If you've ever been on a cruise, especially one patronized by kids, your maid may have transformed your towels into fun, yet somewhat disturbing, animal shapes. I have to admit I always wondered how to make them. Learn how to fold up your very own Babar when you read more

I snapped this picture last year when I was trolling through the French Quarter with a plastic to-go cup of Sapphire and tonic. It's actually part of a long row of Creole Townhouses, but I was too smitten with that brick peaking out from the plaster to take in the bigger picture. And if you look a little closer, you'll see what else fascinated me — the tiny plants growing in the cracks and crannies of that sheer wall.

The Creole Townhouse isn't the only architecture style the world should thank New Orleans for. The Shotgun was also developed in the Louisiana city between 1850 and 1910, and is the predominant type of house there. A Shotgun is a long, narrow rectangular structure, usually no more than 12 feet wide with doors opposite each other at both ends. Each of its three to five rooms open onto the next with no hallways to beget privacy. The Shotgun gets its name, legend has it, from the saying that a shotgun blast at the front door could pass uninterrupted through all the rooms to the back. To hear more about Shotguns, read more

• SFGirlByBay chats with Abbey Hendrickson.
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• Desire to Inspire marvels at Rogers Marvel Architects.

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"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." Don't hand your valentine a card with someone else's nauseating mantra slapped across it: carve your own! The Suck UK Carve Your Own Postcard ($14) is your standard 4" by 6" wooden postcard. Etch something clever, or sweet, or a classic schooldays initial pairing, with an ole kitchen knife or the keys (to your heart). Pens are so overrated, aren't they? Just don't cut yourself . . .