House Things

Want to do a world of good and get something lovely for yourself at the same time? Check out eBay’s World of Good virtual store, where your shopping helps shape a better world by supporting indigenous people from around the world in their artisanal endeavors. The site features everything from clothing and jewelry to home goods galore. This particular fair trade tablecloth is among the many vibrant items made by 17 Mayan women in Guatemala. They use the earnings from their woven handcrafts to buy school supplies to send their children to school. The tablecloth is 36X48 inches and 100 percent cotton. Price is $28.99.

Do you need some creative ideas for home design do-overs? We have one copy of Frank Fontana‘s new book, Frank Fontana’s Dirty Little Secrets of Design, to get you inspired and moving ahead. This is a great book, loaded with doable DIY ideas or inspiring ideas for you to hire other people to do. All you have to do is leave a comment. I’ll choose the winner over the weekend and announce the winner on Monday. Good luck. In the meantime, here is some eye candy from the book to get you going!

I’m kicking off Top Three Thursdays on Etsy this week with something a little different. Yes, the object can be used in the home, but it’s the presentation that makes this item exceptional. The object is an incense burner, but look at the wonderful way the Ceremonial Home presents it.

Doesn’t it just make you want to burn incense and/or have a dozen excuses to buy these for friends as gifts? The box is papier-mache, wrapped in natural raffia with a small grosgrain heart. The cast stone burner is nestled in natural hemp inside. I would consider buying this for the box alone! $19.

Also one-of-a-kind are the tables made from, yes, tractors by the folks in the Steel Fork’s shop. Their slogan is that “there’s a farm in every home” and here is just one way to make that happen.

While this kind of table wouldn’t fit just any decor, I think it’s perfect for a porch or patio or deck. This one is made from the recycled hood of a Farmall tractor. Who’d a thunk? Price is $530.

And finally in the category “I Could Probably Do This Myself but I Probably Won’t”: recycled wine bottle Tiki torches from Modern Architex. They come with a copper bracket for hanging on a fence or porch post. All you’ll need to do is add the Tiki fuel and the drinks with umbrellas. Poo Poo Platter anyone? $18 each.

You can get a jumpstart on next year’s decorations with this lovely colorful DIY wreath from blogger Emily Kate, who chronicles the story of renovating her 1880s log cabin at ThirtyEight20. It seems very easy to do and you can take advantage of all those post-Christmas sales to stock up on colorful ornaments now. Enjoy! Hope your holidays are merry! See you back here in 2010 for a year of trolling the web in search of all things home!