What We Do In Our Garden During Fall

The gardening season is almost coming to an end for this year... so I find spending a little bit of time each day will help us get ready to clean up and prep things for the next gardening season. Here are some of the things my husband and I do in our garden during fall.

Celebrate Snoopy's Birthday with Hallmark

I've always enjoyed watching and reading anything related to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the crew from Peanuts® when I was growing up and still enjoy them. We had a fabulous time last year when we watched You're a good man, Charlie Brown at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. 

Smart, Sleek Brother Printer that will help our workspace

A survey done by Vision Critical and Brother Canada in April 2013 among a sample of 1000 randomly selected Canadian adults, that work from home has revealed style and appeal to be a top priority for the home office. I agree having a functional, productive, comfortable, stylish workspace environment is important to get the work done.

93% of people in the survey agreed having the right office equipment and technology is an important part of becoming productive.

HGTV host Samantha Plynn has commented that the sleek design of this Business Smart Inkjet all-in-one Brother Printer is stylish and would be perfect for a small modern home office, as it doesn't give up our workspace. I think having this type of printer from the Brother Business Smart Series helps us to get our work done in a productive, professional and efficient manner. 82% of Canadians who did the survey agreed that a printer is an important  piece of equipment to have in the home office.

Win tickets to Toronto Fall Home Show

Toronto’s largest Fall Home Show presented by Scotiabank runs from September 20-23 at the Better Living Centre Exhibition Place, 195 Princess Boulevard Toronto M6K 3C3.

The show will features more than 300 renovation and home décor specialists offering advice, solutions and inspiration for a wide array of home renovation and décor projects for our home.

• The Main Stage is presented by HGTV, where local experts and celebrities will offer insight, inspiration and advice.  
• Design Equations by Casalife and Benjamin Moore bring solutions for today's design and décor challenges.
• Discover innovative new trending products and design solutions with Tina's favourite fall finds.  
• Habitat for Humanity will have an ultimate upcycle challenge where we can see household items being repurposed.  
• Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) and Reno & Decor Magazine will give people opportunity to ask renovators one-on-one free advice.
• And lots of other programs...

Show dates and hours:
Thursday, September 20, 2012   11am to 9pm
Friday, September 21, 2012        11am to 9pm
Saturday, September 22, 2012    10am to 9pm
Sunday, September 23, 2012      10am to 6pm

Admission:                              

Adults:                            $15.00 at the door / $12.00 online
Senior (65+):                   $13.00 at the door / $10.00 online
Children 13-17:               $13.00 at the door / $10.00 online
Children 12 years & Under:   FREE

Giveaway:
2 people can win 2 tickets each to the show (it is free for children).  Giveaway ends on September 5th.  Open to people in Canada.  Please leave a comment on this post with an email or social media name so I can contact you back.
Update: The winners are Colleen and Victoria
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Architec kitchen gadgets

Architec kitchen gadgets are functional and trendy, which would be suitable for any type of kitchen.  The design is well though out for our convenience.  These cool gadgets are sold at all these retailers.

I like the style of this prepscolander.  The handles are comfortable to hold.  This colander comes in 1Qt and 4 Qt.  The base has a gripper, so it won't slide.  It is easy to clean, can also be put in the dishwasher.  The extra wide flare top makes it easy to transfer content without spilling.  Children would enjoy this prepscolander when they are helping in the kitchen, as the size is small enough for their little hands.  It is lightweight and unbreakable.  

When my 3 year old son saw this colander, he looked at it and said, "This is a good size for me to use... (silent pause) and play with :)"

1Qt colander, 11" x 14" Gripper and barboard

These unique cutting boards come in trendy colours.  The boards have non-slip gripper base, so it doesn't move or slide when we cut.  The grips don't leave marks on the counter.  I really like the design and the safety feature.  It is easy to clean, can also be placed in the dishwasher.  The boards are made out of food grade material, which will not dull the blades of the knives.  

The barboard is 5" x 7", it is convenient to take on our summer BBQ trips :) and perfect for the small jobs in the kitchen such as cutting lemons.

I have stopped using my wooden cutting board as I really like this gripper board.  This gripperboard is the large version of the barboards.  It comes in 8" x 11" and 11" x 14".  

The boards can be stored conveniently in the cupboards or hung to show off the cool looking gripper side, which makes a unique colourful deco in the kitchen.

The Stretch hot cooking bands can be used in place of butcher twine, string and toothpick.  These disposable reusable cooking bands create less garbage.  The package is designed to store and hold the bands, which can be reused.  It also has a L-Hook and stands on the shelf for convenience and display.  The bands stretch to fit our task.

The HotGrips have two sides, which can be used as a silicone trivet and potholder.  It takes less space to store.  It can also be hung as it has a hole on the top.  As the HotGrips use gripper traction technology it holds the pots safely.  This dishwasher safe HotGrips made out of silicone can hold up to 600F.  It comes in 4 beautiful colours.

I like this cute recipe card holder to keep on the counter to hold quick notes, grocery list and reminders.  It is intended to hold a maximum of 8 pages and recipe cards.  Hope the company will find a way to hold the magnetic ball to the holder so we won't lose it.

Anyone using Architec products will find it cool, unique and appreciate the colourful functional design of their products.  

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Bamboo charcoal natural deodorizer

Bamboo charcoal is a natural deodorizer from Ever Bamboo.  This eco-friendly deodorizer is made with rapidly growing moso bamboo.  The countless tiny holes in the bamboo charcoal make it a good deodorizer.  It works as a dehumidifier because the high density and porous structure of the moso bamboo absorbs excessive moisture, and during low humidity it releases moisture back into the atmosphere.


I think it has a similar concept like mothballs where we don't see the effect, but over time we know it makes a difference.  As a result of keeping this pouch of bamboo charcoal in the car, I don't smell or feel the stuffiness and odour in the car during hot summer days, so I believe it is working.  The toxic chemical substances and polluted air particles such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene are absorbed by it.  There is no smell from these bamboo charcoal like mothballs, which is good :)


Ever Bamboo has deodorizers for many areas in the home i.e. room, drawer, fridge & freezer, closet, shoes, hockey bags, car.  The bamboo charcoal comes in granules, different size pouches and sachets.  I have also placed it in rooms and closets.  

These antibacterial deodorizers keep linens and other belongings in the closets, cabinets and drawers fresh by deterring moths and preventing mold.  We can place it in shoes and bags to remove odour and moisture. 
   

They also have a fridge & freezer deodorizer, which is supposed to absorb food orders, ethylene gas so the fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer.

The face and body bar can be used for any type of skin.  It purifies, exfoliates, moisturizes, detoxifies and absorbs impurities.

According to the Ever bamboo site, when the bamboo charcoals are submersed in water it softens the water, absorbs harmful minerals i.e. chlorine and releases natural minerals i.e. calcium, sodium and magnesium into the water.  So it can be placed in the aquarium, use as filter for bath water and other uses except drinking water.  
The bamboo charcoal granules will look pretty with floral designs and home decors.  The granules absorb excessive moisture and releases moisture back into the soil when it is dry providing better aeration for plants and vegetables.

To maintain care for these deodorizers, simply place in direct sunlight for 2 to 3 hours per side monthly or weekly for optimal performance.  After about a year when you are done using it just remove the bamboo charcoal granules from the pouch and mix it with gardening soil to mineralize and regulate moisture.  
Bamboo charcoal is available online and in many retail stores.


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Designerliners for wastebaskets

These Designerliners are fancy decor bags for our trashcans.  These disposable bags made in USA are biodegradable.  

Muriel Wiener came up with this creative idea to "dress the mess".  She has a selection of 11 colours and design combinations to fit into any home decor.

Here is a list of available designs:

Polka dot pink, orange, navy blue and green

Gingham gold and red

Leopard black and blue

Toile red and blue

Tattersol black

We can re-use these bags if we wish depending on what type of trash is put in it.  The designerliners I received were the large size 24" x 24" blue toile.  They were pretty big, so I put them in my kitchen indoor recycle bin.  These bags are strong enough to hold the content and I could easily take it out, get rid of the recycle and put it back in place or throw it away depending on the condition of the bag.

For the designs to show the bags have to be placed inside out.  Friends and family that visited told me that it looks cute and ended up looking into the trash, which is definitely a different perspective on how the waste is looked upon :)

I also placed it in the bedroom trash container, where I put old paper and such so I don't have to throw these bags away each time.

Designerliners are also available in small size 17.75" x 19" bags and medium 21" x 24".  I think I would prefer the small bags to place in the guest washroom.  It would also be neat if there were a variety of designs in a package to change it up.  A pack comes with 12 designerliners for $9.95.  It would be nice if there were more bags in a pack especially if the small size packages contain more liners.  

The designerliners also make custom design liners for companies.  These decorative waste liners are available online and on amazon.

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