I stumbled on these little bags decorated by illustrator Babalisme and was so thoroughly charmed I had to share. Everyone! Go get a permanent marker and draw on your sandwich bags immediately. I plan to decorate my quart-sized baggie to impress fellow travelers in the security line at the airport. I think "Don't look in here" with a pretty border would be nice and attention-getting.
I finally did something with the used bottle caps accumulating in a cup in our kitchen: DIY mid century modern clock magnets.
To make them:
Download the clock graphics I made, print, and cut them out. Brush the surfaces of the bottle caps with a bit of Mod Podge or other glue, stick on the clock faces, and brush another coat of Podge over the top. Let dry.
Next time you want to pass on a recipe to a friend, try printing out recipe cards using Skip To My Lou's recipe card maker. Choose 4x6 or 3x5 card sizes and paste in your text. Long recipes won't fit on the card, though, so stick to shorter ones. It's probably for the best; your lazy friends like me will be glad.
On Friday some friends and I took The Needle Shop's Sewing 101 class together. It's fantastic. People who have never seen a sewing machine in real life march proudly out of class four hours later brandishing a pillow with a zippered cover. I had put zippers in pillows before, but never correctly so I always hoped nobody would look under there. Now I'm a kung fu zipper master. This is the pillow I made in class with Kokka camera fabric.
And then I went home and re-covered every pillow in our living room. The solid orange and the orange with bird print are from IKEA (purchased early April, but it looks like they still carry it) and the brown and black geometric print was a clearance table runner, also from IKEA. The fuzzy chocolate brown stuff is from the fabric store up the street. All I know about that is that fuzz went everywhere when I made those two, including into my coffee.
If you like to grow things, perhaps you also like to paint things. Check out Kate's painted plant pot tutorial on Design Sponge. Tape, stickers, and spray paint make this a super easy DIY project.
To make some garden markers from vintage spoons, get the how-to right here from Shrimp Salad Circus. Or if that sounds like too much work, buy a set like this one from Hammermann on Etsy.
Make a tea cup bird feeder with instructions from Cap Creations. The saucer holds the seed and the cup holds the water.
You never know when you might need some digital tartan. Customize your own weave and colors right here, then download a square to tile seamlessly. Make your Twitter page Scottish or take your website on a picnic. This is the traditional Jones clan tartan, above.
A friend told me about MyTomatoes.com yesterday. It's a site that utilizes the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method based on the theory that frequent breaks can improve mental agility. My favorite part: time is measured in 25 minute increments called "pomodoros," Italian for tomatoes. 
Occasionally my mum, AKA Grandma G, is going to send over her review of a sewing pattern for you sewists who want to make something adorable—and who would like to know a little more about a project before you commit. Today's project: awesome plush chickens, designed by blogger LiEr. The best part is that if you squeeze them, eggs come out. Click here to see the chicken's bottom; this is a G-rated blog and you must be 18 or older to look at this picture. The pattern is available as a PDF download for $12 at the end of LiEr's post. (Also see her cuuute pigs and other patterns for sale in her sidebar.) Grandma G's comments:
The advent of social media has created a new source of stress in our lives: the pressure to think up the perfect status update. Generatus.com to the rescue. "How many hours have you wasted trying to think of something suitably witty, funny and original for your status on Facebook or Twitter? Let's face it, a status like 'Dave is mowing the lawn' or 'Kate is asleep' is not going to impress that huge entourage of friends you've amassed." Right on. Get help now.
Get free patterns and instructions for all of these cute totes, purses, pouches and bags online right here (left to right):
One thing I'd never imagined: a cake version of one of my fabrics. This amazing confection was crafted by Krista Markell of Sugarcoat It Studio. Krista says she swiped a cutting of fabric from a friend and held onto it for the perfect cake — which turned out to be the one she made for her own birthday party. Here's the fabric:
Here's the cake:
Krista, a former marketing director in the world of modern furniture, runs a bakery near Berkeley. I just about fell off my chair when I saw the other amazing, graphic cakes she makes. Have a look! 
If you're a brave soul who would like to try making your own cake decorated with fondant, here's a tutorial from Make It and Love It in three parts: one, two, three.
Ruffles are everywhere. They're taking over the world like a growing fungus, feeding on every shirt and pillow and bag in their path. JCrew and Anthropologie have completely succumbed. Good thing ruffles are so darned pretty. If you'd like to invite some into your existing wardrobe, check out the following tutorials. Most projects are made from refashioned t-shirts or jersey easily found at fabric stores.
Fans of typography, rejoice! Hyperactivitypography from A to Z is an activity book filled with puzzles and games to test your type knowledge and learn new skills. It's clever and witty and adorable. Flip through it right here. The book is designed by Studio 3, a group of 15 third year graphic design students at Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo, Norway.
Blog reader Melissa Swanson sent me a photo of this chair makeover she performed with my Fireworks print. She should have kept that under wraps, because now I'm going to have to break into her house and steal it.
I just got samples of the latest ribbon I designed for J Caroline Designs. She commissioned me to do tennis and golf ribbon. So I made her houses instead. Ha! Take that, Caroline. 
And what to do with houses... maybe wrap a cute housewarming present with it. Yes.
Hop over to Image Zoo and download these patterned bookplates. You could print them on sticky label paper, trim them out, and include them with a set of children's books you give a kid. A girl kid, most likely, because they're kinda flowery.
Allow me to show you something orange and fun that followed me home from Target last week. Russell + Hazel has a collection of super cute office supplies available under their KIT brand for Target right now. Mix-and-match binders, filler paper, folders, plastic sleeves, sticky notes... how could we resist this little orange binder?
With her camera, not a gun. Jessie Stevens of Simply Jessie Photography is beginning a new series on her blog: mini interviews with local small business owners. You can read my interview full of profound thoughts and great wisdom; see part one and part two. 