Home & Garden Blog » michelle

Seems like everyone is getting married lately! Or is it just me? Well I also happen to be Filipino and I was raised Catholic so I recently had to go on a hunt for a decent Unity Candle Set for my cousin.

I chose the Endless Love Unity Candle 3 Piece Set.

“I have found the one whom my soul loves.”

The set includes a three piece unity candle set featuring an 8″H x 3″D unity candle with coordinating 12″ tapers.

The exclusive design is graced with the Song of Solomon 3:4 and adorned with a cross and two interlocking rings symbolizing your union as one.

Each unity candle is then custom personalized with couples first names and wedding date.

Candles are drip less and smokeless. Each unity candle is beautifully presented in a white organza bag making it ready for gift giving!

Price - $39.95

This set makes a wonderful gift, when I gave mine to my cousin she super loved it!

Plus here are some coupons you should use to save even more money on you purchase:

Use coupon code: thanks509 at checkout to save 20% of entire purchase (Expires 8/31/08)

Use coupon code: COMPLETE88 at checkout to save 20% of entire purchase (Expires 12/31/08)

Use coupon code: TRYUSA562 at checkout to save 15% of entire purchase (Expires 12/31/08)

There’s nothing quite like the fragrant aroma and taste of warmed Brandy or Cognac. Cradle the snifter over the gentle flame and unlock the hidden character and full flavor of your favorite Brandy or Cognac. Includes warmer stand, replaceable tea-light, and 9oz glass Brandy snifter.

On Sale - $21.99

If you are interested in purchasing or looking at the Brandy Sifter & Warmer, click here.

I went to visit my parents house and I was standing in the kitchen watching her prepare dinner. There she was chopping chicken into smaller bits on a “wood” chopping board, THEN she rinsed off the board gave it a quick rundown with some sudsy water and started chopping vegetables on the thing!!

Umm, HI! Can we say SALMONELLA. Where do I begin?

First off, I thought it was common knowledge that you should have two separate cutting boards. One for meats and one for vegetables and everything else. Also that the one for meat should be PLASTIC, not wood as wood locks in blood and germs in it’s fibers. Plus plastic can be thrown into the dishwasher for some heavy duty cleaning and disinfecting. Or you can take a solution of bleach and water and hose that plastic meat cutting board down. Makes sense right?

To be clear here are my “TIPS”:

1. Two separate cutting boards

BUY PLASTIC CUTTING BOARDS - for MEATS!

BUY WOOD or PLASTIC - for VEGETABLES and all assorted kitchen prepping!

Also here is a short video on how to maintain your wooden cutting board…

YouTube - Watch Cutting Board Tips

Good grief, no wonder I have a stomach like an iron tank and rarely get sick from questionable food. All these years if this is how my Mom has been prepping food I have developed an iron constituition to edible germs.

I’d rather not test that theory any further though. Just some friendly advice from me to you. Hope it helps!

I recently went on a manly expedition to Home Depot with a male chum who needed to find and purchase measuring tape. Apparently when men need to update their tool kits, there is just no waiting.

Made me kind of laugh to be honest, I liken the male tool box to shoes and bags and makeup for women. When the urge hits to upgrade, you have to run with it!

So there we were amidst the sky high aisles of all things masculine when it struck me, I need to buy a cordless power drill. I admit I can be utterly clueless when it comes to certain facets of home repair, but all things being equal, I am actually pretty self reliant with the majority of my home design needs.

One of the things that I am constantly doing each time I move is screwing! Screwing portraits up, screwing the curtains up, screwing my bed together, screwing, screwing, screwing. So it is my personal belief that every gal should have a compact cordless drill.

With the help of my chum I chose the DeWalt Heavy Duty Cordless Drill. What I like about it is it has the appropriate amount of strength for any of my medial tasks, but it is light-ish and easy to handle. Plus I was informed by my masculine friend that DeWalt is a great and respectable brand.

I have already had to use it twice! To install a ceiling fan in my apartment and to redo the drapes I lazily hammered into the wall in lieu of breaking my wrists hand installing them with my Phillips screwdriver.  But so far so good, the thing is paying itself off.

DeWalt Cordless Drill - $121.06 (you save 61% Off)

If you are interested in purchasing or shopping for the DeWalt Cordless Drill, click here.  

Thanks to the fabulous Country French Antiques blog I found Vagabond Vintage. Fabulous variety of vintage pieces. Take a look if you love a bit of vintage escapism.

(Source: Designer’s Block Blog)

Smarter Home and Garden Blog

Discount House Plants - Fukien Tea Bonsai House Plant reminds me of the Karate Kid!

Brookstone Pillows - Shop for lumbar back support pillows at Brookstone and save money while providing your back with some well deserved relief…

Time organize the bottles of alcohol at the casa? I am, with the Discount Chrome Wine Rack and Glass Holder - Save 40% Off

Need to re-stock on bathroom essentials? Check out these adorable Polka Dot Jacquard Towels I found for only $12 each!

Deal of the Day - Clean up your driveway, patio or sidewalk with the Pressure Washer from Campbell Hausfeld. It is 20% Off…

I was thinking that I should clean the driveway, patio and sidewalk really well one last time before Fall foilage and Winter storms hit.

So since I am a lazy bum in lieu of sweeping, collecting and hosing, I would prefer to purchase the Pressure Washer from Campbell Hausfeld.

The PW1750 Pressure Washer is primarily designed for driveway, porch, sidewalk and patio cleaning applications. Also, this particular pressure washer uses 80% less water than a garden hose!

Features

* 35 ft., GFCI equipped cord and universal motor
* 20 ft. high pressure hose
* Instant start/stop system
* Lightweight and reliable 120V, 14 AMP universal motor
* Swivel adapter makes it easier to attach to a garden hose
* Built-in accessory storage provides convenient location to hold gun, lance and power cord

Retail Price: $199.95

Our Price: $179.95

Special Offer: $159.95 (you save $40.00 - 20% off)  

To shop or purchase the Campbell Hausfeld Pressure Washer, click here.  

I think these Polka Dot Towels are simply adorable. They are reversible so you can choose which color you want to feature. They are made from a 100% cotton so they are super plush and absorbant.

Personally I like that the colors are young and spunky.  Plus you honestly can’t be the price.

Polka Dot Jacquard Towels only cost $12.00!

If you want to shop or purchase the Polka Dot Towels, click here.

Still want to look for more great deals on towels, click here.

I need a new wine rack. It’s a simple statement because it’s a simple request. My current wine rack is this $15 dollar number from a yard sale a few years back. The little sucker is standing on it’s last legs, constructed of thrift wood it only holds 4 bottles and is very rickity at this point.

Suffice to say I am more of a wine drinker now than I was in my youth. I use to fill my little wine rack with bottles of Smirnoff and Kettle One. Ha! I’ve had to slow down a bit, doctor’s orders, so now I relish a nice Merlot when I need to smooth out the edges.

Cue the Chrome 6 Bottle Under Cabinet Wine Rack with Glass Holder offered by EveryHomeBar.com!

Well the fact that you have to install it into the cabinet concerns me a bit. Only because with my novice handy man skills I can easily envision the whole thing crashing down. So I shall have one of my man friends install it properly. I do live in an apartment with limited kitchen counter space so the idea of freeing up counter space appeals to me.

The chrome wine rack holds six bottles of wine and 6 wine glasses. For my entertaining purposes, this is the perfect amount. If you need more space click here to shop for more versions of discount wine racks.

The Chrome 6 Bottle Wine Rack costs:

$39.00 (orginally)

$23.49 (sale price)

$15.51 (you save 40%)

Want to buy the chrome 6 bottle wine rack? Click here.  

When I first get to work I am chipper, lively and still have that gleam of happiness in my eyes. Of course as the day progresses, my life force is slowly drained from my body and I become more and more hunched over at my desk .

Add to that I am fairly well endowed on the chesty chest. I am not bragging, as a matter of fact the girls are becoming quite a burden in my latter years. I am not joking when I say that it becomes cumbersome trying to remain erect with 6-8lbs of boobage strapped to your chest.

Anyhow I am ready to invest in some sort of lumbar support pillow. The one I have been scoping out is the Napform Lumbar Support from Brookstone. I am ready to treat my lower back to perfectly shaped support and luxurious NapSoft fabric.

Here’s the official pitch:

“NapForm™ memory material will ease discomfort and pressure, while helping to improve circulation and overall comfort. Our lumbar support also helps your back “work less” to maintain posture, even during prolonged sitting. ”

(Source: Brookstone)

Mmmm, sounds divine. That’s everything I am looking for to be honest.

The NapForm Lumbar Support Pillow costs - $50

Have any of you guys purchased a back support pillow to use at work? What do you recommend?

To purchase or shop for the NapForm Lumbar Support Pillow, click here.

Who doesn’t remember the Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio? Granted I am a child of the 80’s but even you 1990’s kids know about “wax on, wax off” and the how Mr. Miyagi lovingly cared for bonsai trees!

Well I came across the Fukien Tea Bonsai house plant I felt the need to blog about it for three reasons:

Reason 1: The name cracks me up, how do you pronounce that exactly? Ha!

Reason 2: It reminded me of the Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi’s awesome “chopstick-fly-catching skills”

Reason 3: I actually think bonsai plants are quite lovely and have always wanted one myself

Native to Southern China, the Fukien tea tree has shiny, dark-green leaves and a contrasting silvery green trunk. An evergreen tropical plant, it blooms with tiny white flowers in spring and summer. These slightly perfumed blooms are followed by tiny berries that occasionally ripen from deep green to bright red.

Hello awesome! It’s like having a tiny plot of mythical China in your home.

The Fukien Tea Bonsai costs $54 dollars.

If you are interested in purchasing or checking out the Fukien Tea Bonsai, click here.