Gardening 101

Despite taking up the most considerable portion of most properties, yards go criminally underused. Although a sprawling green yard can be nice, mixing it up with plants can be both beautiful and functional. Here are a few gardening tips that every home gardener should know.

Attracting birds to our garden with Squirrel Buster Plus Bird feeder

Over the past few years, we have updated our garden to encourage pollinators such as bees and butterflies to visit by choosing plants and flowers that attract them. We also made structures where they can build their homes, and created water features like bird baths. We also have a pond area which the birds love coming to take a bath and to quench their thirst or to sit by the rocks and sun bathe.

DIY Draft Stopper for windows and doors

This DIY draft stopper is easy to make at home. It is very useful in keeping cold air from entering through windows and doors. This economical DIY is cheaper and easier to make at home, and it will save us a few dollars while keeping the cold air out.  

Win your own Welcome-a-Cure Mat

Over the years, we have partnered with Carpet One Floor and Home to check out their new Welcome-a-Cure Mat designs. This exclusive collection of 2x3' Made-in-USA welcome mats are sold for $29.99 US, 25% of the proceeds from each mat goes towards breast cancer research.

Gifts for Coffee Fans

In our home we enjoy drinking coffee frequently. We have been using the Hamilton Beach Flex Brew Single Serve coffee maker, and the fabulous Hamilton Beach Coffee Grinder to prepare delicious cups of coffee. 

Oreck’s Home Cleaning Solution

Oreck's Air Response air purifier with DustSense technology sets it apart from other purifiers in the market. We really like that it can automatically monitor, detect and respond to dust particles and odour in a home, which helps improve air quality within the home. One of the best features we love is not needing to control the settings once we keep the air purifier in auto mode. Auto mode allows DustSense technology to monitor and detect the amount of particles in the air, which automatically senses and responds to deliver cleaner air. This takes the guesswork out.

More Convenience with Keyless Schlage Connect

Last year, with the help of the Schlage Touch we started our journey to the Keyless future. This made things convenient for us, and we had one less thing to worry about. The Schlage Touch uses a custom pin to unlock the front door, which makes it very convenient for the adults and children. In the mornings when heading out, there is no waiting near the door for everyone to be out to lock the door with a key as all it takes with the Schlage is to turn the lever to lock the door.

Breville Quick Touch Crisp Smart Cook Feature

We enjoy using the Breville Quick Touch Crisp microwave on a regular basis, and find its unique features handy. The Smart Cook options allow us to prepare meals or setup ingredients for recipes easily.

Cleaning and Clearing Out Clutter to Rejuvenate Our Space

Spring time when new life literally emerges, is also a time for us to rejuvenate our space and feel fresh! I love taking the time to do a deep clean in every nook and cranny in our home and toss away, donate, as well as repurpose our belongings. During this process, we always find inspiration to start new projects; most of which better utilizes the space and makes it more functional.

We Can Stop Cleaning Up After Our Glass Cleaner with Invisible Glass

We have been doing a lot of cleaning using Invisible Glass® products and love the results! The ClearDry formula in the solution does not contain soaps, scents, dyes, or other streaky additives. When we compare Invisible Glass to blue water glass cleaners, we can immediately see how quickly it removes the most difficult grime, making glass virtually disappear.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Products and Giveaway

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Products are now available in Canada. I like these aromatherapeutic cleaning products because they are powerful against dirt and grime, and are made with naturally-derived ingredients that are gentle both in our home and to the environment. 

Relax with Lampe Berger Home Fragrances

I have been using Lampe Berger for a few years now, and we love the difference it makes in our home! It adds a refreshing scent to a clean space that we can all sit, relax and enjoy. 

Compact Chamberlain Universal Mini Garage Door Remote

Recently, we shared how we brought our garage door to life using the Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door Controller that we find very handy. When we use the app to close the garage door it makes a loud beeping sound to warn that it is closing, and we feel that this sound can attract attention. However, when using the new Chamberlain Universal Mini Garage Door Remote to close the garage door it does not make the warning sound since we are physically close by.

How to Build a Step Stool #DIY

We made this cute step stool with only a few pieces of wood. This step stool is sturdy and strong. It is very convenient, and useful for us.

Enhancing the Curb Appeal with this #DIY Driveway Project using Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield

We feel the driveway is one of the most important part of a property, as it adds to the curb appeal. It is also the most used space in a home, and wears out the fastest because it is exposed to the sun, rain, snow, and dirt, as well as vehicle oils. In the past, to keep our driveway looking clean, fresh, bright, and dark we have used asphalt driveway sealers, and also professional driveway sealing services. However, these looks have not lasted more than a few days before the driveway has gone back to look like its old self.

Bring Your Garage Door to Life using Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door Controller

With the rapid growth in technology, it is becoming more easy for us to manage our homes using smart home tech. We find that investing in home tech such as smart bulbs and security cameras does not cost us much, compared to changing prior investments such as garage doors to make it smarter. In order to make it more affordable for folks, Chamberlain has made an universal smartphone garage door controller that we can install to our already existing garage door at a fraction of the cost compared to if we were to change the entire door.

Upcycled Dining Set for the Patio- Painting Chair Frames and Upholstering

We updated a dining set that we no-longer used indoors to make it more suitable for the backyard patio. We used vibrant colours to give the outdoor furniture a more energizing look using Fusion Mineral Paint and by changing the upholstery. 

Chamomile Scented household and baby care products from ATTITUDE

We have been using the latest range of ATTITUDE's Little Ones line of gentle soothing scented products. Having a healthy and comforting environment is important for us, and I like that ATTITUDE recognizes this importance of creating personal care and household products that are carcinogen-free. 

Persil Laundry and Giveaway

Persil ProClean laundry detergent has been a top seller in Europe because it produces exceptional whiteness, freshness, and stain-fighting abilities. I am glad Henkel Canada has introduced five powerful stain-fighting formulas under the Persil ProClean banner, which we can purchase at top national retailers across Canada. I have been using Persil to do our laundry and like the results of it.

Improving Curb Appeal with Renfrew Blue Fusion

We have a four panel steel door for our main entrance. Although it was already primed when we purchased it, it had never been painted over. Since the door was off colour and looked dull we decided to give it a fresh coat of paint. We decided on using the beautiful green-blue shade of Renfrew Blue Fusion paint for the outer part of our front door to enhance the curb appeal.