I've never met a mug I didn't want to hold or fill with tea, but this beautiful hand-made Castor Aralia wood mug, designed by Masanori Oji and crafted by Hidetoshi Takahashi, inspires a more dramatic response in me; I don't just want to hold it, I want to hug it, squeeze it, cradle it, rub it against my cheeks, and make lovey noises at it––is that weird?

I'm adding these adorable wooden pecan pals created by husband and wife team, Noferin, to my list of "things I really don't need but really do want." They hail from a magical island, have moveable joints, and blank facial expressions, and each little pal has a distinct personality and special skill; JacJac can recite the periodic table backward (like me), Claudius has super strong arms, Pecan is a master story teller, Pandacake is an expert photographer, and Fanelli can find a solution to any problem. With pals like these, who needs real pals?

Maybe it's my growing pile of lumberjack shirts or my overwhelming urge to climb up a tree and meow, but I am gravitating toward all things wood these days. When I saw these faux bois Flor tiles, a Martha Stewart and Flor collaboration, I knew I had to break out my chainsaw, helmet , and Woody Woodpecker laugh and start my living room over from scratch. Love that the tiles look soft and elegant, but natural and rugged, too.