Vegetable of the month ... cucumber

Maybe it's because we're so used to just bunging them in green salads. Maybe it's because they're simply not that photogenic. Whatever the reason, when we started hunting out cucumber recipes for July's vegetable of the month, we had much more trouble than usual. Thank goodness we persevered, though, because we've turned up some delicious new cucumber recipes for you to get excited about.

Kicking off our round up is this frankly beautiful cucumber salad from Epicurean Mom. Blogger Katie's recipe uses crunchy veggies and a light, zingy dressing, then makes it all a bit special with edible flowers.

Secondly we have tzatziki from Pinch My Salt. We're not sure how to pronounce it and we had to check the spelling twice, but we are very happy eating it. Tangy and creamy, it's the perfect dipping partner for toasted pita bread and mouthwatering spooned over barbecued meat in a Greek-style wrap.

To finish off, we thought we'd share some cucumber drinks with you. For health-conscious readers, check out Cafe Johnsonia's cucumber, melon and kiwi juice recipe. It's blogger Lindsey's favourite drink, and boasts an ingredient list that takes care of all of your five-a-day in one fell swoop. Impressive.

For those of you that are less well behaved, we're also intrigued by Cookie + Kate's cucumber cocktails. Choose between Cucumber Caipiranha and Cucumber Cooler with watermelon (we're aware of the excessive amount of alliteration going on in this last paragraph) for a refreshing end to a summer picnic.

Grab a colour block tote

Okay, confession time. We have a whole pile of 'bag for life' bags tucked at the bottom of our cupboards. We buy them thinking 'what a great idea, I can use this forever'. Next time we go shopping, where's the bag? At home. So we buy a new one. Which isn't planet-friendly at all.

We've decided to take the matter in hand and fashion a new shopping bag that we love so much that there's no way we can forget about it, and this colour block fabric tote from Fellow Fellow (guest posted on Say Yes to Hoboken) will do the trick nicely.

It's not simple, but blogger Claire has provided a really thorough tutorial with so many photos it must be foolproof (right?).  The best bit? It's lovely enough to use as a day bag all summer long!

Liven up your summer with activity jars

School summer holidays are almost upon us, and unless you're super-organised, you'll be worrying about how you're going to keep your kids entertained for six whole weeks. Crafty blogger Merrilee from mer mag has come to the rescue with her simple-but-totally-genius activity jar idea.

Gather the family together for a massive brainstorm and scribble down your ideas of all the things you'd like to do. Merrilee has split her ideas into things to craft, things to cook and places to go, which means you can match your activity to what the weather outside is doing. Then, when you find your kids twiddling their thumbs (or writing on the walls, ripping each others' hair out...), crack out your activity jars and pick an idea at random.

If you're stuck for ideas, check out Pinterest for inspiration - the simple things' eat and create boards are a fab place to start!

Hunt out some secondhand and vintage

Shopping vintage and secondhand can be hit-and-miss at the best of times. Add an unknown city into the mix and you'll need a whole lot of stamina and more than a little luck to track down something worthwhile.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that these new secondhand and vintage city guides from Vivays are going to change all that. Like a textbook for the vintage-hunter, these guides cover everything from clothing to furniture to books, all organised by type and area.

The London and Berlin vintage guidebooks are already available, and we're already excited about the Paris and New York versions coming out in 2013.

Revamp your old furniture

Out of the Dark is a furniture restoration company with a difference. An extension of charity Street Dreams, Out of the Dark  works with disadvantaged young people to restore unloved pieces of furniture, teaching valuable practical and business skills along the way.

Now, Out of the Dark is taking the time out to help us make our scruffy old furniture look brand new again, too. If, like us, your sanding / painting / cleaning / varnishing / waxing skills leave something to be desired, and you're about in the Marlow area next Thursday 19th July, drop into their furniture restoration workshop for some DIY tips.

Check out their website and online shop to fund out how you can get involved.

Make a custom rose trellis

Today, we've got a proper garden project for you to get stuck into. When blogger Annalea from Hope and Honey moved house, she inherited an unruly rose bush along with it. After struggling to find a trellis that was strong enough, the right size and didn't cost the earth, Annalea went about making her own.

Annalea's rose trellis DIY  uses cedar framing and mesh fencing, and lets you build a sturdy structure that fits wherever you want it to. Top marks to her for showing some true Simple Things spirit!

Wordless Wednesdays ... dusk at the beach

From Everyday Musings.

Hang an antique map

They might be less accurate and informative than their modern-day equivalents, but there's a certain romantic charm to old maps.

Etsy seller Ancient Shades specialises in retro and antique map prints from Michigan to Mongolia. Pop over to his shop to browse through piles of old maps in all their wonky, technicolour glory.

Say a simple thank you

Whether its to your mum for looking after the kids for that extra couple of hours, or a friend for making you feel better when everything is going wrong, sometimes everyone needs to say a proper thank you.

We thought this thank you gift idea from You are my Fave was really lovely. Next time you want to show your gratitude, wrap a freshly baked (whether by you or your local baker) loaf of bread in a simple tea towel and tie it with a pretty ribbon. If it's something really big, you could even add a jar of jam.

Roll up a picnic blanket tote

Remember the handy cutlery wraps we blogged about a while ago? Well, we've found something else to add to this summer's picnic kit - an all-in-one picnic blanket tote.

The best picnic blanket tutorial around comes from the girls at Craft Buds. It's our favourite because it has a waterproof underside, so we can lay it out on damp ground without getting our trousers wet, and  it rolls up into a self-contained tote, so it's easy to stash for the sprint back to the car when the heavens reopen! Perfect for British summertime, we say.

Get green fingered

Getting into gardening can be a daunting prospect. Etsy seller Sarah Rainwater Design has come up with a fab starter pack for anyone wanting to get a little more green fingered.

Her heirloom seed kit contains six packs of veggie and herb seeds, plus everything you need to grow them on your windowsill. Even better, each of the plant varieties has been chosen because it's mega-easy to grow. We'll be gifting these to all our novice gardener friends, in the hopes that we might be able to convert them!

Master the art of packing

Are you a smart and organised packer or do you put it off until the last minute and end up throwing the entire contents of your wardrobe at your suitcase? If it makes you feel better, we're definitely the latter.

This summer will be different though, because we've discovered Louis Vuitton's Art of Packing. No more pulling clothes out of our baggage in a tangled, crumpled mass. No more sitting on our cases to force the zip closed.

Check out the cute little videos on the Louis Vuitton site for tips on how to organise your clothes and other bits and bobs, and even how to fold things cleverly to maximise space. There are separate versions for men and women, too. Get packing.

Wordless Wednesdays ... lilacs on the windowsill

From La Porte Rouge.

Nibble on a fresh berry tartlet

Berry tartlets are a wonderful, simple way to use fresh fruit. We found these little beauties on Little Upside Down Cake (well worth a peek - the photography alone was enough to get all our stomachs rumbling).

Follow blogger Sanda's example and make up the pastry cases and creamy mascarpone, then let your picnic-mates assemble their own tartlets, tumbling a mixture of berries and crunchy chopped pistachio on top for a relaxed but delicious end to your meal.

Liven up your door knobs

It’s the little things that can make all the difference when it comes to decorating a room. Kmadson must know this better than anyone, because she's filled her Etsy shop with handmade door knobs fashioned from vintage adverts,  children's storybooks or prints of her own original artwork.

If anyone can take something as mundane as a doorknob and make it inspiring and individual, we think they deserve a round of applause.

Dip something in paint

Anyone who’s anyone is dipping things in paint at the moment. From furniture to jewellery to clothing, it seems there is nothing that is safe from this trend. Here’s our round up of the best dip-dyed DIY projects.

First up is Martha Stewart’s dip-dyed baskets, which we think may have been responsible for kicking off the whole craze off. Turns out, woven straw plus bright white matt paint equals summery design heaven - who’d have thought?

Second to make our lust-list is House of Earnest blogger Erin, who’s brought the trend to the kitchen with her dip-dyed wooden utensils. For this how-to, make sure you use non-toxic paint (Erin’s chosen high gloss food safe shellac) and only dip the handle end to minimise chipping.

Last but not least is this dipped wooden bead necklace tutorial from Laura Parke. Okay, technically these are painted, not dipped, but the effect is the same. We’re torn between neon shades (so cool as a contrast to the wood) and summery pastels. We may just have to make two.

Go wild swimming

The activity that has everyone buzzing this summer is wild swimming. For those of you who haven't heard of it, wild swimming is simply taking a dip in natural waters: rivers, lakes, hidden pools - you get the picture.

We were initially a little sceptical, as our knowledge of secluded, idyllic waterways is limited to say the least. There's a river outside our window, but it's in the centre of town, so stripping off for a dip seems rather inappropriate.

Luckily, we found wildswimming.co.uk. This handy website has a section on the best places to go wild swimming all over the UK, as well as a guide to getting started, including safety issues, what to wear, what to bring and so on. Useful, right?

If you're feeling really inspired, Wild Swimming have a range of books and apps available. Their latest offering gives the low-down on Wild Swimming in France, where the weather is warmer and there's almost no chance of bumping  into someone you know. So there's no excuse not to get exploring!

Roll out a beam bench planter

The latest DIY project to make our weekend to-do lists is this bench planter that we discovered on the DiggersList blog. It's made from a repurposed ceiling beam, giving it a vintage charm that has been given a dose of modern cool with neon orange rollers.

This would be fab just as a bench, ready to be rolled out for unexpected guests, but we're planning on getting handy with a chisel and turning ours into a planter as well. Check out the DiggersList blog to see how it's done.

Try the perfect lemon curd

On her way home, The Novice Chef blogger Jessica got distracted by an elderly gentleman selling fruit from his truck. Said gentleman (in red braces) sweet-talked her into buying '39 million lemons'. And so, the resourceful Jessica came up with this recipe for lemon curd.

Because we're suckers for a cute story, and because Jessica calls it 'simply perfect' and because the sunny yellow colour makes us smile, we're sharing her recipe with you.

Wordless Wednesdays ... summer rain

From Joy Felicity Jane.