Style At Home Blog

must have: scentport scent diffuser

by Brett Walther
Dec 8, 2008
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slatkin must have: scentport scent diffuser The holidays are a time to indulge all of the senses, and perhaps the keenest of our senses is that of smell. I had the pleasure of interviewing home fragrance designer Harry Slatkin of New York-based parfumerie powerhouse Slatkin & Co. for a feature that’s coming up in our February 2009 issue, and discovered this little gem that’s topping his “what’s hot” list for the new year â€” the Scentport. This beautiful little plug-in diffuser is designed to be looked at as well as sniffed, and in Slatkin’s deliciously fresh holiday-themed “Evergreen” scent, is a great way of decking your halls with festive fragrance. Highly recommended for those of us who opt for an artificial “arbre de Noel” and are denied that natural evergreen aroma!

Slatkin & Co.’s Scentport Starter Set in Evergreen

Price: $12.50

Available at: Bath & Body Works, 888-684-6412

jonesy christmas cards

by Natalie DiScala
Dec 8, 2008
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I don`t know about you but it can be tough to be original year after year, holiday after holiday. I mean, I`m buying gifts for the same people every year (you know, minus maybe an ex-boyfriend or plus a new colleague I really like) … but for the most part, the list of family and friends remains the same. So each year I, like you I`m sure, am faced with the challenge of coming up with something new and special. Same goes for the Christmas cards I send out each year. Who wants to send out the same cards year after year after year? That`s why I was so excited when I came across the Canadian company Jonesy. Not only are their stationery designs super-cute, fresh and original, according to the website: “Jonesy is dedicated to supporting the highest social and environmental standards. All products are printed with soy based inks on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.”

Cards can be purchased individually or in boxed sets and you can also buy gift tags. Plus, I love that you can also purchase select boxed sets of cards from which 100% of the net proceeds are donated to the Sick Kids Foundation.

For more information:
Shop online at jonesy.ca. Customers won`t pay more than $5 for shipments within Canada, and for orders of $75 or more, orders will be shipped for free!

gift guide: snow broom

by Brett Walther
Dec 8, 2008
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twinter 21 gift guide: snow broom Oh, Dad… Perennially, the hardest person to shop for at Christmas. Let’s think about the criteria involved: it’s got to be a tool, it’s got to be affordable (lest you get a lecture on how you shouldn’t have spent so much…), and if it makes an onerous job easier on the bod, that’s the icing on the cake. How about this fantastic multitasker from Garant? The innovative Twinter works double-time as a car snowbrush and an outdoor broom: a two-in-one timesaver that makes cleaning steps, around doors and balconies as well as car roofs and windshields a scratch-free cinch! If this winter’s anything like last year’s, I’d act soon on this one â€” it’s sure to sell out as quickly as sidewalk salt!

Garant’s Twinter Snow Broom

Price:Â From $20

Available at: Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, RONA

last minute gift idea

by Brett Walther
Dec 8, 2008
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subbies last minute gift idea Feeling the crunch? If your schedule’s anything like mine, the last thing you feel like doing after a long day at the office is venturing to the mall to fight the frenzied masses on the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift. The solution? Give the gift of style with a subscription to this very magazine! The gift subscription rate is ultra-affordable compared to the newsstand price (which makes it look like you actually spent a bundle!), and keeps giving throughout the year!

Price: $21.95/year

Available at: STYLE AT HOME

upcountry bond sofa

by Laurie Grassi
Dec 5, 2008
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bondsofa1 upcountry bond sofa UpCountry releases the Bond Sofa, the first piece in their Green Upholstery Initiative, fast on the heels of the latest Bond pic, Quantum of Solace.

Like Daniel Craig, this sofa is sleek and good-looking, but it’s also Canadian-made and eco-friendly.

â€¢ The upholstery fabric is a 100% cotton/bamboo blend available in 5 nature-inspired colours — Slate (shown), Flax, Lynx, Pine and Coffee — created with environmentally low-impact dyes certified by the Organic Materials Institute.

â€¢ The primary upholstery foam is soy-based.

â€¢ The sofa frame is constructed from a combination of Canadian oak, maple and cherry and engineered wood panels. The engineeredÂ panels are made from recycled fibres and zero VOC, zero formaldehyde glue.

â€¢ All glues, stains and finishes are non-toxic, low VOC and water-based where possible.

â€¢ The sofa is made the Greater Toronto Area, so if you live here, buying it means a low carbon footprint, since it’s not being shipped long distances.

The next product to be introduced in the initiative will be a daybed sofa in late January ’09. As well, the soy foam will begin to be used other products and, if the bamboo fabric proves popular, Todd Childerhose, president of UpCountry, says it will be introduced into other ranges, too.

Available at: UpCountry, Toronto, 416-366-7477; Burlington, Ont., 905-333-3088; www.upcountry.com

Price: $1,795

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

christmas pillows

by Natalie DiScala
Dec 5, 2008
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There are just 20 days left til Christmas! Have you started your decorating? Holiday decor doesn’t have to be just about crystal ornaments, window wreaths and tinsel-trimmed trees.Â I love these linen pillows that express the simple message of the season in metallic embroidery. Clean and classic, they`ll suit most any decor.

Price: $34 each
Available at: Pottery Barn

must have: pawprint pet ornament

by Brett Walther
Dec 4, 2008
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pawprint only2 must have: pawprint pet ornament

A Christmas tree can be fully decked out in a cohesive colourway of ornaments, loaded with bells, balls and baubles, and radiant with twinkling lights, but unless there’s something personal in the mix, it can still feel empty. If you’re anything like me, your pets are your babies, and Bed Bath & Beyond offers a too-cute kit to allow your four-legged friend leave an impression (geddit? haha) on your holiday decorating. A DIY kit includes everything you need to make a pawprint ornament: lightweight clay, wooden rolling pin, shaping ruler, festive ribbons for hanging, and a plastic hole punch. What’s more, there’s no mixing because the clay is ready-to-use!Â

5.5-inch Pawprint pet ornament kit

Price: $14

Available at: Bed Bath & Beyond

before & after: funky wallpaper

by Brett Walther
Dec 4, 2008
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I’m a sucker for a good “before and after”, and these two shots demonstrate how few rolls of wallpaper can totally transform a space. My friend Genevieve hosted a “wallpapering party” last weekend, and invited four buddies over to lend a hand in making over her kitchen with the gorgeous new Birdcage wallpaper from Graham & Brown’s stunning Mode collection of papers. It took them only four hours â€” including breaks! â€” to achieve this terrific transformation. Combining on-trend bird motifs with a boho-chic colourway, Gen’s kitchen is now fresh and fab for 2009!

Mode Collection Birdcage wallpaper

Price: $60/double roll

Available at: Graham & Brown; 800-554-0887

colourful christmas bowls

by Natalie DiScala
Dec 4, 2008
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Fresh, contemporary and fun, these colourful ceramic bowls are the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit. The multi-sized bowls will dress up any table with a burst of Christmas colour and are not only practical but left out on the table, make a lovely decoration for the season. The bowls are dishwasher safe and stack neatly when it`s time to put them away until next year.
Available at: patinastores.com
Price: 19.95 for the set

energy consumption power monitor

by Laurie Grassi
Dec 3, 2008
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powermonitor energy consumption power monitor Want to save energy but have no clue how to go about it?

Check out the Power Monitor from Black & Decker. It measures real-time energy consumption in dollars and cents so you can see exactly how and where you’re using energy. Turn off a light, unplug that little-used old fridge in the basement, switch off the air conditioner in the summer and watch your savings grow right before your eyes!

The Power Monitor consists of a an easy-to-install sensor you put on your hydro meter outside (works with both traditional and smart meters) and a handheld display monitor inside. You can program basic information from your electricity bill into the system to ensure the projected monthly energy cost accurately reflects the rate you actually pay.

Then, with just the press of a button, you can see your electricity use in real-time, your month-to-date costs, what your estimated bill will be at the end of the month, and the incremental costs of individual electronics. How cool is that!

Available at: Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Future Shop, Best Buy, Rona and Home Hardware across Canada.

Price: approx. $99.99

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!