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Closet: Home-It Natural Wood Hangers

September 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Home-It Natural Wood Hangers

It’s NYFW, which means new clothes. And here at Style Chicks, we agree with Joan Crawford: No Wire Hangers Ever!

Why did wire hangers make Ms. Crawford so angry? Because despite dry cleaners using wire hangers, the wire doesn’t do your clothes any favors, especially for structured garments, silks and knitwear. The thin unsupported, ill-shaped wire shape can tear tiny fibers, not to mention snag other items in your closet. Even relatively lightweight garments can have heavier detailing such as beading, sequins, buttons, embroidery or pleating.

WHY USE ALL PURPOSE NATURAL WOODEN HANGERS
Wood hangers allow the weight of the garment to be distributed more evenly, protecting delicate fabrics from weakening. An all-purpose wooden hanger, such as this set, has a wood rod across the bottom. It is intended to hold pants such heavy denim, thick material dress pants, draping items such as saris, pashminas, long flowing sarongs, scarves, and wraps. It can also be used to fold-over longer garments. This all-purpose hanger can withstand the weight of a heavier item such as a suit, coat, or outerwear. A quality wood hanger, such as this Home-It Wood Hanger, have a nice contoured curve to the back of the hanger that keeps the shape of the shoulder line and collar intact. Some wooden hangers have a few flaws including the potential for splinters, bending, exposed nails or staples or breakage. We were pleased to see none of these flaws in the Home-It Hangers; rather they have some nice extra features.

Home-It Natural Wood Hangers

FEATURES
Several nice features to these hangers: they are sturdy enough to hold a heavy winter coat. They have a contour curved back to hold the line of blazers and suit jackets. They have generous notches for holding loops, and these notches have been sanded smooth to avoid snags. Something I especially like about these hangers is an etched tractioned tube the bottom bar that holds slacks/pants, this keeps the garment free of snags but helps prevent the pants from slipping off the hanger itself.

I like that there is enough room to layer scarves, ties or accessories with coats, blazers, and jackets without wrinkling them.

Home-It Natural Wood Hangers

QUALITY
Free of silvers or wood irregularities, there is a smooth, shellac finish to prevent snags from tiny slivers. The wood pieces are fitted well with no protruding nails or metal bindings. The metal hanging hook can swivel around without becoming loose. These are large enough for a man’s suit but fit well with my suits, blazers, and coats.

TEST
Some hangers look good but can’t sustain holding heavier items without bending or cracking. We ran two tests: dropping the hanger and hanging the heaviest coats we could find on it to see if the hanger would break, crack or bend. Dropping the hanger on a wood floor did not cause it to break, chip, splinter or dent. The hanger did not cave under the weight of holding a heavy, full-length, lined wool coat, and it held up to bundling TWO thick winter coats on the same hanger. The bar, intended for pants, was also able to sustain the weight of a winter coat. It also did not scratch or snag more delicate fabric suits or suit linings.

Home-It Natural Wood Hangers

CONCLUSION: We find these to be high-quality in construction and usability. The enclosed, stable pants rod on the bottom has an overlayer tubing to provide traction from slipping without snagging delicate fabrics. We were very happy to have this set of quality hangers in time for the fall and winter season and immediately put them into use.

Find these hangers at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu_qaQJjtyw[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer it!

Healthy Food: Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

September 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

The Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer is very easy to use, and it creates, long, curly, even spirals. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to create very long continuous spirals, the second one I did was more than four feet long with no breaks or tears! It makes a nice thin cut that makes for crispy, even spirals of veggies or fruits. The size of the spirals it creates is ideal for use as a pasta substitute.

CONSTRUCTION
The spiralizer is simple to put together; you don’t need directions, but it comes with step-by-step instructions. The only thing I would mention is to make sure to push the top semi-oval bar piece in tightly.

I like that the device has three suction feet to keep it stable during use. You don’t particularly have to hold the device down while using it, although there is a spot to put your finger just to stabilize it if needed.

EASE OF USE
As the name indicates, it is a vertical spiralizer, which it turns out, is exceptionally easy to use. I thought it might require a lot of elbow grease, but it takes very little effort to turn the handle to make a spiral.

I tried zucchini and carrots; the zucchini spiralized very quickly and easily. The carrots took a few more tries to get an even rhythm going, but it still was easy to rotate the handle and get an even spiral out of the carrot.

One of my favorite parts about this spiralizer is that I didn’t have to stop and re-adjust the vegetable mid-spiralizing. It just vertically rotates downward until it is a tiny stub of veggie, which can still be spiralized, just a bit slow-going at the very end. This is an advantage over horizontal spiralizers, which require pausing and readjusting.

Another thing I like is the spiralized results go into a clear drawer under the device instead of falling out onto a plate next to the spiralizer. This seems to make for tighter, neater spirals and easier clean-up. For cleaning off the blade, it comes with a tiny bristle brush similar to a vegetable brush.

These very long spirals can make for a beautiful meal that is simple to make.

PREPARING THE FRUITS & VEGETABLES FOR SPIRALIZING

It is important to cut the vegetable or fruit so that it has a flat top and bottom so that the two points that secure the to-be spiralized item can grasp it well. I also thought positioning it slightly at an off angle towards your choice of the two blades makes for a more consistent curl to the spiral. They curl up tightly like very long curly fries; there were very few chips of pieces.

It would be possible to do thicker, fibrous fruits and vegetables, cut away the seeds from fruit whenever possible.

Cut vegetables such as carrots and zucchini into about 5″ long pieces so they fit comfortably into the device. Larger pieces do not fit well.

Note that there are two blades, so if you feel you need to hold the spiralizer during the process, be mindful of the second blade, so you don’t cut yourself.

CONCLUSION: VERY easy to use vertical spiralizer, it takes very little “muscle” to create spirals, it is something an elderly person could do with ease or a supervised child. The spirals are amazingly long, they are not weak or broken, they are tight, springy, beautifully appetizing spirals. Spiralizing a vegetable is very quick and easy to do. Quick to make spirals and quick to clean up.

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

Find it at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvqNeZmek-M[/embedyt]

I received this item for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

Wine Wednesday: Best Horn Wine Decanter By Bella Vino

August 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

This wine decanter is an exceptionally beautiful piece for entertaining, it looks like a piece of art glass on the table and matches a variety of tablescapes. A conversation piece that adds a flourish to the table whenever serving wine.

DESIGN
It is a substantial, premium crystal glass, yet the horn shaped design makes it easy to handle, lift and pour. The horn shape is not just distinctive and attractive, but it helps the wine breathe, resulting in a better tasting, smoother wine. The spout is drip-free when pouring.

ADVANTAGE OF THIS DECANTER
The horn shape not only allows the wine to breathe but the act of pouring the wine into this type of the design and swishing it around a bit in the decanter helps blend the wine better, similar to the effect of when the tannins in the wine soften. Wine held in a decanter for two to three hours tastes better than wine directly only allowed to breathe in an uncorked bottle. When the wine has time to breathe in a horn-shaped decanter, it is better integrated and has a better aroma.

USE
Despite the delicate appearance of the design and the glass, it is a relatively sturdy piece that can be passed around the table and used by your guests without excessive fear of chipping or damaging the decanter.

CLEANING
It is sturdy enough to put it in the dishwasher. If you prefer to wash it by hand, it cleans fairly easily, although it is necessary to allow adequate time for the inside of the horn to air-dry before putting the horn away in the cabinet after use, as drying it by hand with a dishtowel proves somewhat difficult due to the narrow spout. It cleans well without retaining stains from the red wines.

SUMMARY: I am very pleased to have this decanter, I would have loved to get this as a gift, and it makes a charming hostess gift for any wine lover. A beautiful piece to have on the table when serving wine to guests, it looks like art glass. The design aids in allowing the wine to integrate, have a smoother taste and a fuller aroma. I have no complaints. Lovely item!

Find it at Amazon.

Best Horn Wine Decanter By Bella Vino

I received this product for testing and review purposes.

Squinting isn’t Pretty: BenQ E-Reading Lamp

August 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment

BenQ E-Reading Lamp

Thanks to my Amazon Kindle, I’m an avid reader of ebooks. My e-reading falls into two categories: books or PDFs I read for work and pleasure reading. Either way, I want my reading to be a pleasant experience that doesn’t strain my eyes. Think of all the other ways that screens have permeated our lives: watching a Netflix movie on a tablet, late night browsing, or the infamous middle of the night Instagram check.

That is why I am thrilled with the BenQ E-Reading Lamp. This lamp is sizable enough to cover a large area with light but has a slim line to it. The sleek design is adjustable, so if you are doing intricate work (like beading or digital editing), you can focus the light on your work.

With just a tap on the ring, the lamp switches between warm white light and cool white light. Much like the Night Setting on tablets, this adjusts the light for the time of day and the activity in which you are engaging. This is a really nice feature, as most lamps just have one setting, but this lamp takes in the “human factor”. It also responds to the ambient light and adjusts accordingly.

Some might question the price of this lamp. Considering how much computing affects vision, I think the price is quite reasonable compared to worsening vision and the associated risks of long hours at the computer, including headaches due to flicker or glare. Additionally, lack of proper lighting when using computers or tablets can lead to bad posture, which can cause a whole slew of health issues. So this lamp is priced quite reasonably when you consider the cost to health. Additionally, the price is competitive with other lamps with such a sleek design.

I plan on buying another one to put in my office on my desk. I really am thrilled to have discovered this lamp.

Find it at Amazon.com.

I received this product in exchange for testing and review purposes.