So Much Cool in One Place!

Jonathan Adler, Lilly Pulitzer, and Dylan's Candy Bar oh my! So much cool stuff on one website, you'll find a gift for anyone and any occasion! From sweet gifts like Dylan's candy striped iPad Cover and Lilly's nautical-inspired flash drive to Jonathan's giant animal erasers and mod earbuds, there is plenty of eye candy to keep you scrolling through the fine stationery and gifts on LifeguardPress.com. 

Everybody must get stoned

 

Pilling sweaters, blankets, and pillows are such a pain. But even with normal wear, woven fabrics take on an annoyingly bumpy texture. A few swipes with a pumice stone can renew your favorite sweater to that "just bought" look. It's also an environmentally safe way to freshen your knits and save on professional dry-cleaning. Sweater Stone® is non-toxic, biodegradable and allergen free. It's also only around $18 at TheLaundress.com. 

Bogo Brush

You've probably never given much thought to where your plastic toothbrush goes when it's time for a replacement. But if you toss it in the trash, it heads to a landfill where it joins about 450 million  other toothbrushes, each taking about 24 years or so to break down. 

Meet Bogo Brush. This completely eco-friendly toothbrush is made from bamboo and 100% biodegradable bristles. Plus, when you buy a Bogo Brush, the company sends one to someone in need. (Check out details on the recipients here.) But, to be completely honest, what caught my eye was its slick design. It's simply the coolest toothbrush I've ever seen. It would take a lot for me to trade in my Sonicare for Bogo. But I'm thinking it might make a fantastic travel toothbrush!

Available for pre-order. Purchase one or a year's supply. First shipment expected by March 2013. 

Photo: Bogo Brush

Clean Without Chemicals

I never thought about the chemicals I used to clean my home until I had kids. There's something about using bleach and ammonia on the surfaces my kids crawl, climb on, and touch that just doesn't sit right with me. We've learned to associate strong chemical smells with "clean." Think about that for a minute. How does that even make sense?

I happened upon Norwex products pretty much by accident. You know...a friend has an in-home "party" and you show up pretty much for the wine and snacks. I felt obligated to buy something, and I'd heard other Iowa moms buzzing about the brand. The the microfiber "antibacterial" Enviro Cloth  seemed expensive ($15.99...for a rag) but what the heck. I'd spend as much on my own bottle of wine.

What makes this cloth special is its crazy thin microfibers and its claim to have strands of silver embedded inside. Silver provides natural antibacterial properties. The idea is that you pick up more gunk, it stays inside the rag, and any bacteria is suffocated by the silver. There's a bit more science to it than that, but you get the picture.

I don't know if all of the chemistry is going on when I wipe down my countertops, but I do know that they appear exceptionally clean. My original rag is also about 3 years old and is still used daily. I liked it instantly, but what really sold me on the brand was the Window Cloth. You can clean windows, mirrors, granite, or just about any shiny surface with only water! This cloth is $17.99. And, naturally, my husband's first reaction was that I got rooked. But then he saw me use it! I haven't purchased a bottle of Windex in two years...and I don't see any need for it in the future. By using the Enviro Cloth to remove tangible dirt and the Window Cloth to polish, I clean every glass and granite surface in my home to a shiny sparkle! (Even the sliding glass door. And I have two small kids and a dog.)

I could go on about the $100 mop that has changed my entire attitude about cleaning my house (and that's saying something), but until you're sold on the above, you won't even consider spending that much on a mop. So, find your local Norwex rep, order the Enviro Cloth and the Window Cloth and try it out for yourself.

But, be warned...you'll get hooked! (I just ventured into the personal care products. I'll let you know how my first encounter with the makeup remover clothes goes.) And you'll soon enjoy the fresh smell of clean instead of chemicals. 

I Mustache You a Question...

 

How far along are you with your holiday shopping? If you're still looking for something to put a smile on the face of a friend who has everything, check out www.SpoonSisters.com. I came across some terrific, whimsical gifts ideal for making holiday merriment. From fabulously dashing Party Mustache Serving Picks (and yes, they come in a variety pack including handlebar and fu manchu styles) to Spork Chops (ideal for the chopstick-challenged). And what chef could resist the Happy Spoon? Serve up a smile this holiday with any of these fun gifts!

Photos: SpoonSisters

With Freedom, Separate Has No Equal

The Thermador FREEDOM® Collection Refrigeration lets you design your refrigeration around your kitchen, not vice versa. With true flush, tall-door designs that blend seamlessly into the kitchen, cooks can build their own unique combination of refrigeration, wine and freezer columns. You can even customize your ideal refrigeration solution using refrigeration and wine column doors and handles, which are sold separately. Shown above...my ideal combination: Wine Column paired with Bottom Freezer Refrigerator. And below...French Door Bottom Freezer Refrigerator with separate Wine Column.

(Photos: Thermador)

Color in the Kitchen!

If color makes you happy, why not get creative with it in the kitchen?

Jonathan Adler, potter, designer, and lead judge on Bravo’s Top Design, recommends peppering every room in the home—including the kitchen—with little surprises and exclamation marks of color. “It’s the surprise factor that makes color work,” he says.

According to Adler, there’s nothing better than a colored sink to bring a kitchen to life. Even better, he says, “These colors work in just about any kitchen color palette to add a little punch.”

He partnered with Kohler to offer four special-edition hues on six styles of enameled cast-iron sinks. Shades include Piccadilly Yellow, Greenwich Green, Palmero Blue, and (my fav) Annapolis Navy.

(Photos: Kohler) 

Nailed it!

The two colors I'll be wearing all fall. Left to right: Bobbing for Baubles, Carry On.
www.Essie.com

Do you know the history of Halloween?

Happy Halloween!

http://www.halloweenhistory.org/

A leather what?

Yep, that's a toilet seat/lid.

Prince Charles is reported to have his own white-leather wrapped toilet seat which he received as a Christmas gift several years ago.  His personal butler confirmed that the Prince always has his leather-clad seat accompany him on travels.


EcoDomo introduces  the Royal Throne Collection™ of leather toilet seats, lids and rugs.  This continues the rollout of ecological, stylish and unique sustainable architectural details which EcoDomo has pioneered in the sustainable finishes industry.  The company admits that leather toilet seats are not for the shy. They come in racy colors or classic tones. They’re warm and really quite beautiful. Think of them as the ultimate Le Corbusier leather chair to rest and ponder in a quiet...uh.. personal environment.
The leather seats are maintained with anti-bacterial natural Clorox (whatever that means). Polishing the seat with leather wipes will maintain the finish. www.ecodomo.com

Embrace Me!

FAVN™, the Danish translation for embrace, is designed with great attention to detail and consist of only a few elements. "I wanted to create a form that embraces you, something really organic, that's why we named it FAVN, says Jaime Hayón. It is an evolution of Fritz Hansen's design language that brings together the qualities of Spanish and Danish design. The work of the artist-designer is characterized by his respect for color, craftsmanship and techniques.
The large rounded shell rests on the small, but elegant legs while the seat and back together with the decorative cushions combined with the use of three textures, makes up the strong visual layers. As the sofa has no edges – it is round and soft. "I wanted the sofa to be based on a shell. A shell, being hard on the outside, soft and welcoming on the inside. Protective and warm." http://www.fritzhansen.com/en/favn#JH3_13_MC100_FAV008_LC100_B100

Start Spreadin' the News!

Part of the “New York Collection” by Christopher Grubb, the GREENWICH bathroom vanity found its design inspiration in the towering structures of New York City. GREENWICH joins The C.G. Collection by Christopher Grubb featuring a clean, modern design with a rich, two-toned finish and rich, dark-stained trusses that support its floating countertop. GREENWICH, and the rest of the new signature line of modern furniture and fixtures sold through MODERNBATHROOM®, targets the affordable luxury market for those with a taste for sophisticated, contemporary style within a comfortable price-point range.

Light it Up

These adorable paper lanterns from PopDeluxe.net add color and fun, morphing any space into a place where good things always happen!  (Above, Heavy Lifting Paper Lantern.  Below, Astra Paper Lantern.) 

Coolest Guest Bed Ever!

Reinvent the guest room! I'm totally in love with this self-standing space saving bed system from Resource Furniture. Made in Italy by Clei, the Nuovoliola '10 features a queen-sized wall bed with a comfortable sofa. Without removing any objects from the shelf, you simply pull a handle to lower the bed to the sleeping position. The shelf becomes the foot of the bed and there's additional storage underneath the sofa seat.

Other systems, like Ulisse, are built-in but just as beautiful. It's available as shown or with a desk, sofa or dining table on the front that ingeniously folds underneath the bed as it opens. www.resourcefurniture.com

Wright On!

In exclusive partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation, Reveal Designs unveils the Taliesin collection of drawer pulls. The fixtures pair anodized aluminum with walnut, stainless steel, beech and oil rubbed bronze and echo the graceful geometry of their namesake, the architect's Wisconsin studio.

Levitating Luxury

The Aluna bed from DOLUM gives new meaning to "floating on air." The French company's cantilevered high-end beds are custom made for homes, apartments, mega yachts and distinguished luxury hotels. Also makes it easy to vacuum under the bed!

Fall for Restoration Hardware's Fall Collection!

A little bit vintage. A little bit industrial. That's the new fall collection from Restoration Hardware. The SOHO Tufted Sofa looks like a place I'd like to curl up with a fuzzy blanket on a cool fall day. Its lavish styling recalls the classic Chesterfield- plush seating for London's turn-of-the century gentlemen's clubs- but squared-off arms and a rakishly low profile imbue it with contemporary, of-the-moment style. Inspired by a vintage birdcage, RH's Birdcage Chandeliers juxtaposes rustic hand-wrought iron with a precision-cut faceted-crystal pendant. It hangs from 3" thick weathered marine rope. Toss in some reclaimed french floorboard coffee tables a 1900's style pharmacy lamp and vintage-inspired drawings and you've got yourself a recipe for industrial chic style! 

Love antiques? Love candles?

These one-of-a-kind antiques are also candles from Topanga Candle Company. The delightful vessels and containers from around the world made from a variety of materials such as tin, copper and steel and filled with hand-poured 100% soy and palm oil wax. The candles feature hand-placed wicks and one of three signature fragrances made from organic essential oils. http://www.topangacandles.com/

Much Obliged!

I want to reach out and touch the new Noblesse Oblige tile from Tabarka Studio. Producer and wholesaler for hand-painted decorative terra cotta tiles, Tabarka uses a unique glazing process to give tiles an aged look which adds warmth and old world charm. Touareg (below) is a new tribal pattern with artistic inspiration from the nomadic cultures of North Africa.