five things we learned last week
Bright ideas we gathered from your comments.
1. When it comes to investing in a vacuum, consider a classic. As Ivy says: The Electrolux can’t be beat. They’re a definite investment, and maybe not quite as fashion-forward [as the Dyson], but they do exactly what they’re supposed to do and last forever. See the vacuum here.
2. We’re not the only ones that have a soft spot for pink bathrooms. Blogger Mod*Mom confesses: “Don’t tell, but we have a hot pink bathroom with hot pink floor!” We want to see photos MM! In the meantime, check out this post.
3. You can always add a new twist to favorite recipe. Kiki offers this suggestion to Angela’s favorite pasta dish. “I make something like this but I throw golden raisins into the pan when I’m sauteeing the garlic–the little bites of sweetness really set off the spicy/bitter thing.” See the the full recipe here.
4. Looking to make a digital image as large as possible? Try the Rasterbator. Jen describes it: “Sounds dirty, right? But it’s a site/program that will blow your chosen picture up to enormous size, then makes it into a PDF that you can print on 8.5×11″ paper. You put it together like a giant puzzle. Might work! I’ve been wanting to do one of these forever, but I can’t decide which picture to do.” Click here to and click here to see our post about enlarging movie stills.
5. If you’re unhappy with a piece of furniture after you’ve gotten it home and lived in a bit, don’t be afraid to go back to the store and talk to manager. As Petra advises Mary T. on her faulty West Elm bed: “A manager might have tips too on making the bed sturdier. After all, they field complaints every day from people like you and (should) know the product well. Especially one like this which has been on the market a few years.” Read Mary’s saga here.
January 28th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Also, re: the West Elm bed. Don’t underestimate the power of a strongly worded letter. We had a West Elm bed which was completely unusable after three years of use, due to poor design. I sent an email to the company and was offered 15% off a new purchase. Not willing to accept that, I sent a letter (mentioning that the bed was a wedding present, and that we had in the past had registries at Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn Kids which are part of the same company) and included pictures of the bed. I sent the letter to corporate headquarters, and a few months letter the company picked up the bed and sent me a store credit for the full purchase price. Which I used to buy a very nice rug.
So even if a manager won’t help you, a little time spent writing a letter can often do the trick.