Coink piggy bank via Modern Nursery.

The economic stimulus checks have started to arrive, putting anywhere from $600-1200 in your bank account. Politics aside, what are you planning to do with the cash? You could get an Eames rocker, buy yourself some art, or do some eBay shopping. Or maybe you’d prefer to put the money aside in case the economy takes an even more serious downturn. So what are your plans for the extra cash? (Thanks to reader patty bolgiano for suggesting this question!)

Our bees are late. They were supposed to arrive last Saturday, but at the last minute we got a call saying they wouldn’t be available until this Saturday… something about the weather still being a touch too cold for them. We used our extra weekend to get our garden ready for our a buzzing friends. When we bought the place, the front garden was a bit of an overgrown mess. A wild vine was consuming the fireplace, and the little patch of dirt was an uneven cluster of flowers and weeds. Chad’s been clearing out the clutter, and this Saturday it was finally ready for some planting. We heard that bees really respond to purple flowers, so we put in some May Night Salvia, Emerald Blue Moss Phlox and my favorite, Provence Lavender. This will keep things pretty and tasty for a month or so. But what we need to do next is plant some autumn blooming flowers, so the bees will be kept busy for months and months. Something yellow, perhaps. Any suggestions? — Angela M.

I used to love shopping for stationery… But I swear the cash registers at Target and Trader Joe’s are the only places I check out in person anymore, mostly due to my 3-foot shopping companion, whose idea of fun is removing absolutely every product from the shelves. Trust me, this type of behavior is not conducive to picking out a belated birthday card. Then a few months ago, my favorite stationery designer Cheree Berry told me about Redstamp.com, an online boutique that truly mimics the go-to neighborhood stationery shop?where the owners source all the best current designers (Cheree, of course, plus Thomas Paul, Snow & Graham, Egg Press, Russell + Hazel, Night Owl Paper Goods and dozens more), and will actually talk to you in person if you have pressing questions (no 1-800 number here).

As busy moms and business women, the owners Erin and Renee understand that service is as important as style, and that’s where Redstamp soars in my book. You just can’t top their “send for you” service, where an anonymous someone with impeccable penmanship will hand-write, hand-address, and mail your cards for you. Definitely worth an extra $5 if that belated birthday card is at risk of hitting way-beyond-belated status. ? Megan K.

Not much for cooking myself, I seem to be doing quite well making friends with those who are willing to occasionally feed me! One such person is Megan B., whose culinary skills get a marvelous workout on the fresh seafood available locally. Though I will attest that these crab cakes taste amazing even when you used canned crab. –Mary T.

This dish was born in a tiny hotel room with a kitchenette during one of our first vacations to Seattle (which we now call home). We were fortunate enough to visit smack dab in the middle of Dungeness crab season, and seeing all of those beautiful crabs at the market inspired me to make these cakes. The sweet Pacific crab is what this dish was originally made with, though any crab you can get your hands on will suffice. Trust me, I’ve even made them with the high-quality canned stuff and they turned out super tasty. Make sure you make the relish in advance — in fact, make more. It’s awesome on top of grilled halibut or chicken breasts or just with tortilla chips! –Megan B. Click for Megan’s recipes!

Crispy Cilantro Crab Cakes (serves 6-8 as appetizer, 4 as entree)
1 lb. lump crab meat
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 egg, whisked
Salt and pepper to taste (approx. 1/2 tsp salt)
Grape seed or canola oil for frying

In a large mixing bowl, combine crab, Panko and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the egg. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes. Form mixture into 6-8 patties. Make sure to press firmly; they take a bit of force to hold them together. Pan fry in 1/4 inch grape seed or canola oil over medium high heat, approx. 4 minutes per side or until nicely golden brown (careful not to burn yourself on the flip). Serve hot with mango jalapeno relish. You can also assemble the cakes a few hours in advance and fry them right before serving.

Mango Jalapeño Relish
1 ripe mango, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup jalapeño (jarred in brine) diced
1/2 lemon, juiced

Combine ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Let marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight, if desired. The longer it rests, the better!

Have a voyeuristic itch to scratch? We do — peeking into homes far more luxe than ours is both a pleasure and tease. Happily, we found a new source on line for some mighty swanky kitchens. Over at epicurious.com, they’ve posted a few video tours of some famous kitchens of people we’d love to have dinner with (especially if they were cooking). Our favorite is Isaac Mizhari, who gushes about all of his kitchen accessories, including bowls from Target, a chic (Alessi?) bread box and his espresso machine. Click here to hang with Isaac and see more.

We’re always on the lookout for new ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, and this new series of LOVE Candy posters from MadeByGirl could fit the bill nicely. Available in Lemon, Pretty Lavender, Cotton Candy and Sky Blue, the posters are 16 x 24 inches and $25 each at MadeByGirl’s Etsy shop. We really like the ABC Love poster, too! Look for more Mother’s Day gift ideas coming up.

I confess I buy toys made for adults — and no, not what you’re thinking! A collection of Kidrobot Gorillaz and Smorkin’ Labbits have a place in our china cabinet. So I asked Kristen Rask of Schmancy to talk to us about the explosion in collectible toys for adults. Here’s what she had to say. –Mary T.

“I would say since opening Schmancy that the ‘gateway’ toy is Dunny by Kidrobot,” says Rask. “Those who know nothing of the urban vinyl toy movement still are attracted to them. Those are always, without fail, a big seller.” Can’t get enough toys? There’s more.

“Other toys that I really like and have been popular in the last few months here at Schmancy are the Treeson toys, Heidi Kenney Yummy Breakfast key chains, and Toki Doki toys such as the Cactus pups and Moofia. I also specialize in plush toys mainly handmade by various artists around the globe. The popularity of those vary a lot depending on what is in the store.

“Some folks collect things because they are color coordinating a collection, some folks don’t need to get whole series, and some folks spend massive amounts of money to complete a set,” Rask says. “Some get really into certain artists such as Frank Kozik or Joe Ledbetter. Others buy toys simply for the collectible aspect of it all. There really is no rhythm or reason to selling toys.”

See and shop more of what’s new at Schmancy. (A note that Rask is in the process of moving the store to a new site. Get updates on that at her blog.)

We recently visited online art store Petaline and were pleased by their selection of affordable art. Most work hovers in the $100 range (and there are plenty of pieces for far less). Best of all, however, is the quality — these aren’t mass-produced mall-store posters but beautiful and engaging original paintings and limited-edition prints. We especially like the rogues’ gallery of giclee prints from Chris Crites — last-century mugshots that he originally painted on paper sacks. Elizabeth Soule’s “Little Zoo” series of photographs are colorful and fun, while paintings by Irene Wood are soothing and serene. See all of Petaline’s affordable art offerings here.

Update: Check out Leah’s expanded post on more of Chris Crites’ work.

As much as I love the look of wallpaper, I haven’t been able to make the leap from admiring wallpapered rooms in Domino to actually papering a room in my own house. There’s something so adult, so permanent, and, yes, so expensive about the whole process that I haven’t been able to bite the bullet quite yet. Still, if I were to paper, I’d want to do it with a bang — I mean, why go to all that trouble if you’re not going to make a statement? Isn’t drama the whole point of wallpaper? I have a fantasy of papering a dining room with something wacky and fun like this Woodson & Rummerfield green birdcage wallpaper, which is made with recycled paper and vegetable dyes ($55 at Green With Glamour). What do you guys think — is wallpapering worth the trouble and expense? –Meg D.

Read more of Meg’s tips for stylish, green living at her blog, Style Saves the World.

Bright ideas we gathered from your comments.

1) Microfiber is a good choice for people with cats. Pencils let us know that while her Sleepytime Rocker is a big hit with the cat, cleaning it isn’t a big issue: “Can?t wait to rock a baby in it, but so far the cat really is enjoying it — and her abundant Maine Coon fur doesn?t stick to the microfiber upholstery.” See where else we clicked last week.

2) You can find toothbrushes that not only are colorful and recycled, they look like they’ll fit in most holders! Inez weighed in on the toothbrush storage post with a link to these toothbrushes by Alan Stuart. Too cool.

3) We’re not the only ones who can’t leave Target with just one thing. Okay — we pretty much knew that already, but we did recognize ourselves in Becky’s comment: “I?m off to Target with the intention of spending $10, but I know I won?t leave until my cart is full. I?ll wind up with an array of unrelated items, like milk, a Jovavitch-Hawk skirt that makes me look really fat, a ‘fiendish’ platinum soduku book, some slutty looking shoes I?ll never end up wearing, some men?s pajama pants, a funny garden gnome, cat litter, a Victoria Hagan mirror, a Converse shirt I am way too old to get away with, a DVD, toilet paper, and a pink garden hose!” Thank you, readers, for always making us laugh. And check out that $10 hot pink garden hose here.

4) There are a lot of earth-friendly cat litters out there. (That sometimes dogs love a little too much, too). Susan Y says, “I used World?s Best, Swheat Scoop, Feline Pine, and right now I?m testing the litter called ‘Space’ which they sell at Trader Joe?s. World?s Best and Swheat Scoop were good, but I have a dog that LOVED to eat the litter. I?m still unsure about Space because they are made of full silica pellets, so they don?t have dust, but I?m not sure how biodegradable they are. Anyone have info?” See the Feline Fresh post here.

5) Some husbands have really interesting hobbies. Quite a few readers were excited by Angela’s family foray into beekeeping, and some of you have wanted to try it out yourselves. But only mod*mom had this to say: “I would freak out with all those bees. My husband is a falconer + it took a long time for me to like having a bird on my glove. I’m not as relaxed as he is.” Click to learn more about Angela and Chad’s new beekeeping venture.