WILD WEDNESDAY

Something exciting is headed your way faithful Allsop Home & Garden followers.  Starting this Wednesday, we are launching our WILD WEDNESDAY super mystery sale extravaganza.  Who doesn’t love #1 a mystery, and #2 a sale!  Combine them both and you get WILD WEDNESDAYS!  Each week on Wednesday, (hence the name WILD WEDNESDAY) head over to our website and search our products for our WILD WEDNESDAY logo.

This bad boy designates our WILD WEDNESDAY mystery item and means…wait for it…its on sale!  Special mystery sale items will be on sale for only one day, sale ends 5:00pm MST, and are availbe while supplies last!

Now I know you are not going to want to miss our special sale items each week so why not sign up for our email mailing list.  Each week you will get a direct link to the sale item.  Get WILD!!

Daily Grommet!

I don’t know if you know this, but there are a lot of amazing websites out there on the world wide web.  We are talking a plethora!  A revolutionary observation I know it.  But as a growing company, it can be tedious finding just the right site that fits our brand, lifestyle, world view.  That’s why it is incredibly exciting to announce we will be featured on Daily Grommet.

What’s Daily Grommet you say???  Well, according to their fab website:

Daily Grommet is the birthplace of Citizen Commerce.

We believe every purchase amplifies something in the world, good, bad or indifferent. At Daily Grommet we’re creating a place for people who want their purchases to have meaning — to support what matters most to them: whether it’s technical innovation, green or social enterprises, the creation of jobs, domestic manufacturing, or the preservation of craft.

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?  So the scoop is, each day they launch an “inventive” product.  Allsop Home & Garden will get the chance to shine this Friday starting at noon Eastern Time.  That’s this Friday 6/24/11 at noon.  Mark it on your calendars, set a reminder, get excited.  And! Get this, for a four hour period on Friday you will get the chance to “live-chat” with our amazing President, Jamey Allsop.  Now that is exciting!  Our amazing products will be featured/spotlighted this Friday through Monday.  But not to worry, in case you miss it, you will be able to find our products on their site long after.  

So check it out and let us know what you think!

Golf Clubs, Electronics, Ties, Oh My

I once picked out a larger than life pink paisley teal tie for my dad for Father’s Day.  This fine specimen of the early 90′s was bright, bold, and exactly what I thought my dad needed for his business trips.  Each trip thereafter he managed to pack this beaut in his tie case.  To this day, I vividly remember noticing it tucked in between the other more subdued ties and thinking, wow Dad totally loved that tie, he takes it on every trip, rad.  Looking back, I’m doubtful he actually ever wore it (dear lord, I hope not), but he made sure that I always saw it packed in his suitcase.  The memory is such a sweet one - it’s amazing what we carry with us from our childhood.  It’s a good reminder to be kind to your kids, they remember EVERYTHING!

It’s hard to buy for Dads for Father’s Day – at least I have always thought so.  Mine always seems to have everything he needs and thinking of something unique, unusual, useful seems daunting.  Queue the WheelEasy - yes, this is totally the part where I write a shameless plug for our products – but here is the deal, the thing is awesome, your dad will love it.  Just this weekend I watched my dad struggle with a huge standard wheelbarrow.  The thing looked so cumbersome and back-breaking, all I could think about was how easy our WheelEasy is to maneuver.  Father’s day is June 19th.  So this year, forgo the ties, the electronics, the golf clubs – go straight for the WheelEasy.  The unique canvas barrow comes in two different sizes and I can pretty much guarantee that your dad won’t need to pretend to like it!  Need more info – check it here.  

Oh Say Can You See…

My grandpa is 91.  He and my grandma still live in the same house that my mama grew up in and he’s sharp as a tack.  He’s also a hero - a real life one.  He is one of very few Pearl Harbor Survivors left to tell their tale.  He doesn’t speak about it often, but the stories I have heard are tragic, heroic, and real.  It was on a recent trip to visit them that a light went off in my head (I’m sure it was a solar-powered led light ). 

Memorial Day is this weekend.  This means…the unofficial start to summer, the ok to wear white shoes, a day off from work, oh and not to mention…the commemoration of all those US soldiers who have died protecting our freedom.   You see, I almost forgot.  I’ll admit it, I was seriously caught up in the weekend get-togethers/BBQ’s/time off/all that Memorial Day weekend entails.  And then I had my light bulb moment.  

On my recent trip to visit my grands, my grandpa gave my mom a flag flown aboard the USS Arizona.  It flew over the actual ship while it was in commission, not the memorial, the actual ship, before it sunk with many men trapped inside during the attack on Pearl Harbor.  This beautiful piece of art/history/memorial knocked me upside the head.  Ya, Memorial Day Weekend is all about the BBQ’s and start of summer – but for the love, it also holds a lot more meaning.  This year, I’ll be knocking back a cold one in honor of all those who sacrificed for my freedom.

So if perhaps this got you thinking, how can I pep up my Memorial Day BBQ with some patriotic panache?  Well good news, our Soji Original Solar Lanterns  just so happen to come in Red, White, and Blue.  Why not honor those we have lost in style!

Happy Memorial Day from Allsop Home & Garden!

Oh Mama – How I Love Thee

My mama is amazing, beautiful, the incarnation of pure love.  Seriously, I had warm cookies waiting for me after school – I totally lucked out.  Its ok, I know…your mom is amazing too. Oddly enough, I’m pretty sure this is the exact reason there is a full day dedicated to them.  Moms are amazing, let’s be honest, they deserve a day to be celebrated.

I recently became a mom and its tough, tough I tell ya.  Every day I worry about what I may or may not be doing right.  Hopefully, not too much damage is being done and the therapy bills will be light in the years to come.  But what this first year of being a mom has taught me is that every mom does the best they can in every moment with the tools they were given.  

Mother’s Day is May 8th.  So yes, this a gentle reminder, a nudge, to pick up the phone, send a card, or even better send a little gift to brighten her day.  Need a suggestion – I”ll make it easy for you.  Check out our Mother’s Day Gift Guide below. 

 

Earth Day!

Earth Day is next week – Friday, April 22nd to be exact!  Snuck up on ya, didn’t it.  I will admit, I hadn’t given it much thought until I noticed it highlighted on my calendar.  Which made me start to think about what exactly Earth Day entails and how best I can honor our “Mother Earth”.  Here are some fun facts to ponder:

• Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970
• 1billion people are expected to celebrate Earth Day this year – all over the world
• For every tonne of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved
• It takes glass 1million years to decompose in a landfill
• LED lights only utilize about 20% of the power of incandescent bulbs 

It may not hold celebrity status as a holiday, but we here at Allsop Home & Garden think it’s a day worth celebrating.  And how better to celebrate than with solar powered illumination and recycled glass! 

Check out our Recycled Glass Solar Art – hand blown glass, kiln fired with remnants of recycled glass bottles. 

Recycled Glass Solar Art - Available in Ocean and Earth

Why not also take a gander at our other Solar Garden Art – including our Soji Original Lanterns and our new Solar Tea Lantern - all illuminated by the power of the sun. 

And while you’re at it – check us out on Facebook- coupons available for our Facebook friends!

Celebrate Earth Day illuminated!

Garden Gate’s Backyard Retreat Article

Our Aurora Glow solar string lights were included into a small backyard patio re-design article for Garden Gate’s Magazine. The article shows the before image and then details how to improve the space in three different levels: Good, Better and Best. The Aurora Glow solar string lights can be intergrated into any outdoor space due to their flexibility!

Page One of the Article: The Before

The “Good” Re-design

The “Better” Re-Design

The “Best” Re-design

Our way of saying “Thank You” for another great year!

Happy Holidays from the gals at Allsop Home & Garden! Enjoy time with your friends and family this holiday season!

New Products!

We have some AMAZING new products arriving daily for 2011! By Monday the 20th we will be ready to ship them out for any last minute Holiday Gifts!

Recycled Glass Solar Garden Art – Available in Earth Globe or Ocean Finial

Recycled Glass Solar Garden Art

 Soji(tm) Kenzo Solar Lantern Kit – Available in White or Silver

Soji Kenzo Solar Lantern

 

Soji(tm) Illume Solar Lantern – 14″ Round in White

Soji Illume Solar Lantern