Home & Garden Blog » 2007 » November

An awesome substitute to the traditional, usually “re-gifted” hard as a rock FRUIT CAKE is a box full of sweets and chocolates. Check out this little gem I found at Mrs. Beasleys chalk full of goodies.

It’s there BRAND NEW collection of bite-sized holiday confections that makes it easy to enjoy and share the great taste of Mrs. Beasley’s. Includes 50 snappy Gingerbread Mini-cookies, 12 brand new Brownie Bites and 8 signature Chocolate Truffle Cookies, dusted in powdered sugar. That is a total of 70 pieces of bite sized heaven folks!

The elegant keepsake chest is perfect for storing holiday cards or serving accessories after you have scarfed down all the sweet treats. This Holiday Treasure Chest retails for only $34.95!

Plus save 15% Off entire order if you use the following code: PERF at checkout!

To purchase Mrs. Beasley’s Holiday Treasure Chest, 70 Piece Set…click here.

Also if your still pondering what to get your neighbor, co-worker or mail man? What’s the perfect gift that says I appreciate you and Happy Holidays even if I can’t always remember your name...why a Holiday Gift Basket of course!

Send a towering-full Holiday assortment of all the best, FOR the best. Sweet and juicy orchard fruits - 2 apples and 2 pears = are only the beginning of this fabulous array! 4 Mini holiday decorated sugar cookies, 4-oz. peppermint bark squares, chocolate-covered cherries, bridge mix, Christmas Jordan almonds and Reindeer Candy Korn all send the same message of holiday spirit and appreciation. Plus your purchase includes a FREE personalized gift message.

The Holiday Gift Basket featured is offered by FTD.com and costs $49.99.

To purchase the Noel Holiday Gift Tower featured above, click here.

Still not convinced? Shop for Gifts, Flowers, Cards & Gifts Baskets here.

This modern bed is certainly attention-grabbing - the thick bamboo or log-like effect of the headboard ensures a double-take. Bringing forward an organic allure, the Orson bed is a modern bed from Varaschin with primitive strength… finish reading at Trendir.com.

A perfect desktop companion, the igrobot ($13) is half robot, half earth. He comes with peat and seeds, and will keep growing even after you give him a little trim. Check out his growth potential at Uncrate.com

See the whimsical Chocolate Coasters from Animi Coasters that are fun and inviting. Who wouldn’t want to slip one beneath their mug of coco or spiked coffee? See more at Pure Contemporary Blog.

This week in Smarter Home & Garden we covered:

• Shop the discount drinkware sets I discovered at West Elm….only $29 bucks for a set of 4 stunning martini glasses, champagne flutes and wine glasses.
• Recycling can be fun and festive, see the creative use of Mountain Dew cans and liters…Happy Holidays!
• Showering has never been more FUN! See bathroom accessories and a great Youtube clip from Rain AIR.
• Remarkable design work by Victor Aleman and his new “Twist” on living room furniture. It’s not to be missed!
• Our delicious Deal of the Day will solve all your gift giving problems! Utilize the coupons and save money on our Holiday Gift Baskets offered by Mrs. Beasley and FTD.com

This is one of those rare occasions, when a picture (or series of pictures) speaks a thousand words! The images are striking and dynamic, describes the furniture far better than I could with pen and paper. But I shall give it a go, nonetheless.

Made from a single piece of red oak, the Loopita is covered in high density foam for comfortable seating. I am a big fan of grabbing a cushion or throw pillow from a couch and plunking down on the floor! So I find this design intimate and homey, which is not what people would automatically think of when they see the design, but I see the layers of “warmth” and “welcoming” possibilities.

The two opposing end points makes for a great floor level chaise. Add several Loopitas together to form interesting modular seating arrangements. I think the possibilities are endless and it’s truly an avant garde and dynamic living room furniture option. I confess here and now, that if I visited a home with the Loopita showcased, you would have to scrape my gaping chin off the floor! I love it.

To purchase or for further details please contact the designer Victor Aleman, click here.

To shop for more conventional living room furnishings, click here.

Check out this exhilarating Youtube clip that features bathroom accessories from Rain AIR. It reminds me of Fantasmic light show at Disneyland but with water, and a techno slash operatic beat!The girl in the clip really makes you want to get it, she looks like she is having so much FUN!

WARNING: If you watch it too many times, you may want to tinkle…just throwing that out there.

Enjoy!

YouTube - Watch Rainfall / Raindance Air: XXL

Shop for bathroom accessories and shower heads, click here.

What would you say? Write us your caption and post them in our comments!

Check out this great deal I found at West Elm! They have NEW metallic double-banded barware, the one pictured above is platinum but it is also available in gold. Cocktail hour will sparkle with crystal-clear glasses, rimmed with two metallic bands. They are dishwasher safe and shipping is FREE.

I think they are beautiful, affordable and dapper, simply put they are B.A.D.! Ha!

• Martini glass: (set of 4) $29.00
• Champagne glass: (set of 4) $29.00
• Wine glass: (set of 4) $29.00

To shop and purchase these discount drinkware sets, click here.

To visit West Elm, click here.

So as I stood in the aftermath of my families Thanksgiving dinner, huge black trash bag in hand, making my rounds threw the kitchen and living room, and pool room, picking up discarded bowls, dishes, cups, spoons, forks..napkins, I thought to myself; “Wow, this is a whole lot of trash!” And that was just one Thanksgiving dinner, imagine the accumulated trash across the country!

Which is why I made a mental note to search for biodegradable plates, cups and utensils as soon as I got back to blogging. The set featured above is from Branchhome.com and is made of plates, cups and bowls that are 100% biodegradable, compostable sugar cane fiber (bagasse) that is a byproduct of the sugar refining process. (Supplies of this material are virtually unlimited worldwide. The use of bagasse products eliminates the dependence of traditional wood fiber-based materials in disposable tableware. Since bagasse is traditionally burned for disposal, the diversion of the fiber into the making of tableware prevents harmful air pollution.) Source

The potato-starch cutlery is sturdy, attractive, reusable, and suitable for hot foods up to 220° F. It will biodegrade within 180 days in a commercial composting facility. Cutlery is sold in sets of 50. (Each set includes 50 forks, 50 knives and 50 spoons.)

On top of the benefits to the earth and atmosphere, these utensils are friendly to your wallet as well! They are very reasonable. Check out the prices and quantities offered below:

16 oz. Bowl (pack of 50): $8.50
12 oz. Cup (pack of 50): $9.00
7″ Plate (pack of 50): $6.50
9″ Plate (pack of 50): $9.00
9″ Compartmentalized Plate (pack of 50): $9.00
12″ Oval Platter (pack of 10): $5.50
Fork, Knife, Spoon (50 of each): $14.00
price:
Starting at: $5.50

Anyhow I ordered 1 set of 50 of each for Christmas and New Year’s, just thought it would be a good idea to spread the word.

To purchase or learn more about featured item, click here.

To shop for more Biodegradable Plates, Cups and Utensils, click here.

A new and innovative event has just taken place in the UK as part of the Design Council’s dot07.com festival. As members of the public brought in their trash which consisted of mainly plastics, a great change was witnessed by all. Sustainable plastic designs were being born from the public’s recycled rubbish. Read more at Yanko Design.

Win an Umbrella Stand! Every party needs an umbrella stand this rainy time of year. Win a modern umbrella stand from 2Modern.com. It’s easy! View details here…

Check out the Caterpillar, a flexible piece of furniture inspired by bicycle chains at Inhabitat. Why settle for just one position, when Anna Bullus’s Caterpillar lounge chair can be maneuvered into at least 14 different positions!!

This week in Smarter Home & Garden we covered:

• Turduchen is a Louisiana Cajun & Creole delight, reportedly folks like John Madden have been eating these Turduchens in the Madden Cruiser for years! This may be the dawn of a new holiday staple, “Goodbye Turkey, Hello Turduchen!”
• Well in support of our country’s effort to go GREEN, I would like to dedicate this post to the wonders of “Indoor Artificial Christmas Trees” !!! The level of luxury and quality in these artificial Christmas trees from Frontgate.com really amaze me!
• “Where is that Thanksgiving Turkey At!?!”…Search for the hidden turkey… comments?
• Honestly this is one of the coolest and most inventive stories I have read in a mighty long time, please read about eco-architect Mitchell Joachim’s visionary ideas about how to grow living treehouses from ficus molded around frame structures.
• If you want a party done right, sometimes you gotta do it yourself! Learn how to throw the perfect party this Holiday Season!
• Get all the latest information and updates on BLACK FRIDAY. Save money on huge deals and bargains!

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Since Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, Black Friday may be as early as the 23rd and as late as the 29th day of November.

Many retailers open very early (typically 5 A.M.) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term “Black Friday” has been traced back only to the 1970s. “Black Friday” was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

In some cities it’s not uncommon to see shoppers lined up hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside the stores shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big draw items. Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought after items and may be sharply discounted.

The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items. Traditionally Black Friday sales were intended for those shopping for Christmas gifts. For some particularly popular items, some shop these sales in order to get deep discounts on items they can then resell, typically online. (SOURCE)

Posted above is a snapshot of some of the brand name stores that offer Black Friday Sales! Click on the image and it will take you to the Black Friday, Info. site where an official list of all the merchants are posted.

Click here, for more information, coupons and deals for Black Friday.

Happy Hunting & Good Luck!!

If you want a party done right, sometimes you gotta do it yourself!

I am sure by now your calendar is brimming with events, soirees and parties, parties, parties! If it is one thing I know, its how to throw a decent party. So I shall teach you key pointers on how to make any celebration a success!

Step 1: Who to Invite?
The ideal ratio of women to men is 60:40. A female dominated room has great energy. As anyone who has been to a club or a party where the men out numbered the women, the vibe is jut not cool. There is a lot of standing around and posturing. Plus it’s like being the only deer in a room full of hungry lions, fresh meat.

Moving on … don’t be afraid to mix worlds. No one wants to see people they already know. Invite a degree or two away from your core social group, but not five. Hedge fund guys and indie rockers probably won’t hit it off!

Step 2: Provide Drinks - Plenty of Drinks!
Stock a cooler with canned domestics. When it comes to the hard stuff, vodka’s always the first to go and an essential party staple. So make the ratio of spud juices (beers) to other hooches 2:1. But keep it cheap! I use to buy the good Vodka but I realized many moons ago that after 4 cups mixed with Redbull, I and my fellowparty goers could be drinking moonshine and I would not know the difference! Other essentials: Rum, Whiskey, Scotch and Tequila

Step 3: Blast the Grooves!
Party music has one purpose: MAKE. GIRLS. DANCE. Aggressive songs tend to put guys in an aggressive mood, and turns girls off. But on the other hand nothing to “chicky” or Disco esque! Makes the men anxious and awkward, pretty much trying their damnedest not to tap their feet to the disco beat and expose their “Lilith Fair” tendencies. The safest bet with a mixed crowd is to play assorted Top 40’s hits. Get a sense of what was a hit or miss and play it by ear…the guaranteed crowd pleaser…Prince! It’s like cheating for DJ’s.

Step 4: Be the Host with the Most
Set the party mood, hit the dimmers as people come in. Too much light will make guest scatter. The first rule of partying is everything looks better in the dark. Amen! This is how hot girls end up making out with your chubby, balding, grateful friends. No dimmers? Cut the overhead lights and string up white Christmas lights. Just don’t light any candles; open flames and clumsy drunks don’t mix.

There you have it, you now know the 4 key steps to throwing a successful party!

Celebrate and be Merry!