Housewares Shoppe

Welcome to Housewares Shoppe. For many of us, our home is our castle. Most of us spend a majority of our time in our homes, especially if economic situations prevents us from traveling very much. Because we spend most of our time there, most like to decorate their homes to their liking – with colors they like, fabrics they like, furniture they like. Housewares Shoppe is going to be an eBusiness portal which we will have ready before the end of 2009. Thank you very much for stopping by, and please do come once in a while to Housewares Shoppe.

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Vietnam Luxury Tour Operator Creates Less-expensive Vacation Options

Luxury Travel, a Hanoi’ based luxury tour company, continues to create niche tourism products for high end travelers, the company has just launched a new luxury tour “Vietnam Classic Tour 9 days” with one night free of charge at luxury Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.

The Luxury Travel Company is Vietnam’s first luxury tour company and full travel service agency. Luxury Travel is experienced in providing special services and unique tourism products to luxury global travelers.

Start in charming Hanoi, Vietnam’s artistic and intellectual capital. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquerware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, ride a cyclo to dinner, and watch a performance of at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.

Full day city tour Hanoi. Enjoy people watching at stylish cafes. Shop for impressive modern art in the city’s many galleries. Also visit Hanoi’s main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature. Dine in French colonial villas converted into upscale gourmet restaurants.

Next, guests board for an overnight cruise on a junk in Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an ephemeral, fantastic landscape.

Next, fly to Hue, the former Imperial capital that is a quiet city renowned for the magnificent architecture of its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, pagodas and temples, built under the Nguyen dynasty on the banks of the Perfume River.

Drive to Danang and stay several days at the beachfront Furama Resort. Nearby, see ancient sculpture in the Cham Museum or My Son, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. Visit atmospheric Hoi An a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and riverfront port town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets.

Fly from Danang to HCMC (formerly Saigon), the country’s commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visit Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace , the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If desired, also visit the powerful War Remnants Museum. Explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city’s most upscale shopping boulevard with boutiques selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares.

Take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an unusual, eclectic religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Dai, a unique fusion of world religions alternatively, spend the day cruising the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta.

“With a great flexibility in mind, this trip is designed to discover the very best of Vietnam in comfort and style, this special 9 day tour combining local charm and luxuries from North to South Vietnam which is so unique, special for a life time experience” says Tonny Pham, Product Manager of Luxury Travel Company.

Tour prices start from $2222 net per-person double rate, this includes accommodation costs at deluxe rooms at luxury properties, nearly all meals, regional flights, private transfers, private pick up and drop off service. The tour can be booked at last minute, and can be customized to suit individual interests and schedules.

“This 9 day-tour will show travelers almost highlights of the Vietnam beautiful country as well as its rich and age-old cultures. This also aims to introduce guests the Vietnamese traditional cuisine which becomes famous in the world: “Pho” and Cha Ca in Hanoi, “ White Rose Cake” and “Cao Lau noodle”  in Hoi An and “ Hu Tieu” in Ho Chi Minh City and “ The fried elephant ear fish” in the Mekong Delta and guests chance to learn of the difference between the three parts of Vietnam in the art of cuisine and way of living, too.”. adds Hung Nguyen, Sales and Marketing Manager.

Guests are also free to request helicopter tour, restaurant reservations, meetings with artists, cooking instructors and designers, shopping recommendations, spa reservations, tours with special-interest lecturers, and exclusive access to local activities and cultural events.

Order this tour and travel to Vietnam before 31 Sep 2009 with the company secret code lux4lux, guests get 1 night FREE OF CHARGE at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi. To book this package, check it out at http://www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com/index

Pot Racks – Just Hanging Out in Your Kitchen

How many of you out there are familiar with the different varieties of pot racks available to you? Are you up to date on the types, styles, finish/color, price, brand and size of these amazing kitchen space savers? I thought so.
 
Today I am going to give you the opportunity to learn all there is to know about Pot Racks. Keep a pen and paper handy. You might want to take notes. Seriously, by the time you read down to the bottom of this information, you will be an expert in Pot Rackology.
 
I will begin by saying that pot racks have been used as far back as the 1400’s. Back then pot racks were mainly used by lower income families because the kitchens in their homes were small with little to no extra space. These early versions of pot racks were hung on hooks from either the ceiling or one wall in the kitchen. There also were versions of pot rack that were tripods with hooks for pot and pans, which were placed in one corner of the kitchen floor.
 
Now to speed things up just a little, along came the 21st century.  Modern kitchens, modern kitchen appliances, modern kitchen pot racks. So, do you think pot racks have come along and progressed down through the centuries? Do you think pot racks have features and benefits that are far beyond the reach of 15th century man? My answer to these two questions are, “Yes, they have” and “Yes, they do.”
 
Let’s start from the top and then work our way down. The first feature of pot racks I will present to you will be Type of Pot Rack. There are 4 basic types of pot racks. These 4 types of pot racks are Hanging Pot Racks, Wall Mounted Pot Racks, Lighted Pot Racks and Standing Pot Racks. I will go over each of these types of pot racks for you.
 
Hanging Pot Racks are hung from your kitchen ceiling usually by chains bolted to the ceiling. Depending on the shape of your hanging pot rack, there are three to four chains to support your pot rack’s suspension.
 
One option usually only available for Hanging Pot Racks is lighting. You not only have the opportunity to hang your pot and pans on hanging pot racks, but you may also use your hanging pot rack for a kitchen lighting fixture.
 
Usually if the hanging pot rack is square or rectangular shaped, there is a need to have 4 chains to level the support of the hanging pot rack. If the pot rack is a triangle or round shape, there is need for only three chains for proper level support.  
 
Wall Mounted Pot Racks are just what the words say. These pot racks are mounted to the wall of your kitchen. So there is a need to have one side of a wall mounted pot rack flush so the pot rack can be mounted firmly against the wall. When mounting a wall mounted pot rack it is advised to mount it into the stud inside the wall for maximum weight support.
 
Some wall mounted pot rack swivel. All this means is that a hinge is built into the pot rack either on the right or left side. This will enable the wall pot rack to swing out away from the wall.
 
There are two more types of pot racks available for those of you with more room in your kitchen.
 
You could use a floor standing pot rack. These are usually tripods with shelves built into the center of the tripod for storing your pots and pans. This device takes up a little space on a corner of your kitchen floor.
 
The other floor standing pot rack is a kitchen island food preparation station. These kitchen islands are constructed of wood or metal frames with butcher block food prep countertops. The pot rack is build into the back side of the island. You have the option of placing a kitchen island pot rack either in the middle of your kitchen floor or up against one of your kitchen walls.  
 
Style is the next topic I will discuss. There are many styles to consider when searching for your perfect pot rack. The different styles are Traditional, Transitional, Contemporary, Early American, Rustic/Lodge, Old World, Country, Victorian, Southwestern and Whimsical. Out of all these styles available to you, you are sure to pick one out to match the theme of your kitchen.
 
Moving right along we have Finish/Color. Here too you have choices. You may choose from Beige, Black, Brass – Antique/Satin, Brass – Polished, Bronze, Bronze – Oil Rubbed, Browns, Chrome – Brushed, Chrome – Polished, Copper, Gold, Gray, Natural Iron, Nickel – Brushed, Pewter, Rattan/Wood, Reds, Rust, Silver, Stainless Steel, Tans and Verde. If you are unfamiliar with any of these, just go online and have a look.
 
Just in case you are wondering about price, you can pick one of these pot racks up in a price range starting at less that $100.00, but depending on what you are looking for, the price can be well over $700.00.
 
All of the pot racks that I am informing you on are brand names such as 2nd Avenue Lighting, AF Lighting, Artcraft, ARTEflorum, Capital Lighting Fixture Company, Concept Housewares, Craftmade, Cricket Forge, Dr. Livingstone I Presume, Enclume Design Products, Forecast, Golden Lighting, Grace Manufacturing, Hi-Lite, Hinkley, Hubbardton Forge, Hubbardton Forge, Kalco, Kenroy Home, Kinetic, Livex Lighting, Maxim Lighting International, Old Dutch International, Old World Designs, Quintana Roo, RAM Lighting, Rogar Potracks, Royce Lighting, Savoy House, Smoky Mountain Metal Arts, Stone County Ironworks, StylIcon, Triarch International, Troy, Varaluz, Vaxcel and World Imports.
 
I’ll bet you didn’t think that this many companies were manufacturing some sort of kitchen pot racks. I hate to be a name dropper, but you’ve heard the expression, “The quality goes in before the name goes on.” We are certainly talking quality here.
 
When it comes to shape, you will find that these pot racks come in Round, Rectangular/Square, Oval, Straight Bar, Half Round, Corner, Shelf, Stand and Unique.
 
The size of your kitchen pot rack will vary in depth and width. With the depth ranging from 10 inches to more than 20 inches, depending on what you are looking for. Your pot rack widths will start out at less than 25 inches and go to widths greater than 37 inches.

Kitchen pot racks are both a convenience and a space saver for your kitchen. You have a wide range of choices. You can go with basic construction or you can go with artful room decor. Whatever your choice may be, a kitchen pot rack is the right decision.