Lust after a sunshine-yellow barn door

We’re experiencing some serious house envy. We hadn’t realised it before, but we definitely need a sliding barn door in our bedrooms. Preferably in sunshine yellow, please.

This lustworthy décor comes from the home of House Tweaking blogger Dana and her Handy Hubby. Feeling inspired? Well, this door was not knocked up in a few hours, oh no. It took a considerable amount of elbow grease and not-a-little DIY savvy – if you’re still not convinced, pop over House Tweaking and check out the series of diagrams.

For the moment, it looks like we’re going to make do with ooh-ing and aah-ing over Dana’s efforts - unless anyone has a handyman they’d like to lend us?

Hang up a Mason jar planter

Is there no end to things you can do with a Mason jar? We've already expressed our love for Mason jar chandeliers, now we're thinking of going green and upcycling them into a wall planter, à la Not Just a Housewife.

Blogger Stacy had a brainwave in the midst of a peach-canning spree, and knocked up this quirky Mason jar wall planter using leftover jars, some wood and clamps.

If you're worried about drainage (admittedly, it might be a bit of an issue), fill your jars with water, add some pretty flowers and you'll have your very own floral wall display!

Wordless Wednesdays ... daisy chain

From Joy Felicity Jane.

Treat yourself to nectarine honey cake

Mmm ... its been a while since we posted a yummy cake recipe on here, hasn't it? We love a sweet treat, and the latest addition to our 'to bake' list is this nectarine honey cake recipe from Good Things Grow. Soft and juicy nectarine, honey-sweet sponge and a hint of crunch from the brown sugar topping - we think this is the perfect summer pud. Baker Jacqui is convinced she could eat this cake all summer long, and we're inclined to agree.

Design your own fabric at Spoonflower

What do you get when an internet geek marries a crafter? Well, in the case of techie Stephen Fraser, you get Spoonflower, an online fabric shop with a difference.

At Spoonflower, users create their own custom fabrics, and then sell their designs in the Spoonflower marketplace. There are too many gorgeous, unusual designs to mention here, but top marks for creativity go to The Boer War for their hand-painted flower and veggie print, and Weaving Major's floral fabric using real pressed flowers.

If you need convincing further that this is a totally genius idea, pop over to the Spoonflower blog to see what crafters have been stitching up with their fabric. Our current favourite is a sundress sewn from fabric printed with an old beach snap from Hello Beautiful blogger Emma. Surely the best way to show off your holiday pics, right?

Camp out in a homemade pup tent

Rigging up a makeshift hidey-hole must be some sort of rite of passage.

Everyone we've spoken to has fond childhood memories of fashioning a lopsided tent out of some old sheets, the edge of a sofa or two, and 'camping out' indoors until their parent's had had enough of the mess in their lounge.

ReadyMade has gone one step better and knocked up their very own pup tent, using an old sheet and some wooden rods. If you're feeling up to it, pop over to the ReadyMade blog to find out how they did it. Your kids will love you for it, trust us.

P.S. If you're having problems with the pictureless instuctions, pop over to craft blog cakies where there's a similar A-frame tent how to, with helpful photos to make things a little clearer!

Dry your leftover herbs

With a little luck, your window boxes should be exploding with fresh herbs any day now.

We’re expecting to be inundated with more herbs than we know what to do with (best to start the summer with a positive outlook), so this year, we’re going to dry our extras to make them last through the colder months.

If you’re wondering how to dry fresh herbs, pop over to Design Mom, where Lindsay of Café Johnsonia has guest posted a great guide. When the weather turns chilly, we’ll be following her example and harvesting our leftover herbs, hanging them out to dry in our kitchens and then tucking them away into our store cupboards ready for the winter.

Join in the Slow Food UK Week

News has reached our ears that next week is … Slow Food UK week! If you haven’t heard of the Slow Food movement, where have you been?

For those that have come to the party late, Slow Food is a non-profit, member supported organisation which reconnects people with where their food comes, so we can all make better choices about what to put on our plates.

This year, Slow Food has been creating links with chefs to champion local, sustainable ingredients, and that is what this year’s Slow Food UK week is all about.

From Monday 18th – Sunday 24th July, Slow Food invites you to feast on special menus from top UK chefs, get inspired by vibrant talks, or attend the first ever Slow Food Crawl. We’re definitely up for that last one (we’re assuming it doesn’t involve actual crawling).

Pop over to the Slow Food website to find out what’s going on near you.

Personalised toasting forks for Father's Day

We think dads may be the most difficult people to buy for. Unless yours has a genuine penchant for golf-themed socks or novelty mugs, you’ll be having problems deciding what to buy for Father's Day.

Well, blogger Miranda of One Little Minute’s suggestion is personalised toasting forks, and we have to say we think it’s a great idea.

A little light DIY (of which your father will surely approve – honestly, it’s a win/win situation) and you have a unique gift that’ll add a lovely personal touch to this summer’s BBQs. Pop over to Miranda’s guest post on Design Mom to find out how to make your own.

Vegetable of the month ... peas

We love peas. Just as good from frozen as they are fresh, no chopping required and they cook in no time at all. What’s not to like?

Well, apparently, not everyone is such a fan of the tiniest of the vegetables. In a bid to change this, we’ve hunted around for the most exciting pea recipes (bear with us) to share with you.

First of all, peas and pasta. Everyone knows that peas go with carbonara but have you ever tried pea pesto? Nah, thought not. Recipe pro Deb from Smitten Kitchen has come up with a pea pesto recipe which looks super-simple and totally gorgeous. Pop over to her blog for a peek.

We can’t help but be intrigued by Beyond [the Plate]’s pea and ricotta spread. Blogger Danielle’s recipe combines creamy ricotta and sweet peas with roasted garlic to give an ‘earthy, aromatic kick’. We’ll be following her example and serving this on toasted bread for a light lunch with a difference.

There’s definitely something about peas that says Springtime. What do we like most about Spring food? Salads. And so, we present this lentil and shell pea salad recipe from La Buena Vida. This salad had been ramped up a notch with feta for creamyness, pistachios for crunch and mint to keep it fresh, and we cannot wait to try it out.

Have we converted you yet?

Click to see the rest of our vegetable of the month series!

Book shelf: My Cool Shed

What do you have tucked away in your shed? Apparently, sheds can be much more than hidey-holes for lawn mowers and cracked plant pots, as Jane Field-Lewis proves in her new book, My Cool Shed.

Following on from the success of My Cool Caravan and My Cool Campervan, this latest offering delves into the nation's hippest sheds, cabins and beach huts and invites you to meet their creative / reclusive / crafty owners.

Check out Jane's My Cool... blog for a little taster of what's in store.

Have you read any of Jane's books? What do you think? Let us know below!

Stitch some mitre-edged cloth napkins

There’s no denying that cloth napkins add a special touch to a meal. Crafty blogger Elisabeth from My Growing Home has created a helpful guide on how to sew linen napkins, guest posted over at Design Mom.

She’s included special instructions on how to sew mitre-edges for a super-neat professional finish. We won’t lie, the photo guide looks a lot more like origami than we’re entirely comfortable with, but we're assured that it’s far simpler than it appears.

We love the quirky charm of mismatched napkins, and hate wasting material, so we’ll be using this tutorial as an excuse to dive into our stash of fabric scraps.

Vintage umbrellas for drizzly days

It is not easy to look good in the rain. Damp clothes, frizzy hair … let's not get started on the see-through shirt issue. If you’re not planning on embracing pac-a-mac chic, we’ve found another way to guard against unseasonable drizzle. Etsy is an online treasure trove of vintage umbrellas and parasols.

Miss Salty Vintage has found this vintage floral print umbrella. We adore the bottle green and rose pink combo on the fabric.

For a 50s vibe, check out this Vintage Pagoda umbrella from Archivia. Its listed as a ‘dress umbrella’, so we’re not sure how good it’ll be at keeping you dry, but we couldn’t resist its retro charm.

Or, if you’re really planning on splashing out (sorry, that was unintentional… honest), Aesthetikara has managed to get her hands on a vintage Dior umbrella with wooden fittings and a suede handle for true rainy-day glam.

Find a miniature terrarium landscape

The Slug and the Squirrel have done something magical to the humble terrarium.

In their unique designs, wild mosses, locally grown plants, sand and earth find their home in vintage and found bottles and jars of all kinds, to create whimsical designs inspired by far-away landscapes.

Pop over to The Slug and the Squirrel's beautiful website to see their unique range of terrariums for yourself.

If you fancy making one of your own, pop over to crafty blog The Little Red House for a terrarium how to. We love the way blogger Sheena has chosen straight-edged jars, and used her terrariums as quirky book ends.

Wordless Wednesdays ... street party nostalgia

From Join me in the 1900s.

Learn the capital's secrets in the London Style Guide

Born and bred Londoner Saska Graville has decided to divulge her insider secrets in her London Style Guide. As we all suspected, true London style doesn’t reside in Big Ben or the London Eye, but tucked away in backstreet bars and pubs, cool boutiques and hidden markets. London Style Guide also gives us a little window into the lives of those who have shaped our capital, with interviews with the likes of boutique owner Brix Smith-Start and hotelier Kit Kemp.

If you’re as curious as we are, keep an eye out in your local bookshop from 7th June.

Deck the house out in Jubilee designs

It’s another Jubilee themed post, sorry. We can’t help it, we’re caught up in all the excitement! This time, its a round up of all the best products inspired by Her Majesty. Back to normal tomorrow, we promise.

First up, this pop art postage stamp bunting from Etsy's LottieDots1. Crafter Laura’s design has a cool, retro feel that will definitely stand out in the midst of all the red, white and blue.

Secondly, we’re buying into the age-old tradition of commemorative tea towels. Our favourites are Rocket St. George’s Singing in the Reign design (love a good pun), Lovely Jubilee from Hunted and Stuffed (there we go again) and this commemorative Corgi tea towel, also from Rocket St. George.

Finally, we’ll be rounding off our day with a lovely cup of tea, which we will be sipping from a delicate corgi teacup purchased from Emilou Makes on Etsy. With a raised little finger, of course.

Cool down with fruity ice cubes

We applaud anyone that can take the stress out of summertime entertaining. Bits of Taste’s idea for fruit ice cubes is a cool way to add a colourful twist to your drinks without having to faff around with fresh fruit and the like while your guests are waiting.

Make up a load in advance, then when people arrive, just pop 'em out of their moulds and into your glasses. Tah dah! Instant drama and a cool drink all in one. Cheers.

Bake up a storm with Jubilee cakes

If you’re living in the UK, you’ll know what’s happening this weekend. That’s right, Jubilee time! 60 years on the throne for Queen Liz! Street parties! Union flags everywhere! FOUR days off!

Phew. Exciting times. The proper British thing to do seems to be to mark the event with cake, and lots of it.

We’ll be baking up a storm, starting with a Jubilee sponge cake with blueberries and strawberries. Our favourite recipe comes from Edd Kimber, aka The Boy Who Bakes (is that name ringing any bells? Edd’s the man who had us all attempting macaroons back in series one of The Great British Bake Off).

To take along to our local street party, we’ll be trying out these Jubilee cupcake swirls à la The Magenta Cakes Blog. This looks like a super-easy way to achieve Union Jack style icing, but we’ll let you know how simple it really is once we’ve tried it.

Finally, we’ll be displaying our creations in style on their very own cupcake thrones. Or maybe not…

Do you have any impressive Jubilee cakes you’d like to share with us? Pop them on our facebook page for us all to coo over!

Button up a shirt cushion cover

Cushion covers are pretty easy to make, right? If you can make anything, you can make a cushion cover. Impressively, Ducks In a Row has managed to simplify the process even further with her upcycled shirt cushion cover DIY.

No fiddling around with zips or buttonholes, no painstakingly hand-stitching the final seam. Just sew around your cushion pad and unbutton! (Pop over to Ducks in a Row for proper instructions, we definitely missed a few steps there...).

These will look fab just as they are, but it's also really easy to make a kids' version. Blogger Chrissann has customised hers by tucking some surprises into the pockets - check out the cute love heart, retro pocket watch or for the more tech-savvy infant, a felt Blackberry!