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By Aimee, September 26, 2011

If you love to cook, and have an iPad, then you are really going to love the Chef Sleeve!

One thing that I have always loved about having an iPad was being able to use it all over the house, and of course, being able to look up recipes.

However, I was always worried about bringing it into the actual kitchen, and because of that I would end up running back and forth between wiping off my hands to look at my recipe in the other room. The Chef Sleeve solves that problem!

Simply cover your iPad with a sleeve, and get cooking! The sleeve protects the iPad while keeping functionality intact. Truly so much nicer and sturdier than the “Ziplock” method you may have heard of. Plus, with the Chef Sleeve you can still easily scroll and swipe the screen, without worry of getting your cooking mess on your iPad!

The box comes with 25 sleeves, which while they are meant to be disposable (you can recycle them), can be used many times before you need to use a new one. Depending on how messy of a cook you are of course!

Designed for iPad, and iPad 2, but it can also work with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and similarly sized tablets.

I loved the box they came in too, with a funny “nutritional fact” section on the back it was just as fun to get the Chef Sleeve as it was to actually use them. And, they even built the box so you could use it as a stand for your tablet! They would make a wonderful gift for the iPad owning cook in your life!

*While I was provided with the product for this review, as always, my opinions are my own, regardless of compensation.*

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By Aimee, September 25, 2011

Two really fun Do It Yourself books came out recently from the popular magazine, Do It Yourself. So many fun ideas, and all for the person who loves to tackle the project themselves! First up, Do It Yourself: Kitchens (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating).

Full of inspiring kitchen makeovers for $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. Loads of great before-and-after photos, complete with budget breakdowns, which is really helpful for planning your own makeover. I also loved that the book has space planning tips, and of course, a lot of smaller projects that anyone can do to make their home more personal.

By far my favorite, likely because our kitchen is all made over, is the next book, Do It Yourself: 100+ Paint Projects (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating)!

Talk about tons of fun ideas! I am planning to do some of them very soon. One thing that I have always wanted to try, and that is explained in the book is stamping (or block printing) with a linoleum block. The book tells exactly what tools are needed, and I loved that they used the stamp on the front cover of a journal.

There are a lot of ideas in Do It Yourself: 100+ Paint Projects (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating) that could be perfect for handmade gifts for the holiday season, or year round giving. Not to mention fun ways to spruce up your home.

The book has great photos of the projects, how to tips on how to choose the right paintbrush for the project, and tips for painting on all kinds of different surfaces. I loved that there were also design templates included in the book.

If you are ready to get some creative juices flowing, both of these books will help you do just that!

*We received copies of both books for this review. As always, my opinion is my own.*

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By Aimee, September 24, 2011

I mentioned in my mummy candle holder post that I was using programmable LED candles, and many of you have wondered where to get your hands on them! They come from Enjoy Lighting and I was lucky enough to get to try them out for review. I am smitten.

I have always loved flameless candles, being able to get the look and feel of candlelight without the fire risk to our bird has always been my number one reason. Plus, they last longer than traditional candles, and come in just as many wonderful scents and styles.

Now my favorite type of candles just got even better because you can buy them with timers! Set them to come on at a certain time each day, and run for intervals of 4, 6, or 8 hours. This is a feature that I am most excited about for the holiday season!

Enjoy is the only brand that features Triple LED™ technology and a special built in computer chip programmed to create a glow and flicker that will make you think you are looking at a wicked candle. It really does look like you are using a real candle! Sometimes I think I need to blow them out because it looks so real.

They are made from real wax, and the scented kind actually have a very strong scent, which was great because sometimes when you live with pets (or other people) your home could use a little something nice to smell!

Also great? Enjoy candles can be found at many retailers, including Target (here is the complete list). I can’t wait to get my hands on a few more for the upcoming holiday season, and of course just for everyday too!

*While I was provided with the product for this review, as always, my opinions are my own, regardless of compensation.*

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By Aimee, August 18, 2011

Once upon a time, in a garden not far away, we planted some lovely little trees. They grew, becoming nice additions to the garden with their adorable shape and perfectly green foliage. For years the trees grew happily and were looking mighty fine. Then one day someone took notice that a patch of grass wasn’t getting enough water from a particular sprinkler. Oh wait, where was that sprinkler again? Behind one of the cute little trees.

Do you see where this is going? No? Here is a visual:

Yeah, not so cute and shapely anymore, huh? This is what happens when you fail to plan ahead, and when grass dies off.  The grass gets plenty of water now, and is slowly coming back. However, keeping the tree looking like this isn’t a permanent solution.

I see sprinkler moving in our future. Fingers crossed the cute little tree will grow back in and forgive us for making it look naked. A little planning ahead goes a long way.