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Prosumer’s Choice Indoor Garden Hydroponic Kit

May 23, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Prosumer's Choice Indoor Garden Hydroponic Kit

Prosumer’s Choice Indoor Garden Hydroponic Kit

I love growing herbs in the garden. Unfortunately, we have some very bold deer who think that it is their personal salad bar. While I have some arugula and basil growing in a few spots indoors, there aren’t that many windows that have enough natural light to sustain enough plants to grow the amount of fresh, pesticide free herbs that I enjoy using in cooking. So I am thrilled to be using the Prosumer’s Choice Indoor Garden Hydroponic Kit.

I have been looking for a quality indoor grow kit for about ten years now. When my grandmother had an injury, she couldn’t even take advantage of the edible plants she had cultivated in pots just outside the front door. So for years, I tried to find a good indoor kit so we could enjoy growing herbs indoors together. However, finding a reasonably priced grow system was difficult.

If you aren’t familiar with hydroponics, let me give you a little bit of a background. Simply put, it is a way of growing plants in nutrients and water, but not in soil. Occasionally you will hear it called “soilless cultivation.” The plants get all the nutrients and water they need. From a practical standpoint, it is far less messy that potted plants and you have far greater control over what goes into your plants, e.g. pesticides in the soil, etc.

I was reading an article yesterday that talked about how popular hydroponic growth systems are becoming in high-end restaurants. The Ritz-Carlton uses hydroponic growth systems for all of their arugula. Having house-grown plants lets them control the quality and quantity of a staple of their menu.

The Prosumer’s Choice Indoor Harden Hydroponic Kit adds a grow light, so your plants get the proper amount of full spectrum light, just like if they were growing outside. The hydroponic growth method and the grow light result in a more robust and faster-growing plant. Faster growth is fantastic if you use certain herbs on a regular basis like I use basil, and if you use as much arugula as I do, it’s good to have fast growing, tasty leaves at the ready!

The kit is incredibly easy to put together. It only took minutes to put together and seed the two pods. The light plugs into a standard outlet, and then you just have to wait until the plants start growing!

Prosumer’s Choice is also a great kit to use to teach kids how to plant. Without the mess of soil, the whole family can have fun planting regardless of the season.

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Decor, Food
Tagged: Hydroponic Gardening, Indoor Gardening, Prosumer's Choice Indoor Garden Hydroponic Kit, Urban Gardening

NOVICA Handcrafted Floral Reverse Painted Glass and Wood Framed Wall Mirror, ‘Purple Summer Garden’

May 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I am a huge fan of jewel tones. Rich, vibrant, saturated jewel tones. This is one of the reasons I love this small mirror from NOVICA.

“Purple Summer Garden” is an intricate and whimsical piece. It employs the reverse painted glass technique where the design is painted in reverse on the back of the glass and then displayed from the front. This technique makes the colors seem more vibrant, combining the visual qualities of painting and stained glass.

I find the versatility of this piece fascinating. I recently moved some art out of my office as we’re in the middle of construction and I didn’t want anything to get accidentally damaged. As I looked around at the bare walls I started considering a décor reboot and wondered if Purple Summer Garden would fit in somewhere. I realized that it would work with any direction I chose to go, as the colors fit with both lighter and darker schemes. While the purples and coppers are deep and saturated like autumn colors, they also take on the beautiful colors of a summer sunset. It wasn’t until I realized that did I recognize how well named this piece is: it truly is reminiscent of a Summer Garden under the August sunlight as it ebbs towards twilight. Light blue dragonflies dance around the blossoms surrounding a clear and true diamond shaped mirror.

The back has a sturdy hook to securely hang the item and comes with the artist’s story and his thoughts on the piece in a lovely NOVICA booklet.

This is indeed a small piece: it is a 10”x8” frame surrounding the 5.25”x3.7” mirror. So while this isn’t going to replace your bathroom mirror, it is an incredible and eye-catching piece that draws people in. My biggest problem with this mirror is that people are so captivated by it that they inevitably touch the glass – so you may have to clean some fingerprints off of it every once in awhile! But that is a small price to pay for a piece that garners so much attention.

The artist, Gelacio Giron, is located in Peru and trained as an accountant, and started pursuing his craft during school. He enjoys sharing Peruvian artistry with the world through NOVICA, and enjoys the thought that you and I are decorating our homes with his pieces. He works with his brothers in his workshop to bring us his stunning works.

NOVICA Handcrafted Floral Reverse Painted Glass and Wood Framed Wall Mirror, 'Purple Summer Garden'

NOVICA Handcrafted Floral Reverse Painted Glass and Wood Framed Wall Mirror, ‘Purple Summer Garden’

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Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Decor, Gifts, Vanity Table
Tagged: 'Purple Summer Garden', Decor, Decorating, Home, Mirror, Novica, NOVICA Handcrafted Floral Reverse Painted Glass and Wood Framed Wall Mirror

NOVICA Mohena Wood with Bronze Leaf Round Starburst Wall Mirror ‘Cuzco Sun’

April 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a showstopper of a decorating piece? NOVICA’s ‘Cuzco Sun’ Bronze Leaf Round Starburst Wall Mirror is your shining answer.

This gorgeous 18” mirror comes from Peru and is made of Mohena Wood, a Peruvian hardwood, and is intricately covered in bronze leaf. One of the things I love about this mirror is that the bronze leaf is a definite bronze color with indirect natural daylight, but takes on the most beautiful gold color at sunset, just as the sun does itself. The artist has truly made a study of light!

I chose to put it on the mantle above the Living Room fireplace as we have other bronze items around the fire and because the vibrant color of the piece is so striking against the dark wood. The mirror would look good against any background, but I think the depth of the detail especially lends itself towards a darker, richer wood background. It was a bit of a toss up for me between the Living Room and the smaller Dining Room fireplace mantle, but the grain of the wood in the Living Room and the grain of the Mohena Wood looked sharper to me.

The mirror itself is 7.8” but appears larger. It is an exceptionally true mirror and shines vividly. If you are looking for a central vanity mirror you might want to look for a piece that has a larger mirror, however the reflection is excellent and stands by itself as a good mirror apart from the incredible craftsmanship of the frame.

It’s worth a few words as to the sizing of this mirror. This is considered the Medium Size of the design at 18”. However, the depth and striking appearance of the mirror draws the eye far more than a larger and less detailed mirror would. So if you want to place the mirror as a centerpiece among other items, the Medium is the right size. If you want a stand alone large piece for a wall, then you might consider the larger version. But truly do not underestimate the impact of this mirror. As with all decorative pieces, think about the impact more than the specific size.

The piece was made by Jose Marcos Luzalde Rosales, who taught himself his craft starting at 17 in his neighbor’s workshop. At the ripe age of 18 he decided to go out on his own and became known (with good reason, as you can see) for his incredible work. He has delighted in preserving Peruvian Woodwork Artistry for 35 years now, and thanks to NOVICA, we can delight in his work as well!

I absolutely adore this mirror. It adds light and depth to the room and has drawn gasps from anyone who has seen it.

NOVICA Bronze Leaf Starburst Wall Mirror 'Cuzco Sun'

NOVICA Bronze Leaf Starburst Wall Mirror ‘Cuzco Sun’

Find this incredible piece at Amazon.com.

NOVICA Bronze Leaf Starburst Wall Mirror 'Cuzco Sun'

NOVICA Bronze Leaf Starburst Wall Mirror ‘Cuzco Sun’

I received this item at a discount for review purposes. If you have any questions about the mirror, leave me a comment below!

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Decor, Gifts, Vanity Table
Tagged: Bronze Leaf, Cuzco Sun Mirror, Decor, Home, Novica

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Bed Sheet Set

April 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

OVERVIEW: Nicely stitched, SO SOFT, no pilling, shrinking or fraying after washing, hypoallergenic. Fits well on a thicker mattress. They compare to high-end expensive sheet sets. Definitely worth it, Amazon has these at a great price.

These sheets are a great deal. Having a high-thread count quality set of sheets is something I wanted after staying at a higher-end Omni Hotel that that had these beautiful monogrammed, high-thread count sheets. I bought two sets of 1200 thread count that had a retail of $350 and $400. While it was expensive and seemed like way too money to invest in a non-essential item, they are SO comfortable and have lasted me for years. It feels extravagant, but they are so helpful in getting a good nights’ sleep. So I was pretty happy to see 1800 thread count sheets available for such a good price. These are a great quality set and are SO SOFT. They are also more comfortable to sleep on than my more expensive sheet sets.

I got these in white to match my summer bedding, so I am glad to see they are stain resistant because I like to finish my morning coffee in bed while reading the news and email. Something else I like is that they are hypoallergenic, which is especially nice in a pillowcase, I notice my eyes seem slightly less puffy in the morning than they do with some other sheet sets I own.

The seams are not scratchy or lumpy feeling. The stitching is well done and there are no loose strings after washing. These are reasonably deep fitting, but if you have a very fluffy pillow-top mattress exceeding 15″ or so you might want to size up if possible. I have mine on a thick foam mattress with a foam topper and they fit fine.

This does not really matter to me, but I didn’t really consider these sheets to be particularly wrinkle-resistant unless they mean that they do not hold the crease from being folded. I can’t feel the wrinkles when I am sleeping on them and they do not leave indent marks on my face when I sleep on them (I am a side sleeper).

One thing I particularly like about well-made sheets is that they don’t feel too heavy during the summer but still give some warmth in the winter. They come in several pretty colors, I am tempted to pick up another set at this price.

Good value, very soft and comfortable. Ensuring quality sleep is a worthwhile investment in my book.

Find them at Amazon.com.

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

 

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

 

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

I received these sheets for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about the product, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you!

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Decor
Tagged: Bedroom, Linens, Mellanni, Mellanni Hypoallergenic Sheet Set

Tea Tuesday: Collect Teables Shakespearmint and AgathaChristea

April 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment

It is Tea Tuesday here at StyleChicks. I am a big tea fan, and always love to try new flavors and brands. I also find that tea is pretty popular and can often make a nice gift for either gender. I especially like when a tea gift can be combined with something else the gift recipient might love, such as music, literature, or art. So I was excited to see the themed series “Collect Teables” from The Tea Book.

April’s theme is perfect for a tea loving bibliophile and makes a nice housewarming gift or for other occasions that your pithy bookworm friends would enjoy as a tasty treat while reading their favorite books. This line of “CollectTeables” teas are styled and named after famous literary authors, playing on alliterations of their pen names or actual names to entitle their teas. Each bag comes with illustrations of the author and a nod towards thematic elements from their most famous works depicted on Artistically Drawn Foils. And, for the especially clever, hidden references to their works are also seen in the images. Can you find them in the photo below?

I tried the two currently featured authors: AgathaChrisTEA and William ShakeSpearmint (see what they did there?) The beloved crime novel writer Agatha Christie/ChrisTEA is Earl Grey, and Shakespeare/ShakeSPEARMINT is, of course, a mint tea.

Every month a new themed series of Collect Teables will be released. They will include musicians, philosophers, politicians, or animals.

Haven’t heard of Collect Teables or theteabook.com? That’s because they are new, very new in fact. As in starting April 3rd and for a limited run kind of new. They are a new startup that is making some traction with their Kickstarter. Check out the website at http://www.theteabook.com/collectteables/ and see their Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theteabook/the-teabook-the-smart-way-to-store-share-and-serve

Nice-to-know features:

• “The TeaBook and Collect Teables are zero waste companies. All Collect Teables are shipped box-less to reduce waste in shipping and packaging.” (quoted from the Tea Book website).
• All Collect Teables teas are Certified Organic by OCTO, and Certified Kosher by KSA.

I tried out both and think the Agatha Chris TEA makes for a fun inclusion to serve at a book party or mystery dinner themed night, they can help make for an easy decorating theme and conversation piece, as seen in the photo below.

Find these lovely teas at http://www.collectteables.com.

CollectTeables Agatha ChrisTeas

CollectTeables Agatha ChrisTeas

 

Collect Teables Shakespearmint Tea

Collect Teables Shakespearmint Tea

I received this item in exchange for my unbiased review. 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!

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Decor, New Products, Tea, Weddings
Tagged: Books, Collect Teables, Tea, Tea Tuesday

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