As summer gets underway, there will be lots of reasons to decorate the table: birthdays, holidays, barbecues. This one's a cute idea that conjures a cool treat:

"Eat your vegetables" is an age-old phrase we hear from moms struggling to get their little ones to give veggies a chance. But it doesn't have to be a struggle! Here, we share some ideas for sharing vegetables with your toddler at every meal of the day (and snack time!):

We aren't big drinkers in my household, but it's nice to have a little something around for guests. Which means our liquor cabinet needs aren't much: No glass and mirrored giant in the corner of the living room. That's why I'm taken with these nifty DIY ideas. I'd love to create a small liquor cabinet (that doesn't necessarily look like one) with nothing but elbow grease and little to none of the green stuff.

Got a chandelier or pendant light over your dining table? Well, then you already have the perfect foundation for some really special party decor. All you have to do is dress it up a bit and you have an eye-catching centerpiece for any birthday celebration. Some ideas for doing so are pictured here and outlined after the jump:

I was sitting in my dining room the other day when it struck me just how boring the room is. It's furnished with a table. And chairs. And that's it. What if — I began to wonder — one was surrounded by shelves and shelves of books in the dining room? Here are some inspiring examples.

We love a crisp, cool stone tabletop, especially in the heat of summer. The material seems able to cool a space during the hottest months (which are fast approaching!) but it's oh-so-expensive. Here's an alternative: concrete!

We like the casual look of mismatched dining room chairs, but if the mismatching gets carried away things can look a bit haphazard. Here's a great way to rein in the havoc while keeping a fun, loose vibe: Use the same chair in different colors. And make it even better by using Eames shell chairs!

Round dining tables are communal, inviting, and friendly in their shape. So why not take it a step further and think about round dining rooms? Of course, the shape necessitates a circular table, but it also encompasses its occupants in a hug of sorts. Here are three examples of round dining rooms.

If there's a time to get playful and experiment with how you serve up a dish, it's dessert! After the meal's cleared away and you're ready to serve something sweet, why not break out your crafty side? Here are some examples we've found around the web for getting creative and making a one-of-a-kind, DIY dessert stand:

In this modern farmhouse, the kitchen and dining room are combined in one room. With an eleven-foot-long table, one end of it can easily be dedicated to kitchen work on a typical day. And we love this idea for making it happen: