Here’s a question from reader Hillary who has a dilemma we can all relate to. Can you help her?

What do you do when the new girl at work begins to invade your space? I started this new job about two months ago and recently the other girl working with me quit. The new girl is super nice and very neat which is great when you share a desk, but today when i came in to take over she had completely moved everything around on my desk. I feel that as her senior (even if only slightly senior) she should respect my space as I did the girl’s before her. I know the desk is bland and in desperate need of personalizing but is it her place?

I came across this stool on NOTCOT.org the other morning. With beautiful lines and a soft leather seat, it should add up to incredible design, but I just can’t seem to take it seriously. Would you want two of these lined up at your home bar? Could you imagine sitting down (or saddling up) to sip a cup of tea? The stool was created by Brazilian furniture designer Fernando Akasaka and coined “Cowboy Junkie” after the band by the same name. Any takers? –Erica P.

1. When looking for a good lampshade, don’t be afraid to check out the usual suspects. As Cat says, check out “LOWES — I found the exact shade you’re describing for around $12 about a month ago! It’s a beige linen shade and it works fantastically with a wooden lamp I have. ” See the lamp that needs a shade here.

2. Termites are a common home nightmare — and they often come back! . As LeeLee says “We just dealt with Western Subterranean Termites. We discovered them when they built mudtubes that burst out of the wall in our laundry room, and then they swarmed. In our house. Ewwwww. There was a huge colony under our driveway that had eaten into about half of our pier-and-beam foundation. This house had been treated less than a year ago, but termites are a real problem in Central Texas.” Read about Mary’s termite troubles here.

3. Peaches aren’t the only fruit that’s good grilled. Ellobie suggests: “Pears, maybe with caramel instead of honey? Yummmm! Read about summer fruit recipes here.

4. Other people’s lunches are fascinating. As The Lil Bee writes: “I love that there is an employee with a flickr page dedicated to his daily eats. Hysterical!” Read about Erica’s visit to the Google cafeteria here.

5. Bad cakes are something we all can relate to. Cassie wrote: “Thanks for introducing me to the cake wreck site. My husband and I were laughing for hours. It’s not so much the cakes as the hilarious commentary about them. I was inspired to send the website our own cake wreck.” See that link and more at last week’s blogwatch.

Such a fun idea: Etsy seller Phunk Lab (aka Australian digital artist Fleur Northcote) will turn a regular snapshot into a personalized art piece that’s printed on canvas and ready to hang. Just email Northcote a digital photo, and pick your background and colors. In addition to a stretched canvas, you can also receive your portrait as a rolled canvas or a digital file that you can print yourself. Prices range from $55 for digital art only, $114 to $139 for a stretched canvas, and $89 to $199 for a rolled canvas (shipping included). Find out more right here. –Leah H.

For a DIY approach to digital art, click here.

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

We first spotted and loved her work at Velocity, then noticed more at The Shiny Squirrel, and we still can’t get enough of Australian artist Marieke Auer. Can you blame us? Not only is her work refreshingly simple, graphic, and humorous, her prints are scandalously affordable — just $20-40! Find the ever-growing list of where to purchase her work here.

Some of the best decorating ideas we’ve ever seen have come from our readers, and it seems like the folks over at Domino magazine have realized the same. They have launched an inspiring gallery called Cheap Trick filled with ideas culled from their audience. Our favorites: Hiding an air conditioner behind a small piece of Tord Boontje’s Until Dawn paper curtain. Putting some fab wallpaper on your bathroom scale for a little lift. Sprucing up an ugly square ceiling fixture with a cool Xeroxed image. Got a cheap fix idea? We’d love to hear about it. In the meantime, check out Domino’s gallery for a ideas you’ll want to steal. — Angela M.

I purchased a vintage lamp on Etsy several weeks ago, and I’ve been searching for a shade to go with it ever since. I’m looking for a simple round or oval drum shade in beige or grey (or greige!) fabric. I’d like a basic textured linen or cotton, but I’m open to other ideas. I’ve searched Bed, Bath and Beyond, Restoration Hardware, Pier 1 Imports, Anthropologie and T.J. Maxx, and I’ve yet to find a single shade that fits the bill. I never imagined it would be so hard to find something I thought was so basic. Does anyone have a go-to shade place? Must I resort to custom made? It seems silly to pay over $100 for a custom shade when the base cost just $40. Help, the light’s too bright and I gotta have shade! –Erica P.

I’m always looking for affordable, original artwork to decorate my apartment. Unfortunately, affordable and original are not two things that often go together. My boyfriend and I were looking for a large piece of art to fill a wall in the living room, when he came up with a great idea: We began looking through our photo albums for a picture we liked enough to have blown up and framed. We decided upon this image of a billboard that my boyfriend snapped on a trip to India. We took it to a local photo shop and had it blown up to poster-size for under $30! We splurged a bit on a custom frame, but you could easily go a more economical route with a pre-fabricated poster frame. Pick one up at your local art supply store, or check one out online at DickBlick

Want to make your own art? Set your digital camera to the best image quality and start snapping pictures. Try shooting in a public garden, at the beach, or even in a grocery store! Think about the décor of the room where you want to hang your art and try to incorporate those complementary colors in the photo. What are you waiting for? Go make some art! –Erica P.

1. We love the Main Cottage look. Pencils wrote of Furniturea: “I thought it looked like Maine Cottage furniture but more modern, and then I read that the company was started by a Maine Cottage alum. Much as I like both companies’ stuff, I think I’ll be either waiting for sales or getting out my paintbrush. I do love colored furniture.” See the furniture she is talking about here.

2. Sometimes one to-do list is not enough. As DJ shares: “Lists give me that lovely false sense of security, of being in control. And even though I know it’s not rdeal, I happily allow myself to be deluded. I keep three main lists: To Do, To Call, and To Get.” Don’t be shy. Tell us what’s on your to-do list.

3. Mary isn’t the only one with a big dog in need of some toys! As Kirsten writes: “We have a mastiff mix (with a lab) and a shepard mix (with something) and both destroy everything we give them in a matter of seconds! we’ve had a lot of trouble finding an affordable bed for marvin (our mastiff mix) so that’s a great reco. we still have our bad cuz from 3 years ago! like you said, the horns and legs are missing, thanks to Matilda (our shepard mix) but they still love it. Read about cool purchases for big pooches.

4. If you really want the look of the mid century look of the Mad Men set, don’t buy new. Darren shares: “None of the items on the set of Mad Men were bought new, anyway. They all came from antique stores, eBay, second-hand shops, thrift stores, etc. In fact, I know that Amy actually bought many of the items used on the show from stores in Long Beach, such as Xcape and Deja Vu. Click here to see more about the Mad Men set.

5. For really fluffy pancakes, keep the heat low, use a cast iron pan and try one secret ingredient. Megan B says: “Instead of cottage cheese on TOP of the pancakes, like to stir some into the batter (or my preferred option, ricotta)- it lightens up the batter and adds a heavenly texture. I wish my husband liked pancakes more, or I’d be making them every Sunday!” Click here for a basic pancake recipe.

From real life test kitchen: buttermilk pancakes, 2008/07/30 at 3:28 PM

I love the white louvered drawer fronts on this matching midcentury desk and dresser — they lighten up what could be a dark and slightly heavy style, and add a lot of verve. The Formica-and-wood set was made in Sweden, and its compact size (the chest is 31.5 by 30 inches, while the desk measures 46 inches wide by just 18 inches deep) make each piece really versatile and great for a smaller space. Current bids: $21 for the desk and $12 for the dresser. (Hurry — the auctions end Monday evening, August 4.) — Leah H.

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