April 30, 2008
If you're going to be serving more than beer from your home bar during this entertaining season, then you're going to need more sophisticated tools than bottle openers. You'll want to prep your home bar with all the basics and maybe some fun upgrades. If margaritas and fruity martinis are your cup of tea, then this glassware rimming system could be a fun tool.
Need to add salt to a glass? Sugar to a lemon drop? Something more exotic?
Well, this little bar gadget has five drawers to hold your favorite sugars and spices. There's a wetting tray on top of the unit, so all you do is moisten the rim of the cup and dip it in the appropriate drawer.
For $200, you get the storage tower, rimming syrup, and Bloody Mary, Green Apple, Margarita Lime, Lemon, and Strawberry spices. Additional spices are $19, and there are lots of exotic ones to choose from. Let the summer entertaining system begin!
Available from Frontgate.
April 29, 2008
On a sunny day, I like to take a book and a blanket out to the backyard to read in the grass. The only problem is that unless you want to lie on your belly, it's hard to read without the sun getting in your eyes. Obviously I need this beach mat from Ikea.
New from their summer collection, the Dyning beach mat comes with a sun shade. The shade can be attached to the bottom, middle, or top of the mat, so I guess you can hold your book with any part of your body (or maybe just work on a nice striped tan).
The mat is also waterproof, so if a sudden squall comes through, you can huddle under the sun shade to stay dry. There are just all sorts of ways to put this beach mat to use.
$20 at Ikea
April 25, 2008
You're boiling some spaghetti, and you need to lift the lid to stir the noodles but you've got the cell phone in your other hand. Quick, what do you do with the pot lid while you stir?
If you're like me (not organized in the kitchen), you probably set it on the counter or stove top and worry about cleaning up the water drips later (or let them air dry). But if you're a chef who likes an organized kitchen, then you may want to set that lid on a dedicated pot lid holder.
Yes, there really are such things, and you might as well have a fun one.
This pot lid holder is functional but also has a cool design (look closely and you'll see a bear perched on a mountaintop in those squiggles).
From Japan's And Design
April 23, 2008
Do you ever sit at work and wonder if the dog is trying to eat the cat? If your teenager daughter has her boyfriend over? If the babysitter is taking care of the kids or just sitting on the couch watching soap operas? If the cleaning lady is cleaning your house out of more than dust?
Well, if any of these scenarios fit you, you may get a kick out of having a spy camera or nanny cam.
With the software out there today, it's pretty easy to set up these camera systems, linking them into your home computer. And then you can pop onto the internet any time of day, log onto your secure cam site, and see what's really going on in your house.
The WiLife Spy Camera kit here is wireless so installation should be easy, and the camera itself is hidden in a digital clock, so nobody will ever know you're keeping an eye on them (unless they've happened down the home-security-camera row at Walmart and seen this particular clock/spy cam on the shelf that is).
$300 from Walmart
April 11, 2008
You don't usually think of alarm clocks as sleep aides. I mean, my alarm clock's job is to blast those annoying beeps at my ears in the morning so I'll actually get up (sometimes before hitting the snooze alarm five times). But the NightCover is a little bit different.
It's not just about waking you up in the morning but about helping you fall into a relaxing sleep at night. "One of the few designer sleep aides that doesn't come in a pill form, Zyken's NightCove alarm clock lulls high-octane executives to sleep with scientifically-calibrated lights and sounds designed to improve sleep quality."
Who knew light could help you sleep? I usually bury my head in the pillow to block out all light entirely. Shows what I know!
"The NightCove uses a patented sleep system with 20 pre-loaded programs combining sound and light of varying color, wavelength and intensity that's tailored to improve sleep cycles and regulate the body's melatonin levels. Simply set the alarm, press the sleep button and the gizmo strategically rotates through purple, red, blue and other hues to help the body fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply and awake rested."
From Zyken via CNN
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