Unique Home and Garden Shoppe Announces a Full Line of Polish Pottery
By llupold | August 28, 2008
With the Green Movement’s increased focus on handcrafted and earthen products, Unique Home & Garden Shoppe has taken notice and is supporting this trend with a featured product. Starting in August, a full line of Polish stoneware pottery will be available for purchase.
Polish stoneware is a practical compromise between the demanding needs of the modern family and the stringent requirements for Green compliance. Made from abundant and natural clay, it is naturally lead and cadmium free. The stoneware is handcrafted by skilled artisans, an act which maintains human employment and enhances cultural identity through the practice of the craft. Polish stoneware pottery is non-porous, which when paired with the fact it is toxin-free, makes it ideal for food use. It can stand up to the demands of the modern kitchen by being safe to use in the oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher.
When asked about what prompted her to add this line to the website, Linda Lupold, owner of UniqueHomeGardenShoppe.com, said: “I really fell in love with the handcrafted nature of the stoneware. I have ordered items in a variety of patterns and have discovered that the pieces are lovelier in person than in the pictures.”
The line, which has just debuted on the front page of Unique Home & Garden Shoppe, includes baking items, serving pieces, and accessories as well as place settings in a variety of designs supplied by Old World Merchant, a respected supplier of authentic Old World products. To find out more or check out the new merchandise, check out www.uniquehomegardenshoppe.com/polish-pottery.html.
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Romance by Candlelight
By llupold | August 21, 2008
There is a reason it is a cliché: everything is more romantic by candlelight. Candlelight softens every line and makes everything seem to glow as if from the inside. Even the age old art of courting was done by candlelight, hence the courting candle.
Not so long ago in American culture, it was unseemly for unmarried men and women to keep company without chaperones and for unlimited amounts of time. It was common for young men to court a young lady mostly through her family, particularly with permission and approval of her father. He would enter the home and talk to her parents, attempting to gain their approval. If he did, the young man was then escorted into the parlor where the young lady would be waiting. The story goes that then the father would mount a candle in a wrought iron spiral courting candle, telling the suitor and his daughter that they could visit until the fire reached the top of the candleholder. If he liked the young man and wanted him to have a significant chance to win his daughter’s affections, the father would mount the candle on a small block of wood placed at the bottom of the spiral candleholder thus extending his time with her. If the father did not approve of the suitor, he would simply put the candle into the holder, shorting the length of the stay in their home.
While we do not as a culture practice the social art of courting anymore, it is a lovely and romantic concept that you can bring into your modern life. Wrought iron courting candles are still around for you to bring into your home. Instead of measuring the time to court, it can still measure a period to be romantic as the calming candlelight and the sweet history to this piece can enhance your time with your significant other. The candlelight could measure the time you have to enjoy a coffee break with your significant other after dinner or a cup of tea before snuggling into bed. If a courting candle is just too old fashioned for you, then some wall sconces or a few well-placed votive holders can perform the same function without deterring from your personal style. Just remember to extinguish the candle’s flame before you are off to enjoy a little more romance of your own!
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Which Wood is Best for Your Patio Furniture?
By llupold | August 18, 2008
Making big ticket purchases for your home can be a worrisome experience. Every person wishes to get the greatest value for the price without compromising quality. When purchasing a patio furniture set, finding the greatest bang for your buck can be accomplished. By knowing the needs of your family and the environment in which you will be using it, your choice of wood patio furniture can give you decades of use. The most popular material choice for outdoor furniture is wood and with good reason: the right kind of wood can resist the elements, pests and last for years. Among wood choices, the most well-liked are teak and cedar.
Both cedar and teak are natural hard woods. Hard woods are woods which produce oils that naturally protect it from the elements. These oils can also ensure the use your patio set for years to come regardless of additional use of oils or vanish. Both cedar and teak possess these oils which makes both woods quite weather and pest resistant. Both are considered quality choices for wood outdoor furniture. But if they are so similar, why be concerned with the differences?
There are differences with makes cedar and teak ideal for slightly different uses. Cedar, native and abundant in North America, is often cheaper and a greener choice as it doesn’t have to be shipped in from another continent. Being that it is a more economical option, casual use items like picnic tables or poolside sets for the family would be ideal for cedar furniture. The red tint is a trademark that makes this wood a natural choice for rustic and casual looks. Another benefit is the natural oil that protects cedar also creates a fresh, pine-like scent that lingers for a long time.
Teak, however, would be best used for outdoor furniture along the lines of fine garden sets or outdoor bars. Teak is a tropical hardwood native to South America and is thus a product of rainforests. This means it can also withstand extreme moisture without damage. Due to its importation, it can be more expensive but worth it if you prefer a lighter more contemporary feel or would like to incorporate the shabby chic look.
Topics: Outdoor Living | 2 Comments »
Bring Some Luxury into Your Home
By llupold | August 11, 2008
In a quick and hurried world, the home should always be a sacred sanctuary where one can relax, rejuvenate and refresh mind, body and spirit. A great way to ensure this is to bring items that speak of luxury and elegance into your home. It doesn’t have to cost a lot because luxury is in the details.
In the living room, a few easy displays can really make a difference. Wrought iron wall sconces with scented candles and a vase full of fresh cut flowers on the coffee table will give the needed lavish touch. During the warm months, a pitcher of lemonade with glasses at the ready gives the feel of down-home comfort. In the winter month, snuggling in a warm chenille throw against some plush pillows on the couch will make movie night a cuddly delight.
The kitchen and dining areas are a great place to enjoy some extra luxury. Polish stoneware to set the table with will instantly set a more ceremonial feel to the dinner ritual. Wrought iron accessories like candleholders and wine racks, often used in the elegant Old World styles, are a great way to bring a touch of class into a space, enhancing instead of distracting from a homey feel. Even something as simple as beaded wine charms on the stemware can suggest a simple extravagance during dinner.
Another fabulous place to give your home a luxurious feel is in the bathroom. This trend is one of the most popular in today’s market and with good reason. The bathroom can be made to feel more like a spa and less like a plain washroom with some easy changes in the décor. A twisted iron towel bar presenting thick, soft towels brings to mind images of massages and saunas. Hanging votive holders over the bathtub makes the tub feel more like a steamy retreat than a sanitary necessity. Place a few everyday toiletries like lotions, extra towels and pretty soaps in a basket instead of lined on the counter and you not only eliminate clutter, but you also make the bathroom feel more like one in a hotel suite.
The important thing to remember is that you should incorporate items into your home that suggest luxury and extravagance to you. It can be as straightforward as a few extra touches of opulence or an entire room makeover. However you choose to create some luxury, make sure that the décor is unique and personal to you and your family.
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Getting Ready for Baby
By llupold | August 4, 2008
A new addition to the home is always fun and stressful, especially when it is of the human kind. Bringing baby home to a place full of the items that will make him both happy and healthy is a full-time job in itself. The good news is today’s retailers make it much easier to make the transition both fun and stylish with that make your space baby-friendly without eliminating adult creature comforts.
Preparing the nursery, putting up the kids’ bedroom décor, filling the toy box with classic and unique baby toys are all part of the fun and work of new parenthood. The essentials will fulfill the need to have a comfortable place to sleep, eat and play. The details regarding what fulfills these essentials, such as furniture choices, are easily debatable and highly personal. Though one family will require a bassinet, another may find having only a crib will fit the bill. Some demand a changing table while others are fine without one. While friends, family and resources are great for advice, trust your instincts for your family’s space and style.
One of those essentials everyone can agree on is filling that toy box with classic kids’ toys. Colorful large baby blocks, rattles, teddy bears and other stuffed animals are standards with good reason. As a newborn, bright colors in her toys and wall art specifically for kids will pique her interest. As an infant, the various textures and sounds her toys make will amuse her. As a toddler, she will learn how to use her imagination to interact with her toys by stacking and playing pretend. Once she is school-aged, she will use her toys to interact with playmates. Ultimately, it is the simple toys that are the best toys for kids, standing the test of time and staying relevant throughout baby’s quick development into childhood.
Once baby starts to eat solid food, parents can choose to have a bit more style with his tableware. Personalized baby spoons and baby bowls that match the china are cute ways to make bring a touch of elegance to baby items to make it more adult-friendly. Fashionable wood high chairs are an alternative to the often brightly colored plastic ones and a way to integrate baby’s furniture into the style of the home.
Bringing home your little one doesn’t have to be an adventure in plastic and primary colors unless you want it to. Retailers today offer thousands of choices in furniture, toys and other utensils to ensure that the modern parent can make the home harmonious by being baby-friendly without entirely compromising an adult-friendly style and atmosphere.
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Zen Your Home
By llupold | July 27, 2008
A popular trend in home décor is the concept of “Zen at home”. Zen is actually a form of Buddhism with the focus on experiential wisdom that goes beyond words. It is often associated with the feeling of peace and calm, which is what everyone wants to experience at home and what we are referring to here. Your home should be your retreat from the world, a place to rest your head and put up your feet. However, many people fill their homes in such a way that there is no continuity or serenity about the home and garden décor: instead, their sanctuary is full of clutter and overwhelmed by things that are not absolutely loved.
But there is a way to cut through all the disorder and bring Zen into your home. If you follow these four steps, you can transform the way your living space affects your energy.
1) Take a look around your space, be it your living room, patio or bedroom. Note how you feel in this space and also note why you feel that way. Do the piles of laundry in the corner of your bedroom make you feel dirty or lazy? Are the crowded kitchen counters making you feel boxed in? Does the patio seem unusable for your purposes? Feel free to take 10 or 15 minutes to really see how your space is affecting your state of mind.
2) If you can, remove every item you can from the space. Start as fresh as possible. If you can’t remove the furniture, then declutter every surface until it is bare and the room looks minimalistic. It might take an hour or two to do, but it will be worth it.
3) Stand in the middle of your space all freshly decluttered and close your eyes. Imagine how you wish to feel when occupying this space. Do you want to read the morning paper while drinking a cup of coffee in your peaceful garden retreat? Do you want to have friends pile into your living room for a lively night of board games? Do you want to have room to perform your yoga routines in your bedroom? Whatever it is, envision it and be as detailed as possible.
4) Now it’s time to get to work. Make your space reflect the feeling you just envisioned. Only bring the decorative home accents into the space that will enhance that feeling you wish to experience and nothing else. A wood checkerboard on a side table in the living room will quickly invite game play. A few wrought iron accessories like a candle chandelier or a wall sconce will set a romantic tone in your bedroom. A cedar planter box filled with bright flowers next to your garden furniture set will create a happy respite from the outside world. The key is to keep the decorative home accents to a minimum so that each one makes a statement and can be appreciated.
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Reviving Lost Art of the Dinner Party
By llupold | July 25, 2008
One of the greatest joys in entertaining is pulling off a dinner party where everyone raves about the ambiance, the conversation, what a great time they had. The inner workings of a dinner party, however, start with a great place to dine. Attention to detail is an important trait here as everything from the location to the table settings will make an impact on the feel of your meal.
First, interesting tableware can really embellish your presentation. Sets like Polish stoneware are eye-catching and hefty, a great way to present a meal. Just imagine a hearty chicken in cream sauce served on a colorful Polish pottery dinner plate equals the beginnings of ambiance. Beneath the solid tableware, think of placing a fabric placemat in a complimentary color or even a linen tablecloth if you wish to be more formal. Coordinating accessories such as decorative napkins and napkin rings next to the place setting will make a enhance a formal statement while wine charms in matching colors at the bottom of the wine glasses can add a whimsical feel. Candles are a welcome addition to any table setting, though you will want to refrain from using the scented versions which will interrupt the taste of your meal.
Another tool to create a great dinner party is a good theme. It doesn’t have to be a kitschy theme like a luau, which can be fun. In fact, it can be as easy as the type of food you’re serving. For example, Italian or Indian food will permit a more casual family serving style which the table settings should reflect. More formal styles such as French or Japanese would require a different layout. Though the décor does not have to match the food style served, the accessories should support it. A wooden cutting board for cutting cheese and bread would be appropriate for a French meal. A three tier iron plate rack would be a perfect service for hors dourves or dessert presentations.
Finally, it is important that the host make sure that the food and beverages are served in a manner conducive to both easy enjoyment and steady conversation. Whether it is a casual barbeque or a five-course experiment in cuisine, it is vital that the timing allows your dinner companions to enjoy each course and refreshment. Nothing ruins a meal faster than the meat needing twenty minutes longer while the side dishes get cold. It also helps if you keep the refreshments readily available for refills. With all these tips in mind, you can create a wonderful evening for your friends and loved ones to enjoy.
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Design a Unique Garden Getaway
By llupold | July 22, 2008
Increasing the usable space in your home is one of the greatest ways to both improve your own enjoyment of your space and appeal to buyers down the road. One fabulous way to do this is to utilize the outdoors during the nicer seasons as living space, such as a garden as an outdoor living room. It’s surprisingly easy to do and gives a lasting impression on visitors.
First, think about the garden. No two gardens are alike: size, shape and contents are always different. A small garden may only permit a cedar bench while a winding English garden could be large enough to hold parties in. The contents of the garden will also dictate what can happen there. Planted beds of flowers will evoke an entirely different ambiance than a vegetable patch or a plot of wildflowers. Let the natural elements help dictate what kind of escape the space will be.
After you have decided what kind of retreat will fit your garden space, consider the furniture set up. If you are looking for a quiet retreat to read or paint, your getaway can be as simple as a cedar garden swing nestled in the middle of the flower beds. You can go more elaborate, something for dinner parties for example with a garden arbor shading a patio furniture set. This kind of arrangement would create a beautiful setting for an intimate celebration.
Next, think of enhancing the space with home and garden décor accessories. Set up a bird feeder or birdbath nearby to bring natural inspiration into the space. A sundial in the middle of a close flower bed would be a point of interest during the day. At night, small white twinkle lights can be strung up through an arbor or trellis to provide mood lighting that enhances the outdoor feel. Even a wheelbarrow full of plants can be used to decorate a garden getaway – it is only limited by the imagination!
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Celebrate American Independence with Americana Décor
By llupold | July 17, 2008
This summer, consider extending your Independence Day celebration beyond the 4th of July weekend and the leftover fireworks. Instead, think about making this season a celebration of all the wonderful things that evoke summer, which is at the heart of American nostalgia.
The great thing about Americana home décor is how simple it is to integrate into your festivities and how diverse the options are. For example, for picnics and family gatherings think about going back a century or two with the Americana décor. Throw a red gingham tablecloth on a wood picnic table with picnic basket loaded with fried chicken, corn on the cob and cornbread with the aforementioned apple pie for a rustic feeling. Put some wildflowers in a vase as the centerpiece and you will feel like something out of a Mark Twain novel. For pool parties, you only have to go back a few decades to the height of surfer culture for your inspiration. The classic 1950s beach party brings to mind images of long boards, sand, boardwalks and tiki torches. Make some hot dogs and s’mores over a bonfire and you are sure to have a memorable and thoroughly American evening.
Indoor affairs will require a somewhat different take on the presentation. Anything that suggests a diner atmosphere such as a soda fountain straw jar dispenser, sodas served in classic glass bottles and a neon wall clock will bring the height of American popular culture to mind. If you are looking for something with a bit of Western zest, think of adding some Southwestern kitchen décor into the mix. Items that mix wood and wrought iron, generally known as Mission style, and brightly colored woven linens are a fun way to bring the American cowboy feel into your home.
However you choose to enjoy this summer, Americana décor is an easy way to celebrate all summer long the varied and diverse styles that are all as American as apple pie.
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The Many Uses of Wrought Iron
By llupold | July 8, 2008
One of the greatest trends in home decorating is doing the unexpected. Bringing the outdoors in is one of those surprises and a great way to do this is by using wrought iron, a material used almost exclusively outdoors for centuries, inside through accessories. Since modern wrought iron is made to look more graceful and clean than it once did, it transitions nicely even in the most modern of spaces through both traditional and surprising accessories.
For more traditional rooms, a wrought iron tiered plate holder on a table paired with square white porcelain plates will really highlight the stark differences while keeping a sleek appearance. Using a hang from the ceiling pot rack to mount a painting on the wall, for example, would be an unexpected yet thoroughly modern presentation. Another fun integration is an iron table frame with a glass table top, the perfect marriage of an airy quality in the glass and the solid heft of the iron. The key to keeping this trend as up to date as possible is to mix smooth lines and textures with the slightly aged look of modern iron which will present a fresh twist on a rather age old material.
If Old World is more your style, there are a several ways to introduce this trend into your home. The key to using wrought iron in this fashion is to pair it with softer textures to give a more romantic feel. Candle chandeliers, for example, add both soft lighting and a focal point of interest into a space. Crystals or vines can be hung to from the chandelier to really make a statement. Another lighting option is candle holders on the fireplace mantel holding tapered candles will definitely make a soft, romantic touch. Plants or silk panels can be woven through a room divider to add more visual interest and compliment the floral and leafy designs which are quite common with this material.
Whether going for a contemporary twist or a traditional presentation, the uses of wrought iron are limited only by your creativity which is what makes this material an interesting choice in any room.
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