Another Wednesday, another vacation fantasy creeping into my head. Last week it was tree houses, this week, it’s campers. Just look at these beauties! They are from Cricket Trailer and they are made to order starting at around $15,000. They are made from lightweight, eco friendly materials (go Earth Week!) and are just the right size for a small family of three, like ours (sorta). Each camper is about 6 and half feet by 15 — or the size of my first NYC apartment. True, that’s tiny, but when the whole wide world is at your doorstop, who cares! You can customize it to suit your needs — adding kitchen, bathroom, storage and bunking comforts. Because Crickets are made to order, you need to “get in line” for yours. Roadtrip spring 2013, anyone? What a fun caravan we would make.

BTW, I spotted Crickets on Pinterest, via our friends at Charles & Hudson. Their other awesome and insanely inspiring site, Built by Kids was just nominated for a well-deserved Webby. Please vote for them here!

The thing about vacations is that as soon as one finishes, the next one starts blooming in your fantasies. As you know, lately I’ve been daydreaming about all the houses we can rent while traveling. That was until I came across Treehouse Point, a collection of Treehouses outside of Seattle available for overnight stays, weddings, events — even business meetings! I am sure a lot of creative thinking could be done up high with the birds — think of all the Hunger Game role playing you could act out up there. But a destination wedding would be really dreamy (leave the Tarzan jokes behind, please). If your night up in the canopy leaves you really inspired, you could take a treehouse building workshop. In three to five days, you’ll learn everything you need to “get off the ground on the right foot.”

Last year, I called on Shelterrific readers to point me towards the best food in New Orleans. I ate like a queen during my trip (I’m still dreaming about Café du Monde) and so now I’m hoping to tap into your fabulous culinary expertise again. This March, I’m fleeing the chilly Chicago city limits and heading south to the land of legendary brisket for my first ever trip to Texas. I’ll be spending most of my time in San Antonio and one day in Austin. Help me out, y’all: where should I eat?

One of my favorite pastimes is planning vacations. Before I was a part of a family, I would corral friends far in advance and plot out adventures in remote places, hunting down unusual hotels and quintessential experiences — like a cave hotel in Andalucia or a tree house in Kauai. Now that we have a little one, the idea of plopping down in a gorgeous spot for a week is what we crave — and one hotel room just doesn’t cut it: The kid falls asleep around 8:30 and then me and the hubs are left watching tv very, very quietly. It’s special kind of torture. Sooooo, for our next trip we’re renting a house in Florida that we found through homeaway.com. I swear their recent sardonic Super Bowl ad had nothing to do with that decision. But suddenly I feel empowered. Where else can we rent houses … Maine? Costa Rica? Italy? I love the idea of digging in, shopping locally and exploring my domestic side in far away lands. Browsing the site shows that many of the houses for rent are, to put it mildly, decorating cliches (think seashells and an rope anchors). Somehow those things are always charming when you’re in the place. The key is to not get seduced and bring any of it home with you!

Btw, the above paradise is in St. Lucia, just $600 a night. Click here to make it yours (and please, write about it here so we can live vicariously through you).

Do you rent houses when you go away? What have your experiences been? Do you know of other sites besides homeaway.com?

We spent a lovely day in Charleston, SC last week, admiring its historic churchyards, cobble stoned streets and shuttered row houses. Little did we expect to find such a mod decor idea there. At Kaminsky‘s downtown, the smell of wafting french roast mixed with baking cupcakes, while our eyes soaked in the these clever wall coverings. From across the dining room, they had a undulating texture that cast soft shadows in the morning sun glow. On closer inspection, we realized that this expensive looking treatment was really just rows of wall trim. The moulding that most homes use around the base or in decorative accents was glued onto the walls row after row, in creating a texture that was both organic and organized. Replicating the same effect in your home would not be too difficult; the hard part might be deciding your level of commitment. If you glued them on, it would be impossible to remove without destroying the wall. Another option would be to drill them on, and then spackle over the holes before painting. We’re thinking it’d be fun in a small room (like a half bath) or perhaps on just an accent wall. The white color used in Kaminsky’s allowed the shadows to take center stage, but it also might be interesting in a pale clay or grey. If you’re ever in Charleston, but sure to stop by 78 N. Market Street for a piece of red velvet cake and a look around. – Angela M.

What do you think? If money was no object, you want an “intelligent” toilet in your bathroom?

I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco last month, and it was an amazing experience. The property is still family-owned (it belongs to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group) so it has that boutique hotel feel, but with all of the luxury amenities you’d expect from a large property (and then some!).

One of the things I was particularly struck by was the decor in the rooms. I’m so used to hotel rooms all looking exactly the same: white bed linens, white or cream walls, generic Impressionist art prints on the walls, and wood furniture in a dark cherry finish. But when I stepped into my room at the Huntington, I was shocked – the room was actually decorated. With thought, and attention, and individuality. So impressive!

The centerpiece of the room (aside from the amazing view) was a huge canvas photography print by Thomas Seawell. I was in love with it…and even more so when I realized it had been the color inspiration for the entire room.Using one multicolored piece to pull the color scheme of a room is a classic decorator’s trick, and it worked perfectly in this case. By using the palette in the photo, the designer was able to pull together a group of colors that wouldn’t have worked without the art to anchor the room, and the final result was flawless. The walls were painted a pale chartreuse, the armchairs and lamps were a warm, bright orange, and there were hints of creamy linen, black and gold throughout the room to add a luxe, cohesive touch.

Have you tried using a single piece of art, upholstery fabric, a rug or some other statement piece to define the color scheme of a room? –Becki S.

Among the pile of September catalogs ready to launch us into the fall is Anthropologie’s stunning Issue 9. We’re not entirely sure where it was shot, but a story from Stylist last year hints that creative director Trevor Lunn and his crew were heading towards Mongolia. Judging from the vibrant textiles and textures sprinkled throughout, we’re guessing that’s right. If you’ve ever seen a story about a Mongolian Yurt (like this one on Flickr) or the movie Babies you will recognize the gorgeous patterns and embroidery. We’re keeping our eyes open for more behind-the-scenes info on this catalog (let us know if you find any), but in the meantime, we’re gonna drool over this one till it gets sloppy.

This summer, I am hitting the beach whenever possible — book in hand, husband and sunscreen in tow. How nice would it be, though, to bring along some tunes for us to enjoy while basking on our favorite near-secluded beach? When I spotted the uber-tiny, USB powered I.dear speaker by MOMA at Velocity Art and Design, I knew I had to have it. Standing at less than 2 inches tall, the I.dear can pump out some seriously warm sounds, thanks to its wood construction. And at $36, I can still afford the gas to get to the sandy shore! — Megan B.

I bought my first aluminum soap case on a whim, not knowing what to do with it but liking it all the same. It sat on my desk for a month, maybe more, until I figured out it was the perfect size for my phone earbuds and a flash drive. (Since I take both with me for work, they always ended up floating around in the depths of my purse. Not anymore.) Soap cases are also the perfect size for stashing business cards, corralling coins or any number of small oddities. My latest find? A vintage Girl Scouts soap case. You can find the aluminum dishes for under $10 on Etsy or eBay. Other pressed metal cases start in the $30s, like this one on Ruby Lane. Lastly, there’s silver soap cases. I’ve seen examples starting at $100, but this $500 Gorham case takes the cake. — Sarah L.