Home & Garden Blog » Trend Alert

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” !!! (cue uproarious applause)

I have chosen to highlight Frontgate.com because they offer a wide-selection of different “breeds” that are designer quality! They are the most lifelike, full artificial Christmas trees in the business. The trees are pre-lit, so you don’t need to fuss anymore with running around and around your Christmas tree with the lights. Well unless you enjoy that sort of thing, then by all means have at it! Ha!

In my house, I enjoy full, plush trees that are robust at the bottom and allow for alot of ornamentation. I usually purchase Noble Firs or Canaan Firs. The image listed above is of the Pre-lit Noble Fir Christmas Tree, which I believe is the top seller. The level of luxury and quality in these trees really amaze me! Plus they don’t shed or leave water stains all over your carpet, which is a mighty big perk!

Also they have this really cool feature, an interactive Gallery of Indoor Christmas Trees tool that allows you to hover over different styles, learn more about that particular artificial tree, and view a comparison chart. You gotta check it out, its awesome!

Honestly folks, save a tree near you today and go ARTIFICIAL!

To view and shop a wide selection of artificial Christmas trees, click here!

To help you decide check out Frontgate’s interactive tool, the Gallery of Indoor Christmas Trees.

Truth be told I heard rumblings about this trio-bird concoction last year, but I think I shall give it a go this year. You may be asking yourself, “What pray tell is a Turduchen?”

A Turduchen is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The name is a portmanteau of those ingredients, turkey, duck, and chicken. The cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or rice dressing and sausage meat or seafood stuffing. (Source)

Turduchen is a Louisiana Cajun & Creole delight, reportedly folks like John Madden have been eating these Turduckens in the Madden Cruiser for years! If it can satisfy the appetite of a pro-footballer, it can undoubtedly quench the taste buds and hunger pains of all Thanksgiving stomachs.

I have never been a finicky eater, and my curiosity and taste buds have definitely been enticed. This may be the dawn of a new holiday staple, “Goodbye Turkey, Hello Turduchen!” This shall be the new feature at my family Thanksgiving dinner, I shall keep you lovelies updated on the response it receives, I’m sure it will be delicious.

Happy Gobble Gobble Day!

To purchase a Turduchen for Thanksgiving, click here.

Be sure to enter code: SMARTER to take advantage of the $5 dollar OFF Shipping Coupon at Checkout!

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.

There might be a stalker in your neighborhood, and your house–not you– might be the object of his or her obsession.  No lie. We are living in the age of house stalking, according to a New York Times article by Steven Kurutz.  Apparently, this is a real phenomenon, in which individuals fall in lust with a certain dream house and can’t get enough of it.

The stalkers that Kurutz interviewed for the piece seemed pretty harmless, some of them being dreamers who could never afford the house they adore while others were those who had been outbid when trying to buy the home. But even in the case of those scorned in the bidding process, the houses themselves, not the owners, were definitely the focus of their attention.  The symptoms of the stalking habit include frequent drive-bys, distaste for the decor choices of the home’s owners and lots of internet research.

Kurutz reports that tools like Nexis Lexis and sites like Realist.com, which make a home’s floor plan, tax history, and current property value available at the touch of a button are part of the fuel of this obsession.  I guess these stalkers are able to form a sense of intimacy for the home they crave by  knowing all the details about it.  And Google Earth, with it’s satellite images allowing peeping tom’s to get a glimpse not available curbside, has taken the place of binoculars as this century’s stalker must-have. 

Like most other obsessions, house stalking seems to be rooted in the “impossible dream” fantasy, a.k.a. what anthropologists call “positive contamination.”  Just like people who think they’re lives would be better if they were skinnier, richer, prettier, etc., many of these stalkers believe their own existence would be ideal if only they owned the ideal home. 

Read the whole article by clicking here.  

Chapel Hill, North Carolina is about to get green thanks to William McDonough + Partners. The sustainable multi-housing project, dubbed the Greenbridge Development, is the first of it’s kind and will offer 2 floors of retail and offices along with 9 floors of residences. This full-service development includes such perks as a concierge, fitness center, spa, clothing stores and restaurants, 10-foot ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and a multimedia center. Pretty nice, huh?

The best part about this project, though–at least in my opinion–is that all this luxury comes along with green technologies, including:

• solar panels
• rainwater collections
• green roofs
• indoor air exchange
• energy star appliances

In addition to these progressive technologies, the building process, itself, will include the use of renewable building materials and forward-thinking construction methods.

Even Greenbridge’s location is part of the environmentally-savvy plan. Since it’s located in the center of everything in Chapel Hill, residence are encouraged to make used of their legs rather than their cars to get around town. And if residence do choose to drive, they’ll have the option of hopping in one of the Zip Cars on hand at Greenbridge.

The 1,000 to 2,500 sq. foot units will run from the low $300,000 to over $1 million and will be available Summer 2009.

Let’s hope this starts a trend.

Source.

What’s not to love about the Loft Cube? Designed by German company Werner Aisslinger, this fully-functional and mobile living space was created for those living the “nomadic lifestyle,” which closely resembles La Vida Loca. For about $65,000, this 420 sq ft dwelling (that’s an amazing buy by Southern California standards), can be airlifted via helicopter to the rooftop of your choice. Well that’s the deal in Europe, anyway, but I’m sure there’d be some taxes to deal with if you ordered one in the US.

Hey, it may seem crazy now, but as space gets more and more sparse in big American cities, the Loft Cube may become a viable option. It’s got a 360 degree view, for crying out loud.

Source.

See more here.

Skagerak, $430

A white patio chair can brighten up a drab backyard. There are lots of them on the market, and they’re so stylish. Consider mixing white chairs with red, yellow or blue accents. The effect is cool, calming and very modern.

Stacks and Stacks, $110

Ikea, $39.99

L.L. Bean, $99

Anthropologie, $328

Tripitone, $539

Ceramic Vase, $12.99 (was 17.95)

I have a special place in my heart for quirky home accessories, which is why I love the stripes and polka dot trend that’s happening in the world of home accessories. What’s great about it is that, even if you lean toward the conservative side in your home decorating habits, you can still participate in the trend with a small object such as a vase. That won’t stir things up too much, right?

Even if–correction–especially if your house is neutral from floor to ceiling, master bedroom to kitchen, a colorful vase or two will really wake things up. Try them in the living room, a kitchen or dining room table and even a bathroom. Fill with dried flowers if real ones are too much of a commitment.

Polka Dots Vase, $9.99 each (was $15.95)

Kink Vase, $12.99 each (was $17.95)

Jonathan Adler Striped Vase Trio, $43.95

Neck Dots Vase, $11.99 each (was 15.99)

Pont Vase, $7.99 each (was $10.95)

Birds are big in fashion and home decor this year, so why not bring the real thing into your backyard? Feed the birds in your neighborhood in style with these amazing bird houses, which are pricey since they’re made of cypress wood, cast iron and the like, but they just so happen to be on sale at netshops.com:

Old Tyme Chapel Bird House, $190 (was $160)

Arcadia Bird House, $369 (was $429)

French Villa Bird House,$259 (was $319)

Swiss Chalet Bird House, $139.99 (was $154)

Bodum So Long Stemless Red Wine Glasses (Set of 2), $9.95

I’ve noticed lately that some of my favorite restaurants are serving wine in stemless glasses, which are not only stylish but also extremely practical since there’s less chance for spillage or breakage sans stem. I recently bought a set of these no fuss glasses for my own home, and I’m loving them. I’ve had them for a whole month, and I haven’t broken a single one, which is a record for me. They also can be trusted to the dishwasher, so they’re good for day-to-day.

Save your stems for special occasions.