As much as I love the holiday season, it can also be an incredibly stressful time. Work is busy, the shops are busy, weekends are busy — it always seems as though there’s no time to relax. In my case, this leads to grumpiness, and nobody likes a Scrooge.
Check out this great pillow from Sound Oasis. Designed like a regular pillow, the SleepTherapy Pillow SP-150 has little speakers stuffed inside that allow you to listen to your favourite tunes or relaxation sounds while you drift off to zzzzzz-land. With a standard earphone plug, you can hook the speakers up to a CD player, MP3 (it worked with my iPod) or TV system, and the speakers are so thin that you don’t feel them at all (they are also removable so that you can machine-wash the pillow).
Whether you want to fall asleep to the guitars of Led Zeppelin or to the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the shore, this pillow is fantastic for easing you into relaxation mode (and just in time for Christmas Day when you need a quick catnap!).
Price: $50 US
Available from: Sound Oasis, soundoasis.com.
If there’s anything that makes my stomach grumble ravenously with hunger, it’s the thought of waffles. The smell, the taste, the warm feeling — there’s nothing quite as delish as a waffle in the morning.
My fervour for this delightful grilled breakfast food was only magnified when I discovered All-Clad’s Classic Round Waffler. This amazing kitchen gadget uses steam release technology to stop condensation build-up in the grill, thus creating the perfect waffle — tender on the inside and wonderfully crisp on the outside. Best of all, it features an indicator light which lets you know when it has reached its optimal temperature, ideal for Christmas morning when you’re busy making oodles for your family’s breakfast. Bon appetit!
Price: $160
Available at: Williams-Sonoma, williams-sonoma.com (prices on site are shown in US dollars)
(Looking for other gifts to give food-loving friends and family? Check out Style at Home’s 10 best gifts for foodies)
I love LG. Plain and simple, I just love them. And this sweet little device just makes me love them even more. It’s a portable DVD player with an 8″ LCD screen and up to 3.5 hours of battery life, great for watching a movie on the go. Even better, this slick beauty doubles as a digital picture frame, holding up to 250 photos. What a multi-tasker!
Perfect gift for: friends or fam who commute to work by train or bus; your teenagers (with two earphone jacks, your kids can stay entertained on the long drive to grandma’s for Christmas)
Price: $220
Available at: Best Buy, bestbuy.ca
The holiday season is in full-swing and that can only mean one thing — a plethora of holiday parties! This weekend, I’m attending a wine party, which basically consists of everyone bringing their fave bottle of wine and having a taste from each bottle.
With my mind on wine, I was pleasantly surprised to find this neat little gadget. As many winos know, it’s best to let your bottle breathe for approximately 60 minutes before serving in order to bring out the best flavours and aromas. The Rouge 02 Electronic Wine Breather from Cellardine cuts that breathing time down to 60 seconds, ideal for holiday parties when the drinks are flowin’. All you do is place the stainless steel prong in your wine, press the power button and voila! Your vino has been aerated and it’s ready to serve. Cheers!
Price: $50 US
Available at: Sur La Table, surlatable.com; 866-328-5412 to order
Gadgets can be pretty generic looking – even if they’re cooly designed, it’s still the same as what everyone else has. We’ll, a Montreal company is offering a service whereby you can put your own mark on your electronics, literally. Etchpression Customization Service can laser engrave nearly any laptop, mp3 player, cell phone or other device with an image of your choosing.
Price: $20 and up. Available at: Etchpression, Montreal Eaton Centre, 705 Sainte-Catherine W., 514-885-8382.
Slowly but surely there more stylish options for gadget charging stations are hitting the market. I like this simple highgloss version from West Elm.
Price: $49 Available at: West Elm
Keeping track of everything during a renovation or design project can take some major organization. Budgets, wish lists, measurements – having these things with you when you’re out shopping is a must. You can carry a binder and files with you, but why not put technology to work? I talked to Alec Taylor of Microsoft (who’s just completed his own reno) about how Windows Mobile – software found on many smart phones like the HTC Touch Diamond (above) – can help you manage your project.
mange your budget
With fully functional applications just like what you have on your PC, Windows Mobile on your phone is like “you took your computer and put it in your pocket,” says Alec. For budgeting, this means having excel spreadsheets that you can edit and adjust when you’re on the go. Enter in actual costs as you buy to ensure you don’t spend to much.
manage your design
Take photos of items you like when you’re out scouting, and file or email them. You can also view PDFs, which Alec found useful when his contractor sent him a PDF of different nosing options for the countertop – no waiting until he got home to take a look and approve the style he wanted.
manage your timeline
Use the calendar to track delivery times, when contractors will be on site, and when work is expected to be done.
manage communications
With e-mail, instant messaging and phone calls, you can keep in touch with everyone involved.
Windows Mobile for info.
These showerheads are more modern glam light fixture than utilitarian bath hardware.
Jalco Lumiere series showerhead with built-in LED lights Tondo cube in stripes (left) and Quadro cylinder in damask. Price: $4,200 US each. Available at: Amati. Taps Bath Centre.
With Thanksgiving coming up, I’ve got turkey on the brain. And I sure could use this wireless thermometer and timer when I – ok, my husband cooks up a bird this weekend.
The thermometer has two parts: a base with a heat sensor cable and probe that you insert into the bird, and a remote that you can carry around with you (it has a belt clip if you want to go for geek fashion, or use the stand if you’re just chillin’ in the living room). Wander up to 100 feet away and you’ll still get the alert that your meat is done. A 10-degree pre-alert tells you when food is almost ready, and audio and visual alerts let you know when the desired temperature is reached.
More handy features include a backlit display that shows current and target temperatures in either Celcius or Fahrenheit, preprogrammed settings of different meats according to USDA safety specifications, and a custom program to set your own desired temperatures.
Wireless Probe Thermometer and Timer by CDN. Price: $74.99 Available at: Kitchen stores across Canada. Call Browne & Co. at 866-306-3672 for retailers.
Meet the SUV of computer mice. Microsoft’s new BlueTrack technology means you can use the Explorer and Explorer Mini mice nearly anywhere. Marble, granite, wood – the mice work smoothly on them all. Trust me, I’ve seen this mouse in action. I tried it out on gritty, dirt-covered concrete, on the arm of a sofa, even on the PR rep’s hair! Hair! And there was smooth tracking on it all – no jerking, stops or lifting and shaking. Now, so what, why would you ever run your mouse along your head to surf and click the web, right? You’re right, you probably wouldn’t, but you would use it on a granite kitchen countertop, one covered in crumbs perhaps. And maybe your kids would enjoy being able to lounge on the floor of the family room with their laptop and use the mouse on the carpet. Just saying, it’s pretty cool.
Microsoft Explorer Mouse, $89.95. Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse, $69.95. Available Nov. 1st at: Best Buy. Major electronics retailers. Microsoft for info.
