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house and garden Products we recommend
Not All Who Wander Are Lost - Unisex Cuff Bracelet


A timeless take on a classic JRR Tolkien poem is forever captured in rustic sterling silver, serving as shining inspiration. Three ample crossbands of silver snugly clasp the leather cuff, providing a perfect contrast to the chocolate-brown. Available in Women's 7.5-inch and Men's 8.5-inch sizes. Handcrafted in the USA.


Price: 159.99



Serpentine Dangle Earrings


Faceted serpentine stone drops are accented with an amazonite bead. Measures 1.5-inch in length with solid sterling silver lever-back findings. Handcrafted in New York.


Price: 19.99



Toscana Cast-Stone Garden Plaque


Inspired by the love of Mediterrean gardens and classical European imagery, 'Toscana is an original sculptural work individually reproduced by the artist in cast stone. A patina finish adds a rich luster and aged look to the plaque and emphasizes the depth of the relief. Individually cast, sealed and finished in California; ready to hang.


Price: 42.99



Dog Leash Holder "Let Dog Out, Let Dog In"


Individually handcrafted and hand-painted in the USA, this handy leash holder presents the clever phrasing "Today's Job: Let Dog Out, Let Dog In, Let Dog Out, Let Dog In...". Perfectly sized to easily hang in a convenient location, the leash holder includes 2 yellow peg hooks to hold leashes, bags, etc. and a raised adornment of a lighthearted dog. Dog decoration is available in 3 versions: "Waldo", "Fido" and "Charlie"!


Price: 34.99



Inspiring Words Sterling Silver Tag Necklace


Three sterling silver tags are hand-stamped with the inspirational words Strength Peace and Beauty, expressing a positive reminder of life's virtuous qualities. The slender tags each measure 1" in length and are stylishly gathered with a dangling citrine accent upon a 16.5" sterling silver chain. Handcrafted in the USA.


Price: 92.99



house and garden and More
Holmes HM4600-U Cool Mist 11 Gallon Humidifier

Holmes HM4600-U Cool Mist 11-Gallon Humidifier

Manufacturer: Holmes
Model #: HM4600-U
Condition: Brand New In Retail Box
List Price: $139.99

Holmes offers all types of humidifiers to suit different preferences. Whether you choose Warm Mist or Cool Mist is a matter of taste. Both effectively raise the humidity level and will make your home more comfortable.

Features:

• Holmes Whole House Console Humidifier
• Perfect For The Whole House Humidification
• Runs Up To 24 Hours Per Tank Filling
• 11 Gallon Console Humidifier With Accuset
• Ionizer Freshens & Cleans Air As It Humidifies
• Arm And Hammer Odor Removal
• CarbonX Filter Technology Helps Reduce Household Odors
• Harmony Quiet Fan Blade Technology
• On/Off Timer
• Microban antimicrobial protection
• Uses 6 #HWF100-UC2 replacement filters

Price: 64.99



8 Duracell 123 Ultra Lithium Camera Batteries

8 Duracell 123 Ultra Photo Lithium

Digital Camera Batteries

Manufacturer: Duracell
Model #: 123
Condition: Brand New
List Price: $119.92

Snap away without worry. More and more people trust Duracell Photo Batteries to give them the power they need to get those perfect pictures.

DURACELL ULTRA Photo Lithium, now with M3 Technology, is the most powerful Duracell lithium battery ever. Available in 123, 223, 245 and CR2 sizes, Duracell Ultra Photo Lithium Batteries offer a powerful solution for your APS, 35mm SLR, 35mm point & shoot, and digital camera needs. They also have an excellent shelf life - so you can be sure you'll always get that great shot. For more photos and faster flashes, choose Duracell Ultra Photo Lithium Batteries.

Features:

• Power: Lithium Technology - enough to power the next generation pf digital cameras, which demand power-packed portable solutions
• Convenience: The Cr-V3 offers the functionality of 2 AA sized batteries in one! Also, there is no wasted time in recharging.
• Loyalty: DURACELL has a high level of purchase among users of SLR, Point-and-Shoot, and DIGITAL cameras.
• M3 Technology = Most Powerful Duracell Battery
• Replaces Duracell DL123, DL123A; Panasonic CR123A, CR123, Eveready EL123AP, CR123
• There are a total of 8 Batteries: (Batteries are BRAND NEW in 1-Packs)

Price: 24.99



house and garden For Your Reading Pleasure
Use Of Bird Baths In The Garden

Why Install a Bird Bath?

Many people enjoy the sight and sound of birds in the garden - the color, movement, and song they provide adds life to a garden and can be very restful, evoking a peaceful, rural atmosphere.

One of the best ways to attract birds to a garden is by adding a bird bath to your garden. Bird baths do not take up much room, and can be fairly cheaply bought, and very cheaply and simply made for oneself. Birds always need to drink and wash, and by providing a good bird bath you can often gain a loyal following of birds who will visit your garden throughout the year.

Bird baths bring a whole host of benefits to a garden - not only do they provide a vital amenity for the birds, but they help your garden, encouraging visiting birds to interact with and extend the miniature ecosystem of your garden by feeding and washing themselves - they may also feed from your soil and plants, helping to keep a natural balance of worms and insects.

What's A Good Bird Bath?

Designing and installing a good bird bath need not be complicated, but there are a few things you need to get right:

1. It shouldn't be too deep - a maximum of two inches in the middle, shelving up to the rim, is ideal. Birds will be tempted to bathe in deep water, and can easily end up getting waterlogged and drowning. This can be avoided by keeping the water fairly shallow.

2. Choose a material with rough surface - concrete or some kind of stone is ideal to prevent birds from loosing their footing in the water, and to enable them to get a firm grip on the edge of the bath when they are drinking from it.

3. Locate the bird bath in a safe area - when washing, birds become more vulnerable and can be targeted by larger birds of prey, such as hawks, and domestic cats. If possible, locate the bird bath near to bushes that the birds can use for cover, but make sure the bushes aren't suitable for lurking cats! You can do this by leaving some thorny cuttings (from a rose bush, for example) around the base of the bush.

4. Hygiene is important. Bird baths are filled with standing water which will gradually accumulate feathers, bird droppings and dead leaves. If the water is left standing for too long, algae will also begin to grow in the bird bath.

Change the water regularly, and give the inside of the bird bath a scrub with an outdoor brush or similar occasionally, to remove any traces of algae.

5. Birds are cautious animals - they will ignore your bird bath when it is new, but after they see it has been established for a few days will gradually start to use it. Make sure you choose its location carefully, and then leave it to get established for a while, just changing the water regularly.

Bird Bath Designs

You might have noticed that in the previous section we didn't look at how far off the ground the bird bath should be. In principle, it doesn't matter that much, within reason. To see bird bath designs, visit http://www.garden-fountains.com.

Bird baths can have several different basic configurations, some at ground level, and some raised or suspended above the ground. What configuration you choose is mostly down to your preferences - most birds will use your bird bath regardless.

Pedestal Bird Bath

Perhaps the most common and well-recognized configuration for a bird bath is that of a stone bowl on top of an ornamental pedestal. Such a bird bath will typically be one to two feet off the ground, and anything from six inches to two feet in diameter.

Designs like this are popular in many styles of garden, and are useful for adding a touch of style and formality to your garden, especially if you by a good quality, carved stone bird bath.

Suspended Bird Bath

If you are short on ground space, or have a trellis or overhanging eves, you might want to consider a suspended bird bath. These might typically be composed of a large, shallow ceramic bowl, with three or four sets of holes around its rim, into which chains fasten to be suspended from a single point above.

This is very similar to the design of some hanging baskets, and bird baths like this can be used in many of the same scenarios - in a small container garden, or on a large patio, for example.

Ground Level Bird Bath

Of course, there is no real need for a bird bath to be above ground level at all. Natural ponds and puddles aren't suspended in the air, after all!

A very simple and effective bird bath can be made simply by creating a shallow hole in the ground, and placing an upturned dustbin lid into it, before filling it with water. Equally, liquid concrete could be poured into a hole of the desired shape to create a bird bath that could be left in situ or moved elsewhere in the garden.

Luxury Touches

Any of the bird baths described above should prove very successful if kept clean and well-located, but you can always go further if you would like to. Heated bird baths, whether solar or mains-powered, can keep the water free of ice for birds in the winter, and some experts believe that the sight and sound of a constant trickle of fresh water into a bird bath helps to make it much easier for birds to find.

Whatever you choose, you garden should become one of the most popular places in the neighborhood for your local birds, and provide them with a valuable community facility!

About the Author:

To see a collection of great looking and functional bird baths visit the Bird Bath Collection at Garden-Fountains.com.

house and garden in the news
Injured man rescued from Boonton Twp. house fire - Dailyrecord.com

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:18:39 GMT

Injured man rescued from Boonton Twp. house fire Dailyrecord.com, NJ - 18 minutes ago Salcedo, who continued to have difficulty speaking, told police he put food on the stove to heat up before going outside to garden in the backyard, ...

Spinach and Red Pepper Salad; Weekly Menu Planning; Packing, Help!!!!

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:04:22 -0700
Mon mari's been packing.... The kitchen. Need I say more? If you insist. It goes something like this: Him: Tell me what I can pack in this cupboard. Me (after rearranging): You can pack everything on these two shelves but leave everything on the bottom; I still need to use that stuff. 2 hours later... Me (upon opening said cupboard and finding it bare): WTF!!! What did you do?  You packed the stuff I need!  How am I going to make (Insert any type of edible food here)? Him: Oh, you'll think of s

Family, firefighters escape dangerous blaze

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:12:25 GMT
A screaming grandmother ran out of her burning home yesterday with the 23-month-old granddaughter she was babysitting, then she hurried next-door to alert a blind neighbor to flee her home as well.