Now this is definitely a fabulous find! The Cuisinart Ice-45 Mix-It-In Soft-Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker is perfect for these summer months, as well as entertaining your guests and serving them ice cream.

Product Features

Make professional-quality soft ice cream, yogurt, sorbet, and sherbet right at home with this fully automatic, soft-serve ice-cream maker. Simply pour in the ingredients and turn the dial–no chemicals, salt, or ice required. The unit’s double-insulated freezer bowl holds cold temperatures and makes it possible to produce up to 1-1/2 quarts of ice cream in just 20 minutes. Three built-in condiment dispensers allow for adding sprinkles, mini M&Ms, chocolate chips, and other favorites, mixing them right in to frozen desserts as cones and bowls get filled. A unique pull handle sends ice cream swirling out like with an authentic soft-serve machine. Other highlights include a cone holder that holds a stack of pointed or flat-bottom cones, a drip tray, nonskid feet, and removable parts for easy cleaning. An instruction book with recipes comes included. The ice-cream maker measures 10-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 19-4/5 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty.

Sprinkles, mini-chips and more–the choice is yours. Just pull the tabs on one, two, or three condiment dispensers to add your favorite mix-ins as you dispense into your cone or bowl. Makes any frozen dessert extra delicious.

Bringing the Good Life Home

Cuisinart products are designed to make life delicious all day long. Specialty items, like our Mix-It-In soft serve ice cream maker, offer today’s consumers a variety of menu options, and fun and easy new ways to entertain family and friends.

Cuisinart first came into home kitchens over 30 years ago when it introduced the now legendary food processor. People discovered that routines could be broken and creative cooking quickly became part of the new lifestyle. Preparing fresh ingredients with products that offered easy and interesting new techniques meant healthier meals and more free time.

Today Cuisinart develops products to make every meal memorable. From breakfast toast and coffee to elegant five-course dinners, the preparation and cooking have become a pleasurable part of the total experience. Today’s relaxed lifestyles and the convenience of Cuisinart products make it easier than ever to Savor the Good Life, right at home with family and friends.

There’s something that is just so delicious and tempting about the taste of slow cooked, smoked foods, and if you get excited about real smokehouse flavor and the taste of barbecue that’s slow cooked to perfection, then you need to get the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.

Barbecue grills can give you great grilled meals with a wonderful, smoky-grilled flavor. But grills aren’t capable of handling certain tasks like the Smokey Mountain Cooker can.

Consider this scenario: you have a large family and a long list of friends that you want to invite over for a Saturday afternoon cookout. The Smokey Mountain Cooker can tackle and entire smoked ham and Thanksgiving or summertime turkey as well – at the same time! How’s that for feeding a hungry crowd?

If you’re into putting together crowd-pleasing barbecues for all of your favorite people, then you need something that can handle the job. And this cooker will give results that are unmatchable – moist, tender meat and poultry with a delicate, smoky flavor every time.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is made of premium grade steel with a porcelain-enameled coating. The two cooking grates are nickel plated and each measure a roomy 18 and a half inches in diameter provide plenty of area for whole turkeys, chickens, hams, or whatever is making your mouth water.

And there’s also a two and a half gallon water pan that steams your food during the cooking process, assuring that every morsel is juicy and moist. Reviewers of this Weber cooker love the nice, wide door that enables easy access and maneuvering for adding charcoal and wood chunks.

And the door’s spring-loaded latch let’s you know that it’s securely closed. Also appreciated by reviewers is the included thermometer that makes it easy to check internal temperature, and the handle on the lid that resists the heat so you don’t get burned. A 10-year limited warranty completes the list of things that reviewers enjoy about the Smokey Mountain Cooker.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is made for ease of use and durability, along with being made to provide you with the means to create the best and most delicious slow-cooked barbecued meals you can imagine.

Its size and roomy interior allow for cooking large birds, and multiple types of food at once. You can adjust the cooker as needed for slower cooking, more of a smoked flavor, and moisture. And the 10-year limited warranty gives you confidence that this cooker is an investment in eating, entertainment and enjoyment.

Do you love to barbecue for big crowds? Do you love to entertain during the summer? Is your backyard the place that everyone gathers on the weekends for fun and food? If so, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is the thing you need to create fantastic smokehouse-style meals!

Daisies make me happy and that’s why they are in my living room, a place I spend a lot of time in. You might be thinking I am talking about daises in a vase filled with water. Nope. I am talking about daisies on my wall.

Aren’t these fabulous? I have had so many compliments on these since I have put them up. They are from a company called Umbra and they have some great wallflower designs to choose from. My favorite, obviously, are the daisies. They also have pink, blue, chrome and even dragonflies to hang on your wall.

You can check out their entire line of wall decor here.

It’s fun to think outside-the-box when it comes to decorating and hanging up these daisies, which you can put little pictures of your family inside, is definitely out of the ordinary. It’s one of the first things people see when they walk into my house and I just love them.

They are super easy to hang up. You just push a magnetic tac in the wall and the flowers go on with magnets. I have red accents in my living room, so the red inside the flowers really brought that out.

This is a super simple and inexpensive way to make it look like you went to a lot of trouble to decorate a room, but you didn’t. Now that’s my kind of decorating!

*Disclaimer – Umbra sent Home Fabulous 365 the wall decor to review. We were not compensated in any way and the review represents our opinion of the product.*

]]> http://homefabulous365.com/2010/06/18/wallflower-wall-decor-from-umbra/feed/ 0 http://homefabulous365.com/2010/06/18/fabulous-find-lifes-too-short-to-fold-fitted-sheets/ http://homefabulous365.com/2010/06/18/fabulous-find-lifes-too-short-to-fold-fitted-sheets/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:14:52 +0000 Julie http://homefabulous365.com/?p=322

I had the chance to review the book Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets and it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. This book was exactly what I needed at this point in my life.

I am pretty certain the author, Lisa Quinn, could make any topic funny and interesting. She is funny. No, not  just funny, but hysterical and makes the topic of housework worth reading about.

Here’s a description of the book:

In the tradition of Erma Bombeck and Peg Bracken, author Lisa Quinn Emmy Award-winning television host and recovering Marthaholic gets real on the follies of housekeeping. Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets is a crash course in Slacker Chic 101 that will have over-extended women everywhere laughing out loud and throwing in the towel the dishtowel, that is. Full of shortcuts and tricks for cleaning, decor, and entertaining, such as: the top 10 things you have to clean if you have company coming in 30 minutes; interior finishes that hide the most dirt; 17 meals made from a deli chicken; and much more, this wickedly funny guide helps women create the life they want without all the hard labor and without compromising style.

Not only did I walk away with some great housework tips, but I walked away feeling good about my house and myself. Life is too short to worry about every little nook and cranny in your home.

When it really comes down to it, who the heck wants to be friends with the mom who’s house ALWAYS looks perfect and ALWAYS seems to have it together? No one! And guess what? She doesn’t ALWAYS have it together. There’s a screw loose in her head somewhere just like the rest of us, she just knows how to cover it up better.

Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets helps women to realize we need to loosen up. We need to stop trying to be super housekeeper and focus more on what’s really important. You know what’s more important than dusted baseboards? Relationships. You know what’s more important than a 5 course meal? Actually enjoying the people who are in your home at that moment and not wishing they would leave because you spent all of your energy getting ready for them to come over.

Our world is turning into a world of people who want transparency and realness. I want to come to your house and see dust and toys scattered. You know why? It just makes me like you better and want to be around you more.

In Lisa Quinn’s book, you will find humor and valuable information in chapters such as Less is More, Slacker Chic 101, Reality Check on Entertaining and The Half-Assed (Houseguest0 Hostess).

It’s truly a great read and one that has a permanent place on my bookshelf.

It’s summer and it’s time for barbecue! The Weber Portable Gas Grill is exactly what you need to bring real barbecue flavor to your favorite meats, poultry, fish, and even vegetables. Foods grilled over a flame taste great and really add to your summer outdoor festivities.

If you love to grill, but want something that is compact and portable, the Weber Portable Gas Grillis perfect for the back yard, patio, or for taking to the beach or park. Forget about charcoal, go for gas and grill juicy burgers on a small, but powerful grill that cooks quickly and evenly. Your family get-togethers and afternoons spent at the park will be even more fun with the taste of delicious barbecued foods!

Weber is the name in grills, and even though the portable Q 100 gass grill is small, it’s mighty. Powered by propane, the 8,500 BTU burner, made from tubular stainless steel, does a great job of evenly heating a sizable cooking area of 189 square inches. It’s the ultimate in portable grills with lid-open dimensions of 16” by 27” by 23 and one half inches.

If you’re looking for something sturdy and durable, no worries! This grill is sturdy. The body and lid are made from strong cast aluminum, and the frame is glass-reinforced nylon.

Ignition is easy with a push of a button, and regulating heat is a snap with an adjustable burner valve. Your grilling experience will be perfect thanks to the porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, and drip ducts that channel meat drippings away, reducing flame-ups.

Use a 14.1 or 16.4-ounce propane tank to get the party started, and check out the recipe book that comes with the Weber Portable Gas Grill for some great barbecue ideas that your family and guests will rave about for days afterward. And don’t forget about the five-year limited warranty, which truly shows that Weber is confident that you’ll be using and loving your Q 100 gas grill for a very long time.

The days are getting longer. People are spending more and more time outdoors each day. Camping trips and days at the beach beckon. Don’t miss out on the fun and convenience of this small, portable, and very capable gas grill!

Pick up the Weber Portable Gas Grill today and make plans to invite your favorite friends over for a cookout this weekend. In fact, why not plan to make regular weekend cookouts at your home a summer tradition?  Dust off the picnic table and dig out your best potato salad recipe.

Tasty burgers, steaks, chops, fish and grilled veggies are the order of the day when you get out your Weber Q 100 gas grill and get cooking! It’s summertime and time for grilling on your Weber Portable Gas Grill.

Spring, summer and fall are perfect seasons to enjoy the outdoors – not only during the day, but into the evening as well. If you love to entertain outdoors or relax outside in the evening, watching as the stars come out one by one, you’ll love the idea of adding a fire pit to your deck or yard for elegance, atmosphere and a warm and cozy spot to tell stories and share memories by.

The days of building archaic stone pits where you make a small fire in the back yard are gone. If you desire a bit more sophistication for your evenings, the CobraCo Round Fire Bowl will add beauty and style to any setting.

Most people these days love the idea of being able to use their patio, deck and backyard as outdoor extensions of their homes, and a fire pit is one feature that makes evening entertaining so much fun.

Imagine lighting a crackling fire in an elegant copper-finish and cast iron footed bowl. Think about how appealing that would look like from the inside of your home, and how your guests would be drawn out to see it and enjoy themselves by it.

The 29.9-inch diameter of the CobraCo Round Fire Bowl allows for a fire large enough to cast a bit of warmth, dissipate darkness, and create an atmosphere of comfort and friendliness. There’s a mesh screen that can be used over the bowl, and a vinyl cover to protect it when not in use.

Because of its size, this elegant fire pit is easy to take along to the cottage, camping and on vacation. And it’s simple to clean, too. Think of all of the ways you can use a fire pit this year.

In the spring and fall, it can add some warmth and light to cooler nights, making it possible to get the most outdoor enjoyment from your yard or deck as possible. In the summer, it becomes the centerpiece for a fun evening of toasting marshmallows or just mellowing out.

The bowl shape of your fire pit allows heat to dissipate in all directions. This means that in the heat of the summer, it won’t be as searing hot as a campfire, and in the cooler seasons, it will still shed some comforting heat if the evening temperatures drop.

A fire pit looks great, too – even when not in use. The pleasing curve of a round bowl fire pit is attractive in any setting. And bowl fire pits are not messy because they enclose all the ash in one easy to clean area. The copper finish of the CobraCo Round Fire Bowl is subtly sophisticated and compliments wood, stone and brick.

If you’re looking for a way to add a special touch of elegance and style to your outdoor living space, a fire pit is the way to go. For beauty and a way to extend outdoor entertaining into the evening, fire pits are perfect.

Spell it out loud and proud with this festive hanging “Happy Birthday” banner. Pom-pom embellishments add an extra touch of pep, and the sturdy felt and satin material ensures that it can be reused for many parties to come!

Why do I love this? It can be used year after year! No more being wasteful and purchasing a Birthday Banner, using it for a few hours and then throwing it away. This one can be used over and over again. When you are done with it, pass it on to a friend!

You can purchase the Felt Happy Birthday banner at Giggle.

Most likely, since summer is around the corner, families will be planning those backyard bar-b-ques and parties. One essential party must-have is music! I had the chance to review the WOWee One Power Bass Portable Speaker.

Our daughter had her 6th grade continuation yesterday, which meant a party afterwards! We had ice cream sundaes, set up a slip-n-slide and hooked up the WOWee One Power Bass Portable Speaker to the iPod Touch. The sound on this speaker is absolutely amazing and crystal clear. No more lugging a big stereo outside and around the house.

I have to admit, when I first saw it and opened the package, I had my doubts about it. It was so…tiny, but boy does it pack a punch! At $79, this is a great investment. The uses for it are endless – parties, every day home use, camping, vacations – and on and on.

Here are a few more details from their official press release:

The WOWee One, the most innovative, pocket-sized, rechargeable speaker for mobile devices, iPods, laptops, iPhones, netbooks, iPads and personal game systems, is now available in North America. The self-contained $79 device lasts up to 20 hours before recharging and delivers room-filling sound by deploying patented technology that turns whatever the WOWee ONE sits on into a dynamic subwoofer.

The WOWee One unleashes your music by allowing you to pump out tunes or other audio without it sounding thin or faint. A wall, window, desk, table, cooler or cardboard box…even the floor joins the party with a WOWee One on it.

The WOWee One uses a unique dual-speaker solution in a single unit that houses an internal rechargeable battery to deliver thumping lows and clear highs. A top-firing speaker provides high-range fidelity for crisp sound reproduction. A down-firing speaker uses patented Gel AudioTM technology to project low-frequency sound waves that turn adjoining objects or surfaces into an on-the-fly subwoofer. For $79 the WOWee One delivers more dynamic sound right out of the pocket than products costing and weighing more than three times as much.

The WOWee One boasts a dynamic response range of 40Hz – 20KHz and reaches 90 decibels yet weighs only 7 ounces. The unit measures just 4.7″ by 2.4″ by 1″, ideal for a pocket, handbag, backpack, or glove compartment, so it’s always handy.

The WOWee One connects to the audio/headphone jack of any mobile device and comes with a standard 3.5mm audio cable. The unit also features a mini-USB port for charging or powering the WOWee One when connected to a standard powered USB port. A self-adhering and easily removable bracket that mounts the WOWee One to walls or windows is also available.

They say it holds a charge for about 20 hours and that is very accurate. We’ve been using it since receiving it about a week ago and it finally gave out at the party yesterday. All the kids were asking, ‘What is THAT? It’s awesome!’

If you want a speaker that is going to give you quality sound, incredible bass and is little enough to take anywhere, I would highly recommend the WOWee One Power Bass Portable Speaker! Check out more about this product at their official website.

Disclaimer: Review materials provided by WOWee One. We were not compensated and gave an honest review of the product.

It’s a new technology that provides an unprecedented measure of effortless temperature control for any home, office or business. The Activent is a wireless electronically controlled air register that opens or closes automatically to maintain a constant and optimal room temperature.

The patented Activent replaces existing vent/register covers in any home or business, converting them into active components in a zoned heating and cooling system — eliminating the all-too-common problem of an over-heated or over-cooled room.

In a typical home or building of course, a central thermostat tells the heating or cooling system to turn on and off. Hot or cool air is pumped throughout the home until the central thermostat reaches the temperature selected. However, because homes and businesses are composed of large and small rooms each with different windows, ductwork and environments, achieving a desired temperature in one room may cause another room to be over-heated or over-cooled. The Activent “zones” a home or business by automatically gauging the temperature of that room and wirelessly closing the vent when that temperature is reached, allowing the desired temperature in a room to be easily set and achieved. The Activent can be used as a retrofit in any home or business, as part of a remodel or in any new construction. It can be easily installed in just 5 minutes as a DIY project for a homeowner, or a new construction project by a professional.

How Does Activent Work?
After installing the Activent as the new register, users simply set the desired room temperature using the wireless Remote Temperature Controller (RTC). The RTC communicates with the Activent louver system to maintain the set temperature. The RTC can also be used to manually open and close the Activent louver system. This wireless thermostat can be placed anywhere within the room signaling the vent to close when that temperature is reached or to open when additional heating and cooling is needed. Battery life with alkaline batteries is approximately one year.

Saving Energy & Money:
Switching the RTC to the heater mode in winter or the AC mode in summer creates a comfortable environment while saving money. The Activent redistributes hot or cold air to other rooms allowing the home to reach its set temperature in a more efficient manner. Depending on how many Activents are installed in a house or office, the energy savings can be as much as 40%. With the vent automatically closed at the desired temperature, the heating or cooling that would have been wasted in one room is automatically redirected to the remaining rooms. Each Activent will pay for itself in a little over a year.

The Activent sells for $74.99 and is available for vents sized 4”x10”; 4”x12”; 4”x14” and 6”x10”.

For more information or purchase instructions go to: http://theactivent.com

If you live in a rental home or you have a serious dislike to painting, wall decals are amazing! You can transform a room into one amazing design with a few decals. Also, if you have a tween or teen who tend to change their taste in room decor every year, don’t paint – use wall decals!

flair4all has some amazing designs that would turn any room into a space with that Wow factor. flair4all decals proprietary adhesive, SmartRelease allows you to stick them on easily–and then move them wherever you’d like! And for $20…what a steal!

Here are some of their bestsellers.

Poppy Pow flower graphics make any space stunning. Huge poppy stickers, budding flowers and graceful stems feature amazing color and design. Group them together in a gorgeous arrangement or place them as accents around your room. They’re rearrangeable, so you can make an impact again and again.

More below…

Delicately styled flower stickers and bird graphics silhouettes adorn the branches of Bird Blossoms. Explore creating one graceful arrangement with these reusable bird and blossom wall decals or split them up to add fresh color throughout your space.

Rings of bold, contrasting colors in all different sizes bring tons of energy to BullsEye graphics. Arrange them in geometric patterns or spread out randomly like polka dots. Because these wall circle stickers won’t leave a mark, just peel, stick, unstick and restick until you hit your mark.

Pretty details and playful patterns bring Dreamy Butterfly wall stickers to life. Spread them out to add style throughout your space, or group them together like they’re taking flight. It’s also fun to mix them with other designs from our reusable butterfly graphics collection.

Check out all of their amazing designs here.