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Well technically it is New Year’s Eve but you know what I mean, countdown is tonight! Please have fun celebrating but also be careful! Get to your celebratory destination and then stay there, sleep over if you don’t have a DI (designated driver) and are too inebriated to drive.

Okay, okay I am done preaching…

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

OK what are you doing reading this!! You should be hugging your kids, kissing under the mistletoe, sledding threw snowy pastures….My point is, stand up and go kiss your loved ones!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

May your Holidays be filled with love, success and merriment!

Best Wishes,

Michelle

Now take after good ol’ Saint Nick, kick off your shoes, relax and celebrate!

Home Decorators Collection Online Outlet is having an awesome storage sale with all sale items at 70% off! Check out some of my favorite deals:

Was: $229.00 Now: $67.99

Cadence 30-Bottle Wine Cabinet: This wine cabinet would go great on the side of your kitchen island or on display in your living room. It comes in dark walnut (pictured), light walnut, and antique cherry.

Was: $129.00 Now: $31.99

Amanda Laptop Desk: This laptop desk is great if you lack space in your apartment or if you would like your desk to be just as portable as your laptop. You can carry it from your bedroom to your living room so you can watch TV on your big screen while you work.

Was: $119.00 Now: $35.99

Rattan Set of Two Lift-Top Hampers: These are super cute for that island theme you have in your bathroom or bedroom. They come in honey (pictured) or white. I probably wouldn’t buy these for $119, but for $36….SURE!

Check out the other sale items here. This sale ends 9/30/07 so better hurry!

I have to admit, until today, I’d never in my life seen or heard of a salt pig. Never. But, now that I’ve learned, I’m a believer. In case you’re ignorant to the charms of a salt pig as I was, they’re handy little pots like the one featured above from CyberCucna ($7.99) that give you easy access to salt while you’re cooking. That’s what that big, gaping hole is all about–your hands can easily slide in for a pinch or, if you’re a clean freak, you can use a spoon.

But that’s not all (that’s my infomercial voice), that opening also allows air in, creating a dry home for salt, which is good because moisture is definitely the enemy of America’s favorite seasoning.

Plus, there are lots of really cute ones:

 

Emile  Henry Provencale Collection, $33.95

Woodard & Charles 3-Piece Set,  $14.95

Sur La Table Stoneware Salt Pig, $9.95

What if I told you there was a way to build your dream house in a prime location for under $1,000? Well, it’s true–virtually. The New York Times reports that Second Life, a virtual world introduced into the material universe by San Francisco-based Linden Lab in 2003, is in the middle of a housing boom. Paralleling life in the real world, many Second Life residents have tired of the wild life and are looking for a little permanence for their electronic identities. As a result, many are building dream homes and laying roots in virtual communities, complete with chatty neighbors and strict zoning laws.

The price of a piece of land in Second Life is around 55,000 Lindens, which is the equivalent of $200. Then there are maintenance fees between $25-40 a month. However, once that’s all taken care of, houses come cheap at around $5 (decorating will run you about $20). And residents are definitely taking advantage of the low costs, decking out their properties with mission-style furniture, elaborate gardens, hot tubs, dance floors, and bars. The skies the limit for Second Lifers.

Read the whole article, “A House That’s Just Unreal” by Seth Kugel here.

Here at Smarter Home & Garden, we love when readers send us questions. This latest one came for Melissa, our resident garden expert from reader Jenny Lim. If you had a question, email us at homegarden@smarter.com.

Hi Melissa,

I’ve enjoyed reading your gardening posts (especially the one about the hen hatching nectarines). I want your opinion on what I should do with my ugly brick fence. Recently my husband and I replaced our patch of dead weeds (I think it might have been green grass in a former life) with an environmentally-friendly rock garden and indigenous plants, but now my backyard is so blah and boring. There is no color! We were considering putting up some ivy or bougainvillea, but we’d like your opinion. BTW, we don’t have green thumbs.

The quick answer to adding color, since you don’t have a green thumb, is adding garden ornaments in colors that align with your home. I‘m imagining bird baths, outdoor furniture, colored pavers, colored pots. If you’re in southern California, another quick add is a crepe myrtle tree which has very bright blooms, interesting bark and is highly drought tolerant. Vines are always an excellent choice for covering walls; be sure to consider the vine’s eventual height and the wall’s orientation to the sun when making selection. Vines that overgrow the wall create more work. Espaliered fruit trees are another choice in front of a wall. If this is a traditional pretty red brick wall, espaliered trees would show it off nicely. Red and green are complementary colors.

Melissa Saltman, the planet friendly gardener

I found out about RugMark today on the fabulous site, Apartment Therapy, and I wanted to help spread the word.   RugMark is an organization that intends to stop forced child labor in rug factories in South East Asia.

RugMark is “devoted to building schools, programs and opportunities” for the 300,000 children that work in the handmade rug industry. Their tactic is to put pressure on rug manufacturers and importers, who receive the prestigious RugMark certification only if they agree to the foundation’s no-child-labor guidelines and random inspections of their factories.

The RugMark certification guarantees that

• no child labor was used to make the carpet you’re buying
• RugMark inspectors have visited the factory where the rug was made
• a portion of the price will go to educate former child laborers
• you’re helping to build a market for rugs made without the use of child labor

And, best of all, if you buy RugMark certified carpets, you’re contributing to a successful campaign–since 1994, the organization has decreased child labor in the South East Asian carpet industry by two-thirds.

Here’s to great ideas and capitalism in action.  Learn more on the official RugMark website.

You can also read We Need to Go to School: Voices of the Rugmark Children ($6.75)

LObjet Chocolate Canisters, $139.95

Need something to keep your cookies in? I love the way canisters lend color and character to a kitchen, and there are plenty to choose from. Store beans, rice, flour and anything else you’d like at arm’s reach while cooking. Canisters keep food fresh and conveniently close by–no more searching that bag of macaroni in your cupboard while your pot boils over. One word of caution, though, to those who get moths in the summer: even the most tightly sealed canister won’t keep those critters out. Trust me, I found out the hard way. Keep anything that might attract moths in the fridge until fall.

Sur La Table Canisters with Spoons, $29.95

Striped Hand-Painted Earthenware, $79.99

Tracy Porter Artesian Road, $149.99

Old Dutch Solid Copper Hammered Set, $62.40

Mibo Clacket Lane Wallpaper, 11 yds/$125

I know, I know. The thought of hanging wallpaper is as pleasant to some as getting extensive dental work done, but what if I told you that you only had to hang a bit to give a room maximum character? It’s true. Pick one drab wall in your house–in your living room, foyer or bedroom (behind the head board, perhaps)–and I guarantee that covering just that one wall will breathe new life into the entire room.

To do it right, pick a color that will complement the other walls as well as the decor of the room. Or if your other walls are white, consider painting just the trims of doors, windows and walkways a color in the paper–easy, affordable and a dramatic change. Since it’s just one wall, you can pick something with pizazz and not worry about it being overwhelming.

Something like these, perhaps:

twenty2 Dixon, $59 This brand comes in easy-to-peel off and slap on strips that require no glue, sweat or tears.

Melinamade, Double Roll $50

CreativeWallcovering, Single Roll $13.99