When it comes to beauty you really can’t improve on nature. I discovered these exquisite nature-inspired home decor items from Viva Terra recently, and haven’t been able to get them off my mind since. While the unique design of these natural products is rather rustic and earthy, you can see how adding just a few simple flowers transforms them into sophisticated pieces of art. The metal Twig Flower Centerpiece to the left is cast from real twigs, and they promise to “perform miracles as astonishing instant centerpieces”.

There is a similar, smaller Twig Flower Holder (shown at right) that is made from recycled metal, which is ideal for small flower arrangements, or perhaps even a solitary piece of flora. Simply intertwine the stem with the metal twigs to create an instant floral arrangement.

But metal isn’t the only material creating lovely, natural home decor. Reclaimed wood from the beach creates this ornamental Driftwood Cachepot. The hand-crafted pot has a shabby chic look that is ideal for your seaside home or for evoking memories of the beach.

The Manzanita Branch Jewelry Organizer is amazing in its gorgeous simplicity, and it adds a natural element to your dresser or counter top. The Manzanita tree is sometimes referred to it as “mountain driftwood” because it’s branches and trunk have the same look as wood long-sculpted by ocean waves, so it’s also ideal for beach style decor. Use it to store and display your jewelry, found objects, or (as I imagine it) as a mini Halloween tree.

COUPON: Save $15 on orders over $100 with code CJ0706

Posted by Lauren in Household, Unique, Green Living
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There’s no denying the simple attraction to hammocks. They are so comfortable looking and give you a sense of floating on air; how can you resist not wanting to relax in one? I personally can’t resist feeling a little kid-ish every time I see one and get that urge to call dibs and jump in it before anyone else can steal the best seat. So treat yourself or a special someone with the gift of a hammock swing, or traditional hammock (with optional tent). Both hammock styles can be hung outdoors, but the hammock swing is also appropriate indoors as well.

These hammocks are available at Magic Cabin and handcrafted by fair trade artisans in Columbia. They are made of sturdy hand-woven cotton and are machine washable as well. Magic Cabin gives the option of purchasing mounting hardware and accessories like a matching tent for the regular hammock. I can see kids having more fun with a tent on their hammock, while also providing shade on the extra hot days for the rest of us. Give the gift of comfort and relaxation with a handcrafted hammock from Magic Cabin.

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Fun
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Labor Day weekend is fast approaching and that means one more big outdoor party for the summer. Unfortunately the bugs know this, so we have to be prepared to either deal with it, or light up our citronella candles and torches. I personally don’t appreciate getting bit by bugs while I’m trying to have a good time outside with friends. Which is why we should all have some citronella candles or torches around at our hot summer night parties.

There are some nice looking street lamp style citronella torches available from online retailers, and Target seems to be the best deal for this type. Pictured above is the Black Citronella Planter that has a nice powder coated aluminum construction for durability, with a fiberglass wick that says will last a lifetime, and a 20 oz. capacity for torch fuel or citronella fuel that should burn for about 5 hours. If you favor something that blends into your outdoor surroundings a little better check out this Solid Copper Cattail Torch available from Hammacher Schlemmer.

If you’re having a small get together and don’t want the big torches, there are plenty of citronella candles available as well. Sure you can get some boring cylindrical shaped candles, but why not get something more summer fun themed like this Ice Pop Candle set or Citronella Martini Candles both made available from Wrapables.

COUPON: Save up to 50% on the Wrapables Summer Sale.

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Household
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Like so many of our readers, the Mable’s Crew does a bit of travelling for both pleasure and business. Even when we’re at home we tend to take frequent trips that can last most of the day. Before discovering automatic pet feeders and pet drinking fountains, this always caused a problem for our cats, who insist on timely meals! We’d come home and have 3 antsy cats circling our feet, meowing continuously until we refilled their food and water dishes. It’s a familiar scene for anyone who has pets.

Convenience is definitely a key selling point for these pet products, but better pet health and longevity are also very important to note. As is common with male cats, our 2 boys (Mable, our namesake, and mc chris ward) were having urinary tract problems last year, and after purchasing a pet drinking fountain they began drinking TONS more water and their health problems have since disappeared. Also, if you are feeding your cat or dog dry food such as kibble, then their lifespan is being reduced simply due to the reduction of water intake. Automatic drinking fountains can increase your pet’s water intake several times over their usual consumption “thereby reducing the risk of urinary tract infection and kidney disease”. It’s a very small investment with huge payoffs for you and your companion animals.

Pet feeders come in 2 main types- gravity and automatic. The gravity style works well only if you have a pet who will stop eating when she is full, because the food will keep filling the bowl until it’s gone. This disqualifies most dogs and cats, (including all of ours) so we don’t recommend it. The automatic pet feeders have different programmable options, and guarantee that your pet won’t be able to overeat (which is a common way that pets cope with separation when their companions are on vacation). The Precise Portion Control Pet Feeder (shown left) is perfect if you use dry cat food or dry dog food; it’s a snap to fill and clean and holds 5 pounds of food. (Plus, it comes with Hammacher’s free Lifetime Guarantee.) If you use wet pet food or a mix of wet/dry, then you have 2 other choices depending on how long you are away or travelling. For daily use, the Viatek Talking Automatic Pet Feeder (shown right) is excellent due to smaller food compartments (1/2 cup each), fewer compartments (just 4), an included water dish, and the ability to record a 20 second voice message for your pets.
However, if you will be away for up to 6 days then the Lentek Koolatron Automatic Feeder (shown left) will fit your needs. Its 6 compartments hold 2/3 cup wet or dry food and includes 2 refreezable inserts to keep your pet’s food fresh. Due to its revolving lid style, it also has the advantage of covering yesterday’s old meal and revealing new today’s meal: something all cats really appreciate, especially if you use wet food.

A little PSA: If you are gone for more than a couple days, please ensure that you have someone come over to interact with, and checkup on your pets health and safety. No matter how unsocial your pets can be, animals don’t like sudden changes and even a reclusive cat may tear up your house in protest!

Posted by Lauren in Household, Gadgets
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We prefer the term nerd around here, but ThinkGeek has been selling fine geek stuff since 1999, so we’ll defer to them. They’ve always got a great selection of funny/true geek t shirts, but a new ladies’ shirt had me LOL-ing, and it’s got hot new trend written all over it (well, for the nerd crowd anyway). The origin or PWN in i PWN boys is supposed to be a little mysterious, but every internet nerd understands the taunt. Take that, n00b boys!

In fact, many of these shirts have such a universal appeal thanks to the awesome power of the interweb. I’ve seen the I’m blogging this Babydoll Tee on so many webcam pictures I’ve lost count, and yet the novelty still hasn’t worn off. Yet. There’s also a WTF? Babydoll Tee to incite either giggles or furrowed brows, depending on the crowd. If abbreviating swear words isn’t saucy enough for you, you’re probably feeling NSFW, and as such, the NSFW Babydoll is right up your alley. Ironically, this shirt is probably quite appropriate to wear in the workplace. And if you’re tired of saying No I will not fix your computer, you know there’s a t shirt for that, too.

But my absolute favorite ladies’ item would have to be the sexy nerd HTTPanties! Referencing actual HTTP status codes, these undies will get any geek booted up and ROFL-ing. The cut is also incredibly flattering and comfy, with a low rise and full rear coverage.

And never fear, if you’re anti-babydoll shirt, most of these geek t shirt styles are also available in the standard men’s cut. I’ve always wanted to buy a huge size and make a reconstructed t-shirt, but I hear you can also just buy your actual size and wear it as-is. And if none of these styles suits you, there’s plenty more at ThinkGeek!

Posted by Lauren in Nerd, Clothing and Accessories
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Having your very own trampoline in your front or backyard almost guarantees that you are one of the cool kids on the block. Surround that trampoline with cool water and the hot sun, and suddenly you are the most popular kid at the lake! The good folks at Hammacher Schlemmer have lots of fun-in-the-water toys and one of our favorites is an inflatable 12-foot water trampoline by Sea Doo. To be specific, the entire trampoline’s diameter is 12 feet, but the durable nylon jumping surface is a safe 6 feet in diameter. The trampoline is made of the same heavy duty materials used in life rafts and tow-ables and includes a detachable ladder and 20 foot anchor line with anchor bag. To make it easy for setup it comes with a rapid inflator, pressure gauge, high speed valve, repair kit, and tire valve adapter for quick re-inflation with your own pump.

Also worth noting is a company called Rave Sports that makes some awesome water toys as well. Buy.com carries Rave Sports products from personal 9-foot water trampolines to huge 20-foot water trampolines with slide and extra floatation space to aide in forming lines of jealous people eagerly awaiting their turn. So bring the fun outside and into the water with a floating trampoline and friends while having a blast this summer.

COUPON:$10 OFF $175 or more in ALL Stores at Buy.com! Exp. 8/31/06!

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Splurge, Fun
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Whether you use a backpack for school, work, or short trips having iPod controls built into the shoulder straps will save you some hassle. Some backpacks have MP3 player pockets with headphone exit points to manage your wires better, but what about when you want to skip a certain song, or turn the volume down temporarily. You’d have to either take the headphones out of your ear, or try and reach around and unzip the pocket, take out your iPod and turn down the volume, or skip to next song.

That is just one problem solved by these iPod controlling backpacks, which seem to be loosely referred to as iPacks. This particular iPod controlling backpack from Hammacher Schlemmer also has a padded laptop pocket and pockets for your PDA, cellphone, keys, pens, and other accessories to help you stay organized as well as entertained. Here are some details straight from the product description “Your iPod simply plugs into a jack located inside, and a universal jack located on the left back strap accommodates your headphones, allowing complete control of your music player through the five-button control panel on the left strap. The panel controls volume, pause, menu selection, and stop functions.” This backpack also features a very durable construction and self-mending zippers for an extra long life. Of course there are other places to buy an iPod enhanced backpack, but you’ll want to take note of Hammacher’s lifetime guarantee. The guarantee basically means if there is anything wrong with the product for it’s standard lifetime you can just return it to them and they will replace it or give you a refund.

If you don’t like the style or colors of the iPod backpack mentioned above, then check out Think Geek for their iPod Mono-Strap Backpack. This backpack features the trendy mono-strap style (see in action) the same controls as the backpack mentioned above and with just as many pockets. The main difference between the two is the strap style and it seems the backpack available at Hammacher utilizes a more durable nylon. So depending on your everyday use and sense of style make sure you get the backpack that best suites your needs.

You can find other colors, styles, and sizes by searching other sites like Target, or eBags, both of which are recommended stores to purchase from.

COUPON: Get $10 OFF $45 Backpack Orders at eBags.com Expires Dec. 1, 2006

Posted by Sean in Clothing and Accessories, Gadgets
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Recently, a contest to win a Healthmate Air Purifier caught my eye, and got me thinking about the myriad of other sweepstakes that are on the internet. I’ve skipped the ones that require more participation (like submitting an essay) or a purchase, so you should be able to enter all these in less than 5 minutes. Remember, the only guaranteed way to lose is by not trying, so fill out those quick little forms and good luck!

Sign up for their newsletter, and be entered in a drawing for a free air purifier ($299 value).

Win a trip for 2 to join Master Cameron Shayne for an intensive Budokon week-long retreat in the pristine Turks and Caicos Islands valued at $5,000.

Monthly drawing with a grand prize winner (prize value is always big; for July it’s a $1,000 scrapbook package), and either a $100 or $50 gift card from Joann’s.

Become a registered user of Zappos and you’ll automatically be entered into their weekly drawing for a pair of free shoes.

Monthly drawing for a tabletop water fountain from Serenity Health.

You heard it right: Free gas for a year from Mental Floss.

Posted by Lauren in Misc
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As I write this post, I’m on day 2 of a cleanse, and am already feeling better. People “cleanse” or “detox” to combat fatigue, pain, and inflammation, to improve circulation, increase metabolism, enhance quality of sleep, reduce tension, and for a general sense of well-being and health. Unfortunately, toxins contaminate our systems on a daily basis. They are unavoidable. They exist in our water, our air, our food, and our surroundings, no matter who we are or where we live. But how do we maintain the benefits from a diet-based detox, or what if you need a diet-free detox solution? Aside from choosing organic, whole foods, and avoiding nasties like cigarettes, alcohol, and caffeine, there are a lot of products on the market that can assist you in a natural body detox. One that is rapidly gaining a reputation as a convenient, superior detox product is detox foot pads. You simply place the white sticky-backed pads onto the sole of your feet before you go to bed, and in the morning you will find they have turned a dark brown or black color due to all of the toxins absorbed from your body. There are many brands available, some with a lot of filler ingredients and hokey animal-based extracts like chitosan, and a few of truly high quality. Do a little homework by reading the ingredients before you buy!

How do they work? The abbreviated explanation is that properly refined wood vinegar (or bamboo vinegar in some of the lesser quality brands) absorbs and “draws out” heavy metals and other toxic substances from our bodies through channels in the soles of our feet. If you are familiar with Chinese medicine, then you know that our bodies are a highway of energy-filled meridians that connect our organs and tissues. Even if you subscribe to western medicine, you can see for yourself how points in our feet directly connect to other areas of the body. If you are not allergic to garlic, cut a clove in half and rub the fresh garlic side on the sole of your foot (for approximately 45 seconds). Within a few minutes, you will be able to detect a garlic taste in your mouth! If you’re still skeptical, manufacturers offer lab reports which show the following substances in the used pads: benzene, isopropyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, aluminum, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, thallium, arsenic, asbestos, DAB dye, fast green dye, sudan black dye and PCB (plastic byproduct). That’s a lot of toxins! Many users report feeling drastically better after just one night’s use, so if you’re still not sure if detox foot pads work, just one set may be able to show you their rapid detox abilities. Additionally, one manufacturer, BodyPure, offers free used pad testing when you buy 3 or more boxes so that you will know exactly what toxins were absorbed. There is further information on how these detox pads work, which includes far infared emittance, measurement of alpha brain waves, and a “minus ion effect”; all of which are too far reaching for this article, but are available online.

Which brand do we recommend? The BodyPure+ pads (NOT the original BodyPlus formulation) contain quality ingredients, but the Yuan Qi foot pads appear to be the most superior pads on the market right now. Now only do they contain just 3 ingredients, but their triple-distilled wood vinegar is created from annual prunings rather than by the exploitation and destruction of healthy trees, which means they are produced in a sustainable, eco-friendly way. For more information on their production and benefits check out this PDF file.

At the end of my current cleanse I plan on testing them myself and detailing my results on Mable’s Blog. Until then, happy detoxing everyone!

Posted by Lauren in Unique, Green Living
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As usual, my day started by perusing a mile long list of blogs and feeds to see what was new and awesome on the interweb. Never one to disappoint, MAKE blog linked an article that explains how to make your own photo studio for less than $100. Although the finished product is impressive, my first reaction was $100? Surely there must be a cheaper way to take professional looking digital pictures for selling items online. OK, I was also trying to picture myself locating the seemingly long list of items necessary at Home Depot & Joann, and getting prematurely bored with the whole idea.

After a little more searching I found the Tabletop Photo Studio from Hammacher Schlemmer for $79.95. I almost always advocate the DIY method, but when the store-bought alternative is cheaper and easier, I’m sometimes forced to whip out the Paypal card. C’est la vie.

From my barely PC-literate relatives to my dot-com e-commerce buddies, I almost can’t think of anyone in my life who doesn’t sell items online at least every now and then. And since better pictures always equal better sales (and/or higher auction end prices), I’m thinking home photo studio products like this are going to become popular, and would make a very useful gift. Making a more proper photo studio for Mable’s headquarters is on our to-do list this year, but I’m still undecided as to which route we should go. If you have a solution that works well for you, please share in the comments!

UPDATE: MAKE does it again with the $10 DIY Photo Studio!

Posted by Lauren in Unique, Gadgets
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With Pirates of the Caribbean 2 breaking records and our natural love of pirates, we should all have at least one pirate themed party per year. Minimum. So before you think about driving to your local party store and get dissapointed at their weak selection, check out these Pirate Party Packs. BuyCostumes has a Pirate Party Deluxe Party Kit. It includes plates, cups, napkins, invitations, utencils, candles, table cover, balloons, streamers, ribbons, and of course a pack of gold coins. There’s enough for 8 guests, but you can easily add on for more swashbuckers.

Another place to get your pirate party booty is at ShindigZ. They have easily upgradable pirate themed party kits called Pirate Party Kit-N-Kaboodles.

While not generally a focal point at most parties, a pinata does allow guests to beat things with bats, which is arguabley appropriate for a pirate party. So don’t forget to order a pirate shaped pinata or a treasure chest shaped pinata for your loot-robbin shindig!

COUPON: Get 5% off $40 or more at BuyCostumes with the coupon code “5alive”.

Posted by Sean in Kids, Fun
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As most of my fellow Thrift Store Devotees know, a vintage apron can sometimes represent an amazing find. They’re often quite affordable, are still in usable condition, and instantly create an eye-catching retro look on a person or as decor. (If you’re lucky enough to find a good one that is.) As a collector of vintage aprons, and a confirmed foodie, I love seeing the variety of vintage inspired kitchen aprons that have been popping up lately.

Pinup Girl Clothing currently carries 6 fabric choices for these beautiful oilcloth aprons that will “keep your clothing clean while cooking, gardening or doing crafts”. How versatile; now I don’t have to leave my craft room covered head to toe in glitter! And they’re modeled by pinup model Heidi Van Horne, which makes imagining ones self as a 50’s domestic diva even easier. If you’re into that.

Kitsch’n Glam is an indie business that offers several styles of reversable retro aprons, some of which are available with matching oven mitts, potholders, and tea towels. They range from the uber girly to male-friendly BBQ style aprons. Custom orders are also available, which I imagine have spiced up more than a few humdrum events.

So if you’ve tapped out your local antique store or are looking for a unique hostess gift, snag a reproduction retro apron and get to baking (or crafting or gardening or whatevs…)

Posted by Lauren in Retro and Vintage, Household
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Having a hard time trying to find a totally unique gift that will knock their socks off? Show them you know what they like by giving them a unique experience that they’ll remember forever.

Does she love to sing? Surprise her with personal vocal coaching.
Is he big into jet planes? Send him off to be a fighter pilot for a day.
Birthday coming soon? Send them and 11 of their friends to a learn-to-surf party.
Fancy floating in a gentle breeze? Give the gift of flight on a hot air balloon ride.
All the examples above are available through Signature Days.

Now is the perfect time to get out of the house or work place and experience life to the fullest. These unique experiences will be a sure hit for that special someone you are shopping for because of the memories it creates. These great gifts range from simple things like a dog walking service and home music lessons to ultimate experiences like stock car racing, white water rafting, or weightless flights.

Hot Air Balloon Rides	Dog Walking Service	White Water Rafting

Signature Days and Great American Days are the top two websites that offer these awesome adventures. If you can’t decide which amazing experience to give you can always purchase a gift certificate to let them choose. So give the gift of an experience they will always remember today.

COUPON: Get 10% OFF at Signature Days. Coupon Code: SIGJASOND. Expires December 31st 2006.

Posted by Sean in Unique, Fun
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I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with so called “standard power strips” with all their outlets aligned in a close knit row. How do they expect us to use all of those plugs when we have power adapters that take up two plugs or more? It’s one thing to have made these back in the 1900’s but why are they still the standard?

Well now it’s well beyond the year 2000 and we have innovations like the PowerSquid with Surge Protector. It’s simple yet ingenious design allows for 5 power adapters to be connected at once without the loss of other outlets due to large power bricks. This does more than just save space, since this particular model is also a surge protector with 540 Joules of protection. This model also features patented Power Blocker® technology to automatically shutdown and isolate connected equipment in case of a damaging power surge or outage.

What if you just spent $50+ on a surge protector but you still want to clear up some space due to those wide power adapters? That’s where the Power Strip Liberator comes in. Just plug the 1 foot long Liberator into an available outlet and plug in your bulky power adapter into the other end. This will free up outlets on your designed in the 1900’s power strip but it doesn’t add surge protection and it isn’t as cost effective as getting the PowerSquid with Surge Protection.

Posted by Sean in Nerd, Gadgets
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With the decline of American roadside diners and boom of fast food restaurants the standard chrome and push-button tabletop jukebox has also faded into a thing of the past. But with today’s resurgence of retro and vintage items more and more people are decorating their homes with that nostalgic feel. Be it retro furniture that decorates your home, a complete vintage bathroom, or you just have a couple things around the house to remind you of the days long gone you’ll want to check out these reproductions of the classic chrome jukebox used on tabletops in 50’s diners.

Starting from the top of the line we’ve got the The Classic Diner CD Jukebox from Hammacher Schlemmer. This particular unit has a nice chrome finish, plays CDs and MP3-CDs with the option of selecting song tracks by letter and number, just like the original diner models. Also built in is a digital FM radio with 20 presets, various lighting modes and can be connected to an external stereo, amplifier, or headphones. It even comes with an MP3-CD with 100 classic songs from the 1950’s and 1960’s from the original artists such as Buddy Holly and Patsy Cline. With the ability to play MP3-CDs and hook up to an external stereo (think home theater system) this jukebox easily makes it the number one choice.

If you don’t need CD or MP3-CD capabilities there is a less high tech version that plays cassette tapes and has AM/FM radio built in. It boasts full range stereo speakers, lighted song chart, and selection buttons that fold down to reveal the dial scale for the radio and volume. The advantage is that this model looks more like the original counter top versions from the 1950’s. So if you are going for more of the authentic look then this classic diner jukebox is for you.

If you are interested in a little jukebox history there is a short explanation starting with Thomas Edison in 1877 to the present over at Starlite Diner.

Posted by Sean in Splurge, Retro and Vintage
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