“What a beautiful bucket!”

Just one of the things I thought I’d never say, until I saw this “Animals All Around” bucket from Plum Party.

Pretty, vintage animal illustrations surround this sturdy metal bucket that has handles for easy carrying. Now for you sillies who don’t know what you’d do with a bucket this awesome, I’ll give you some ideas. You can use this “venti” sized bucket:

*As a baby (or puppy!) toy bin
*As a colorful alternative to presenting a baby shower gift
*As a baby laundry basket
*As a cute “bobbing for apples” bucket at a child’s birthday party
*As a Easter basket presentation
*As a punch bowl at a party
*For bathing your puppy or small dog outdoors
*As a table centerpeice filled with fruit
*For a “muddy boot” keeper, kept near your front door
*As the prettiest front porch flower planter ever

The uses are endless, as a bucket is one of the most versitile things ever. Be creative! Keep it well displayed, you’ll be sure to get endless compliments.

$72

Taged as: babies, bathroom, bedroom, gift idea, home decor, kid friendly, kitchen, pets, Plum Party, under $100, vintage

Posted by Alison in Splurge, Household
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Hidden within these hi-tech cargo pants are 3 zones of carbon fiber heating elements and an inner lining of anti-pill fleece. Powered by a rechargeable battery that can keep you warm for hours these pants would make a great gift for those you have to bear the outdoors this winter.

There are three temperature settings on the included mini-controller to adjust the level of heat desired in the 3 heat zones. Each side pocket is heated to keep your hands warm and the lower back area is also heated to keep your core warm. Best of all these hot pants don’t require any special attention when washing. Just remove the rechargeable battery and throw it in the washing machine with the rest of your clothes.

Brookstone is the place to get these heated pants, and if you are really into keeping warm they also carry heated jackets and heated vests. I’m not sure how long the batteries last for the pants, but the jacket says up to five hours of warmth so I’d imagine the pants are about the same.
Note: If you are going to get just the heated vest I’d recommend checking out Hammacher since they have a lower price and are just as reputable.

These would make an excellent gift for anyone who wants to stay warm while enduring the outside cold. Occupations and activities that come to mind are hiking, snowboarding, outdoor sports (for the coach), delivery person, dog walks, and more. I wouldn’t mind wearing these for those cold days on the scooter/motorcycle around town.

COUPON: Take $10 off your Brookstone order of $150 or more. Enter code AFAUG Online only.

Taged as: Brookstone, coupon, gift idea, Hammacher Schlemmer, unique

Posted by Sean in Splurge, Clothing and Accessories
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The Mable’s crew has been getting a restful nights sleep thanks to the Tempur-Pedic neck pillow for many years now and we want to pass along to you one of the best purchases we’ve made in a long time. Waking up with less stress in your neck and stiffness all over is a great feeling. We don’t spend the night anywhere without making sure to bring our contoured neck pillows.

We bought ours from a Relax the Back store in California, but you can get yours online and shipped to your door from the Relax the Back online store. These Tempur-Pedic neck pillows are designed for maximum pressure relief, and the pillow sizes are custom fit to cradle your neck at the proper angle and conform to your head while you sleep. It seems so simple and I’ve tried recreating it by folding an edge of normal pillows, but it’s definitely not the same. You actually do wake up with noticeably less tension and stress in your neck. It’s one of those things you just have to experience to believe. As an added bonus the included hypo-allergenic velour covers are dust mite resistant.

In addition to the neck pillow I’d like to get a Leg Lounger for side sleeping. I like to lay on my side about half the time, but my knees don’t have much cushioning so my knee bones rub together all night. The leg lounger helps provide hip alignment, which means a more comfortable sleep.

Of course the ultimate would be to get the Tempur-Pedic mattress so your entire body is supported by NASA-developed Visco elastic material. Along with being ultra comfortable their product description explains; “studies show that our Tempur-Pedic mattress reduces tossing and turning by 83 percent. You can try the mattress for 90 days, risk-free. And since there are no inner springs to worry about, Tempur-Pedic beds are maintenance-free. You don’t even need to flip or turn the mattress, and it’s guaranteed to perform for 20 years.” This has been on my personal wishlist for several years, and I’d love to try it out. With the 90 day trial, maybe now is the time.

Also, we’ve tried the knock off brands and they simply do not compare. They’re better than your average stuffed or down pillow, but not by much. This is definitely one of those few products where it really pays to splurge on the name brand. Do you sleep on any Tempur-Pedic products? If so, how have their affected your sleep?

Taged as: bedroom, health

Posted by Sean in Splurge, Household
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You’ve probably already heard of iRobot’s Roomba vacuum, but how about the new Roomba for Pets? It’s specially designed to better pick up all that fur, dander, litter, etc. that your loving pet leaves behind. This version comes with an Easy Clean Brush and Easy Clean Brush Tool so that when hair gets all bundled up in the cleaning brush you can remove it with ease.

The Roomba Discovery for Pets version comes with an advanced power system battery and charger to effectively clean multiple rooms in one charge and recharge your vacuuming robot in less than 3 hours. Standard features include dirt detect, a stair avoidance system, surface transitioning, and the efficient bag-less debris bin. This one also includes a standard remote that lets you control basic functions from across the room.

The best part about ordering from iRobot directly is that they offer a 30-day risk-free trial, 1 year warranty, and a 6 months no-interest payment plan as well. If you feel the Roomba vacuum isn’t dong a valuable service to you, you can return it back to them and they will give you all your money back. I say “all” because they will not only reimburse the purchase price of the robot, but the shipping costs it took to get to you and the shipping cost to get it back to them.

Along with the ever popular robot vacuum named Roomba they have the Scooba (scrubs your hard floors) and the Dirt Dog that can vacuum up screws, bolts, and heavy duty dirt off your shop floor.

Taged as: cleaning, electronics, gadgets, pets

Posted by Sean in Splurge, Household, Gadgets
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If you are looking for a portable hot tub I don’t think you are going to find a better place to by a high quality one than from Hammacher. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating because not many online stores offer a lifetime guarantee. Meaning if it arrives and it’s not what you expect or it fails under normal usage you can return it and get your money back no problem. That alone is a big plus when buying online.

This portable hot tub will inflate in ten minutes with the included motor and will filter your 250 gallons of heated water with the included pump system. Heat is controlled by a built in control panel so you don’t even have to get out of the spa to adjust it. You and three of your friends can relax comfortably on the cushioned walls and soothe those tired muscles with the heated jet action that’s comparable to permanently installed hot tubs. It’s also constructed of the same SK80 vinyl found in white water rafts that are meant to prevent punctures and tears in rough rocky rivers.

All you need is a water hose and a space big enough to fit an 82 inch in diameter inflatable hot tub and you are stylin’ in no time. It’s getting to be that time of year when it gets cold at night, and I think a nice dip in this heated hot tub would be the hit of any party or just a great end to any day.

Taged as: fun, Hammacher Schlemmer, party

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Splurge
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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. So bring the fun outside and into the water with a floating trampoline and friends while having a blast this summer.

Taged as: Hammacher Schlemmer, summer, water toy

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Splurge, Fun
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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.

Taged as: 1950s, Hammacher Schlemmer, MP3, retro, vintage

Posted by Sean in Splurge, Retro and Vintage
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