in back with a staple gun, and hang. Right now I have a green print (shown above) up as a placeholder, but I wanted your advice about what to put up instead: One big large square of fabric? One solid square of fabric plus two prints? I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks! —Bunny W.

There are a few cookbooks that I turn to again and again for foolproof dishes. One of them is, without a doubt, the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. It’s chock full of staples from roast chicken to chocolate brownies. Among many excellent dishes, my favorite is the turkey meat loaf. It’s so simple: A saute of onion, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, chicken stock and thyme is added to ground turkey mixed with eggs and bread crumbs. Lather the top with ketchup and bake slowly at 350 for an hour and half. I served with basic mashed potatoes (though I wish I had made the parmesan mash from the cookbook) and honey glazed carrots (those were so good, they nearly stole the show. I’ll give up that recipe next week!). Click through to this Food Network link to see the whole turkey meat loaf recipe. — Angela M.

P.S. This recipe makes a HUGE five pound meat loaf. I cut it down by a third and it worked well.

Sometimes you just can’t get enough of an animal you love. Dollmaker Yi Li, better known as Cornflakegirl, can craft a custom, miniature plush version of your beloved pet. The plushies above are of our friends’ chihuahuas Dee Dee and Pickles. Our friend Jessica says, “The detail is so uncanny that I think these plushies make Pickles and Dee Dee a little nervous.” Visit Cornflakegirl’s Etsy shop for more information. –Mary T.

Furniture and textile designer Tanya Aguiñiga is one subject of “Encounter: USA Fellows,” a series of fascinating video shorts from United States Artists (USA) and film company City Projects. USA, a non-profit providing artists with everything from health insurance to raw materials, created the videos to provide a glimpse into the artists’ creative process. In a terrifically engaging piece, Aguiñiga discusses how her work is influenced by a life spent in the cities of Tijuana and San Diego. Like the work of the designers themselves, the videos are well worth a look. More will be added throughout the spring.

View the short feature on Tanya Aguiñiga.
Learn more at the USA site or MySpace page.
And read about Aguiñiga’s “Toddler Textile Forest” at the San Diego Children’s Museum.