Money|Harvest décor idea
Intense seasonal decorating, for many of us, ended somewhere around New Year’s Day. But a new season is upon us: harvest motifs (corn stalks and pumpkins), paper Halloween ghosts, Thanksgiving turkeys and twinkly lights. For the next six weeks or so, we’ll be extremely pumpkin happy. What to do with them, other than carving them into jack-o’-lanterns or stacking them on the front steps? Take a tall, thin one. Hollow it out and clean it. Pour some water into the gourd and insert a bouquet for a quick (and cheap) atmospheric harvest vase.
Space|How does your garden grow?
Compared with most household amenities – closets, master bathrooms, eat-in kitchens and entertainment centers – the garden is one of the biggest space hogs. And for many of us, this is not a problem. We want more gardens, bigger gardens, gardens in herb, vegetable, flower and Zen. Others, though, don’t have the space. Or interest. They should check out The Aero Garden, an automated, self-watering, self-feeding garden that fits on your kitchen counter. The thing grows a variety of veggies and herbs five times faster than in dirt, using aeroponic technology. It’s available at some area stores, and at theaerogarden.com.
Time|Nuts, chop-chop
Some kitchen gadgets occasionally come across as, well, a touch absurd. Will we one day encounter a banana peeler? A griddle that butters and syrups pancakes? It would not surprise. Other gadgets, of course, rule. Like the new nut chopper from Williams-Sonoma. Put the nuts in the top holder, turn the crank, and the nuts pour into another container – chopped! This must-have sells for $16 at williams-sonoma.com. – Douglas Brown
