I Stand Behind: The Swiffer Sweeper

When I lived in a one bedroom apartment that had wood floors it was 100% do-able to get on my hands and knees and give the floors a good wipe down once a month or even twice a month! But in a three bedroom house? The amount of floor space was so intimidating I couldn't get myself to do it at all! Naturally our wood floors became dusty, dirty, a little bit grimy... quite disgusting to my standards. I'd walk around and try not to notice that the floors near the open windows felt as if they were layered with invisible dirt and grime, I tried to think that the dust bunnies that were poking out from underneath the sofa were cute.

My parents have a huge house with wooden floors and their floors are always so immaculate, I wasn't quite sure how they pulled this off until I went for a visit one day and saw my Dad pushing around a broom, a Swiffer Broom! I decided to give it a try.

My husband brought one home from Home Depot, he put it together and I tried it out, amazing! I love the damn thing! How is it that I get excited to clean the floors now?! Weird right? Well, the Swiffer makes it so easy. It's definitely one of those products that are cheap and just works. The broom is very light and very easy to maneuver underneath sofas, in corners and tight spaces as the flat end swivels in all kinds of directions.

The disposable dry cloth picks up all kinds of dust and debris, even dog hair (yay!) and best of all doesn't let go of it. The sweeper can also be used with a disposable wet cloth to shine your floors. And another great thing? The cloths don't keep coming off! Which is the aggravating problem I had with my previous sweeper broom.

On Amazon the Swiffer Sweeper is a mere $15.00, so if you've got wood floor cleaning problems I say give this a go, it just might be a permanent solution, I have a feeling it is for me. It's sheer enjoyment to clean the floors when it's so easy! So no more dirty feet here!

Check out the Swiffer Sweeper @ Amazon

cb2 Dinnerware, sometimes affordability isn't everything

Like the next person I can easily be coaxed into thinking a purchase is a great deal and therefore awesome when the price is low enough, but of course, this isn't the case... No matter how low the price tag is. Do you know the saying, "you get what you pay for?"- well, this is exactly the case with cb2.

I have so often excitedly walked into cb2 thinking how much I loved the store, in fact I loved the store because it was so mod and hip but not only that, I can afford things here and more! I took home throw pillow cases, dinnerware, dinner serving pieces, bought eight drinking glasses to fill up my kitchen cabinet! Only to later realize, sometimes months later what a great deal! it wasn't. Hah! How's that for irony.

Why was it that the identical drinking glasses weren't the same weight, some were remarkably lighter than others although they were supposed to exactly the same, some of the glass was thicker others thinner. Why was it that the cute, colored square serving plates were peeling! Why was it that the flat rectangular serving plate seemed so fragile? Well, I got what I paid for.

The lesson learned was that there are some things in life worth saving on, and then there are things such as kitchenware that one should not.

I Stand Behind: Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush with Nipple Brush

Not knowing how to properly wash my baby bottles and bottle nipples I would soak them in very hot soapy water and then rinse them out- this proved to be not too helpful although they looked clean enough, but looking clean enough isn't what you really want for your baby is it? I took a trip through Amazon (my new favorite place to shop these days as I'm home-tied with little baby and all) and perused through all the bottle and more specifically baby bottle cleaners, read the reviews, looked at the pictures and all. Many of the other bottle brushes were too large to be inserted into a baby bottle and then I came upon the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush that also comes with a nipple brush as well, I read a review in which one of the writers stated that it fit into 5oz. baby bottle and at an affordable eight dollars I was willing to give the Simba a try.

The sponge is pretty durable and upon first look you may not think it can't fit into a 5oz baby bottle but it does, it is a sponge after all and can compress into rather tight spaces. Needless to say, my bottles are shiny and clean and so are the bottle nipples. I have to admit that after having cleaned them with the Simba rotary which simply works as it should, amazing! That I was beating up myself for having fed my child with such dirty bottles and nipples! I've also found that the nipple brush is a very useful tool for cleaning other things as well, such as my breast pump parts!

The Simba Rotary is one of those purchase items that you rave about, a simple design, an affordable price and just works as it should, I'm absolutely in love with it and can see me holding onto the Simba rotary for quite a long time as it can be used to clean other bottles and small items as well.

More about the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush & Nipple Brush here

Item Of Note: Ikea's affordable Hemnes 3-drawer dresser

Up until recently I was using a kitchen island as a counter top in my bathroom and for awhile I had noticed how cluttered and messy the bathroom was looking due to the towels and things on the exposed shelving on the lower part of the kitchen island. Had I not had so many items and so many different colored and differently designed towels perhaps the exposed shelving of the kitchen island may not have ended up looking so untidy. I purchased a 3-drawer dresser in a red stain (the Hemnes 3-drawer dresser from Ikea) as a way to clean up the look of the bathroom and get it to look the way I wanted it which is tidy, eclectic and charming.

I Stand Behind: Allen Jeffries Framing

I'm a framer or to better put it, I'm an individual who appreciates what a frame can do for a common print or poster, which is in my opinion, transforming. For example, The Velvet Underground & Nico yellow banana by Andy Warhol is a poster I purchased at Amoeba Music for under $20. A common $20 print is currently the important piece of artwork that hangs between my living room, entryway and family room, this being the case I had to get it framed nicely- presentation is everything. Presentation can turn a $20 poster into a notable center piece!

After searching and researching frame shops in Los Angeles I decided to hit up Allen Jeffries Framing (in Los Angeles, located on 3rd street) after having been estimated an "over-my-budget" cost for custom framing at Aaron Brother's I decided that Allen Jeffries might at least be worth the stop. The store is small and the people who work there are amiable and know what they're talking about, this already put me at great ease. The back of the store is buzzing with professional framers measuring, cutting and of course, framing. The professionalism of it all was a little intimidating but that feeling went away as soon as I sat down with one of the employees to discuss my framing project, my print, my vision and eventually the price point I was trying obtain.

The help was quick to sugget a number of things from dry-mounting, to floating, to matting but was never pushy- a quality I always appreciate. And with the serious number of frames available the right cost was something very obtainable. While Aaron Brother's had quoted me a custom frame that was almost $200 I was able to get my print dry-mounted and framed for under $100! When I picked up my order a couple days later the frame was nicely wrapped up and not a scratch on it, it looked impeccable. For the price and the quality of service I couldn't have asked for more, Allen Jeffries definitely made a long standing customer out of me.

Want to frame? Check out Allen Jeffries

I Stand Behind: Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge

If cleaning was easy then we really wouldn't mind doing it but let's face it, no matter how lazy we are and how dirty our surroundings are day-to-day we all love to be living in a clean and tidy home. There are a few house chores I find rather easy and don't mind doing, such as loading the dish washer, doing laundry or even taking out the trash. But when it comes to cleaning sinks... let's just say I let it go... and go... and go, until it gets quite gross, I suppose deep down I'm hoping for my handy dandy husband to do it but of course he doesn't, and why should he? He already cleans the toilets (which I will never agree to do for as long as I live).

It seems that pregnancy has gotten me even lazier than I was before, I can't seem to stand the thought of scrubbing, soaping and bleaching the sink until it's all a shiny porcelain white like the first time we installed it. However, with the laziness came a really great idea, the idea to use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge! I usually use the magic eraser sponge on walls, cabinets, doors and tiles where stains, dry drips of colored things and scuff marks are- and they do work awfully well on these, but I've never tried the magic eraser sponge to clean sinks before.  Of course, it worked... like... magic.

To use the sponge, simple wet and squeeze excess water out, then begin using on surfaces that need any removals of scuffs and food stains (or whatnot), you can pretty much use it on any surface (with the exception of probably raw wood). I've used it on doors, tile counter tops, walls, moldings, bassboards and cabinets.

BEFORE

It's quite embarrassing to show the state of my bathroom sink, yes, quite disgusting I know. I let the grime and dust really build-up around the sink fixtures and around the sink drain. I'd like to say I let it get this disgusting for the sake of this post... but honestly, I've just been really lazy.

AFTER

It took a total of about 5 minutes to clean the bathroom sink, I tackeld the fixtures, the drain, the sink basin and around the sink top edges. I'm not sure how the magic eraser sponge works but it worked much faster and easier in swiping away all the caked grossness without much force- this is in comparison to my usual sink cleaning routine which usually consists of some hard scrubbing with the soft side of a regular sponge and soap, and I never tackle the fixtures with the regular sponge as I find it never clears away the water spots but the magic eraser sponge did. So clean. So easy. So fast!

You can find Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge at any supermarket but I find that it's a bit cheaper Home Depot and you can also find the pack of 4 there also (versus the smaller packs of 2 or 3 you find at the market). 

I Stand Behind: Proper Salad Tossers

I'm a foodie all the way, eating is what I do best, it really is but with this kind of lifestyle I eat right and healthy whenever I'm not facing a menu full of deliciousness that I can't help myself from ordering.  Because of this I naturally eat a lot of salad at home, it usually accompanies my fish.  And because I eat a lot of salad I naturally toss a lot of salad, usually with fresh home-made vinaigrette.

I bought a cheap wooden salad server at Cost Plus World Market, 'it's a salad server, how good do they have to be anyway?'- This was the attitude I had. Then I received as a gift about a month ago, the gift was a bamboo wood salad server set from Sur La Table, $20.00 (which I think is spending quite a good amount on a salad server).  That same evening I made a salad and tossed the salad with the new bamboo salad server I had gotten, "no, it couldn't be' I thought to myself, 'could it?'.  Why was it so much easier to toss the salad? Why was it so much easier to maneuver?  So, now a month later and many salad tosses later what I  have to say is, if you eat a lot of salad at home and so find yourself tossing a lot of salad then yes, spending $20.00 on a decent salad tosser will make your life easier.  I never noticed how clumsy and heavy my first salad servers were until I used Sur La Table's Bamboo Salad Servers, let me jus say... I don't find myself picking up accidentally flung salad on my kitchen counter anymore.

Sur La Table Bamboo Salad Servers, set of 2 $19.95

The Eco-friendly bamboo servers resists staining 

The set includes 1 serving spoon and 1 spatula  

Both serving spoon & spatula are 12" long

I Stand Behind: The Hand-Held Sweeper Bucket

With a yard full of trees and plants I've been having a hard time keeping it clean, this is because of the copious amounts of dead leaves and twigs that fall, when I'm done sweeping one section I'll find myself staring at a pile that isn't quite large enough to warrant me jumping in (*like the child in me wishes it can do, had the pile been large enough) and yet the pile isn't small enough simply to pick up a couple of handfuls of and be done with.  

I suppose the continuous bending and picking up of yard debri is a good work out for my back (it'll creek for a day or two afterwards simply to remind me I had a good workout) but it is questionable whether the good outweighs the bad, the bad results in a messy yard (and that just won't do).  So I've come to the conclusion that my yard would be 75% cleaner had I a good way to pick up the debri, which is why I decided on a large sweeper-bucket from Home Depot (about $20).

The sweeper bucket is hardly sold for yard clean-up purposes but I found that it works great.  It's not nearly large enough to get my yard trimmings in one scoop but it does the job more efficiently and without me having to bend over repeatedly or get my hands dirty.  The handle is also on a hinge that allows the bucket to be seen as (pictured above) for easy sweeping or for the bucket to simply hang down with the opening facing up, this way it is easy to carry your debri without spilling it all about or you doing a funny thing with your arm to adjust the sweeper bucket in a position that keeps all the debri inside.

I Stand Behind: Rust Brushes

I'm not all too sure if Rust Brushes is actually what these bad babies are called but I can't seem to think of a more suitable name for them.

Just recently I moved into a 100 year old home in the middle of Los Angeles, and with it came some very old furniture in need of some serious love and care... and also hardware!  I love hardware especially old ones, which is exactly what this new old-home came with, old crystal finial door-knobs, brass hooks and towel bars, all of which I would love to reuse of course.  Needless to say, being that these hardwares were much older than I they were in need of some cleaning and scrubbing.

I picked up the kitchen towel bar and was enamored with it's simplicity and shape, only to be bought sometime way back when.  The poor thing was rusted over, dusty and grimy!  I filled my kitchen sink with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar and soaked the bar for about 4-5 hours, to my pleasure the sparkle was coming back to the old kitchen towel bar.  I drained the sink and dried the towel bar and left it aside to be hung for later only to discover later that night the towel bar was beginning to rust anew!  Imagine my surprise!

However, lucky for me I have a very handy husband equipped with very handy tools and a very handy brain.  He handed me three Rust Brushes, the bristles all different, each coarser than the other.  The very next day I tried my luck with the Rust Brushes and... of course they worked!  Like a dream too.  The rust simply brushed off, I couldn't believe my eyes!  I always thought rust was rust and once it was there there was just no getting away from it.  I might have ended up hanging the beautiful vintage towel bar somewhere in the back of my shed I suppose had it not been for these rescue Rust Brushes... *sigh, my heros.

Le Creuset vs. World Market Dutch Oven

Cost Plus World Market 5-qt Green Round Dutch Oven $49.99

This weekend I had the impossible urge to make home-made applesauce which meant that I was on the hunt for a dutch oven, which, I've been wanting for awhile actually.  My first stop, Cost Plus World Market, a 5-qt Cost Plus World Market Dutch Oven was $50.  I then walked across to Sur La Table, to compare prices, I found my way to Sur La Table's Dutch Oven section which was jaw-dropping and I don't mean this in a good way, how can the Le Creuset 3.5-qt dutch oven be $130?!

What it ultimately came down to was Le Creuset was french made, finished by hand, physically it was more beautiful, it was dishwasher safe with a tight-fitting lid.  Cost Plus World Market's dutch oven was... well, it's just a dutch oven, had to be hand-washed (no biggie) with a fitted lid but not "tight-fitting" as Le Creuset's.  The difference in the price was $80 and this comparing a 5-qt to a 3.5-qt!

To me the choice was obvious, I went for Cost Plus World Market's dutch oven in green for $50.  I made applesauce in my new dutch oven right when I got home, my new buy performed perfectly and I made two jars of helluva yummy applesauce AND it was very easy to clean!  Point being, unless it's doing something extraordinary it really shouldn't have to cost that much more than your average ware.

Le Creuset Caribbean Wide Oval French Oven, 3.5-qt $129.95 @ Sur La Table