For lots of us, that means delighting in all the beauty of the world around us — a pastime made even easier by sites like Pinterest and Etsy. And today, we’ve pulled together a host of adorable clocks from the fine folks just like us who have their own little online shops on the side. Get ready for some Etsy therapy!

First, there’s this aviary clock from Wall Decoration — a sweet parental story presented in black and white:

Next, from the same shop, check out this little guy for those who just can’t get enough of their Droid phones:

Since we’re rather literally riding the theme of “creature” comforts, so to speak, here’s a cute lime green elephant clock from LeLuni (who, by the way, also has roosters, rhinos and rabbits… oh my!) that would be equally charming in a kid’s room or a kitchen:

And up top, leading off today’s post is a polka dot creation from Shannybeebo. Of course, these are just a tiny sampling of everything that’s available out there, so with that, we’ll bid you a timely adieu. Happy shopping!

Photo credits: Shannybeebo, Wall Decoration (x2) and LeLuni

Whether it’s a bold, bright lemon or a subtle lemonade, any shade of yellow literally brightens the space it’s in and provides a sunnier outlook on things with its optimistic hue. When paired with black or grey, it even ascends to an unexpected level of sophistication.

Today, we’re inviting you to let the sun shine in a little and play around with this irrepressibly happy color.

Photo credits: More Love XOXO (first & last images in series), Deny Designs and B Design Interiors

In response to the uber-high-end interior design magazines of the early 2000s, which included largely inaccessible (re: incredibly expensive) furniture and home accents to the sort of clientele who could ably hire interior designers to do their bidding for them, domino blessedly shed the sheen of six-figure personal incomes and provided a high/low mix of ideas and inspiration for the “middle-middle class” woman with an eye for design.

In short, it took high-end concepts and provided an avenue through which to make them real in a typical suburban home.

Per its publisher, Conde Nast, flailing ad revenues were to blame for the short shelf life of the magazine. domino enjoyed a four-year run from its debut in 2005 through its closure in 2009, much to the chagrin of its followers, many of whom are likely the very folks who then took to the web and launched their own personal design blogs — the ones we’ve now grown so accustomed to checking out on a regular basis.

Gone, too, was  ”My Deco File,” the online application domino launched to give readers a way to collect and catalog inspiration points, i.e., photos of gorgeous interiors and clever DIY ideas.  (Sound familiar?)

This spring, much to our delight, domino came back — sort of — with a publication appropriately called Quick Fixes, since that’s exactly what it gave the magazine’s forlorn followers who set the web ablaze in March and April with their enthusiasm for the taste-making publication’s resurgence.

It’s now available on newsstands nationwide.

Photo credits: Project Soiree (main image) and Conde Nast Publications.

1. Refurbish & renew.

Let’s say you want to refresh your interiors, and you want to do it in an eco-conscious way, but you’re not quite sure where to start. Good news: sometimes, the answer is right underneath your nose. If you’re even remotely crafty, it’s easy as pie to take what you’ve already got and give it a bit of a makeover.

Maybe you have a set of dining room chairs that you absolutely love — you bought them in the first place for exactly that reason, right? — but the upholstery is coming apart or just looks dated. There’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater; innumerable how-to articles and videos are available all over the web and in magazines dedicated to decor and crafting — giving your current furniture a facelift may be as simple as a few clicks of your mouse and a trip to the local craft store.

An added bonus: reupholstering, slipcovering, or adding a coat of paint can be a fun individual or family activity to boot, and the cost savings are usually amazing. So before you keep the “keep” pile and toss the “toss” pile, give the latter a second look. There might be something of value in it.

2. Buy objects made from sustainable materials.

A basic principle of “green living” that’s actually rather easy to achieve is simply choosing to buy furnishings and decor made from sustainable materials that don’t leave as negative an impact on the earth as their less-conscious counterparts.

Bamboo is a perfect example; it’s the darling of the sustainability movement at the moment and is increasing in popularity (and, therefore, availability). It’s easy and fast to grow in place of what’s been cut down and used before it; in sum, there’s no depletion of the species taking place, and no harsh chemicals like the ones used in the manufacturing of many plastics and other synthetic materials. Bamboo itself is lightweight, flexible and beautiful — definitely something worth considering when you’re looking to buy a new table, bed, patio furniture or anything else commonly made of wood.

3. Upcycle & repurpose.

Whether you’re strapped for cash or simply want to take on a creative challenge that helps the earth by minimizing wastefulness, upcycling and repurposing can be a rewarding experience with zero negative impact on the world around us.

Take a look around your home. Chances are, you’ve got plenty of common household items on hand that, although they’re just plain taking up space at the moment, may be able to do an entirely new job, and beautifully. Look no further than Pinterest for tutorials and inspiration on anything from painting or decoupaging an oatmeal can and using it as a headband organizer to creating a chandelier out of used wine bottles or mason jars. With a smidge of inventiveness and a critical eye, what used to be headed for the trash can become one of your latest treasures.

Photo credits: Kenyon Yeh (x2), Pottery Barn and The Gaines Gang.

The first is likely the most obvious — the shower curtain, like the one shown above from Anthropologie. If you have a glass-enclosed shower and/or tub, there’s not much you can do to change it that doesn’t require, at the very least, a toolkit and at most, a small construction crew.

But if you’re rocking a shower curtain and it’s lost its charm, a new one can completely transform your space, and often for less than $20 or $30. Complement it, if you wish, with a quirky rug in a complementary shade like this one:

The next no-brainer is fresh new towels.  If you can’t decide on a color scheme or just need to bring a little balance to whatever’s already going on across the spectrum, you can’t go wrong with soft, fluffy oversized white towels. Hotels use them for a reason: they’re classic, comforting and crisp. Bonus points in the swank department if you get monograms (no need to break the bank, either; the set pictured below is from none other than Target).

If clutter is half the battle, you can swiftly conquer it with a simple little beauty box. Corral your jewelry, barrettes, hair ties and the like in a gorgeous little jewelry box, a fabric-lined basket or even a plain glass bowl. We love this miniature set of drawers in particular:

And for the final touch to pull it all together, consider reeling in your toothbrush, tissues, soaps, trash and anything else you can think of with a cohesive set of bath coordinates. Again, Target comes to the rescue with this oh-so-meta set for the Helvetica font geek in all of us:

In a space as small and functional as a bathroom, a little goes a long way. Whether you’re adding a little personality or just toning it down and cleaning it up with a single color or a bit of organization, one or two small changes can make all the difference in the world.

And that’s great, since you barely have time to get it done in the first place…but then again, a makeover that only takes an hour or two but lasts for months or years sounds like a pretty smart investment to us. Happy primping!

Photo credits: Anthropologie (x3) and Target (x2).

As for home trends, though, sun-soaked vintage pastels are making a huge comeback, from warm sherbet hues to the ever-classic robin’s egg blue. A perfect example: cutie-pie Rachel Bilson’s new housewares line for Macy’s, Edie Rose, mixes and matches peachy patterned place settings with bird and hydrangea patterns, bringing a vintage chic element to the dinner table.

Target’s getting in on the action, too, with these soft microsuede throw pillows in a gorgeous, “give-me-that-right-now” Tiffany blue hue…and the best part is, they’re incredibly easy to clean:

Anthropologie — seriously, who doesn’t love Anthropologie? — doesn’t disappoint with its trio of peach, aqua and rose-colored nesting tables. If the $898 price tag gives you heart palpitations, take heart: these cuties are a DIY project in the making. With an abundance of mid-century furniture at vintage and thrift shops everywhere, it shouldn’t be hard to create your own set.

If your kiddos want to stay on trend right alongside you, PBTeen has a 1950s-inspired palette of striped sheets on sale online; or, of course, you could always just buy them for yourself. We won’t tell.

Photo credits: Macy’s, Target, Anthropologie and PBTeen. 

Think coasters, like these from Etsy. Since wool is naturally water resistant, it makes for a perfect coaster. One that won’t let your glass drip all over your table when you pick it up either. So no little dribbles.

What about folded and stitched into a bin for toys? Get a load of this adorable felt toy bin from Wooli. Oh, the possibilities.

Not to mention all of the out of the box uses…like rugs. I think this hall runner from Filz Felt is just the bomb. I wonder how slippery it is, but that’s probably easily fixed with one of those under rug pads that is designed to un-slip the slip. And as a circle rug. Divine!

And finally, get ready to have your mind blown. Felt window coverings (also from Filz Felt). Whaaaaat? Now, admittedly, felt window coverings aren’t for everyone, and they do require the right space. But used in a loft, or even as a huge room divider…I think it’s genius. Don’t think I’ll ever have occasion to live with felt window coverings, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the idea.

My mind is spinning and my fingers are itching for a DIY project! Felt, here I come.

photo credit: “KIUKO“

Like with this kitchen for the kiddos.

Now, look at the before pic.

I would have NEVER imagined an old TV/entertainment cabinet could be turned in to a lovely kitchen for my girls to play with. Now I want to scour my house and transform old, icky furniture into something marvelous, don’t you? I mean, I’ve certainly got a forgotten table I could magically remake…if only I knew what to remake it into…

Here, look at some of the other brilliant ideas.

I know what I like, and that’s about it.

Apparently, this Lytegem lamp is a reproduction of a classic 1965 design by some dude named Michael Lax. Some other famous design dude deemed this lamp “one of the 20th century’s top 100 product designs.”

Hmm. The lamp is cool and all. I could see using it, but really? Top 100? Where does this lamp rate in comparison to such revolutionary products as the Pocket Fisherman or the Clapper?

I jest. Sort of. Let’s talk a little about the product.

This lamp has a telescoping neck and a 360-degree swiveling head. The light has two settings: low and high (Ah…NOW I can see why it was one of the top 100 product designs).

The lamp is versatile. It can be used on a desktop, or mounted to a wall as a sconce. That’s kind of cool. I do like telescoping necks on lamps, because I have a very dark house and the lighting is never quite right.

The picture is a little misleading, though. When I first looked at it, I thought the lamp included everything shown. I thought these cube lamps all attached to one another, making a cool pod of lights. But actually, that’s just showing multiple quantities of the same light.

Bummer. I’d like a light pod, not just one little cube lamp. Especially for $125.00. But if you absolutely must have this commemorative-edition lamp, you can pick it up at Design Within Reach. Your choice of color is….white.

I am sure there are industrial design snobs out there who will laugh at me and tell me I have no appreciation for the art.

And I’m okay with that.

If you’ve read some of my other posts on my disdain for clutter, you’ll know that even something as minor as a towel laying out on the counter would drive me crazy.

I’m not a fan of traditional dish drying racks because they take up too much space. Not to mention that I find them extremely ugly.

But this Grass drying rack by Boon, Inc? This is cool!

This 9×9″ square drying rack is low profile (read: not big and awkward like traditional drying racks). It’s designed to look like, well, grass! In fact, if I didn’t see the bottles on it in the picture, I’d think this was a batch of wheatgrass like you see at Jamba Juice.

There’s a separate and removable bottom tray on it that collects all of the water draining off of your baby supplies. And it’s free of all that junk that the media says we need to really worry about now in our plastics: no BPA, PVC, or Phthalates.

Yes, finally, a baby drying rack you can feel good about.

At only $19.99, this would make a terrific gift for a new mom – especially one whose kitchen space might be limited, or who likes contemporary style.

You can go buy the Grass drying rack at Boon’s website.

There, I said it!

Clutter drives me bananas. I can live with dust, but seeing stuff all over my kitchen counters? That makes my blood boil.

The problem is that I normally cheap out and just buy plain, old, boring plastic tubs when I want to organize. I’m not sure what’s worse: clutter everywhere, or ugly plastic tubs.

And as I get a little bit older, I’m finding that my design aesthetic is moving away from Old World, heavy, traditional pieces to very clean, modern lines with minimal fuss.

When I happened upon these vintage-style metal trunks from CB2, they caught my eye. They really combine my love of storage with a vintage, yet modern design!

You probably know this, but CB2 is a brand owned by Crate and Barrel. The pieces at CB2 are slightly more on the contemporary side than Crate and Barrel’s and often cheaper too.

The metal trunks come in two sizes. The small grey trunk is about 19″ by 10″ by 6″ deep. The large white trunk, shown below, is about 22″ by 13″ by 9″ deep. The grey trunk is $49.95 and the white trunk is $69.95.

The colors are neutral, so they work in any room. CB2 shows them at the foot of a bed or as part of an office setup.

They’re spacious enough to store things like books, craft supplies, magazines, or card and dice games (those things always end up all over the room!). The large one could also fit some dress-up costumes or Legos, which I am endlessly finding around my house.

(Incidentally, if you’ve ever stepped on a Lego in the dark, you understand the severe pain and anguish they can cause and why they should be properly stored at all times!)

Even if you don’t need additional storage options in your home (but who doesn’t?) these are just great as decor items. They’d be perfect to fill up an empty corner of a room, or stack a few as an impromptu end table.

You can check out the metal trunks at CB2.

She’s constantly wanting to do things herself anyway, so I thought I’d jump on that band wagon. I wish I would have seen the Room and Board coat rack, though, before I installed the hooks…it’s so cheery!

It’s just a coat rack, nothing special, but it is better designed than the stuffy ones I’m used to seeing. And, it comes in really great colors like orange, blossom (pink), red, yellow, ocean and navy. It would be lovely in my daughter’s room if I had the space for it.

It’s a little tall for a 3 year old, admittedly, but still, I like it.

And speaking of color making ordinary things look nice, Room and Board has just come out with colorful picture rails:

What a brilliant way to add some color to a room, especially if you’ve got a collection of black and white photographs you’d like to hang. I think color pictures would look nice, too, if you had a large white mat around them to balance things out…what do you think?

Here’s a cool way to handle all those individuals but still have a great looking table: Family chairs from Design House Stockholm.

I love these! Such a sweet modern twist on a windsor chair. While all slightly different, they all go together seamlessly. Like family, hence the name. I especially love the black finish on these.

It’s like we say in our house, “same same, but different.”