Sometimes you want to warmly welcome guests into your home. Other times you just want to tell them to take off their shoes, or face the heinous penalty of death by foot removal. If you’re in the market for a mat that greets your guests with scary tidings, John Pour Home has just the thing. Their new line of hand-cut felt rugs create typographical mat masterpieces that are capable of conveying a variety of messages to the visiting masses. They’ll even customize a rug. So whether you want your friends to step right up or watch their step, you can rest assured they’ll get the message.

Good ideas are contagious. At least that’s the idea behind Ecopop.com. Chad Rea — who coined the term “eco pop” in 2006 to describe new companies that have an edgy image — collects real-life examples of innovative ideas. From design to home and garden, he uses these examples as a starting point for the public to discuss, show and even come up with some of their own. It’s a social experiment in a virtual world with the end result hopefully being new ways to better our lives. Ecopop.com adds water to the flowing fountain of inspiration, and this is where they go to play and conceive. Thankfully, it’s a quick population growth that doesn’t need too much fostering.

Memorial Day may have come and gone, but the folks at SquidFire are celebrating a different occasion. The T-shirt titans who began selling their wares out of an old Cadillac in 2005 are turning three this month. Rather than blowing out some candles, they’ve decided to do what they do best … continue making quality products. Squidfire recently released 30 new designs for the spring, and while their company may be a little bit older, their methods have stayed the same. Each shirt is hand-designed, hand-printed, and they’re now available at 90 stores internationally (and, as always, online). Act quickly if you’re going to purchase some new gear — the sale only last until May 30th, and it includes $5 off all tee and free shipping on orders of $40 or more.

Today, at lunch, the topic of road trips and music came up and it got me thinking about what sort of music would be able to sustain me while driving long distances. I think /Passenger’s (yes with the slash) U.S. debut album “Wicked Man’s Rest” fits the bill. The music arrangements are complex but traditional, using few (if any) of the cliche digital or artificial effects that I am starting to find annoying. Vocalist Mike Rosenberg’s voice has a slight English inflection, and while his pitch bothered me at first, I soon found myself appreciating how it varied throughout his range. They will be performing at Hotel Cafe in L.A. on June 9th, and two days later at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. If you’re a fan of David Gray or Nick Drake, you will want to check out their EP Night Vision Binoculars which will be digitally released on June 24th. Their album comes out this summer.

Synth-pop is best done by Brits who have the formula down: 808 style beats, shrill keyboards and grinding bass. Throw in a vocoder and nicely placed live covers of Devo's “Whip it” and you've got Does It Offend You, Yeah? That's not a question — that's their name. And the lads’ debut audio assault will do anything but. Nothing controversial here, just fundamentally catchy tunes executed with contemporary dance-rock flair. Currently on tour for their album You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into, DIOYY? have built an early reputation for raucous live shows and fun-loving stage antics. It’s sure to catch your ear effortlessly.

For those who find themselves filling awkward silences with off-time table tapping, an effortless creative outlet now exists. Tor Clausen creates modular coffee tables that can house four, eight, nine, and 16 percussive components including tambourine, snare, cowbell and three levels of bongo. Aside from being an amazingly fun toy for musicians, Musical Furnishings make for an awesome party game. Sit around with your friends and tap out patterns to come up with cooperative drum sequences, or simply make your living room much more interesting to sit around in.