It’s no secret we’re coffee lovers here at Shelterrific. So why would the fathers in our lives be any different? (Actually, my dad never touched the stuff, preferring Diet Coke.) So I’ve gathered up a handful of groovy gadgets and gift ideas for those java enthusiasts on your shopping list — most under $50 (with the exception of #1).
Click for my picks, after the jump! (more…)
Leave it to the Swiss to come up with a summer staple you can easily whip up for backyard brunches, showers and picnics. When hunting for menu ideas for a mid-morning baby shower I threw a few weeks ago, my half-Swiss co-host thought her birchermüesli (pronounced beer-ker-mew-slee) would be a nice addition to all the croissants, tarts and quiches we planned to buy at a local bakery. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% sure what it was, but the word alone sure sounded yummy. (Anything with an umlaut automatically tastes good, doesn’t it?) In plain English, it’s simply fresh fruit mixed with soaked oatmeal, which gives it a bit of substance and makes it more of a meal. — Ginny F.
Click for the oh-so-simple recipe after the jump! (more…)
I have to admit that I own a lot of interior design books. A lot. It’s a little bit frightening, really. So it’s really something when a book crosses my path that exceeds expectations. When I picked up Kelly Hoppen Interiors, I was expecting another coffee table book, packed with gorgeous photos of unattainable spaces, very little text, and plenty of eye candy. I was right about the eye candy, but the rest was epically off the mark.
Kelly Hoppen is a designer known for her love of neutrals and clean lines (her spare style recently landed her on Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers list), an aesthetic that could easily become predictable (or even boring) in the wrong hands. But Hoppen manages to keep her interiors looking fresh, unique, and even warm, without a trace of color or clutter (two easy tricks for upping the cozy quotient in a space).
Instead of letting the photos do all the work, Hoppen has made this book a true “how to,” packing it with tips, techniques and tools to help you emulate a bit of her signature style. Broken up by rooms (even halls, staircases and corridors each get their own chapter), each section contains photos of various projects, complete with copious notes about the hows and whys of each room, and checklists packed with tips to help with everything from laying out a space to the best lighting schemes for each room. The result is a book that manages to make you feel that the inspiring looks are actually attainable, which is a true feat in the world of interior design tomes. –Becki S.
I don’t know how I caught the bug, but two years ago I started grilling and I haven’t looked back. And of course, summer is THE time to rev up the BBQ, invite some friends over, and get cooking! Before I kick off the season I usually try out a few delicious marinade recipes to get my grilling-chops up to speed. A little trial and error helps me figure out exactly how far ahead, or intensely, to marinade meats and veggies. Then, I take the fruits of my labor to lunch in the form of wraps, salads, mixed with rice … such delicious treats to spice up my workday. Here are a few of my favorite marinades you can try for yourself:
- Thai chicken bbq. I use thighs instead of wings.
- Grilled sweet potatoes and scallion salad
- Brick chicken. I make this on a grill instead of in the oven, with a brick covered in foil
- Balsamic grilled vegetables.
Enjoy, and add to the list in comments! — Rebecca F.
Photo credit: Rebecca Firlik
Every time I go to my mailbox, I find myself aggravated with the amount of junk mail that comes my way. From prescreened credit card offers to catalogs I never asked for, my mailbox is usually filled with little more than wasted trees. I always say I’m going to do something about it, but the motivation is replaced with a mental fatigue spurred by the assumption that figuring out how to stop the assault from various sources will amount to no more than a colossal hassle with unreliable results. Well, there’s nothing like moving to a new place to spur an organizational renaissance, and while changing my address I decided to confront the beast head on. Great news! Taming the junk mail dragon is as easy as making a few simple calls. Here’s how:
To stop prescreened credit card offers: Call 888-567-8688. Answering a few simple questions will stop the mailers that arrive as a result of information obtained by the main consumer credit reporting companies.
To keep your junk mail in check all around: Fill out a temporary change-of-address form with the U.S. Postal Service when moving. Filling out the permanent change-of-address form makes your new address available to direct marketers who pay a fee to access the National Change of Address database. The temporary option buys you 12 months to contact all parties you’d like to hear from to notify them of your new location individually.
These steps, both easy and quick, go a long way on their own to not only taking back the mailbox, but also protecting your privacy. I stumbled upon this comprehensive guide (typical of Real Simple, love it!) while doing my research and suggest taking a peek and tying up more loose ends when you have a minute. From getting on the FTC’s Do Not Call list to blocking personal phone numbers to stopping the receipt  of unsolicited catalogs, each of these tips can be completed in little time and deliver big, stress-reducing results! — Sarah C.
