Category Archives: Shopping

Orgel IKEA Table Lamps

I was originally going to get the floor lamp version of Orgel, but got the table version instead so that I could put an artificial large floor plant (which IKEA was out of stock when I went to buy the small Orgel) instead. This lamp is going out of stock, so last chance to grab your IKEA Orgel! There were only 3 left on the shelf, minus one now since I bought one for my living room.

Quite easy to set up, though the wire that you’re suppose to place in the shade to hold up the paper shade seems like it could spring open and rip the shade, so you’ll have to be careful with that part, but other than that, it’s pretty easy to assemble. Yes, IKEA= assemble everything, which is why everything is at such affordable prices. I like the dangling switch to turn on/off, but I wish I could adjust the height. It seems like the pole is too high in my situation. However, good buy for $19.99 + tax

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Kitchen Upgrade

The project to renovate and upgrade my kitchen came about from a broken dishwasher which was taken out and converted into a useful cabinet (see process and photos here). I thought, well if we’re going to get people to take the dishwasher away, why not replace the old stove and noisy fridge as well?

First, I went hunting for a new fridge and range. From my research, and looking at different places, I finally decided on buying them from Sears. They were the most knowledgeable, convenient, fair prices and good incentives, such as earning points on my Sears card which I later used to redeem interior decor.

Next was painting the neon green walls in the kitchen. Apparently, the previous owners thought it was a good idea to have these bright blinding green walls. I wanted to keep it simple, so I went with white. It also would match the rest of the suite which was also white.

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After painting the visible area of the wall white, I pulled out the fridge and painted the wall behind it. It was tricky since the fridge would only come out so far until it hit the dishwasher in front. I had to slip through the small opening you see above and painted in behind.

The new Fridge 18.2CF was for $679.99. It was difficult or limited to find a fridge that would fit perfectly into the space I had. Since it was an old fridge that was there previously, it didn’t allow for modern fridges which were much taller. Luckily, I found one. I was a bit worried when the delivery guys came and said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to fit.’ But viola! It was a perfect fit, even better than the old one. Goodbye old white fridge. Hello new stainless steel fridge!

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The wall behind the range was also green, so it was pulled out and painted white as well. Since the green was so vibrant, we needed to painted it over like 3 times.

Then the Range 30″ was delivered.  The range was $699.99 and the delivery cost (only one time fee even though they brought the fridge and range at different times) is $69.95

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I highly recommend getting appliances from Sears. I was really happy with the customer service when I was looking at their different appliances. Very helpful and knowledgeable. The delivery was somewhat of a hassle since they delivered the fridge and range on two different dates. Prices are good and have been pretty happy with their products.

 

Charlie’s Chocolate Factory

Charlie's Chocolate Factory on UrbanspoonDo you love chocolate? If you do, then this is one place any chocolate lover must check out! The retail store has hundreds of chocolate in all shapes and sizes. For those who are into making their own chocolate, they sell their own molds ($2-3 each) or used ones (which are used by professionals) for a bargain price of $25 (usually costs $50 for new ones).idearabbit-charlieschocolatefactory20

Charlie! the man who runs Charlie’s Chocolate Factory!idearabbit-charlieschocolatefactory21

 Lots of chocolate!! Molds on the shelf for purchase

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Chocolate river! It really flows!idearabbit-charlieschocolatefactory25idearabbit-charlieschocolatefactory24idearabbit-charlieschocolatefactory23

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You can also buy a 5kg Callebaut chocolate bar for $70. It’s huge! But very good quality.

I’m actually not a huge fan of chocolate. I don’t hate it or anything, but I don’t crave them. I did use to eat  cheap chocolates when I was growing up (Hershey’s, Coffee Crisp, Smarties and so on). As my taste buds grew pickier, my favourite became Lindor. Upon doing a chocolate ‘tasting’ with my friend who’s gotten into chocolate making, I was surprised to see some difference in the 3 chocolates we tasted.

  • Lindt was soft, but almost had this after taste that lingered.
  • The chocolate from France that was on sale at President’s Choice market had small grains…like compressed sand…definitely low grade. Didn’t really have much of a real chocolate taste…
  • The Callebaut was creamy and tasted rich. We both agreed it was the best quality.

It is no wonder that my friends who has tried his chocolates say it’s better than the average commercial chocolates out there.

At the store, you’ll even see chocolate flowing through the mountain into a mini model of Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. Very cute, and popular among the kids – and adults :)

Charlie himself still works at the store. Can’t recall how old he was now, but he’s still young at hard, and working! He was very friendly and helpful. Once he knew that my friend was really into chocolate making, he gave some samples, a book, showed him some machines in the back, and got some inside info on the business.

The other staff are super helpful too. Patient for those who don’t really know much yet.

This is a must for all chocolate lovers! Even if you aren’t, it’s a neat store to check out :) lots of gift ideas for everyone.

Food Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere: carrotcarrotcarrot    Service: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrot