Rock Marks the Spot

After you plant, don’t stick those unattractive labels into your garden to mark your seeds. Instead paint labels on smooth rocks. Check out this picture below from lubirdbaby.com. Rocks blend naturally into the surroundings, and best of all they won’t blow away!

http://www.lubirdbaby.com

Give Your Kids a Green Thumb

Gardening is a great activity to do with your kids. It teaches patients and responsibility and is a lot of fun! However for younger gardeners it’s best to start small. Check out these cute egg carton mini garden kits. Kids can start their small garden indoors and then once the seeds start to sprout, move them outside.

Lakeside.com

Seeds in the City

A fun DIY home garden idea for our city dwellers is making your own paint can planters. This project will take some effort, but the results are awesome. First get some empty paint cans (you can buy cans at hardware stores for just a few dollars/can). Cut out the bottom of the can leaving a cut-out cross shape across the bottom (see picture below). Line with metal netting (this will allow for draining). Then paint the cans bright colors and add your plants. This beautiful apartment garden from poppytalk.blogspot.com illustrates how the effort is well worth it!

Photo by Cludio Sabatino for Bravacasa (April 2012)

On Wednesday we looked at how far that $100 could get you shopping for bedroom supplies at Lakeside.  This week we are challenging ourselves once again to spend $100.  Our focus today is outdoor and pool seating.  Check it out below. For all these items we spent just $97.75 (plus tax + S&H).

Here is our receipt:
(1) Ostrich™ Folding Chaise—————————$38.95

(1) Coleman® MLB™ Chairs ———–————$23.95

(1) 50” X 70” Cabana Towel for Two ——-—-$14.95

(1) Lazy Lounger Pool Float ————————-$11.95

(1) 30″ x 60″ Flip-Flop Beach Towel ————-$7.95

TOTAL:   $97.75

This harbor shot shows the Hong Kong Convention Center (in the middle on water front) where our buyers attended the Hong Kong Housewares Show Mega 1. This show had over 2,000 exhibitors spread accross a 52,616 sq meter gross area. There were over 26,000 buyers from around the globe in attendance (though only a handful from Lakeside). Our buyers enjoyed checking out housewares, gifts, home décor, garden, storage and pet items.

The above picture is from Guangzhou, China. Guangzhou is where the 1.16 million square meter 111th Canton Fair was held. It featured 59,000 stands/booths with over 210,000 buyers in attendance. The fair has 3 phases and our buyers attended the 2nd phase the week of April 23-27th. There, our buyers discovered consumer goods, gifts, home décor, garden and more! This garden shot is actually a picture one of our buyers snapped from her hotel window.

This last picture is just a candid shot of a street in Hong Kong off of Nathan Road. It captures the bustle and excitement of a major shopping tourist area.

So how far can $100 get you? Well if you choose to spend it at Lakeside Collection, $100 can translate to a brand new bedroom! Check it out below. For this beautiful new bedroom we spent just $99.35 (plus tax + S&H).

Here is our receipt:
(1) 7-Pc. Lilac Reflection Queen Bed Set—————————$54.95
(2) Two Adjustable Wall Lamp ($19.95 each)———————$39.90
(1) Linen Vanilla Candle Reed Diffuser Set ————————-$4.50
TOTAL:   $99.35

Remember, you can only enter once per day but you can enter EVERY DAY of the sweepstakes.  As a bonus, there are TWO great ways to have your named entered again!  First, after you enter, spin the wheel and if you land on LUCKY 21 your name is automatically entered again in that day’s drawing.  You can also get a bonus entry by referring a friend to the sweepstakes (also after you enter).  Good Luck!

• Shallots – these mild green onions are a great option so those who like onions can get the flavor without having to cook it into the meat
• Lime Juice – fresh or bottled, a squeeze of lime juice adds a refreshing flavor
• Garlic – Just fry up a few cloves and allow each person to add as they please. Alternately you can have garlic powder available for a quick dash of flavor.
• Cilantro – try fresh cut into small pieces and sprinkled on top
• Barbeque Sauce – BBQ sauce is a flavorful alternative to salsa for those who can’t take the heat

Set of 8 Taco Stand-Ups

Jewelry is one of the most versatile accessories in fashion.  However sometimes it is tough to execute a new trend on a tight budget.  Other times it’s just fun to have a great piece of jewelry to fancy up a plain ensemble.  Today we are highlighting the cute trend of adding a colorful statement piece of jewelry to your outfit.  The best part of this trend is it can transform boring into special or can take a day look to night.

Lakeside Collection offers four beautiful art glass necklace and earring sets recently marked down to $5.95 per set.  You can select from the Blue Swirl, Black and White Heart, Multicolor and the ultra-chic Turquoise patterned pendants & earrings.  Each pendant comes with a multi-strand necklace that creates a dressy mosaic look.  However you can also change out the multi-strand with the included suede cord to adorn your clavicle with a more casual fun accessory.  What we like so much about this set is it offers a great classic look that (at such a great deal) you can buy multiple colors to compliment many different outfits.

These lights add whimsy and fun.

These light are as much decorative as functional.

And these lights serve a specified purpose.