{ Archive for the ‘Organizing’ Category }

clean your home with cesar millan + win a swiffer prize pack

Dog hair — it has taken over my home. Unfortunately, I can’t get mad because it belongs to my adorable puppy, Wendel, who melts my heart with a single bat of his eyelashes. I brush him and I bathe him, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference — Wendel is a shedding machine.

So, you can imagine how excited I was to get a call asking if Wendel and I wanted to meet Cesar Millan to talk about achieving a clean and harmonious home with pets. Cesar has recently teamed up with Swiffer to talk about quick clean-up products and his unique approach to making pets comfortable around cleaning tools {Wendel has peed on the carpet twice when I’ve startled him with the vacuum}.

cesar milan wendel clean your home with cesar millan + win a swiffer prize pack

My dad, Cesar, myself, and the little furbaby

I had 20 minutes of one-on-one time with Cesar, which was just enough time for him to teach me the basics of making your pet comfortable while cleaning your home. Here are a few of his quick tips:

  1. Before using a new cleaning tool, leave it around for your pooch to smell and become familiar with.
  2. Stay calm while cleaning — dogs can sense frustration and will associate it with the cleaning process.
  3. Recognize that your pet is in the vicinity before reaching for your cleaning tool and face your dog while picking it up. This will reflect assertiveness on your part.

I left the meeting with a new outlook on cleaning up around a dog, and snagged a new Swiffer SweeperVac, too {it’s a-ma-zing; lightweight, quiet, and picks up all the pet hair and food crumbs}.

But here’s the best part – I’m giving away two Swiffer prize packs, which include a classic Swiffer broom, a Wet Jet and the new SweeperVac. To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know your best cleaning tip and I’ll pick my two favourites on March 18th.

Good luck and happy cleaning!

Contest closes March 18th, 2011 at 12pm EST. Open to all residents of Canada, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families, or any other persons with whom they reside.

affordable woven baskets

Fab find
Handwoven Byholma basket in grey, $6; ikea.ca.

fab find ikea basket affordable woven basketsPhotography by Stacey Brandford

Organizing a space can not only be a daunting task, but an expensive one as well. I love these $6 baskets from IKEA because they’re so versatile. You can use them to display objets (like above) or bundle small items like matches, votive candles, clothespins, etc. I’m thinking about using these in our laundry room when it’s finished — attach blank gift tags to the fronts with ribbon to label the contents of each basket.


What do you use to organize the small items in your home?

sarah pinto’s 2011 agendas

At the beginning of every new year, I always make sure to pick up a yearly planner, otherwise I would never remember a single thing. I fill it with birthdays, meetings and upcoming goals for the year {such as cleaning out our junk room by the end of January –it’s currently behind closed doors always}. And even though I live by my iPhone’s digital calendar, I like having a hard copy as a back-up.

sarah pinto agendas1 sarah pintos 2011 agendas

This year’s search lead me to Sarah Pinto’s site, where she sells her weekly planners and notebooks. Available in a variety of fun styles, her clean and modern aesthetic reminds me of Kate Spade {which is clearly why I was drawn to it!}. What sets Sarah apart, however, is that she donates a portion of the proceeds to the pediatric cardiology ward of the California Pacific Medical Centre, where her son has been treated for a heart defect.

I chose the cool nautical-themed agenda, and with shipping and taxes it only came to $35. Not bad for a year’s worth of planning and a donation to a great cause.

xo,

Lauren

lg kompressor: my new favourite toy

Okay, I realize most people may not think of a vacuum as a ‘toy’, or even associate it with fun, but trust me — the new LG Kompressor makes cleaning enjoyable.

In my new house, we have white carpet in place until we get hardwood. We also have a cute little beagle named Wendel who sheds like it’s going out of style. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a recipe for disaster. Our old vacuum worked great in our previous parquet-tiled apartment, but it was no match for wee Wendel’s falling hair, mucky feet and peanut-butter filled toy that he totes around in the new house. So, now when I say that the LG Kompressor vacuum is my new favourite toy, you may understand the joy that it brings to me.

51Kj3+awnvL 460x460 lg kompressor: my new favourite toy
What I love about LG is that they consistently get it right the first time. This is their first entry into the vacuum market and I have no complaints! I got to chat with Frank Lee from LG — who gets just as excited about new products as I do — and he filled me in on what makes this vac stand out from the rest.

  • It fluffs up the carpet while cleaning. Trust me, this makes a world of difference — it actually made my carpets look brand new. Frank says it’s because the vacuum has an individual motor just for the powerhead, which lifts the carpet fibers.
  • It’s certified asthma- and allergy-friendly. Gathering 99.7% of dust mites, pollen, allergens and pet dander, it’s great for my boyfriend, who is allergic to Wendel’s fur.
  • You can control the settings from the wand. Not only that, but the wand detaches to give you 15 feet of reach. Frank also pointed out that the hose doesn’t have metal springs in it, so there’s no constant fight to stretch further.
  • It features a 40 foot cord — the longest on the market. I can pretty much vacuum my entire house without having to switch outlets.
  • It’s bagless and minimizes the mess. Probably my favourite feature is the blade in the bin that compresses the dust and clumps it together for easy disposal. And since this vac picks up three times the amount of dust that a standard vacuum does, it means you won’t be enveloped in a cloud of dust when emptying the bin.

I’m sure those of you with carpet in your home are now drooling over the Kompressor — I definitely did the first time I used it! It comes in the higher price range at $500 a pop, but you will not be disappointed with the quality, design and cool features it offers.

xo,

Lauren

sling back cord retractor

slingback sling back cord retractor
Oh, I love a good cord organizer. With the amount of gadgets I have, I need to stay on top of the cord clutter at all times. The new Sling Back from Quirky is the answer to all my obsessive compulsive needs. All you do is lift off the top, wrap any cord around the inside spool, and voila — your cord is now retractable! Use this cool gadget for your USB cords, phone chargers, headphone cords, etc.

The neat thing that Quirky does is offer their products at a discounted price for the first 500 available, then bumps it up to their regular retail price.

Price: $10 US for a limited time, $15 US thereafter

handy office organizers

My desk is a disaster. As in … seriously … a disaster. I need some organizing help. So much mail crosses my desk each day that it`s nearly impossible to stay on top of it. That`s why I was thrilled to find these adorable office organizers from Susy Jack . From wall and desktop calendars to magnets, clips and pencil holders, these handy helpers for the office are big on style. Check out my favourites:

susy jack1 handy office organizersPencil Cup and Pencils
$16.00
susy jack2 handy office organizersWork Reminder Magnet Sets
$9.95

susy jack3 handy office organizers2010 Deluxe Wall Calendar
$34.00

susy jack4 handy office organizersDay of the Week Clip Set
$8.50

More ideas for organizing your office
If you need some advice (like I clearly do) on organizing your office space, check these out:

5 tips for organizing a home office
Get your office clutter-free with these ideas.

Organizing 101: Organizing the home office
With a little creativity and home organizing, any space in your home can be designated as a functioning home office.

6 great office gadgets
A messy workspace can lead to distraction and frustration. Take your geek to chic with these fab organizing items for a clutter-free home office.

blackberry launches tivo app

bb tivo blackberry launches tivo app

I have to say, when I read about this, I almost cried (only because Apple hasn’t come up with something similar for the iPhone). The geniuses at RIM have developed a TiVo app for the Blackberry that will allow users to remotely schedule tapings from their phone. So what the heck does that mean, you ask? Basically, Blackberry and TiVo users can now set up their home PVR to record a show, regardless of where the user is located. I could be getting off the subway to go for dinner and remember that Mad Men is on in an hour — no problem if I’m a BB user! I can just look it up on my phone and hit record and a signal will be sent to my TiVo at home.

Since I am a Tivo user, I’m just waiting patiently for Apple to come up with their own TiVo app.

10 things to do in September

10things september 10 things to do in September

September is a deliciously in-between time of year. It’s kind of warm, it’s kind of cool. You could just as easily get away with wearing a summer dress with a cardigan or your favourite pair of jeans with a t-shirt. Depending on the day, you may find yourself entertaining guests indoors or enjoying one of the year’s final al fresco meals. You just never know in September. Each day is like a little surprise. As we welcome the month, full of optimism and resolutions (there’s something about the back-to-school season that really feels like a new year, even more so than January 1, don’t you think?), check out our list of 10 things to do in September. What are you going to tackle? Me, I’m going to cut that clutter!
Image courtesy of Gap Interiors.

swedeshop: the ikea iphone app

48d01ddc645d871f ikea iphone app swedeshop: the ikea iphone appJust the mention of IKEA makes me all warm and happy inside.Their designs are modern, super affordable and they go to great lengths to keep things eco-freindly. Basically, IKEA rules.

However, if I were to nit-pick, I do find the task of writing down aisles and bins and trying to find all the products in the warehouse a little tedious. I’m more of a ‘I see, I like, I pick-up’ kind of gal.

The iPhone app store has come through once again, this time with an awesome application called SwedeShop, where you can track the IKEA items you want for easy finding at the end of your trip.

5 cool features:

1 Record items you see in the showrooms and organize by section (cooking, textiles, etc.)

2 Add details to items like the name, quantity you need, price, and priority on your shopping list

3 Take pictures of items for reference and add to the item’s folder

4 Differentiate if the item is self-serve (i.e. in the warehouse) or in housewares (IKEA Marketplace)

5 List items you will need to order from the store

To purchase for $0.99, visit the iTunes App Store.

style at home makeover contest 2009

makeover contest style at home makeover contest 2009
I love my condo. I really do. When I first moved in, I spent so much time choosing the paint colours, furniture and accessories. The result is a warm and cozy space that I just love to spend time in. But … as the editor of a design and decorating website, I`m continually surrounded by new and exciting ideas. My mind is always whirling with just one more change I could make to my home, a tweak here, a new item there … it`s a hazard of the job, I suppose! Pictured above are rooms that totally capture my imagination. It`s a hot and sticky August here in Toronto and these interiors are light and bright and if I could, I`d makeover my home to look like these! (Photography by Gap Interiors.)

Do you have a room in your home that`s in desperate need of a makeover? If you said yes, then I encourage you to enter the Style at Home Makeover Contest, brought to you by the Fall Home Show. Simply upload a photo of a room in your home that`s in desperate need of an overhaul and tell us why you need a makeover. You could win one of two $2,000 gift cards from Home Depot to help you turn your design dreams into reality. Visit the Style at Home Makeover Contest for full contest details and for your chance to win. Good luck!

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