Pitch-perfect platters
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Clockwise from top left: $355 from Caspari (100 W. Main St., 817-7880); $133 from Creme de la Creme (North Wing, Barrack Road Shopping Center, 296-7018); $150 from The Happy Cook (Barracks Road Shopping Center, 977-2665); $51.95 from Seasonal Cook (416 W. Main St., 295-9355) |
Just as you yourself are more appealing when not clad in a bathrobe, even Ritz crackers and American cheese seem more appetizing when served on a decent-looking platter. Just in time for holiday hosting, here are our favorites from local stores.
Light on cue
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Got a dark hallway or closet that you’d like to illuminate, but not if it involves messing around with wiring? The wireless motion-sensing light from SE might be your solution. It’s a $15, 3-inch-square device that you can mount in any dark place (or carry around with you instead of a flashlight); it runs on AA batteries and casts a bright half-circle of LED light to make it easier to find your way.
In online reviews, customers have raved about how accurately the motion sensor, well, senses motion—it’s looking for both movement and heat, which means fewer false activations, and it shuts off 30 seconds after you’ve left the scene. Folks also like the 180-degree illumination, which is a wider area of light than a flashlight or headlamp can offer if you’re trolling your basement or investigating a suspicious nighttime noise.
Put ’em in cabinets, on porches, or in the garage. They’re available on amazon.com, and easy to mount, too!—Erika Howsare
Year in bloom
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Sharp design and colors that leap off the wall make this calendar, $35 at Rock Paper Scissors, worthy of 12-month display, all year long. A grid layout, in a hallway or above a couch, lets the seasons shine.
Cabin fever
Tucked snugly into the Nelson County woods, this house seems to invite passersby right up onto its porch. And from there, it’d be natural to slip inside, enjoy a hot cup of tea, and maybe play a game of checkers or something equally old-fashioned. In a throwback like this one, it’s the simple pleasures that come to the fore.
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