6 extraordinarily stubborn 'nail houses', like the house in Up. Edith's house here in Seattle is the first example! (via Kottke)

Pick Punch Make guitar picks from anything. Interesting. I wonder if it would actually punch through a credit card? Or should Scott just keep using his keychain nail clippers to make a pick? (From Alyssa, thanks!)

The cultural signifiers and genre sexism of urban fantasy :: Rebecca Blood. Rebecca points us to a very good article.

The Park Bench: How to Meet and Woo a Nerdy Girl. Very funny, I like Tip #11.

Make hay while the sun shines : Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. Susan Gibbs explains why this isn't just a saying.

The Syrah Boom That Wasn't : Why do people think this wine sucks? - CHOW. A brief explanation of good and bad Syrah and why everybody seems to have stopped buying it.

cheese straws | smitten kitchen. Perfect party trick indeed.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl Sundae - Ruhlman.com. My goodness I love this.

DIY Maraschino Cherries at Edible Crafts

pork, knife & spoon A blog all about pork!

BaconCamp / Bacone totally brilliant, bacon cooked into the shape of a cone. Puts my bacon cup to shame, really.

New Finds: Garlic-Destroying Bowl I once watched Chef Reinvented make a paste of garlic by throwing in a little salt and dragging a knife across the mixture. I couldn't recreate it at home, maybe this bowl would sooth my ego? At Chow.

Brie: Should You Eat the Rind? At Chow. I've never figured this out.

Donut Day! at Cook & Eat. For a moment I thought that was a ham and cheese donut. Now I must try to make that.

Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits I used regular milk for these and with a little butter and honey they were a quick save to an otherwise boring breakfast.

A Defining Moment A tested and approved version of no-knead bread that includes whole wheat flour and steel cut oats. At Kiss My Spatula.

lemon, parmesan & chickpea cabbage salad at everybody likes sandwiches

Bahhh-licious! 3-D soup crackers, gluten free. At Design*Sponge.

A big thanks to A Sheherd's Tale, the blog of the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, for being a sponsor on this site. I've talked previously about the farm and how amazing it is that Susan can keep an amazing blog considering how very, very much she does. I'm truly in awe of her, the business, and how much goodness she brings into the world. If you don't already follow her adventures I highly encourage you to do so, she gives such a generous window into her world. And if you are looking for an incredible gift for a knitter or spinner, I suggest again a share in the fiber CSA would be perfect.

Say hello to the cuteness:

I'll buy no kits before it's time. | Ask Metafilter. Home brewing without buying a kit. At Ask Metafilter.

Cave B Estate Winery. Found via Seattle Tall Poppy's Twitter stream, full of great food info.

How to Make Your Own Irish Cream Liqueur | The Hungry Mouse. Found on Edible Crafts.

Tasty crops for a gin garden? | Ask Metafilter. Now, I could get into this sort of edible gardening.

Margarita etiquette | Ask Metafilter. Is there an accepted way to get to enjoy the salt?

Peach White-Wine Sangria Recipe at Epicurious.com. I'm going to have to find a reason to make this sangria sometime soon.

A big thanks to MirrorMate Frames for being a sponsor for this site. I've talked about their custom sized and easy to install frames for mirrors previously, but I didn't get a chance to go into how much I appreciate their attention to detail. I have a huge mirror, 39 x 63 inches, that I inherited with this house. It's incredibly heavy and the edges are chipped. When I was first reading about MirrorMate Frames I figured they wouldn't work for my huge mirror because it sits on the floor and I thought the frames would need clearance around the outside of the mirror. Turns out, the MirrorMate people had already considered that and can make frames to clear when a mirror is up against a wall or counter. They've also taken into consideration if a mirror is held up with those clear plastic clips and can build the frames so that the clips don't interfere with the frames sitting flush against the surface of your mirror. They even have a video on their website that shows all the steps of assembling and placing the frame, which is made as easy for you as possible and includes temporary placement corners as guides.

More reasons to like them: they are doing everything they can to be a green company, their frames are build here in the USA, they are woman created and owned and the entire idea was started when Lisa Huntting needed a solution for the mirrors in her bathroom and decided that if she couldn't find it she would make one.

This one might be something a lot of you do already, but if you don't please allow me to recommend that the next time you buy bacon you get an extra package to squirrel away in the freezer. It leads to happy Saturday mornings like this one:

Him: Let's make french toast. Do we have something to go with it?
Me: Let me check the freezer... YES! WE HAVE BACON!

I cut the whole package of bacon in half only because I find it easier to separate later (it also is easier to cook crispy when you don't have to worry about the other end burning). I cut a strip of parchment paper the width of the bacon then put a strip down, fold over, put another strip down, fold that over, etc. Put it in an airtight container in the freezer and when you need some you simply unroll the package and pop out a few strips at a time. There, so much nicer than trying to pry off a strip from a frozen mass of bacon.

update: I just wanted to add that I have seen this a few places before I started doing it. The one that immediately comes to mind is this post over at Eating Well Anywhere.

Amazon.com: Lowel EGO Digital Imaging, Tabletop Fluorescent Light Unit: Camera & Photo. These came from a tip by Savory Sweet Life on Twitter.

Cool Feet Laptop Stands available at Delight.com. Scott and I were just talking about needing this very thing when we hook up the laptop to the tv to watch online shows like The Guild.

Women in Tech, Gina Trapani and Tiffany B. Brown. Cinnamon on two women in technology that she admires.

Leaked: first video of Ico/Shadow of the Colossus creators' Trico - Offworld. Eee!! We're going to buy our next gaming console based on which one will play this game.

Where Can I Listen to Other People's Conversations? | Ask Metafilter.

Superfiller. Find a Filler to Qualify for Amazon.com's Free Shipping! The Amazon Discount Table is also really useful when you just need something like an extra SD card.

Easy Storage Solutions From A to Z, at Real Simple. My cabinet handle as hanging bar was mentioned in this article. Sadly the print edition gave the URL notmartha.com, but it was fixed in the online article.

Guest bedroom window. At Door Sixteen. Great post about repairing old windows with links to resources.

Target Pod Chair We need a few casual chairs, and in a room with an orange wall, but I don't know if I these would flop-able enough.

Nexus medicine cabinet Really nice in-wall medicine cabinet. At Ikea Hacker.

diy wednesdays: wallpapered medicine cabinet We're getting ready to redo a bathroom, I like this idea for decorating the interior of a medicine cabinet. At Design*Sponge.

Delight Your Room Wallflowers! available at Delight.com I like these better than most of the wall stickers.

Silicone Door Stop (set of 3)-- Better Living Through Design Simple and functional.

Strips 4 Seat Sofa-- Better Living Through Design I hate itchy sofa fabrics, maybe I could make a quilted cover like this one should I ever, uh, accidentally buy an itchy sofa.

Advice for growing hops | Ask Metafilter

ironing board cubby spice rack She used screw eyes as shelf supports that are easy to adjust to make the shelves level, very clever!

Mighty Girl » Green Pockets by Maruja Fuentes

shelterrific » more fun with window film

swissmiss | Mila. A nicely minimal profile shoe rack.

Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News: Purse Organizer Found During Flight to Paris (and 8 More).

Black Canvas Dress - Lincoln Center. I love this dress from Shabby Apple. Via Chez Shoes. Shabby Apple makes dresses that cover a bit more skin, but are in no way unsexy. Nice.

Bodies in Motivation » Buying (and riding) a new bicycle: things to consider if you’re a n00b. Actual seriously good advice on buying a bicycle, thank goodness.

swissmiss | CableDrop. I've been wanting something like this, but to hold makeup brushes upside down while they dry.

Handmade Clothing on Etsy - Melton Lova by violinhalune

A friend and I got out to the opening of the second location of Trophy Cupcakes here in Seattle last week. The new shop is charming and filled with cupcakes and delightful party favors, and located in a nice stretch of the U Village mall that has a courtyard with tables so you can sit outside and enjoy.

I got Pineapple (upside down cake style), Strawberry and Lemon, Peanut Butter and Chocolate and Triple Coconut. I think my favorite is the coconut.

I found some greeting cards made by Cakespy!

I love the amount of cupcake decorations they have, one of these is filled with Stormtrooper heads.

I love seeing all the perfect cupcakes standing in tidy rows.