Displaying posts labeled "Sponsored"

A little while ago I received an email from Dyson Canada, about one of their new products. Now first, let me tell you how exciting it is for someone with EIGHT cats to hear from a company as fantastic as Dyson (who in my humble opinion make the best vacuums out there) about trying out one of their new vacuums. A vacuum is like an extension of my arm.  It is what keeps me sane in a house with 8 four legged furry monsters and a husband who does wood working in our basement for a living. I was totally game when one of the first sentences in the email was “newest Dyson cordless technology”. CORDLESS?! OH YESSSS!!!!! Introducing the new Dyson V6 Absolute:

BOOM! I opened the box and pulled out all sorts of attachments that got me so freaking excited….

Everything you could possibly need for all of your vacuuming needs. That may look like alot but all of these bit and pieces are very small and can easily be stored away. It comes with a handy wall-mount so it can be strategically placed within easy access in a closet or wherever is handy.

The V6 Absolute is the only Dyson machine to come with two cleaner heads which means this beast of a machine works on every surface imaginable. The one of the left in the photo above features a direct-drive motor with stiff nylon bristles to better agitate carpet pile and tackle ground-in spills and stains, which keeps your carpets looking fresh. The one on the right is the soft roller cleaner head for hard floors, which tackles big and small debris. It has a full-width roller covered in a soft nylon material and rows of carbon fibre filaments. Large debris are enveloped by the soft material and flung inside the cleaner head, while the antistatic qualities of the carbon fibre filaments gently remove fine dust, without damaging your hard floors. I discovered very early on that this material is SUPER easy to clean. Of course, one of my biggest issues with vacuums is keeping them from getting clogged with cat fur, and with the bristles and fabric they’re a cinch to clean up (as you can see in the photo above – this was after using all of the heads several times). The head on the bottom of the photo is a mini-motorized tool that is perfect for upholstery (YES!) – it remove allergens and microscopic dust from mattresses and furniture. 

Ok, so how about I get started with my new V6 Absolute. I first gave it a shot on some rugs around my house, and within about 5 seconds was totally blown away. 

This is what rugs look like in my house. They typically have a fine film of cat fur spread evenly all over, and with some random large chunks usually from Milo, my fluffball Himalayan. This is you need to give me a half hour advanced notice before showing up at my house. It is embarrassing.

That is Milo on the left and Felix on the right. They absolutely love this rug, and follow me everywhere which explains why they look so intrigued. 

This is me about to get down with my vacuum. And I always clean my house in heels and a short skirt. 😉

There are now 4 cats watching this action right here. 

In my experience, carpet attachments do either one of 2 things. They either have so much suction that it sucks up part of the carpet into the vacuum when doing the edges (like my Dyson canister vacuum I already have) or doesn’t pick up a single thing off the carpet (my existing totally useless cordless vacuum whose brand will remain nameless). This V6 Absolute with motor-head carpet attachment did neither of those. It ROCKS. It cleaned this rug in about 10 seconds flat, and did not involve me having to step strategically on each corner to keep the rug in place. 

Now at this point I told my photo-taking husband to chill out while I vacuumed the rug so I could get some after photos. He never listens to me so he kept snapping photos. This is me having after whipping off the heels and getting my vacuuming on. 

This is a GAME CHANGER folks!!!! Look at my rug!!! I am not being all super positive because I was given this vacuum by the lovely folks at Dyson. I am telling you the honest truth. I have a Dyson already (not cordless) and I have loved it for the 5 years I have owned it. But this cordless V6 Absolute is going to make my life SO MUCH EASIER and my house SO MUCH CLEANER much more often. And it is mostly due to this attachment (that by the way, works alot better than the carpet attachment on my other Dyson) and the hard floor attachment I will feature in an upcoming post.
THANK YOU DYSON!!!

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This post is in collaboration with Dyson Canada. All opinions are my own and are 100% honest.

Pitchi is a new platform based out of Melbourne, Australia that allows folks to buy and sell products using video. It redefines the way consumers create, use and interact with video and is soon to become the premier buying and selling destination for young and innovative Australians.
This method of pitching products online allows the sellers to be more personal and engaging while showing passion for their products.
We wanted people to be able to sell as they would at a local market or if they had their own bricks and mortar store, forming a connection with each customer they encountered. This personal connection allows buyers to form a genuine appreciation for what’s on sale, which then inspires purchase.
Our aim is that each and every pitchi video is a tool for the empowerment of the entrepreneurial spirit. Everyone that makes a pitchi video should be proud of what they have for sale. Everyone that buys from a pitchi video will know the story of where that item came from and can appreciate the true value of what they have bought. I really love this concept.
It is simple yet so effective in this day and age where we are bombarded with advertisements and every product you can think of is readily available from a variety of sources. In this case you know exactly what you’re getting, and the creative person behind the product who put themselves out there to promote it.
I went through Pitchi and found some really entrepreneurs and local designers while watching many videos. It is such an unconventional way to shop – I love it! Plus, some of the videos were a HOOT! (Like this one)

First up – Corn + Celeste berber rugs. They are gorgeous!!!

Next I found the Onada Siesta chair. Because everyone needs the perfect place for a siesta, so why not do it in style.

Furniture as works of art. Definitively the case with this bench by Sawdust Bureau.

One more I had to share – the Freefold popup boxes. Really clever totally customizable storage that looks really cool to boot.

~ This post is in collaboration with the folks of Pitchi ~

After a long hot summer I love the promise of winter. Cozy, toasty, warm. Fresh, invigorating, just a little raw. And I’m loving the new winter range from Freedom. Three unique stories. New Nordic with its cheeky disrespect for dreary, short winter days. It’s pastel, light and fresh. The Bowery is moody and industrial. New and old. The third is Native Terrain, a celebration of Australian flora and raw timber. Freedom‘s new winter range launches today and you can check out the catalogue with styling by Vanessa Coyler Tay here.

I have been searching for the perfect rug to change up my living room with the New Year coming. I had gotten a bit tired of the polished white and modern area rug that had been gracing my floor for the past six years. As a Minnesota resident, I had been struggling to find what I was looking for in terms of a contemporary rug. I wanted a hand knotted rug on a larger scale, as my living space is large. My furniture is inspired by modern Nordic decor and I have white walls. I was hoping for a contemporary rug with cool, blue colors but I was open to different pops of color.

Initially I visited the rug department at Macy’s and Gabbert’s. The stores had some nice pieces but I was not overly impressed with the lack of selection in terms of colorful contemporary rugs, and they did not have the best variety. I had very high and particular expectations of what I wanted and envisioned for my room, but was unable to find exactly what I was looking for. I was recommended by an online forum to check out a Minneapolis luxury hand knotted rugs store called Cyrus Artisan Rugs. I live in Edina, which is a suburb just south of Minneapolis, so it was an easy trip for me to make one Saturday afternoon.

The moment I showed up at Cyrus Rugs, I was both surprised and impressed at the size of the showroom and huge variety within. A lovely woman, Alison, was extremely helpful and provided me with a ton of knowledge regarding different brands and different materials. I explained what I was looking for and she showed me some colorful contemporary rugs in from the Vintage Reserve Collection, including the VC-3 design and the PT-8 design. I really found both rugs to be beautiful, but I ultimately settled on the Cyrus Artisan AK-4 design in the chocolate brown palette.

The rug is hand knotted in India from wool and silk with a stunning floral motif. The orange and gold accents spice up the brown color scheme and add character to the soft rug.

Overall, I am so pleased with my purchase, my new living room look, and I highly recommend Cyrus Artisan Rugs in Minneapolis, MN to my friends all the time. If you are in the market for a high-quality artisan rug, Cyrus Rugs has a truly impressive selection ranging from traditional and contemporary rugs to tribal pieces and transitional carpets.

Here a few of my favorite pieces:

Some other points to note:
– Cyrus Rugs is based out of Minneapolis, MN, but it also has a large online rug store with beautiful, realistic images of its inventory.
– They allow clients to customize a programmed area rug, and give the specialists unique rug specifications to create a representation of your dream design.
– The showroom has a large selection of antique and semi-antique rugs from around the world.

*** This post was written by a guest writer ***

It’s the final piece of jewelry for a room. The last layer that brings a space to life. It’s an expression of who we are and what we love. It’s the art we put on our walls and one of the most common questions I get asked by friends and readers is “Where do I get affordable art for my walls?”

Arte Limited is an Italian gallery that sells exclusive art prints, photographs and contemporary art at an affordable price.

“All our art is created by the artists we represent. Our artists are credited and own the copyright to their own works. On behalf of our artists we sell their works printed in limited editions that we produce in-house.”

So when Arte Limited approached us to review their prints Kim and I jumped at the chance. We loved what we saw on the website. So much so it was difficult to choose which works we wanted. Decisions made, the prints were sent swiftly and safely to our doors. It was love at first sight when I opened the mailing tube. You’ll have to wait to see what we chose. Our art prints are at the framers. I’ll just say that Kim went down the black and white illustration route and I fell for some super colourful photography. I’ll be sure to pop up pictures when they are up on my walls.

This post is in partnership with Arte Limited.