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So everyone is in tough spots right now with money. I read an article this morning about how even Conde Nast’s most privileged and elite magazines, Vanity Fair and Vogue, are going to have to cut back on their thousand-dollar dinners and car service just to make the bills. If Anna Wintour has to start thinking frugally, where does that leave the rest of us? According to Washington Post-interviewed interior designer Barbara Barry, it leaves us with the simple pleasures of warm silk sheets and a beautiful cup to drink tea out of in the morning.

While the Washington Post heralds Barry as being more than an interior designer but a “life coach”, I think there is some truth to the statement that “simple pleasures” are the way to live, but I don’t think Barry coined the phrase. Simple pleasures are defined everyday by people like you who want to enjoy some special and treat themselves with small graces instead of material gluttony and excess. Look for sumptuous fabrics or blankets to make you feel warm and toasty, or a certain beautiful cup or dishware for those lazy Sunday brunches that make you a little less haggard about the thought of work the next day.

Some simple pleasure items:

Colored Water Goblets: $34.98

French Press Coffee Maker: $34.99

Satin Sheet Sets: $39.99-49.99

Do all your discount shopping at Smarter.com!

I was absolutely thrilled by the New York Times article this weekend about a group of artists who turned a dumpster in the city into a community swimming pool.  The hidden rented lot was turned into a summer oasis with three connected pools in dumpsters, a boccie court, lounge chairs, grills and cabanas—of course, in Brooklyn.  Awesome concept, awesome design; the project was designed by Macro-Sea, a company that designed the pools, in the effort to think about new ways to use underused city spaces and materials.  The project required a lot of manual labor:  filing down the edges, filling in the dumpsters will comfortable liners and sand at the bottom, wood decks above the pools, sandbags to keep it from tipping over, and over 18, 000 gallons of water brought in from New Jersey.  Sounds like a job and a half, but ultimately very inspiring.  Macro-Sea’s opening made me think about what little things I could do in my summer in the city to cool down.  Here are some options and products I want to share with you!

Ray Padula Rain Dance Oscillating Sprinkler: $19.99

How can you say “no” to a “Rain Dance” sprinkler?  With 32-position dial adjustment knob, this sprinkler is ready to rock and at such an affordable price!  Just make sure you have a good working hose, and you’re good to go.

Bubble Spa: $449.00

A little bit more of an investment, but this product looks outstanding and jaw-droppingly affordable, considering what you get:  Luxurious spa treatment in your own backyard!  Fits 4 people comfortably and can hold and maintain both warm and cool water, making it ideal for summer and winter months!

CLEARANCE ALERT: Banzai 3-D Shark Bite Waterslide at Walmart.com: $22.00!

Little bit of a catch:  this product is only available at select stores at the clearance price, so check online at the store locator to find which ones still have the product near you.  This is a steal for both the kids and the adults to enjoy:  pummeling head-first into the gaping mouth of a shark on a slippery slide?  Sounds incredible!  And look at the architecture: the shooting water arches and the water whirlpool below make this a game for the ages!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more sprinklers, spas and water toys.

At the Palm Beach County Home & Interior Design Show, the company NiteLites took the spotlight.  Nitelites, “The Landscape Lighting Professionals”, specializes in low-voltage lighting which the company personalizes for every home or garden.  The lighting installations are elegant, smart and practical.  They illuminate the home you are proud of, and brighten pathways to keep your family and visitors safe.  All of the fixtures are made with solid brass or copper and comes with a 5-year warranty.

Special Inside Tip: NiteLites will provide free demonstrations at your home before you have to commit to an installation!

One downfall: The company is still expanding its locations. While NiteLites has the East Coat from Massachusetts to Florida covered well, service becomes a little sparse once you get past Tennessee and non-existent once past Texas.

When considering installing architectural or landscape lighting around your house, remember to consider:

1. Entrance ways, door ways, and exit points:  These are the portals to your home, so every doorway should be welcoming and well-lit so it is easy to spot.  Well-lit doorways help during that late-night search for keys in the purse, for example.  But, take lighting at the doorway with caution.  While you certainly want the light to be bright on the outside (even to make sure that you recognize who is knocking at the door) but you do not want the light illuminating the inside of your house for the whole world to see.  Keep this in mind if your doorway has glass and consider having it frosted if you have not already.

2. Privacy:  You have taken good care of your home and you deserve to beautify it even more with special, tailored lighting.  Nitelites can help you pick out the perfect set up to illuminate and show off the assets of your home.  However, don’t forget to consider your family’s privacy.  You do not want your home to be visible from space.  Make sure that the lights will not be shining into your windows and keep the direct light on the house to a minimum.  Instead, if you are just starting to consider installations, start small with pathway lighting, or maybe a little around the outdoor pool or garage.  Remember, this lighting is meant to benefit your family first.

Nitelites.com has a very interactive and image-heavy site that can give you plenty of ideas about how to improve your home with lighting installation.  Check it out, and even if you are on the fence about the idea, contact NiteLites for a free consult.  You never know what will spark your imagination!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a variety of affordable outdoor lighting.

Well, they are known for their hurricanes!  It’s nice to see that someone’s trying to make the best of the crappy real-estate market (crappy for sellers, that is).  I stumbled upon this article from the Miami Herold that explains that recently foreclosed homes in Florida might be put to use as temporary hurricane relief shelters.  After conducting a drill of a Category 4 storm, they realized that not looking into this as an option would be foolish.  From the article:

“The drill’s scenario: a Category 4 storm nearly bankrupts the state, displaces one million residents, destroys homes and schools, and even frees zoo monkeys that terrorize Floridians.

During the weeklong exercise, Almaguer said, it didn’t take long for the 250 state, federal and local officials to figure out that neither Florida nor FEMA has enough shelter space to house the newly homeless.”

I think after the fiasco in February of this year with that Connecticut “domesticated” chimp, we wouldn’t any zoo monkeys to roam the streets freely.  We all know what monkeys are capable of! Lol!

Read the full article here.

Image Source:  AP Photo

I love people who have such creative ideas for ways to save money!  You can look like you spent a lot without actually spending a lot.  Elizabeth Mayhew was on The Today Show on NBC to give tips on the best ways to make your dining room the most practical and functional.  She sort of gives a preview on what her new book Flip! for Decorating covers:  how to transform your home without spending a ton of money.  Check out the video below.

Get the book online at Barnsandnoble.com for $19.20.

I just wanted to take a moment and introduce Maureen our New Home & Garden Blogger!

Maureen says:

Ok, about me. Where do I start? I’m a physical therapist by trade but a wannabe interior designer by heart. In a space, I see color, textures, focal points & the symmetry (or asymmetry for that matter) of things. I love both the charm of vintage & the clean lines of modern décor. I’m an eternal multi-tasker & insanely believe that every minute should be productive. Not to say that I don’t enjoy life. I love traveling! My dream career? Travel the world a la Samantha Brown chronicling the design & décor of each destination. (Hey how come Andrew Zimmerman can feature brain curry in Delhi? Then I can narrate how camel bone mirrors in Morocco are made).

I maintain another blog at http://www.inglenookdecor.blogspot.com/ & also recently opened an e-shop for urban cottage home décor at http://www.theinglenookdecor.com/.

There’s a lot to know & learn about design & décor but I’d love to share my thoughts & ideas with you. I enjoy writing about this topic & hope that you enjoy reading them. Contact me anytime at info (at) theinglenookdecor(dot) com.

Maureen is an awesome asset to the Smarter Home and Garden Blog and will provide great insight into the vast realm of design and decor!

It’s well known on the streets that since Martha Stewart was released from prison in 2004, that she earned instant street cred and thereafter went by the name of Homemaking Gangsta, Da’ OG Home-makah, and Martha “Ghostface” Stewart!

She started hanging with a tougher crowd, developing a rough and tumble posse’ that consisted of Suge Knight, DMX, Ice Cube, Mister Magic Don Juan, and R. Kelly!

In a stroke of irony, she had her homeboy R. Kelly over at her crib one hot afternoon and asked for his assistance setting up a closet organizer. He was happy to oblige, unfortunately while maneuvering the large rod into place he accidentally slammed the self locking door shut.

Local sources state they were found several hours later, severely dehydrated and cradled in one another’s arms.

Moral of the story, be wary of the long winded, urban operettas you inflict on the populace, you might find yourself in one someday!

To read the full article Martha Stewart Trapped in the Closet with R. Kelly, click here.

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!!

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.

Would you hang a tortilla on your wall? Well you might if it’s been transformed into art by Joe Bravo, who’s banked over $3,000 for some of his tortilla paintings. Using the essential ingredient of burritos as his canvas, the Los Angeles-based artist who has worked as an art director for Lowrider Magazine and the American Golf Corporation (that’s quit a mix), has gained fame for his intricate works, which, he says, contain “imagery that is representative of Latinos, conveying their hopes, art, beliefs and history.”

On his website, Bravo explains that the process of choosing the right tortilla and preparing it for acrylic paint is just as important as the actual art.  He also explains a bit about the drying and framing processes as well.

Bravo has gained international fame for his art, and for one of his latest series he’s made a cultural leap, depicting images prevalent in Asian culture, including Chinese opera masks, images of panda bears, Anime and dragons. These pieces will be exhibited in Hong Kong this month, where the artist has been invited to show his work.

Read more about Joe Bravo and see his work at his official website. 

Source.