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What is a Homeware?

The media seem to like throwing around jargon that either means nothing or a thousand things at once, the key word they’ve cottoned on to at the moment is homeware. We see it in articles relating to the home, and shops have even started using it as a category to put a wide variety of items under. But what does it actually mean?

The dictionary definitions say that homeware is furnishing for the home, this includes furniture and cushions. But is there more to homeware than just furnishings? Furnishings tend to imply those little extras that finish a room, the curtains and knick knacks, but are modern homeware more? Does it include cutlery, plates and other kitchen items? Well the shops seem to think so and most people you talk to seem to agree with them.

So it seems in the modern world homeware has taken on a new definition and expanded its range to, well, everything that may be needed in the home. Be it bedding, curtains, a bin, kitchen equipment or even a bed itself homeware covers it all. There is of course a question where the term homeware stops and appliances begin. For example a blender can easily be considered to be homeware, but what about a fridge or tumble dryer? These are traditionally considered to be appliances, maybe in the case of crossovers it depends upon the size, with smaller items that can be tucked away, being considered as homeware. Or maybe, just maybe, homeware can be considered an overarching category that appliances falls under in its own sub category.

If homeware is now deemed to cover the home and everything in it, it seems the next logical question is how far the term home extends to. Does it cover the garden and gardening equipment? What about the garage and its contents?

It seems that the term homeware is a continuously evolving idea that changes depending on the worlds current needs and demands on it. Given 50 years who knows how homeware will be seen, it might have changed dramatically from the view we have of it now.

Visit Very.co.uk today for all your homeware needs. 

I Really Need to Get a Kitchen Cart for my Appliances.

Since I love to cook, I naturally have a lot of kitchen appliances. I have so many that I don’t have enough cabinet space. I have a lot of cabinets, just not any room. I try not to have a bunch of appliances on the counter except for my pride and joy, my stand mixer. Right now half of my appliances are on a metal bookcase in the laundry room, I really need to get one of those kitchen carts on wheels so I don’t have to make five trips when I need a lot of appliances. I could just wheel it in the kitchen when I need something. However I could see Noah wheeling it all over the house pretending it was a rocket or a train. Actually he is pretty good at not touching what he isn’t supposed to.

My laundry room isn’t too big. The spot that I would put the cart would be the same. Since it would be a tight fit, I would have to look at narrow kitchen carts. It would also have to have plenty of room so I can put everything on it. I would prefer a taller skinnier one then one that is bulky and hard to move and that sticks out really far. My laundry room is set up perfectly and everything has its place. It houses my washer and dryer and furnace and some other items. I have a habit of walking in the laundry room in the dark, so if it was a huge cart I would knock it over or end up hurting myself. Neither of those are a good thing.

I also considered installing some shelves in the laundry room or in the kitchen but I am not a handy person at all. It takes me forever to put Noah’s toys together, I fought with his play tent for about 30 minutes the other day. Like I said before I want something with wheels so I can move it around. I may decide to get a free standing cart to put in my breakfast nook, but then I would have to move Noah’s Easel. I can’t wait to start shopping for a new cart with wheels that I will keep in the laundry room. It’s better than the garage and out of the way at the same time.

Our Kitchen Table

When we were purchasing our kitchen table, we didn’t know that Noah was going to be a part of our family. I am sure you are wondering why something like kitchen tables would matter when it comes to having a child. I really like our kitchen table because it fits our breakfast area really well but, the chairs have wheels on them. Noah loves to roll around like any child would. He occasionally bangs in to the wall going backwards from the table. He also is famous for moving the chairs all around the kitchen and sometimes in to our family room. He is at least very creative and has lined up the chairs in to a train and he wears his conductor’s hat and sunglasses and pretends to drive the train. It is very cute. I am not innocent by any means. I sometimes roll the chair around when I am sitting in it, but I don’t bump in to the walls. It’s also fun to watch Noah come up with new ideas to play and I love spinning him around.

I think if I were to buy a new table I might get one with chairs without wheels. We have laminate flooring so maybe normal chairs wouldn’t be the best idea either. I would be afraid it would scratch the floor. What kind of kitchen table and chairs do you have in your home? I look forward to your responses.

Self Confessed Kitchen Gadget Junkie

I am obsessed with kitchen items, because I love to cook and bake. I have a ton of things in my kitchen that are great helpers in the kitchen. I think it would be cool to have my own cream dispenser. Sure you can buy the store bought aerosol cans of whipped cream but as my grandma would say, Fresh whipped cream is the best. I am not a huge whipped cream fan but many of my family members are. I host a family get together almost every year in my home and we always have dessert and I think that would be the perfect accent to a delicious dessert. The times that my Uncle Gene and Aunt Peggy can come to a get together my aunt Peggy makes the most delicious Lime Mint Dessert. I love it and it is such a treat when she brings it along for me and everyone else. I know she makes it with me in mind. It is also hard to whip cream for one person because it doesn’t stay fresh very long.

I would also like to have a soda siphon. I think it would be fun to make my own fountain type drinks like chocolate soda. I am sure it would bring back memories of youth for some older people. I think it would be a great way to bond with your children and talk about “The Good Old Days”. I can hear the stories now. When I was your age, I had to walk up hill both ways in 10 feet of snow and it was a real treat to go to the local drug store and get a soda from the soda jerk. We also had the treat of picking out a couple pieces of penny candy back when it really was a penny. Of course I am just kidding around about the stories.

What are some cool kitchen items or gadgets you would like? I am always looking for new ideas and suggestions.

Flirty Aprons Coupon Code

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review about Flirty Aprons. I received an email from them today with a special coupon code to share with you all. So, since I could only pick one winner, I thought that many of you would appreciate a special savings for Flirty Aprons. As a special thank you from Flirty Aprons for your support you can use the coupon code 30Coupon to save 30% off your order. Just put it in the coupon code section when you check out.

This coupon will expire Sunday February 28th 2010 at midnight.

The Oreck Steam-It Review and Giveaway!!!- CLOSED

I learned a very important lesson around Halloween 2008. My neighborhood was “Booing” people where you leave treats for your neighbors and then you hang up a sign so everyone gets a turn. I had many different adhesives being a crafter and I got the not so brilliant idea of using a tape runner to hang up the sign. It was one of those permanent ones with the little raised dots. Big mistake, over a year later I had tape runner on my window by the front door. I tried everything I could think of to get it off. Window cleaner, vinegar, spit, all purpose cleaner nothing would do it. You couldn’t pick it off. It was stuck. When they say permanent they mean permanent. Well, not anymore. There is no more tape runner on my window by the front door thanks to the wonderful people at Oreck!

My son decided he wanted to decorate the glass of my entertainment center with stickers the other day. The picture of the sticker came off but not the sticky mess. My Oreck Steam-It took it all away with a wave of my new magic wand. Just think if you have stickers on your car windows that have been there for years, you can kiss them good bye. Oreck came up with what I now call Mommy’s magic wand, it is the Oreck Steam-it. Oreck is a vacuum company that has been around for many years. I am sure you are all familiar with the famous Oreck man from the commercials.

The Steam-It is pure genius it is more than just a steam mop; it more like a steam almost surface in your home machine. I have used my Steam-it to clean the seats of my toilets, fresh steamed toilet seats would make Mr. Monk happy. I have also used it in the tub to get in those hidden places where the gunk seems to hide. It is great on counter tops and cabinets. Of course you can mop your floors with it too. You can use it up high without having to worry about it leaking on you. I am most excited about being able to use it on my mattress which I am sure could need some freshening up.

I am sure you are wondering; what kind of products do you have to buy to put in it? I know when I had a carpet cleaner I hated having to buy the cleaning solution for it because it seemed to get used very quickly and that could get expensive too. I don’t have a carpet cleaner anymore, it broke so, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. The Steam-It only uses water. No nasty chemicals to add or worry about you just fill it up and turn it on. I am all about easy stuff when it comes to doing chores so I can spend my time with my adorable little boy.

The Steam-It comes with attachments too. They were a little hard to get on the wand at first but that is probably because it was new the first time. Make sure you just keep pressing on them. You would want a tight seal though. Something I also wanted to mention is I want to share with you about the funnel. It took me like a half an hour to find it. I thought that I was missing it. It is clear and blends in to the packaging. I have some pretty silly stories about thinking I don’t have parts of things. So, keep looking for the funnel I am sure it will be there.

I really love my Oreck Steam-It it has a million and one uses and I love that everything is steamed and sanitized. As a mom of a three year old I like to be as germ free as possible. Of course this would be great for anyone. I think it makes my home look wonderful and so clean. The unit costs $179.95 and just think about the money you will save on cleaners. It is a great item to own.

You can find the Oreck Steam-It at Oreck stores and online at Oreck’s website.

For more information please visit Oreck’s website

Thank you to Oreck for providing me with a complimentary Oreck Steam-It for me to review and providing one as a giveaway prize.

Yes I have an Oreck Steam-It to give away to one really lucky reader. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

You must do the mandatory entry for the bonus entries to count.

Mandatory Entry: Go to the Oreck Website and tell me something else besides the Oreck Steam- It that you would like to own.

Bonus Entries:

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This giveaway will end on February 13th at 11:59 pm ET

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In my Pantry...

I decided to clean out the pantry today. There was so much stuff in there. It seemed like if one more thing was put in there everything would fall out! I did half of it. There was all kinds of food that I didn't even remember having. I sorted through it all. I threw away all the expired boxes of food. I found some Jell-o that was really old. Jell-o is small so it can get hidden away at the bottom of the basket. I also found 4 yes FOUR boxes of Swiss Miss. They were all open but only missing a couple each. I threw two of the boxes away because they had since expired. I did learn that Swiss Miss has really small expiration dates on them. You have to squint to see it even. It's Summer so I don't see me drinking much Hot Chocolate. I did realize I have a bunch of snacks too. I put them all in a basket. I love sweet stuff and Candy. I had to keep saying to my adorable little helper to stop trying to get in the cookies. Meh I only had to say that a few times. He was very curious about what was in there as was I. I was excited to see that I have 7 tubs of frosting in there as well. I should probably clean out my linen closet and check out if any of my many skincare products have expired as well.

I love cupcakes and cakes and cookies oh and brownies. I really wanna try the Fairytale brownies that everyone is always talking/blogging about. Other than that we have been just hanging out at home. I have been watching Harry Potter all day it seems like. My son seems to be interested in what is going on. I needed a break from Caillou, Thomas, Zooboomafoo, Barney and Blue's Clues. Those are shows that are always on at my house. Yesterday I bought a Panini maker from Macy's for 20 dollars so we are having Cuban Sandwiches for dinner. I love them. I love my kitchen gadgets and goodies.

I love to cook and bake so naturally I would spend lots and lots of time in the kitchen. I have always loved to cook and bake. As soon as I was old enough I was helping my mom and grandma in the kitchen. When I was in Third grade I was making bread from SCRATCH (mixing,kneading the whole shabang) all by my self. I used to make bread on snow days. One Christmas I really wanted an Easy Bake Oven but instead of getting one I got a big box of Jiffy mixes from Santa and was using the real oven. You know what is weird? I love to cook but I have never really had an apron. My grandma always had aprons for me to wear but I never had one. I hope everyone is having a great Saturday.