unexpected guests?

This is a cute little number that doubles as an ottoman by day into evening and when you need an extra bed, it folds open to become a comfy bed!  I have used those inflatable Aerobeds that are famous for being the height of a real bed, though there aren't, and I can never get warm enough to sleep. For some, the Aerobed is a great solution since they prefer cooler temps for sleeping.

It's possible that I might appreciate an Aerobed in the heat of summer...oh wait, it was Las Vegas in September! Nevermind. Even a blanket to sleep on wasn't enough. But THIS little bed would be warm and cozy. It's quite a bit more narrow than a traditional twin bed - 9 inches actually - and only an inch longer than a traditional twin. Still, a good solution to have an extra bed around in a studio apartment, dorm room or even a den. Look!

As a Bed

As an ottoman

Pretty cool!

For my purposes, it would be great to have a couple of ottomans for putting our feet up at the end of the day, and all the while, I'd know I could handle a couple more overnight guests than are supplied with the built in sleep areas within my home.

Once again, you can find it here: www.improvementscatalog.com

I realize I've posted a bunch of items from this company. I assure you all, I am not affiliated in any way. I just received a catalog and realized there would be some great stuff in there for me to mention here. So there you have it. I suppose there will be other posts from this catalog company as I did see a couple other items I'm thinking about, but then, another catalog might arrive with great ideas too.

Do you have some favorite sites/catalogs like Improvements for me to check out? Would love to know about them!

the coolest little table ever!

I found the perfect table for the next trailer we own. When we have that sweet fifth wheel, I shall tell them to keep their dining room table and replace it with this sweet little space saving gem!

It will live against a wall - perhaps beneath a sunny window - when not in use and it will be so perfect! See?

And when it's time to enjoy dinner or something that requires a little more table space, I'll open it up and do this:

And if we have more company, I'll get the 2 extra FOLDING chairs and the two extra leaves out of the "basement" storage and do this!

What style I choose depends entirely upon the interior decor of the fifth wheel. I like them both equally. Pretty neat, huh? This would work really well in a studio apartment too. 

Find it here: www.improvementscatalog.com

What do you think?

green candlelight

WHAT???

Ok, living in a trailer, it's sometimes a bit scary to have open flame around the house, even if it is romantic, pretty or just gives a festive feel to entertaining.  I had to find a solution to that problem but then I saw this and while the disposable ones last a long time, this one just seems more responsible to me.

If you've never tried these, I hope you will. Burning wax isn't the best thing for your health or the environment - where did you think that wax goes???  I wasn't big on artificial candlelight, but I picked up some GE battery powered artificial candles back in 2008 to use to make the rustic ladies restroom at the park into a less rustic and more inviting space for women to check their makeup and it was just another nice touch to add to the specialness of the day. (The purse hooks we hung up are still on the stall walls! More on those hooks in a future post.)  I went up the hill in my gown to use the facilities and I was so impressed with the ambient glow of those little lights. They really do flicker like candlelight. I was impressed and so were so many of the ladies who weren't even attending the wedding festivities - just enjoying a day at the park. I was so happy for them to enjoy it too. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the restrooms. Our photographer was male. :)

These little cuties are rechargeable. Again, a solution best left on the shelf until I have a basement area to set this up and then I can have some charging while using the others. These only last 12 hours, and I'm absolutely certain the GE disposables (though you can replace the batteries) last a lot longer than that. This is simpler than replacing the batteries and can be put out of site. I think it's a good solution!

You can also pick these up at www.improvementscatalog.com

dotz!

I first learned about these on the Radiant Organizing blog - a great blog with useful tips on getting, and staying organized.

DOTZ  are a colorful little clamp on, easy to use, cord organizing solution. Preprinted labels - picture labels, so it doesn't matter what language is spoken, anyone can figure these out - are included with a set.

When you move things around a lot, (disconnect the flatscreen and put it safely on the bed so it won't topple on a hard right turn) it's useful to have a "map" rather than starting all over again: Where does the DVD cable go? what's this one? How come I have an extra cable??? :-D

This is a simple idea but makes so much sense! Check them out! These are also available at Improvements.

managing mail

The husband and I get a lot of mail. Seems it's an unending stream of paper coming in and not so much going out. I have as many things coming to us as "paperless" as I can, yet still, we are indated with wood pulp.

We used to have a multi purpose printer/scanner/fax/copier in the house but after moving a couple times, the husband decided we "didn't need it." I continue to sing the ballad of "Yes we do and here's why!" Yet, here we are, over a year later...and no printer/scanner/fax/copier here. I am one sad panda, I tell you.

Part of the problem is that we need a table for it. This table must serve well. It must be of a certain measurement - I believe something like 24 inches wide by no more than 14 inches deep - yet not much more shallow either - probably closer to 3 feet tall rather than 2, have no bottom shelf but allow access for our doggie to get to her food and water because those bowls will need to keep their home under that table. If I can just find the right table...I will have my printer back!

I want to scan all this paper and turn it into bits and bytes that we can access when we need to. Back it up in "the cloud" and then shred the actual paper for recycling.

We had an issue with mail piling up on the dinette table or on the mini counter in front of the Television so we purchased some wall pockets which hubby installed for us each on the wall on our sides of the bed. These work pretty well to "catch" incoming mail and paperwork. Still, they get to overflowing due to having no where to really store all that stuff.

I want my printer/scanner/fax/copier back please...pronto. But I need to find the perfect table for it. Any ideas? I've tried so many places!