Stocking Stuffer Ideas

It’s that time of year again, Halloween just past us by and we are all starting to gear up for the holidays. It’s time to start thinking about what we are going to get everyone for Christmas but yet still stay within our budget.  Everyone hates those dreaded lines at the mall or trying to find a parking space, that's why more and more shoppers are turning to online shopping, I personally have not stepped foot in a mall after November 15^th for over 7 years. I am a 100% online shopper, and the great part is I can even send the item right to someone’s door.

So you’re probably starting to think about what to get, well it’s a proven fact that consumer electronics are some of the top sellers this time of year, whether it’s a bargain on a new flat screen TV, the latest gaming system, Blu-ray player or an internet tablet these items are always a hit.

So the big ticket item is covered now what about the stocking stuffers. Nothing is more disappointing than receiving one of these great electronics and not having all of the accessories to jump right into using them.

I always think about what someone would need when installing their new TV or game system. That’s right a TV wall mount or some high qualityHDMI cables and other install accessories. These items may not be the highlight of the day but sure will come in handy when it’s time to connect that game system to the new TV and get the action started. Your friend or loved one will really appreciate the extra thought you put into what you got them and the best part is these items can be purchased online for much less than the big box stores at the mall.

Even if you didn’t buy them the expensive electronic equipment and you’re looking for a cost effective way to get that special someone exactly what they need. Keep the accessories in mind. You can easily spend $15-$25 on socks and underwear and who really wants that or get them a premium audio videocable or TV wall mount instead. This is a no brainer! 

Enough to bring a man to tears

This weekend was the first time I saw a friend of mine cry, a grow man tear-ing up in front of about a dozen of us. I’ve known this guy since high school, so we will just call him “John” to spare his feelings. John and his wife where having a house warming party over the weekend and they were so excited to have all of their closest friends over for a few drinks.

The evening was going pretty well and everyone was having a great time, the house looked great and John and his wife where showing off all of the new decorations and furniture they had just bought. John was especially proud of his new Samsung LED flat screen TV, It was pretty amazing it actually connected to the internet and was very thin; I admit I was a bit jealous.

 As the night progressed we all decided to play a few games in the living room and mind you we had been drinking for a few hours now so the crowd was getting a bit rowdier than usual and charades was getting pretty intense. 

One of our friends was up making everyone guess what his word was when he stumbled backwards…right into Johns brand new flat screen TV. Everyone jumped at once to try to save it but it was too late. Johns brand new $2400 TV lay on the floor in a million pieces, and that’s when it happened… John teared up. He had been talking about this TV for over 6 months and saving for it even longer. He was devastated. We all helped clean up the messed and bid John and his wife a good night after that.

When I got home the first thing I did was hop online and order a Flat Screen TV wall mount to secure my Flat screen to the wall so that would never happen to me, the mount I bought has screws at the bottom to prevent it from falling off the wall, even if someone stumbled and grabbed onto the TV it isn’t going anywhere, I even feel better now knowing the TV can’t fall on the kids either while they are rough housing in the living room. 

 I do feel really bad for John but accident do happen, hopefully his insurance will cover it and next time he gets a TV wall mount as well.

Rob Burns is president of http://wall-mount-tv-brackets.com an etailer of high quality wall mount tv brackets.  His site offers everything from low prices and great selection, to Free Shipping and how-to videos that show you how to site, assemble and mount your flat TV.

The Bathroom- A TVs Final Frontier

I recently helped a good friend of mine remodel the master bathroom in his house and we came up with some creative ideas. His wife had always wanted a soaker tub and a nice relaxing atmosphere; which we were able to accommodate. While searching for designed ideas he came across an article how someone had installed a flat screen TV and mounted it over the tub so they could soak and watch their favorite shows.

At first his wife thought the idea was a bit tacky and would take away from the relaxing nature of the tub, but being the guy that he is, he went ahead and wired for the TV anyway.  We added some niches for towels and bath accessories right into the wall for easy access and hung a beautiful chandelier right over the tub. 

His wife absolutely loved it, but she was still very hesitant about mounting the TV in the bathroom, but again being the guy that he is we installed a titling TV mount about 3-4 feet above the base of the tub tilting it to the perfect angle for the viewer sitting in the tub, and as an added bonus he bought his wife the last season of Sex In the City in hopes that she would come around.

 Needless to say after watching a few episodes of her favorite show, soaking in a hot bubble bath she no longer thinks it’s a bad idea. Matter of fact since our wife’s are friends as well I think I will have to add a flat screen TV mounted on our bathroom wall next, and I’m not too proud to admit I will be watching a football game or two soaking in bubbles myself.

Outdoors Become Indoors

This is an amazing time of year, the weather is cooling down and you can really enjoy the outdoors. Living here in Florida it tends to get a bit hot in the summers and we really look forward to the spring and fall when the temps are in in the mid-70s and you can really sit outside and enjoy your patio. Since its also football season and almost everyone you talk to has a favorite team they root for we decided to build and outdoor living space that was perfect for entertaining friends and family and really enjoying the weather but yet still having the comforts of the indoors.  We started our project this spring so we would be done just in time for the end of the summer. The project was a great success overall and we just completed about 2 weeks ago.

We started with an inground pool and in covered the entire patio in a screen room to keep the pesky bugs away. Then we added a grill to do some grilling in the outdoor kitchen and a living room style seating area with a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall over the fireplace. You can even float in the pool and watch the game!

We love our new space and it really brings us outdoors more in the fresh air without missing out on the luxuries of the indoors.  If you are planning an outdoor living space it doesn’t have to be that lavish, it can consist of an old fashion grill maybe a small frig and of course a TV mounted on the wall so you don’t miss any of the action! The most important part is enjoying time with great friends and family and getting out there. 

Rob Burns is president of http://wall-mount-tv-brackets.com an etailer of high quality wall mount tv brackets.  His site offers everything from low prices and great selection, to Free Shipping and how-to videos that show you how to site, assemble and mount your flat TV.

The iPads Have Taken Over

Last month I finally broke down and purchased my first tablet, the new iPad 3. I must admit I’m impressed, even my wife liked it so much we ended up getting one for her as well.  Since then we have been taken over by iPad fever. 

I loaded tons of useful apps on both of our tablets so we are now addicted to them, we take them everywhere and they have been very useful. The only negative is they are so thin and sometimes are cumbersome to use and keep handy.  I use mine for work and when I’m sitting at my desk it’s a little awkward to handle and prop it up so I can easily access it, and my wife uses hers in the kitchen while she is cooking and she doesn’t want to leave the iPad out on the counter where it can get spilled on, plus when she needs to swipe to get to another screen she needs to use both hands to hold the tablet and swipe. 

We also have used them in the car for the kids to watch shows while we are on longer trips but we were concerned with them dropping the tablet on the floor or tossing it around back there so I did a little searching online and found some great solutions for all of our needs.

I found a mount the attaches to the bottom of the kitchen cabinets that swivels to the perfect position for my wife to see it while she’s cooking and she can now operate it with one hand which makes is super easy for her to swipe with her hands full or dirty. I also purchased two more of these iPad mounts  and turned them around and mounted on my home office desk and the other at the office. They work great, I can now position the tablet in the perfect place for viewing and keep my hands and desk free. 

The last investment I made was for two headrest mounts for our cars so the backseat passengers can watch their shows and position the tablets for the best view and best of all I know there not getting tossed around or dropped.

I don’t know how our family did without these handy devices but we are hooked and the iPad mounts make them so much handier.

Rob Burns is the president of Wallmountsplus.com  his site sells high end TV wall mounts and now iPad mounts and stands.