LA Lakers Kids Furniture Review

Los Angeles Lakers basketball has been captivating Angelenos for over 40 years. Ever since they moved to the West Coast, fans have been treated to some of the greatest players ever. From Elgin, Wilt, Jerry, Magic, Shaq, and Kobe. We've called the best of the best ours.

Do kids these days now or care who helped NBA basketball get where its at? Probably not, but with a little imagination, you can help them learn about Kareem, Dr. J., Cousy and others. But lets get back to the Lakers. Guidecraft recently introduced a line of kids sized furniture that includes items you need to get your little fan's playroom Lakerized! Painted in Forum Blue and Gold (well at least that's what Jack Kent Cooke called the colors), your Kobe fan will delight in tossing socks in his toy box, watching the game in a kid sized rocking chair, or reaching the sink using a step stool.

Toy Box - Featuring sturdy construction and a basketball lid top for games and seating while watching the games. We like this toy box for its large size, safety hinges, and bright colors.

Rocking Chair - With veneer surfaces and hand-painted basketball finials in Laker colors

Step Stool - With a storage compartment on the top step to hold basketball cards and small toys. Great for helping kids reach the sink or help dad with projects in the garage.

Table and Chair Set - Includes a table with the Laker logo on the top and two chairs with basketball back rests. Seat Height 12" for ages 2 - 6.

Table Lamp - Has a metal basketball rim and rope net on the lamp that gives this kids table lamp special details that will make it an instant classic that's proudly displayed in bedrooms and playrooms.

Directors Chair Has a canvas seat and back with a solid birch frame and clear coat finish, big enough to hold an average size adult.

Our tongue and cheek pick for Laker to most likely use...

Laker most likely to use the toy box: Magic Johnson for a place to put his bag of tricks.

Laker most likely to use the rocking chair: Kareem to rest his weary bones.

Laker most likely to use the step stool: Gail Goodrich to help him dunk.

Laker most likely to use the table and chair set: Pat Riley and Phil Jackson to discuss strategies.

Laker most likely to use the table lamp: Kurt Rambis to help see with those thick glasses.

Laker most likely to use the directors chair: Jerry West for representing his team and league with class, style, and dignity.

To see current and former Lakers in action we found some great videos on You Tube under Laker history. They really bring back memories and pump you up to watch Laker basketball.

Ed Shapiro is co founder of SensoryEdge and a self proclaimed sports nut. Although he really loves the Clippers, he's rooting for the Lakers to represent Los Angeles during 2008 playoffs. His site at http://www.sensoryedge.com features fun kids sports furniture including the NBA, MLB, NHL, and College Footbal.

The Classic Role of Kitchen Hutches

One piece of furniture that has never gone out of style in traditional and even many contemporary homes is the kitchen hutch. A hutch can serve several functions, including acting as a home storage cabinet, an extra tabletop, and a display for all your fine China or keepsakes. Kitchen hutches aren't just for large homes or country estate homes either, because they are available in a variety of styles and sizes that will clear up much more room than they take up in almost any kitchen. Whether you like larger antique hutches or space-saving corner buffet hutches, there is a hutch out there for your home or apartment to maximize your living space and organize your home.

You may think that a kitchen hutch will take up too much floor space in your kitchen, but if you think about how much you can organize and tidy up all your floors, tables and counters with the convenient cabinet storage, it will probably be a much more efficient use of space than your current configuration. Instead of keeping your fine China in a storage box, there are kitchen hutches with a display made just for this purpose to show off your wares. Or, you can use the display hutch for your precious knickknacks or keepsakes that don't have a special place yet. The buffet cabinet underneath is the really useful part of a kitchen hutch, because most of us could use much more storage space in our homes than we have. Should you be entertaining, you can use the extra tabletop to place those desserts or extra entrée dishes for your guests. With all the uses regular hutches or corner buffet hutches have in the busy kitchen, they have maintained a classic status as an essential piece of kitchen furniture.

You may think that kitchen hutches are only for large homes or country estates, but au contraire! You can find hutches in all price ranges, and you will find that they are very necessary in smaller spaces. A kitchen hutch is even more necessary in the smaller home, so that everything has a place to be put away and you won't be tripping over extra dishes and glasses on your countertops, or on a side table, or have them taking up room in your limited closet space. Traditional hutches and corner buffet hutches provide excellent organization and storage space to keep smaller spaces tidy and comfortable. You can find them in smaller or larger sizes, depending on your available floor space, and they come in all styles as well to match your unique home décor. Whether you like the look of antique buffet hutches, traditional kitchen hutches, or contemporary style hutches, there are so many styles out there for you to choose from that it shouldn't be hard to find one that will match your existing furniture.

Guide to Caring for Teak Garden Furniture

Teak garden furniture can really enhance the features of your garden and provide a relaxing and comfortable location to pass the time. But because the wood from which this furniture is made comes from Southeast Asia if you want it to last you need to look after it properly.

Teak is a hardwood and this is what makes the furniture so it is very durable. Plus this type of furniture will last quite a considerable amount of time because it is a very dense timber and contains high levels of resinous oil within it. It is this oil which actually not only makes the wood resistant to drying out but also from absorbing too much moisture.

Today you can either purchase teak garden furniture in its raw state or when it has been oiled. Furniture, which is still in its raw state when it arrives, will have a golden color to it. However, as time passes and if the wood is left, untreated it will fade to a silver grey color instead.

Certainly if you are after the silver grey look then once the wood has reached this stage there is very little that you will need to do to make sure that it retains this color. However, if you would prefer your wood to retain the golden color of when it arrived you need to start applying teak oil to its surface.

In order for your teak garden furniture to retain its golden color, then one should be applying teak oil to its surface twice a year. The first that you will need to do is actually clean the wood.

To do this you take some warm water (with a mild detergent mixed into it) and then use a soft damp cloth to wipe off and remove any dust or grit. After you have done this, you now need to leave the wood to dry naturally before you actually apply the oil.

When it comes to you applying the oil to your garden furniture, you should only use a clean lint free cloth to do so. But if you prefer you could use a spray gun instead, but using a cloth will help to spread the oil more evenly over the surface of the wood. Then you need to leave the oil until when you touch it, it feels tacky.

Once it is at this stage you should then dry with another clean lint free cloth and this will remove any excess oil on the surface of the wood. The final thing that one needs to do when oiling teak garden furniture is to buff or polish the surface with another clean rug an hour later.

As you can see there are a number of ways to care for and maintain your new garden furniture to make sure it can be used for years to come. The same care can often be effective on other types of garden benches and help maintain the quality of them.