PLAYGROUND COTTAGES HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

Free Standing GrillsPosted by admin on February 23rd, 2010

I am sure when you have a patio or deck in your backyard, chances are you also have a BBQ grill – it is a staple when entertaining guests at home outdoors. It makes your life easier as well because cooking food at BBQ grills is so easy that you have time to mingle with your guests. And anybody can take over to watch the food grilling too!

If you are serious about grilling, ask ask around and you will get the same answer which brand is considered to be the best there is – lynx grills. I know not all could afford it though so I made some research on other recommended grills. I specifically looked for free standing ones because I love the portability it can give – plus the cook for the day wont need to be so far away when entertaining.

The free standing fire magic grills lets you have a party anywhere in your backyard. You have a virtual bistro/grilling station in your shady deck or sunny pool patio!

If you want the free standing grill, you can get the E790s Freestanding Echelon Fire Magic Grill with Rotisserie.It has a rotisserie on its back burners, a wood chip smoker drawer, advanced meat temperature probe and two 110V electrical outlets!

You can have the choice of installing a power hood, infrared burners, use natural gas or propane, a flush mounted single side burner or double side burner, a solar grill and a magic view window. What is great about Fire Magic outdoor grills is that they have advanced heat zone separators that discreetly divide BBQ grills into areas of greater or lesser heat – imagine all the food you can cook in its entire 792 square inches! If you are selective with grills because of the taste it gives (some people prefer charcoal grills because it produces more flavored good than gas or electric ones), fire magic grills have echelon patio grills that have wood chip smoker drawers with dedicated burners, to satisfy friends and family with homemade smoked delicacies.

In Search for the Best SofaPosted by admin on February 23rd, 2010

Our couch at home is a hand me down from my mother who had it made for our very first home. In fact, it is the same age as me, 29 years young! I love it, but my connection to it is only on the emotional and sentimental levels. I know we need a better and more functional sofa soon. I just do not know what to do with my “heirloom” – I would not be able to get rid of it I am sure.

It doesn’t stop me from looking at sofas online though. I want something comfortable enough but would stand on its form in the many years to come. I do not want something bulky as we have a small house. I am saying no to leather seats as we live in the tropics so I do not want sweat marks all over my sofa. Besides, it will be too hot to sit in.

A fabric cover would be better, but I want one which is loose so it can laundered and replaced with alternate covers. With two growing kids I know there will be crayon marks, food spills and accidents all the time. With changing covers, I can change the look of our living room too.

This Charlotte 3 seater sofa from SofaSofa is what I actually have in mind:

You can change the sofa pillow covers too in prints so it will be more lively. It comes in the available colors: Natural, Sand, Coffee, Burgundy, Blue , Ivory, Russet, Chocolate

Here is another example on how you can play with prints:

Pair them with a nice couch, coffee tables and lamp and you have a very nice and cozy living room!

I Love These Rooms!Posted by admin on February 18th, 2010

If I had rooms as lovely and as orderly as these I would have needed less wrinkle lotion on my face.

1) I love the color and the shelves/storage system. The green paint is soothing and the little tea service is perfect for my girl. The bay windows and couch is something I love in my own room.

2)I love the blues and browns – the design of the room itself is appealing. Id love this to be our master’s bedroom.

3) This would be perfect for my little boy. He loves to read!

4) Perfect for my little girl!

IKEA Model RoomsPosted by admin on February 18th, 2010

Who isn’t in love with IKEA? I love to browse their catalogues whenever they have a new one out. It helps to indulge myself in their ideas – their rooms are pretty yet functional, stylish but modern and seem to be low-maintenance. Not that much can be said about acne vitamins (you need to consistent in taking them and they can be such a pain if you develop allergies to it!)

Here are model rooms that will make you drool!

Pretty and white, but still lived in
I love how this room shows that you don’t need to always use pretty decorative boxes. Clear plastic containers are no fail, and even I use utility shelves in my office. For a busy lifestyle and tight deadlines nothing beats it. And this image shows that it can look nice as well.
Oh how I would love to have a daybed in my office…I’m just afraid that I would use it as a "sleep all day" bed

Amazing storage and workspace!


Isn’t this bedroom glamorous?


All images via Ikea

Daphne LinensPosted by admin on February 18th, 2010

While Daphne Osena is known as a journalist/urbanista who has great skin as she is an endorser of Olay (a brand of day creams and moisturizers), she has recently branched out with her own line of linens called — surprise! — Daphne Linens!

It is one of my goals to own one of her lines, the duvets are luxurious and would rival the 300 ct of other linens abroad.Plus her designs are just classic.

Here are the lines I like:

The Classic Line: Great Lake
Women who prefer the absence of color in their wardrobe will rest easy on Great Lake. It has a quiet sort of elegance whose embroidery of dots gives it a dose of whimsy.

Vibrant Chic Collection: St. Tropez
Posh is the name of the game and those who live and breathe it have an understated form of luxury about them. Waves of blue rope cut across the sheets calling to mind those ladies who yacht.

More Ways to Lose WeightPosted by admin on February 18th, 2010

Maybe moving houses can count as a way to lose weight, all those packing, lifting, moving and unpacking combined with a lot of stress can really help you lose a lot of poundage. Only I have not been the type who can lose weight when stressed – I pack more pounds. I read about jenny craig reviews and was curious about it too. I need to really cut back on refined sugars and carbs!

Eco-RoofsPosted by admin on February 18th, 2010

Have you seen the garden in the roof of Reese Witherspoon’s San Francisco apartment in the movie Just Like Heaven? That is the trend nowadays of modern houses, they encourage the building of ecoroofs.

The environment is in shambles and everyone is scared and stressed about it (probably the reason why most people need deep wrinkle treatment as early as late twenties!), and the ecoroof is one of the little ways to help out. Plus your house won’t be as hot during the summer – a totally win-win situation!

An ecoroof is a vegetated roof system used in place of a conventional roof. Ecoroofs are comprised of several layers that include a root barrier, waterproof membrane, drainage, soil system, and plants. Similar to landscaping your yard, the viability of any ecoroof is dependent on many variables such as climate, exposure, soil and plant type, and initial maintenance. With those variables in mind, there are many design opportunities to transform a conventional roof into a beautiful, functional and beneficial space.

In Search Of..Posted by admin on February 18th, 2010

I am in search of diets that work! Really! So far people have been suggesting the South Beach Diet, the After Six diet and the Liquid-Detox Diet. Which one really works? I personally think it should be a combination of both. At my stage, it will be bad for my metabolism to starve my body (not eat anything). It should be about portion control, calorie count and physical activity – I need to start small and up my metabolism from there. Wish me luck!

Diabetes.Posted by admin on February 18th, 2010

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know sometime soon I will also have diabetes. I am predisposed to the disease as my paternal grandmother and father have it, I’m a high birth weight baby and I am clinically obese now. My dad is a doctor who is still in denial that he has it and would often just tell us what he has is chemical imbalance He doesn’t need insulin YET but I hope it won’t progress to needing it. Right now, we are careful with his extremities as he doesn’t need to have it punctured as wounds of diabetic take a long time to heal. He uses diabetic socks too.

Would I want to be like that in ten years? Definitely not. That’s why I should act now.

Dining in ParisPosted by admin on February 18th, 2010

French dining has long been considered to be one of the most elegant, cultured and palatable experiences among cuisines. French people have been known to dine with wine all the time, even in broad daylight, so I can just assume how rich and heady their dishes are. I always wanted to experience dining in Paris or London or any place in Europe. I am always reading up on reviews about the latest restaurant paris in the market. You can always see and read about it at Restalo.com. It is the largest guide of restaurants in Spain and now they also have a listing of restaurants in Paris and London.

Based on the feedback, I would like to try the following restaurants: L’Escargot Restaurant, The Atrium Restaurant and The Belvedere Restaurant.

The L’Escargot Restaurant is in the heart of the famous Soho (Greek St), one of London’s most fashionable and well-established eateries. I am very intrigued by their desserts entrees:
- Bramley Apple Crumble Souffle, Vanilla Milkshake
- Bitter Chocolate & Coffee Mousse, Orange Crème Fraiche Sorbet & Chocolate Lace Crisp
- Sticky Toffee Sponge, Caramel Ice Cream, Malt Custard & Vanilla Caramel
- Pink Grapefruit Tart, Hazelnut Powder & Muscovado Ice Cream

The Atrium restaurants boasts of International Cuisine and is only a short walk away from Westminster Pier.