Want to find mid-century modern design online without paging through Craigslist and eBay listings? Try Lushpad. Billed as “the buy & sell marketplace for modern collectors,” the site has a huge list of standard mid-century designer categories (plus a few unknowns for good measure) and a blog by collectors who know how to navigate Eames, Wegner and Noguchi. Prices range from the reasonable to the in-your-dreams, though if you want to list an item, good news: anything listed for $250 or under gets an ad for free. Become a Lushpad member, and you can also get registered to win an Eames plywood chair. See the whole Lushpad here.

Good design for a good cause — and with pink a lot of us can really appreciate! Check out Design Within Reach for the Classics Go Pink Auctions of classic chairs with a pink twist, with all proceeds benefitting the Susan G. Komen Foundation to fight breast cancer. Five fully licensed, special-edition chairs in pink from Emeco, Fritz Hansen, Herman Miller, Knoll and Spinneybeck Leather will be auctioned at the end of September. Bidding starts the week of September 22 — check back with DWR for updates.

1. Peas + avocado can = baby food. “Have you tried mixing the peas into the mashed avocado?” asks Marcy. “I do this when I make guacamole for the adults, anyway, and thought it might work as a covert mission to get baby to eat some peas :)” Sounds good to us! See other DIY baby food ideas here.

2. Sometimes you need to remember to splurge on experiences, not just items. You all had great insight on the skimp-or-splurge post, but Tiffany’s comment was a bit poignant. She says, “Mostly I’ve found that I tend to skimp on expensive experiences or vacation souvenirs and regret it. Later I think, ‘Oh we really should have done that Segway tour, zipline, whatever.’” Tell us what you skimp or splurge on here.

3. Need a narrow doormat? Try a stair tread! “Search for ’stair treads’ instead of ‘narrow doormats’; they’ll do the job just fine!” says jen, who also notes, “All doormats at Smith & Hawken (<3) are on sale right now." Thanks for the tip! See others on right-sizing the doormat here.

4. Online mapping — it’s not just for cars anymore. Noah writes, “You might also want to check out Walk Jog Run, which does the same kinda thing, but allows you to pre-plan (and share) routes. Very neat.” He was commenting on our post about gmap-pedometer.

5. Some people really, really love pink bathrooms! 50s Pam from one of our favorite sites, Retro Renovation, recently left this comment on a post from the past: “This post and others encouraged me to start a new blog — http://SaveThePinkBathrooms.com — all about, yes — vintage pink bathrooms. They are treasures.” Do you agree?

How’s this for clever? Etsy seller Yours Truly xoxo (aka a Brooklyn, New York crafter named Ilana) turns empty wine bottles and vintage decanters into fetching accent lamps with colorful, custom-made shades. Ilana can create custom shades for either table or pendant lamps in your choice of fabrics as well. See all of Yours Truly xoxo’s repurposed lighting creations right here. –Leah H.

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

When I saw this rug over on Happy Mundane it was love at first sight. It’s the Jackson Stripe Rug from Crate & Barrel and it’s both colorful and muted at the same time. Maybe this one will sit better with my boyfriend’s taste. I’ve been searching for a replacement for some time now. It’s a bit pricey, but luckily my living room only calls for smallest size. –Erica P.

Check out the Ice Orb at Happy Mundane. Perhaps it will work better than certain other ice cube trays we’ve known.

Step up your DIY skills at Casa Sugar, where you can learn how to fix a leaky faucet.

A beautiful floral sofa by Lulu at, appropriately enough, Absolutely Beautiful Things. A traditional floral is looking more and more fresh to us.

On a completely different note: I Suwannee is looking at the bookcase; we’re looking at the sofa.

We haven’t been keeping up with our hotel porn, so here’s some at Apartment Therapy.

Labor Day has come and gone, but you can still find the perfect beach cottage at Habitually Chic.

Here’s somewhere we’ve just begun checking in: Gardening Gone Wild, with tons of helpful and inspiring posts like this one on trellises and screens.

Another new addition to our reading list is Hewn and Hammered, a site dedicated to Craftsman revival. This is a fun little post on the great things you can find in the walls — or in this case, as the walls — when you renovate. (On a side note, ask Mary T. about the time her husband found a mummified squirrel in the wall. Or don’t!)

A few weeks ago, I read a story at The Consumerist with the guilt-inducing title “Why Do Americans Insist On Buying Cheap Crap Instead Of High Quality Merchandise?” That post links to an article at Money on whether to skimp or splurge. (Money also has an entire section dedicated to the skimp-or-splurge dilemma.) The idea of purchasing just one high quality chef’s knife rather than a whole block of sub-par ones was something of a revelation to me. But it is awfully tempting to buy the occasional snazzy yet flimsy piece of furniture from a big box store. So tell me, readers — where are you okay with skimping and where do you invest the bigger bucks? Many homes and budgets could no doubt benefit from your insight. –Mary T.

Photo by John Boyer

Any runners in the crowd? Power walkers? Straight up leisurely strollers? Well I’m guessing if you haven’t already discovered the wonder that is gmap-pedometer.com, you’re sure to fall in love soon. The site is a hack of google maps that allows you track running or walking routes to find the distance and calories burned. First, you simply enter a ZIP code to zoom into a specific area. Click “start recording” on the left hand side of the screen, then double click at your starting point on the map. Click points along your route wherever you turn, and watch as the site calculates your distance. It’s great for mapping running workouts or training for races. For another gauge on a workout, click on the calorie counter and get a guesstimate as to how many you burned. -Erica P.

1. There’s a site out there for everything — even organizing Christmas! Tiffany writes, “I live by http://www.organizedchristmas.com. Couldn’t get through the holidays without it.” She was commenting at our post on the site Homemaking Organized.

2. If you’re going to buy real estate with a friend, plan, plan, plan. Most of you wouldn’t buy real estate with a friend. DJ, however, would, “if I felt the friend or family member were the exact right person to go into business with, and if I had a top-notch lawyer working with me to set up all the paperwork. I watched a friend get into a co-housing situtation with a bunch of acquaintances that was, to put it mildly, ill-thought out…Yet another friend, in a very well-organized, planned, purchase, got together with the other tenants of their four-plex, purchased it, and turned it into a tenants in common. They had clear goals, clear expectations, clear contracts drawn up by their attorney… it worked out well.” Join the debate on “co-ho-ing” here.

3. Most of you aren’t sold on artificial grass. We’re pleased to see that a representative of SynLawn weighed in on our post about artificial grass — we’re just happy they’re checking out what people are saying about the concept. Most of you, however, feel the negatives of fake grass outweigh the benefits. Says Dorian, “Grass clippings are actually great mulch for your lawn, as well as good for your compost bin. And you don’t need to use chemicals to keep a grass lawn! …Sunset Mag did a great spread on dog-friendly yards that featured alternatives to grass, both the real and fake kinds.” Readers, we’ll look into those dog-friendly yards for you. In the meantime, join the grass conversation here.

4. Stuffed peppers for dinner can sound super easy. Reader Kate F says, “Last night at Trader Joe’s I picked up tomato sauce, ground beef and (eep!!) precooked brown rice to make stuffed peppers with the onions and green peppers I’d gotten from the farm. To go with the stuffed peppers I made a carrot salad with ribbons of the colored carrots I’d also gotten from the farm.” That sounds delicious! And so easy! So what’s in your grocery bag?

5. All this “message art” might be sending the wrong message! Ellie likes the “It’s ok” eco-friendly art…but. “Just bought mine. Can’t decide if it will be better at home or the office. Combined with the ‘ol ‘keep calm’ and ’somebody save me’ at work, I wonder if people will think i’m stressed or simply have needy taste in art.” Thanks for the smile, Ellie!

Making it Lovely is updating her office for under $200 — see the guest post at Decor8. (We wish our “after” version looked as good as her “before.”)

We can’t help loving David Byrne, and we’re amused to read about his artful NYC bike racks at Wallpaper.

The artificial grass post got a lot of traction (heh) and at least one reader suggested a dought-tolerant garden instead. So here are a few places to start: this column from Massachusetts that could be a good source of inspiration for any area, this article on xeriscaping that includes a long list of dought-tolerant plants, and this very simple yet very helpful drought-tolerant landscape plan at about.com.

Underground dining at “anti-restaurants” — now that’s a concept. Especially when you help butcher the meat for your meal. Read more at the New York Times.

Awww: ECOZOO backpacks for kids at Inhabitat and Style Saves the World.

Admire some mid-century-style furniture made from skateboards (cooler than it sounds) at Whorange.

Calphalon at real-world prices is now available At Target. Not Martha has the scoop.

So we’re a little obsessed at times with the garden sheds, but we’re liking the Greengate Ranch Remodel garden shed project that we found at Charles and Hudson.

Modish features some very fun art from Nea that has some design elements that we’re noticing more and more: embroidery hoops and moustaches.

It’s a holiday weekend, and like most of you, we’re taking Monday off. We’ll be back Tuesday — have a great weekend!