Home & Garden Blog

If you are bored with your current home decor options a quick and affordable fix is to change the little things. Changing your bed sheets in the old boudoir, swapping out the lamp shades, adding a nice rug here and there, are all little things that can totally update or change the mood of a room!

Well for the purpose of this particular post let’s focus on lamp shades. In the past I was always quite stunned at how expensive “Tiffany Lamps” cost, I suppose I was just never familiar with that particular genre but I found a great deal on a Landmark Tiffany Lampshade from HomeAnnex.

The lamp shade is featured above and only costs $36.00!

As for me I tend to prefer styles like this Cream Shantung Lamp Shade from LightingDirect.com!

I like the cream color, plus the scalloped bottom fringe adds a little whimsy to an otherwise basic lamp shade. Funny part is on the LightingDirect.com site it states that the optimal suggested location for this lamp shade is a “kitchen nook”. Which I think is fine and dandy but actually I think the lamp shade is better suited in the bedroom, a study or living room scene. I don’t know what sort of kitchen you have but its a tad too fancy for my kitchen plus things described as “cream” have no buisness on my kitchen counters. Just a thought.

Costs $34.00

The Gold Jacquard Lamp Shade emits a nice golden glow and I can see the golden pattern adorning a variety of homes.

Oh my gosh, again it’s recommended in the store description as a good “kitchen nook” item. Does everyone but me have a super fancy kitchen? I really don’t see this lamp shade in a kitchen.

Gold Jacquard Lamp Shade - Costs  $23.00

If you don’t like any of these lamp shades options, don’t worry there are hundreds more to choose from, simply click here, Discount Lamp Shades.  

Read more about “The Step Chest” at Landfair Furniture Blog …their main claim to fame is that their contemporary pieces are made from reclaimed wood so as to be more environmentally friendly.

Given all the rain we have been receiving, read ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Rain Power! at Inhabitat.

This week in Smarter Home and Garden Blog:

• Check out the wonderful craftsmanship on these artistic lighting fixtures, Hot Air Balloon Chandeliers!
• It’s just about game time folks! Whether your a Patriots fan or rooting for the underdog the New York Giants, make sure you throw the Super Bowl Party of the year. Find Super Bowl Party supplies and Super Bowl Ideas at Smarter Home and Garden Blog.
• Here comes the LOVE… shop for Valentine’s Best Discounts and save money on Valentine Flowers, Valentine Chocolates and assorted Heart Candies!
• The LOVE continues, read about unique Valentine Gift Ideas and shop for Heart Shaped Pancake Molds, Heart Cake Molds & Heart Jell-O Molds to spice up your Valentine’s day!
• Last but not least, see the Valentine Gifts Deal of the Day! Save 20% Off all Valentine Gift’s at Mikasa!

Illuminate your child’s bedroom or decorate your teenage daughter’s den of adolescence with a reminder of her favorite little kitty! This charming table lamp is adorned with little daisies and pink strawberries and is practically bursting with sugar and spice and everything nice. Plus you can’t beat the deal, it was originally $39.00 but is currently on sale for $29.99, you save $10.00 (26%). It’s currently being sold at OutdoorLightingandMore.com and they are also offering a series of Hello Kitty Phones that will compliment your lamp.

Additionally they are offering NO TAX and FREE SHIPPING! (On practically everything, from now until January 13th!)

To purchase the Hello Kitty Table Lamp, click here.

To shop for more discount Lamps & Lighting, click here.

To check out OutdoorLightingandMore.com, click here.

Have you ever found while looking through your closet a bunch of hangers that have no clothes on them? Normally, we throw them away and don’t think twice about it. Well check out what 101 Design Studio has created and finish reading the article at Yanko Design…

Read about the “Modern Trailer Park” at Hatch the Design Public Blog! An architecture professor at The University of Arkansas named Michael Hughes has redesigned the trailer home to make it aesthetically pleasing affordable housing.

See the discount Park Avenue Coffee Table, ITS SLICK SURFACE WILL CATCH YOUR EYE but it’s price tag will hold you! Once priced for $350 its now available for $210…finish reading and learn more at Padstyle.com.

This week in Smarter Home & Garden we covered:

• A super sweet deal, Chocolate Cake Bath Towels! Bath in all there delicious glory…
• Oh the horror!! A Nightmare Before Christmas……
• Don’t let those pesky stains ruin your Holiday Party, learn how to treat or remove the toughest disasters with the Stain Removal Guide!
• The traditional Gingerbread Home gets a MODERN day makeover, and it is hip, hip hip!
• Picture Frame Deal! Shop for personalized photo frames that will capture the moments to remember in style and class…..

Last but not least I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Holidays and no matter how you celebrate or what you celebrate I wish you all the best!!

Thanks for Reading,

Michelle

I am a huge supporter of paper lanterns. There was a time when assorted shapes and colors of paper lanterns hung from my vaulted ceiling in college. They hung at different lengths and really seemed to float.

The effect I was striving for was magical with a touch of whimsy. Suffice to say I received plenty of compliments on my creative genius by visitors and guest alike. I was a novice interior designer on a shoestring budget.

Well the shoestring budget part has changed very little over the years. Which is why I more than anyone appreciate deep discounts and a SALE! The oriental style paper lamps are offered at JCPenney in 4 colors: hot pink, orange, turquoise and white. What I am envisioning is that you can use them a multitude of ways

• use them to brighten your room or your kid’s room
• use them to decorate your Holiday parties or New Year’s shindig this year
• give them as a gift!

They are currently on SALE from $29.99 to $14.99!!

To purchase these Paper Lanterns, click here.

To shop for more Lamps & Lighting, click here.

If you think of any other creative ways to utilize the paper lanterns, please let me know. Sharing is Caring!

Unfortunately, a lot of the new design from South Africa does not have a web presence, and so those of us not fortunate enough to live close by will have to do without. Not so with the Willowlamp … find out more at 2Modern Design Talk.

The interesting thing about this bed is that unlike it’s competitors from Blu Dot, DWR and IKEA, the West Elm platform bed is available in all five standard sizes from Twin to California King…read more at Apartment Therapy.

See the Penguin Teaboy brew the perfect cup of tea at Productdose.com. The tuxedoed bird will make you feel like you’re an English lord enjoying a biscuit with some darjheeling.

This week in Smarter Home & Garden we covered:

• We remind all WOMEN not to nag their men too much about putting the toilet seat down, lest this happen to YOU!
• The Glow of Solas lighting both fills us and inspires us…
• The snozzberries taste like snozzberries…..check out Scratch n’ Sniff Wallpaper that is both beautiful and great smelling!
• We research why leaves fall off trees….it’s called Leaf Senescence!
• Finally check out our delcious Cookie Cutter Sets for $2.95 at our Deal of the Day

CJ O’Neill’s Solas Lighting seems to hover in mid-air with special acrylic brackets that offset them slightly from the wall. Graphics such as flying birds, swirling dots and arrows are all applied to give a sense of movement, while simultaneously adding further contrast to the light emanating within. Although carried internationally, Solas Lighting is available in the US at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

Call me a dreamer but something about these lighting fixtures speaks to me. It is very graceful, floaty…ephemeral and wistful even. Reminds me of freshly blown bubbles ready to burst!

Honestly, I think lighting in any home is key. No one wants to live in a stark white home where you feel like the moment you close your eyes, some shaky surgeon is going to remove your spleen! The opposite is true as well, one should be skeptical if ALL the lighting is mood lighting and you sit there wondering what the sticky stuff on the couch really is! One must have options and a variety of lighting “moods”. Which is why I wanted to showcase the beauty of Solas Lighting, it’s just a suggestion, I just don’t see why lighting should be so blah! when there are so many imaginative and creative options out there.

Suki Tall Table Latern, $57.00 (was $70)

Paper lanterns bring a surprising element of refinement to a room. This rice paper lantern from Adesso is structured with bamboo and lined with two pieces of rice paper for a supersoft glow.

A lighting element like this can work with many different decors and in many different rooms. Of course, it works well in a modern room, but it can also add a nice contrast and eclectic charm to less contemporary aesthetics. Due to their gentle illumination, paper lanterns also work quite well in place of nightstand lamps–try a matching pair for a chic master bedroom look. You can also place one at the end of a long hallway.

See more paper lanterns here.