We have been looking at new houses recently and I have been surprised at the differences I have between new construction and old houses. And I don't just mean the obvious things like windows that open and shut properly and insulation and closet space. No, I was thinking about things like the mudroom. Not one of the new houses we walked through had one. Where do you put your stuff, I wondered. Mudrooms may not seem like they are very exciting, but they serve many purposes. First they keep the mess and clutter out of the rest of your home.

We don't have a swimming pool. It is only warm enough in the frozen tundra where I live to enjoy a pool for three months at best, and even then only if you have a heater. Or I suppose if you find it invigorating to swim in frigid water, which I definitely do not. If I lived somewhere with a more temperate climate I would own a pool in a heartbeat. It seems like it would just be such a fun thing to have right there in your own yard. Not having to schlep a ton of towels, floaties, sunscreen, and other assorted crap to a separate location would make it worthwhile.

One of the best things about finding a good craft blog, whether it's someone using yarn, fabric, paper, tin, or plastic, is seeing the photographs of a person's work. When an item is well-photographed, the hand of the creator can be seen in the work. It's almost like touching the product. However, taking a great photograph is not the easiest thing to do.

This week I would like to introduce you to Suzie Ridler, the beautiful muse who caught the idea of Dreamboarding and cast it out into the world.

This past week, armed only with a garden fork, I worked for an hour at making my own soil, mixing together kitchen scraps, shredded papers, and the remains collected in our vacuum. 

So many fun things you can do with your photos, so little time. If you're like me—going to BlogHer08 armed with camera—you'll have a ton of photos to deal with soon. Even if you don't plan to attend BlogHer08, you can still have fun with your photos. Here are some ideas to spark your creativity. I've talked about some of them in depth before, so I'm just going to try to summarize the choices in this post. If I miss a favorite of yours, please add it. It may turn out to be someone's else's best choice, too.