Home & Garden Blog

I recently started a new job that requires me to work in a cubicle. I know this is the “Home and Garden” section, but a lot of us spend more time in the office than we do at home, so it is important to us to make it our own.

The first thing I started to move in was my music, tons of it. I’m the kind of person that has to listen to music while in the shower, while getting ready in the morning, and definitely while driving in the car. I was delighted when I saw that my new office computer had the iTunes program already installed on it. I came to work armed with my MP3 backup music discs. After a few minor glitches I finally got all 7 gig’s onto the computer’s hard drive, which is only half of my whole music collection, just to give you an idea…

A couple weeks later I was having trouble logging into my computer and that is when I was told that it was because of the music I had downloaded and that it was a violation of my work agreement to install any foreign programs onto the computer I was using. I was promptly asked to delete all music files.

I went into panic mode. No music? At work? For 8+ hours a day? But luckily, I am a resourceful girl and I started to think of ways to resolve this issue. My first thought was to buy an iPod dock, but funds are kind of low these days and I don’t even have one at home, so if I’m going to buy one, it’s going to be a good one.

My next thought was of a pair of little speakers I had gotten from an ex co-worker. They are made by a company named Fashionation and are made out of 100% recycled materials. Here’s a sample…

And they come in different colors…

and designs …

Since they are made of recycled materials that is good news for the environment, but the fact that they are $14.95 a pair makes them good news for your bank account. They also run off your iPod’s battery, so no need to plug them in!

When I brought them to work I simply cut a small slit on the tops of each one with my Swiss Army knife and used clip hangers to hang them to the wall of my cubicle and now I can listen to my music all day long and the sound is much better than the speakers on my work PC.

Before I used them for work, I would use them while in the kitchen washing dishes or cooking dinner. The sound quality isn’t the greatest, but for the purpose that they serve, they are the best.

Find more info or purchase a pair of Fashionation Speakers by clicking here. 

The free standing Chimo burns Ethanol for an eco-friendly and very cozy experience that won’t break the bank. Shown here are the two models, round $1389, and square $1480.. finish reading at FurnitureStoreBlog.com!

Not all Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL’s) are created equal! As many converts to the energy-sipping bulb are aware, some are simply better than others; at warming up more quickly, providing good light quality, and lasting as long as advertised…continue reading at Treehugger.com!

Drink up! So unabashedly unadorned, the Liquid Serving Set by Fusionware soars to the top of my mental list of top designs. The slim proportions and warmth of the stoneware make these vessels perfect for serving up almost anything, see more at Pure Contemporary.

This week in Smarter Home & Garden we covered:

• See the sofa that every AA member dreads….“An Alchoholic’s Fantasy Chair!”
• Grow your very own fresh herbs at home to perfectly season all your home cuisine..
• Discover the multiply uses for discount paper lanterns.
• Spend $100 get $100 back on all products and Christmas Decorations at Frontgate.com!
• Check out the Sketchy Furniture Youtube clip that will boggle your mind!
• Save money on our Deal of the Day! Discount serving pieces for only $14.99 that will surely be a hit at your next Holiday party.

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.

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