What happened to the old-school concept of a simple wall-mounted bookcase with books? A place where you randomly shelve your books, perhaps in genre groupings? Well our design-obsessed world has moved beyond and a bookcase is now as much a focal point as a work of art.

I have a tear sheet of this product hanging on my bulletin board at work. Of course I have no idea where I pulled it from, so I was psyched to find it on the LMNOP blog. I love how simple they are, but what if they were painted with chalkboard paint and you could label your book categories? Love, love.

I know this is not a new idea, but I am still smitten with it. My husband refuses to use the spine color as a reference point to find a book. But as we start packing our books for the move, I’m going to secretly pack them by color. Just in case. Found via Color Me Happy.

“Where’s my Catcher in the Rye?,” he asks. “Check Idaho.” Oh Ohdeedoh!

Every time I go to a flea market, I stare at old suitcases and wonder what I would do with one if I took it home. Clearly I’m not the first to have thought of the possibilities…take a look.

  

Two fabulous options of suitcase tables found at Bijou Kaleidoscope. Brilliant. I’m especially impressed with the engineering of the one on the right.

I love the idea of turning a make-up case into a vanity case. Found via Crafting a Green World.

How great would these be in an airline exec’s office? So clever. Found via Apartment Therapy.

I know it’s February and gardening months seem like a distant memory or a far-away future, but that’s exactly why I need to daydream about plant life.

Imagine if every pothole was planted into a lovely garden? Many tires would be saved! Pothole gardens by Pete Dungey; found at Cup of Jo.

Have you ever unpacked a box of books from your basement and found that it had been ruined by water damage? Turn them into planters. Found via Happy Cavalier.

These planters mimic the method of growing avocados; just rest them in a small cup or bowl of your choice. Found via Crib Candy.

Who else is ready to get their green thumb on?

I know this trend has been, well, trending for a while, but I’m feeling like faux antlers* are not only lodgey-cool, but they are also utilitarian.

Not only are these electrical outlets adorable, but they are useful too. Plug your charger in and rest your phone, camera, or whatever on top of the antlers, keeping your electronics away from any dusty floorboards.

Ever since I visited the Savannah College of Art and Design last summer, I’ve had a major crush on these plush animal busts, cleverly called Plushkill. They are quirky and sweet, don’t ya think?

My friends Lissa and Alex gave me Fred (this cardboard moose) for my birthday this year. They came late to the scavenger hunt, but they guessed there may be 35 pieces, thus qualifying it for the contest. (Read this post if you don’t know what I speak of.) I can’t wait to hang our friend Fred in the new apartment (more on that later).

*No animals were harmed in the production of these products.

For the past 10 summers, I have volunteered a week in August to Birch Family Camp, a residential camp program that brings New York City families living with HIV/AIDS to the woods for a week. It is seven real days of respite for these families that live everyday with the realities of illness, poverty, and many of life’s devastating trials.

Over the last 6 months, we collected recipes from the camp families and volunteers to put together our version of a family cookbook, S’more to Love. It is full of anecdotes, smiling faces, and of course, delicious recipes from all over the world.

We are a teeny program that really and truly improves the lives and spirits of our campers. We struggle each year to meet our budget so that our campers can shine with glitter and drink bug juice for one more year. $40, the cost of the book, can feed a whole group of campers for a full day. That’s nothing, right? Nothing, but everything.

Special thanks to Blurb.com for their generous donation and professional printing.