What’s better than a beer? Beer cupcakes! I made these Guinness cupcakes a little early for St. Patrick’s Day, and they were gobbled up faster than you can say, “Erin go bragh.” Guinness has a subtle, naturally sweet taste to it, so it melded nicely into cupcakes. The desserts weren’t overly sugary and heavy like some cupcakes are (which is both good and dangerous since I ate about four before I realized what happened). Tie on your green apron and try the recipe after the jump! — Katie D. Click for Guiness cupcakes! Read the rest of this entry »

Have you checked out Lonny yet, the online-only home and fashion magazine? The current issue has a feature related to my recently rekindled desire to get my house more organized. With a variety of fun ideas and closet inserts, they get you inspired to find storage in just 20 inches of space. Visit Lonny Magazine and flip through the virtual pages of the spring issue to find this feature. (You can print the pages from their website, too.) — Mary T.

Yes, my pewter obsession continues with a new line from Juliska, “‘Pewter’ Stoneware.” That’s right — Juliska’s “pewter” is actually stoneware with a hammered luster, so it can go from table to a 500-degree oven, the microwave, or even the freezer. A far cry from real pewter, which would melt at just 450 degrees, or old pewter, which was made with lead! While it looks great in the photo, I’m curious to see if in-store the “Pewter” Stoneware surface will be too shiny compared to the patina I adore in old pewter. A large platter is $92 and chargers are $66 each. — Sarah L.

Related:
Joan Rivers’ kitchen
Holiday prep time

Nerds around the world, sharpen your pencils and shine your calculators — Pi Day is upon us again. Every year, 3/14 is a day we set apart to celebrate Pi, the mathematical constant describing the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, because the first three digits are 3, 1, and 4. Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (H.RES.224) recognizing the holiday, which is also Einstein’s birthday. That’s all the justification I need to party.

Because this year’s celebration, isn’t until next Sunday, we have plenty of time to get our pi-parations in order. Visit PiDay.org to learn more about the greatness that is Pi, or send your most deserving friends an e-card. Stock up on your Pi apparel, like this T-shirt from Neatorama or hoodies and housewares from ThinkGeek.

And get those Pi-cecubes a-chillin’ for their signature Pi-Tini, because once Pi Day eclipses, we’ve got 365 long ones until it’s here again. (Unless, of course, you count Pi Approximation Day on 7/22.) And if you need a little Pi year-round, check out Katie D.’s Pi dresser find for some furniture inspiration. — Sarah C.

Here’s one from contributor Megan B.’s neighborhood! West Seattle Blog just posted this story of a Pigeon Point resident who decided that a little humor was the best approach to increased traffic brought on by street construction. The resulting signs are sure to be more effective than my approach, which is basically to shake my fist and yell. If you’re creative and have to deal with a lot of traffic on your street, maybe a sign-making session is worth thinking about. See both signs here. — Mary T.

There’s a whole group of design enthusiasts who are tired of the ubiquitous “Keep Calm and Carry On’” posters (spoiler alert: us). To those of you who are totally over it, perhaps these WPA posters can fill the void.

President Franklin Roosevelt created the Federal Arts Project during the Great Depression as a way to keep artists employed, promote healthy living and American tourism, and to emphasize community.

The Library of Congress houses the largest known collection of about 900 posters. The striking lithograph, woodcut, and silkscreen posters are simple and engaging all at once. Visit Apartment Therapy for a simple guide to ordering prints. — Katie D.

Now you don’t have to hunt for a shelf that goes with your wallpaper. Kredema Design, a Swedish company, just launched Off the Wall. Simply combine your choice from their 15 wallpaper designs with your choice of several different 3D acrylic sheets to create shelves, book ledges, or horizontal waves on your walls. Love it? So far Off the Wall is only in-store overseas, but you can make an order request online. — Sarah L.

In a span of 30 years, I’ve gone from putting French dressing on my tacos (because mild salsa was TOO HOT) to becoming a real chili-head. I’ve become almost addicted to the flush of my cheeks and the burning lips that come after eating something really high on the Scoville scale. So when a friend brought over a bottle of El Yucateco, I was immediately hooked. It’s not just spicy, which the habaner- based sauce guarantees, but it’s also got a unique almost floral-like sweetness that preludes the barrage of heat on your tongue. Apparently, I’m not the only one who loves this stuff — I just recently spotted an episode of “Mexico: One Plate at a TIme” where chef/host Rick Bayless takes a tour of the factory down in the Yucatan Peninsula. Gourmet, yes, but not at all pricey — I spent a mere $2 on my little bottle at the local Salvadorean Bakery, but it’s available here, starting at $3.40. — Megan B.

1) Baked oatmeal is the recipe that keeps on giving. viaKendra apparently had quite a few snafus when she first gave it a try last weekend, but says: “Thank goodness the recipe is forgiving… I’ve been enjoying it all week. My husband loves it, and I’ve shared the recipe with 3 coworkers who’ve enjoyed samples. It’s dense enough to be a hand-held treat, and not too sweet, but I like to heat it up in a bowl with milk and maple syrup and eat it with a spoon like delicious porridge.” Click to read the recipe from November that still has people commenting.

2) Renters’ insurance? That’s a yes. Like most of you, kimberj says: “We insisted that our kids have renters insurance once they graduated college and were on their own. Too many big ticket items including furniture, electronics, even clothes, shoes, and jewelry can cost a fortune to replace. …You can’t control potential idiot neighbors or negligent landlords. Hers even covers earthquake damage, vital in LA. For us its worth the peace of mind.” Do you have renters insurance?

3) Moss looks wonderful, but it can be slippery. Sarah E. says: “My husband’s parents have moss covering a good portion of their lawn which has the same conditions you describe: shady, hilly and clay-ey. It really does look beautiful and is ridiculously easy to care for, but be careful if that area gets foot traffic — it can get extremely slippery after a good rain! Learn more about moss.

4) You’ve have tips for installing the inexpensive modern house numbers. RomeoandJewels says: “We installed these — got them at OSH. Be very careful and drill the hole exactly the same size and be careful with the positioning. We thought that we could ’stretch’ the screw over a little when installing them and we ended up snapping off a bunch of screws. They do look fantastic now that they’re up!” (Editor’s note: I put up those numbers, too! I didn’t break any screws, but that’s probably because I am bad at drilling — all the holes are huge, but it’s not an issue because you fill them with caulk. They do look great! — Mary T.) See the house numbers here.

5) Real Simple’s grocery shopping organizer has fans, too. This comment actually comes from Shelterrific’s Facebook page, where Alyson says: “I have been using a Real Simple grocery list thingy for the past few years and I loooove it. …A pre-printed check list with basic items and room for your own additions that follows the lay out of most grocery stores. It makes for super efficient shopping trips.” Check out Real Simple’s new line of closet and bedroom organizers, and hey — fan Shelterrific on Facebook, if you like.

Photo by Zsuzsanna Horváth

Check out these adorable pad pod planters at Whorange — we’ll take one in each color!

In search of the perfect chicken paprikash recipe at the Kitchn. The good recipes seem to be in the comments.

Yet another iphone app we need: the hipstamatic, via swissmiss.

Good advice from the Happiness Project: finish your projects, or put an end to them.

This is fun: cutting boards that double as decor, at Casa Sugar.

Look what else a Roomba can do! The Gaagle Bot: a Roomba hacked to scan and index your belongings so that they can be searched on a database with Google. So cool. Via Boing Boing.

David Lebovitz explains the difference between Dutch process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder. Good to know!

Design*Sponge shows us how to make a tree-shaped car air freshener that actually smells nice.

BPA in tooth fillings? Looks like it — yikes! At The Huffington Post.

And, as a chaser, we bring you glitzy-crazy toilet seats from Toiluxe.