By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
Interior designers have simple tricks in making a house a home. You know, those little techniques to bring not only style but warmth and intimacy into your personal space. Candles are a great way to do this, and using reusable peel and stick accents takes you one step further to suit the mood, season or special occasion. Indigoroot has created a simple, chic, interchangeable and reusable solution to add those nice touches to your home.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Indigoroot makes it easy to add a romantic touch using their CandleClothes™ and Wrapitz™. If you [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
My family and I have just relocated back to Eastern Canada from California for a two year stint. I must admit that I so loved this past fall season up here that I am really looking forward to a very white Christmas. When I last lived here (over 18 years ago!) I loved the look of Christmas lights reflecting off the snow on the outside trees around my home. I loved to attract birds and decorating a holiday tree with seed ornaments. And I am planning to do that again this year.
Mr. Bird has an [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
As the cold weather and frightful storms shutter us indoors, we must make the best of our nesting environment.
We mentioned the beautiful LightAir air purifiers a few months ago. If anyone in your family has allergies, this can especially help in the closed-in months. And then, I mentioned Light Therapy, which worked well for me to help combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What else can we do? How about replenishing the air moisture that the heaters strip away. Dry skin, painful sinuses, limp hair that no amount of conditioning will fix… Sure, humidifiers are a staple in many homes [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
The pumpkin is traditionally the central feature in Halloween decorations. Do you know where the tradition came from?
Apparently, it derives from an old Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack”.  If you google his name you will get several sites that will tell you a variation of the story. Here is one from History.com:
“According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
There are many things to love about having a home office: no wasted commuting time, no constant interruptions by well-meaning or just annoying colleagues, no need to get dressed up and done up…
Ironically – or logically – the reverse of many of these complaints make for other complaints: no commute means that I sometimes never get above 1500 steps in the day – way below the recommended 10,000 steps/day. See? running for the train/bus has its advantages; the isolation makes me crave colleagues of any kind, annoying or not; the consecutive days spend in yoga gear and [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Some men take their grilling pretty seriously. My husband Scott is definitely one of them. He would, if he could, barbecue everything. We have been loyal owners of both the charcoal and gas Weber barbecues for most of our married life. My husband faithfully cleans them, pampers them and loves accessorizing them. To Scott, grilling on a fine barbecue is like driving a fine car. It is not only about the performance but also about being aesthetically pleasing. Here are three that Scott has put on his wish list.

 
All Purpose Outdoor Grill with Pizza Stone and [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I have always been attracted to the aesthetics and ornamentation of the various cultures around the world. The more ancient and the more “exotic” it is, the more it speaks to me. Which is why I was found gaping, high in visual nirvana, when I came upon the Images d’Orient collection.
Peggy Raphaël Dabar is the designer behind this collection of tabletop gems. She is from Lebanon and studied design in the United States. You can see the homage paid to her Mediterranean heritage in the various collections at Image D’Orient, the company she and her brother [...]

May is Asthma Awareness Month.
We knew that all the fair weather we had this winter would come back to bite us in the butt. First, “they” say that insects will go crazy (see our recommendation made earlier this week for the all natural insect repellent candle), and then ragweed and other allergens are going to have a field day. Literally.
Besides that, there is a multitude of airborne pollutants (dust, smoke, pollen, bacteria, virus, mold, pet allergens) that also make their way into the home. And we all want to avoid these, as we know that fine particle pollution is especially [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Admittedly, I love this time a year. And what is not to love! The outside is looking all anew with trees budding, flowers blooming and the freshness in the air is intoxicating! As I open my doors to bring in the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors, I look at my home and see that it is tired looking, stuffy and drab.
It is definitely time to refresh, rejuvenate and reorganize the inside of my home. And I want to do it quickly and inexpensively. So, I went looking for versatile and budget-friendly ideas to [...]

Beautiful things can be simple and simple can be so beautiful. That’s true for form and function. In this particular case, I’m thinking of the wonderful paper shades by The Paper Table.
Diahann Potter is the entrepreneur who launched the Paper Table Collection. She started her career in the banking and IT fields and then did a left brain to right brain career shift and went into design. The Paper Table is the happy result of her transition.
Launched just a few months ago, The Paper Table offers ornamental paper goods to create elegant candle shades, plate chargers and decorative candle bands, [...]