Reviews by Cole » home

Lock it Up

Cole — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:20:09 +0000

I don’t think about home security much seeing as A) I don’t own my own home and B) I live in a locked apartment building. I like to browse sites like www.homesecuritysystem.com anyway, sometimes, just to see what’s new and available. At my apartment in San Antonio, there was an option to pay to have them turn on the security system, but we never did. It was a nice option to have; although, our little security pad had been painted over so many times that the cover wouldn’t even close. The poor thing.

Having lived in a larger city, though, I’d probably invest in some sort of security system if I did own my own place. I’d at least get a couple of deadbolts, which really aren’t that common around here. It’s something that makes me feel a little safer though, especially when one of them is keyless to use while I’m home alone. Some nights, after watching Supernatural or something similar, I get a little creeped out when I crawl into bed. It’s silly, I know, but it’s always nice to feel safe.

What sort of security options do you use in your home or building? If you had the opportunity to change them, what would you use instead?

New From Coupons.com

Cole — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:54:34 +0000

More printable coupon goodness for my readers! (I so need to replace my Glade products. Too bad my printer isn’t working!)

$1.00 off 2 Glade Sense & Spray refills
$3.00 off Glade Sense & Spray starter kit
$0.55 off Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator
$1.00 off two Glade Scented Oil Candle products
$1.00 off two Glade 4-oz. Jar Candles
$3.00 off Glade PlugIns Lasting impressions
$1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil warmer
$1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil refills
$0.55 off Glade Premium Room Spray
$1.00 off (1) TUBE OF COLGATE TOTAL ADVANCED

Design it, decorate it, dust it

Cole — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:08:35 +0000

If I had more money to spend, after clothes and make-up, I’d invest in more home decorating. I still haven’t found my stride; although, I tried in San Antonio. It’s harder now, trying to mesh styles of interior design with a roommate. My style is definitely more grown-up and sophisticated than others my age. For example, I like framed art rather than posters. I prefer to line up my pictures in an appealing way. I like when every vase or candle or statue has a place of its own and I cycle through decor based on the season or holiday.

I once read some advice about picking a main theme or piece to use as a basis for your decor and, in San Antonio, I used a large wall mirror for that purpose. However, there’s no room to put it up in my current apartment so it’s leaning against a wall. It definitely makes me a little sad because it’s a very nice piece. But the rest of my decor, which uses an autumny golden orange theme doesn’t seem to match because it’s not up.

I could also definitely use a lesson in grouping and choosing items that either match or contrast in a way that helps to make the decor of a room feel complete and well thought out. My interest in this definitely had a correlation to watching all those home design shows and now sites like Pinterest or Houzz make it even easier to get ideas from people who are more creative — and experienced! — than I am. A decor coffee table book would be cool, too.

A place for everything, everything in its place.

Cole — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:44:48 +0000

I am not a super organized person buuut I suspect I would be more organized with some awesome Tetris shelves. These shelves really speak to the geek in me. Brave Space offers a whole line of shelving in the shape of Tetris blocks–for a pretty penny, of course. Last week I stumbled across another retailer which made similar shelves for a better price but now I cannot find it again, of course. TetrisFurniture.com boasts another type of shelving system which seems both functional and versatile. I like the designs slightly better, too.

The search has turned up more than a handful of other Tetris related products. GadgetSharp did a whole post on Tetris inspired products, including planters, mirrors, soap and other furniture.

For every concept come to life, there are just as many still in the works, it seems. It’s no surprise because people are inventing a lot of experimental, stacking and easy-storage type furniture these days.

It’ll all go well with my new Heartris shirt, don’t cha think?

It’s Etsy!

Cole — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:18:44 +0000

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Etsy. Probably quite a few. I’ve known about it for a cuople years but I never actually made any purchases until just recently. Part of the reason was that a lot of the things I ran across when I was first introduced to the site had a DIY and cheap flavour to it. I can, honestly, never imagine paying for a dinky little friendship bracelet. I’m sorry. More recently, I’ve started looking at Etsy as a small business market rather than flea market and that might be due to some of the items I’ve been looking at or had my eye on.

For instance, I bought an amber coloured, lotus shaped candle holder, which is now sitting atop my mantle shelf, from katiediditglass. (I do need to move some of the pictures so it’s not to crowded). It looks great with a tealight in it and ~~I can’t wait to burn it (with some very careful kitty supervision)~~. Okay, I just lit it up because, why not?

It doesn’t feel (or look) cheap quality or DIY at all. The flame through the glass petals look great and the reflection on the walls around it is also gorgeous. It definitely looks “bigger” all lit up and can even be used two ways. Mine is with the petals pointing up.

I’m still waiting on a pair of potholders (which may be in the mailbox, actually) from Etsy user AlternativeSewing. They feature rather Day of the Dead-esque skulls and red roses. I even figured out a way to display them, rather than leaving them stuffed in a drawer which I haven’t done with anything in my kitchen thus far. Depending on how much I like them and how Ryan feels, I may opt in for the table runner, too, and eventually make my own place mats to match.

I will definitely be spending more time on Etsy for household things but there’s also a host of vintage items. Vintage isn’t really my thing but if you’re into ye olde fashion, it’s worth checking out. if you’re more crafty than I am (yet), you can browse a host of supplies. Fabric, yarn, canvas, buttons and beads, patterns and even wood are all waiting for you to buy them.

In fact, I picked up some absolutely gorgeous red floral brocade fabric for a bedroom project. (Why haven’t I finished that yet?!). It’s actually reversible with black flowers on red on one side and the opposite on the other side. I was floored by how pretty it was when I got the package. Picture did not do it any justice. Unfortunately, it catches Phantom’s eye too, so I’ve had to tuck it away.

I’ll probably make another purchase or two before I’m done. I’ve really become quite the fan of Etsy.

A solution, for now

Cole — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Well, I can no longer say that I have to struggle with my fitted sheet to get it on my mattress. Wal-mart has a collection of mathing separates so I was able to buy just a fitted sheet and save a bit of money. Luckily, they had one which is close to the colour of my sheets (an off white-ish colour); even though it’s slightly darker, it matches pretty well. It would be cool if they had this section online – but they don’t – and even expanded it because I imagine I’m not the only one who has ever had need for just one sheet, eh?

Close the shutters!

Cole — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:09:00 +0000

I’m a pretty big fan of hardware – the fixture, hinge and knob type – and have some pretty strong preferences (I love wrought iron). Of course, it’s easy to overlook the outside hardware such as lights, railings and shutters. I think because people no longer must rely on shutters for protection, with windows being strong and more weather resistant, that they forget about little touches which can really improve the worth of your home. It can be a lot harder to make the outside of your home look as nice as the inside, especially if it’s getting up their in age, old fashioned or paneled in brick/stone but adding shutters, if you have none, or even replacing the outdated shutters on your home can help to bring in some extra money when you’re talking about selling. Even if you aren’t ready to move now, or ever, shutters can make your home look just a little nicer, a little more complete.
I personally like Louvered and Board-and-Batten shutters and am not a big fan of Baham style shutters. With the styles and colours of shutters available, not to mention hardware (hinges, holdbacks, etc), you can’t really go wrong.

If you’re looking into any home improvement project Inviting Home has not only the materials, such as decorative hardware, you need but inspiration and ideas so that you can create the perfect abode. I like the more classic Celtic and Fleur de Lis patterns when it comes to hardware like pulls but if you want something different, you can try painted floral hardware or even animal shaped hardware. Who doesn’t want a Cockatoo adorning their cabinetry?

Does everybody know what time it is?

Cole — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:22:00 +0000

I love to watch home improvement and makeover shows. So much so that I’ve been burned out on the home improvement shows for a while, actually. It’s a shame because they can be great for ideas, especially when there are professionals helping and giving advice, but they can get old fast. I sometimes make a mental note about what kind of work will raise the value of a home (bedrooms are always a plus, a usable backyard space with deck always helps, define the space with “staging” when selling) and what doesn’t work so well. While you might enjoy a theater room complete with home theater seating, the next owners might have no use for such a permanent use of space. My interest in these things makes me wonder if I should ever consider being an interior decorator? Probably not.

Bright Ideas

Cole — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:37:00 +0000

I always sort of think about some mysterious dream home I’ll have in the future with custom hardware, paint and decor. While I have focused on furniture and wall decor, I’ve also given a bit of thought to lighting fixtures. Although not permanent, my lamp is one of the few things I shipped to Misawa from Wisconsin. I still have it and absolutely love it. I really like lighting which looks sort of Gothy, like the kind you might find in an old mansion or castle. I’m also fond of some pendant lighting but that’s more hit or miss with me.

Of course, I may never even have the chance to shop for things like these. Who knows?

Do you feel secure?

Cole — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:37:00 +0000

When I was younger, we didn’t lock our doors let alone have a security system. Of course, the need for home security systems is much greater in today’s world. It wasn’t until sometime last summer when I first experienced anything to do with a security system and I thought the set up was really interesting but couldn’t quite figure out how it worked. I always pictured alarm systems working something like how they show it in the commercials – with electronic data streaming through the walls. After some research, I realized it wasn’t anything like this at all and is really a lot simpler once you understand how home security systems work.