Home & Garden Blog

Hopefully you really decked out the house for Halloween. Jack-o’-lanterns, spooky cobwebs, maybe even a few lanterns hanging from the porch to light the ghosts and ghouls way in Old Hallow’s Eve. Children must have loved it, but now it’s time to switch gears and think about more mature, warm, inviting holiday lighting. Think candles in the windowsill, lights around the bare-boned trees, maybe a holiday wreath on the door with some glittering tinsel. When the temperature begins to drop, the cosiness and warmth of your home needs to rise! And that involves exterior lighting.

Some of the top hits for holiday lighting:

Electric Windowsill Candle from Piperclassics.com: $15.99

Cute design with a warm glow, this candle has an antique finish to make your home look even warmer.

Net LED lights from SaveOnCrafts.com: $11.29/sheet

This is perfect to drape evenly on trees, bushes, and shrubbery. Decorate without all the hassle!

New York Times online home and garden section features interior designer Grant K. Gibson this week in their On Location article. Gibson, a San Francisco inhabitant with his own design firm titled, creatively, Grant K. Gibson Interior Design, loves an element of luxury with a taste for thrifty design. He often shops at online stores such as 1stdibs.com to get the best luxury antiques from around the world. 1stdibs.com is designed for the elite, as you even have to subscribe to the website just to see the prices on the beautiful furniture, lighting, and decorative designs.

What to take away from Grant K. Gibson: Luxury, antiques, brass, cool white and gold lighting and light fixtures, and sumptuous carpets and walls. Here’s how to get a start on luxury:

Glass Candle Sleeve: $12.00-$16.00

Buffalo China Dinnerware Set: $30.00-$60.00

Robert D. Henry, a New York-based architect, was interviewed by the NYTimes for an article in the home and garden section of NYTimes.com for his expertise in what he calls “Emotional Architecture”. Henry specializes mostly in designing spas, because “water and fire are so primal”, said by Henry, “they have such a calming effect.”

Henry suggests thinking about the five senses when you are designing a home, so that it is emotionally comfortable and stimulating. He suggests lavender candles for smell and fireplaces for warm and touch, and a little loose tea with necessary equipment for a soothing taste.

Top picks by Robert Henry to make all your soothing dreams come true:

Lavender Candle set from Sabbonnyc.com: $18.00

Tea Stick Infuser from Momastore.org: $24.00

Here are some products from Smarter.com that compliment some of Mr. Henry’s suggestions!

Teapot from Wasserstrom.com: $39.90

Waterfall Showerhead in Chrome: $119.02

Shop for more home decor at Smarter.com.

Wow, super cool! Check out the design work from Juan Pablo Maza. Plot #35 from the Ordos Project is not your typical villa. You won’t find it in Spain, France or Italy. This one is inner Mongolia. The flat landscape is known for some of the most amazing blue skies on Earth but living there is harsh with high winds and extreme temperature grades.

Architect Juan Pablom Maza created a large underground home to take advantage of the ground’s natural insulation but the most striking feature is the suspended living area abouve ground surrounded by a forest of beams! Beautiful!!

(Source: Yanko Design Blog)

While at Smarter Home & Garden Blogs: 

• Boxed Martini Candles - Great Gifts or Wedding Favors
• Discount Mulitmedia Storage Cabinet - Antique White Finish
• Discount Bedding - Low Priced Throw Pillows
• Mazal Tov - Discount Bar Mitzvah Picture Frame
• Hello Gorgeous! - Check Out This Edwardian Home Bar
• Discount Floor Furnace - All the Heat at a Fraction of the Cost
• Easy Deal - Check Out this Red Easy Rider Couch
• Plum Crazy Tiffany Table Lamp - Discount Home Decor
• Discount Dinnerware - Gibson Royal Quilt 30 Piece Set

Boxed Martini Candles

Planning a party or wedding, these Boxed Scented Martini Candles in Silver Plated Cup are the perfect candle accessory. A silver plated martini cup is filled with exotic petal scented ivory wax to create this beautifully candle. Sold individually and boxed as shown.

Price $20.00

(click on the link above to shop or purchase)

Mini Champagne Bottle Candles

I also came across these Mini Champagne Bottle Candles. Made entirely of wax, this little bubbly will get the party started. Sold individually and unscented. Is it weird that I want them just to decorate around my house, Ha!

Price $8.00

(click on the link above to shop or purchase)

Still want more? Click here for a wide variety of Low Priced Candles. 

Advances in Green Energy!!

“This week Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture announced plans for an incredible array of oceanic wind farms that may one day produce as much energy as the Persian Gulf. Dubbed Zeekracht (sea power), the masterplan comprises a massive ring of wind farms centered around the Netherlands that spans seven adjacent countries. By calling for such a large network of communal infrastructure and knowledge, the plan takes a giant step towards ensuring European energy independency by 2025.” (Source - Inhabitat)

How cool is that?! Finish reading article at Inhabitat 

While in Smarter Home & Garden Blogging: 

•  Shakin’ or stirred? However you prefer your poison check out the great deal on these Mikasa Swirl Smoke Martini Glasses! 
•  Super Fly Movie Posters - Display a little piece of movie history and style in your home
•  Valentine’s Day Decor - Warms my heart to light this Glowing Heart Candle
• Check out these awesome Vintage Inspired Ceiling Fans - they are so cool they are HOT!
• Valentine Deal of the Day - Personalized King & Queen Pillowcases

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, February 14th to be exact! If you are planning a romantic dinner for your sweetheart, help set the mood with this affordable Glowing Heart Candle Holder. 

This lovely frosted votive holder, with embossed hearts red class holder inside, sprinkling of red hearts is the perfect Valentine’s gift for your sweetheart. Light up a tealight candle in the glowing heart candle holder for a wonderful Valentine’s moment!

Originally $8.75 Now on Sale for $5.00

You save $3.75 (43%)

If you are interested in purchasing the Glowing Heart Candle Holder, click here.

To shop for more discount Valentine’s Day Decorations, click here. 

Hello awesome, check out the “Multi-Media Mirror”! 

“A dazzling reflection of modern innovation and contemporary style, the multimedia mirror Hi_Mirror by Italian company Valli Arredobagno fuses fashion, quality and technology into one striking yet simple design. The Hi_Mirror combines a clock, a weather station, a radio, a television and your own reflection in a modern must-have to complete your luxury spa experience at home. This cool collection of six mirrors features clean lines and a refined elegance worthy of the most discriminating tastes. Their sleek, lacquered-metal frames, available in black or white, softly curve around the multi-media center and the mirror itself. Designed by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, this all-in-one multimedia mirror can easily go from bath to bedroom to foyer to kitchen, taking function with it wherever it goes.”

(Source: Trendir.com)

While in the land of Smarter Home and Garden: 

• Funny Design Photo of the Week - Serving your guests is finger lickin’ easy!
• Low Priced Furniture - Daybed with Pull Out Trundle
• Decorative Candles - Square Colorful Votive Candles
•  Let’s do Tea! Check out the Platinum Whistling Teakettle from Williams- Sonoma
• Deal of the Day - Woven Wood Panel Tracks from JCPenney

Note the smooth texture of the candles and the depth of the colors. These unscented floating square candles are held together with a natural elastic band, made from the sap of Thailand’s native trees. The Beach Bundle includes vibrant shades of teal, violet, fuchsia, and royal blue. The Garden Bundle boasts shades of pear, pineapple, papaya, and kiwi. Both come packaged in a set of 4.

Price $7.00

If you are interested in purchasing the Square Floating Votive Candles from Candle Bay, click here. 

To shop for additional low priced Candles, click here. 

Frosted Candy Land Pillar

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Candles all the way, hey! What better way to be festive this holiday season then with Holiday Christmas Candles. Candle Bay offers this  scented Frosted Candy Land Pillar Candles that are the perfect candle accessory to decorate your home. Notes of peppermint, mixed with berries make up this traditional holiday favorite.

Price $10.00

If you are interested in the Frosted Candy Land Pillar Candle, click here. 

To shop for more discount candles, click here.