It snowed this morning in Minneapolis, but across the river in Saint Paul, a new indoor aquaponic gardening project aims to provide locals with fresh, environmentally friendly produce year-round. The Urban Organics project utilizes water filtration and circulation technology from local company Pentair to boost the project’s positive impact. Tasty!

Source: The Line Media

The iconic Bob’s Big Boy statue is an instantly recognizable icon of California, but Urban Artifacts in Peoria, Ill., has one for sale. At seven feet tall and sporting the red-and-white checkered overalls, this kid could make quite a statement in your yard.

Source: Urban Artifacts

The old-fashioned way: hittin’ the road. The folks at FindFurnish in Minneapolis posted this shot to their Instagram. We think it pretty well captures the hustle and road work required to curate a great collection. Safe travels!

Source: FindFurnish

For whatever reason, taxidermy is one of those mid-century specialties that hasn’t quite caught on among the modern crowd. Funky Finds Vintage & Retro is a masterfully curated shop in Des Moines, Iowa, that specializes in high-quality old-school finds. Check out their Facebook page for a look inside their shop, where you can find (and take home) this cute little guy alongside portable Zenith televisions and some appealing prints.

Source: Funky Finds Vintage & Retro

The folks at Pure Detroit, a “local culture shop” and apparel store, run a pretty great Twitter account. They post all things Detroit, including some really excellent historical shots of life in the city. It wasn’t all just cars in the Motor City.

Source: Pure Detroit

Each year, the residents of Minneapolis’s Powderhorn Park go all-out to present an inclusive, vibrant and eye-opening May Day parade. It’s not just candy and streamers; masks, costumes, miles of fabric, bikes, bands, kids and pets all make their merry way through the neighborhood. Parade prep takes months, as evidenced by these giant papier-mâché masks.

Source: Twin Cities Daily Planet

What is City Museum? It’s an old shoe factory that’s been re-envisioned as a public space. That’s about the best descriptor I can think of, because it’s a little of everything: showroom, playground, funhouse, design studio. It’s like a Tom Waits song come to life. Their Instagram feed is a never-ending source of mystery and inspiration.

Source: City Museum

No, handling stumps in bags isn’t a hot new social media trend. It’s the first step to growing edible oyster mushrooms in your own yard. The folks at Cherry Tree House Mushrooms are hosting an event at Mississippi Market in St. Paul this coming Saturday, April 19, to teach folks the basics of mushroom growing. Visit the event page for more information.

Source: Cherry Tree House Mushrooms

Patrick Stinnett of Robinwood Reclaim has a pretty inspiring workshop in Minnetonka, Minn. Whether wood, metal or glass, you’ll find an eye-opening and original use of familiar and worn-out materials in his online gallery. This industrial filter shade adds a whole new vibe to a found lamp base.

Source: Robinwood Reclaim

“Coffee houses became my living room, a social place to meet people and relax,” says Nicole McCormack, the owner of Restituo, a new St. Louis coffee shop. Her cozy, at-home style creates a welcoming, pleasant, spring-like atmosphere.

Source: Feast Magazine

Hillside Contemporary Furniture, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has been voted “Detroit’s Best Furniture Store” two years running. It’s easy to see why with this well-designed yet visually captivating orange collection in their showroom.

Source: Hillside Furniture

Here’s a handy-dandy guide to plan a trip to Columbus, Ind., where Midwest Living says visitors will find “one of America’s best displays of modern architecture” in a town that blends “small-city hospitality with modern style.”

Source: Midwest Living

Get ready to shop Halston, Balenciaga, Patrick Kelly and Chanel alongside Chicago’s leading indie designers May 2-4 at the Modern Vintage Chicago sale in Plumber’s Hall, 1340 W. Washington. You can get a three-day pass for $25. Daily admission is $8. The early-buying preview is May 2.

Source: Modern Vintage Chicago

Take a photo tour of this perfectly preserved 1950s ranch house in Ladue, Mo.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A trip to the farmers market often begins with grand intentions, but more often than not results in limp and moldy produce long since forgotten at the back of the fridge. Beth Dooley is ready to help those good intentions become a reality with her book “Minnesota’s Bounty: The Farmers Market Cookbook.” In it, she gives readers quick ideas and longer recipes on just what to do with that produce they bought.

Source: Heavy Table

No harm in standing too close to Christian Weber’s explosions. A featuring the artist’s photographs, along with work from S. Gayle Stevens, opened March 7 at the Schneider Gallery in Chicago.

Source: Chicago Artists Resource

Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery serves as the final resting place for members of some of Minnesota’s most distinguished families (Humphrey, Wellstone, Pillsbury and Walker, to name a few). These hallowed grounds are now also home to a modern mausoleum designed by HGA Architects.

Source: Arch Daily

From an adorable studio in southwestern Wisconsin, Avalanche Looms produces gorgeous, handwoven textiles. Susan Johnson keeps lovely notebooks of the designs and sketches that precede her lovely creations.

Source: Drift Journal

Ceiling medallions are a great way to add a subtle pop of style to a hanging light fixture in any space. Plus, they’re an easy weekend DIY project. This particular one from “A Beautiful Mess” is reminiscent of those ever-popular mid-century Modern starburst clocks.

Source: A Beautiful Mess

The University of Minnesota College of Design seniors sent their collections down the runway last week. In its review, l’étoile magazine deemed the collections thoughtful and accomplished across the board. If you missed the show, check out the designers’ work at the HGA Gallery in Rapson Hall (University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus), where it will be on display through May 4.

Source: l’étoile magazine/ University of Minnesota College of Design/ Rod Hasse Photography

Detroit Lives! nabbed the 28th floor of the David Stott Building and with the help of Patrick Thompson Design transformed the bland office space, infusing it with a little bit of humor and a whole lot of style. See it now.

Source: Curbed Detroit

Get a recap of the five local designers (Tim Navarro, Thom Navarro, Sarah M. Holm, Rachel Roff of deLange Designs and Carly Schoen) and two local fashion titans (Laura Fulk and Project Runway alum Danielle Everine) who took to the runway this weekend.

Source: l’étoile magazine

East meets west in this upcoming show at Form + Content Gallery from former MCAD faculty member, Elizabeth Erickson. Her paintings and mixed media work are inspired by monastic chant, Minnesota prairie light and words of wisdom from East Indian avatar Meher Baba.

Source: Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Take a look inside Melinda Roth’s newest book, “Mestengo.” It’s a read full of serious undertones detailing the fate of America’s wild mustangs, tempered by humorous tales of Roth’s new life living with a mustang and menagerie of barn animals she inherited when her neighbor’s farm burned down.

Source: St. Louis Magazine