Category: Home

College Bound, Home

Ambiance Lighting with SKYlite Laser Galaxy Projector – BlissLights

Erin Sluka
Dorm Room Fun with SKYlite Laser Galaxy Projector - BlissLights

Last week I went to the door to grab my packages. As I opened one of the boxes and pulled out my SKYlite from Blisslights my 11 year old grabbed it to observe then got very excited, “I have always wanted lights like this for my game room! They make the room more fun…”. So he immediately adopted this little white box that makes his own personal galaxy appear on the walls and ceiling.

I thought of all the teens gathering items for their College dorms this fall and how fun would this ambiance lighting be in the room? The unit is small enough to not be intrusive in a small room and it is such a calming ambiance.

It appears as drifting green stars against a moving blue nebula. the titling design allows you to shine the effect on walls or ceiling. Easily adjust light settings and effects with simple button controls. 

BlissLights also have more indoor and outdoor lighting options to rally transform spaces you want to light up. From instant holiday decor to revolutionary landscape lighting to lively party atmosphere, BlissLights products are perfect for any occasion and lifestyle.

See the selection at BlissLights.com

Home, Non-seasonal

Clean Home? Now Do This Before Guests Arrive!

Erin Sluka

If you follow, perhaps you have visited the 2019 Spring Cleaning series where I feature some brands who I discuss in spring topics. We discussed cleaning, clean air and home safety. How did you get organized and clean this spring? If you are like me, a home is never truly clean unless it smells clean too! This is why there is one thing I do after I tackle a room in my home and get it organized and wiped down.

I burn my favorite scents! I have essential oil diffusers in a few rooms, but for the best aromas and to get that ‘clean home‘ feeling I burn candles. If you love candles too you know that a Yankee Candle has scents that cover your home with such great smells and they last burn after burn. Now, Yankee Candle is getting personal with their candles for your home or gifting.

You can now design your own candle and they arrive fast and so well done. I chose a candle design with spring colors and put a message because this candle I burn after the house is clean and especially before any guests we may have arrive. I always get compliments when I burn a Yankee Candle. Our friends and family smell it right away when they walk in.

I find pleasant scents like florals or citrus that I know most will find pleasant. This candle choice is my favorite, it is Magnolia & Lily! This is the large, square 2-wick candle.

When you personalize your own candle you choose the candle type (size), message/image, label and scent. Ours reads, “Welcome to our home – Sluka Family”. This is for our guests and I will either set it on the entryway table or on the kitchen island and light around 30 minutes before guests are arriving.

When you are done putting in the elbow grease and organizing work into your home, sit back and relax with your favorite scents from Yankee Candle. Nothing says clean like breathing your favorite scents before the family races through and messes you all up again!

Keep in mind, with Father’s Day and Graduation here these make great gifts! What a fun way to put memories together with your favorite scent and gift!

Design your Yankee Candle

Home, Mother's Day, Reviews, Travel

myCharge HubPlus 6700mAh Portable Charger Review

Erin Sluka

I was sent a charger for feature. This post contains affiliate links. Opinions are my own.

myCharge HubPlus 6700mAh Portable Charger Review

While we like to travel several times a year, having a portable charger along for the trip is a must. Taking lots of photos and video drains a phone battery fast so I got used to lugging around chargers and cords. Then I was gifted a myCharge Hub and I did not need bulky cords in my purse anymore. The first myCharge I owned was a HubXtra and I would get so many comments on it while using it, especially from other travelers.

Now I have upgraded to the myCharge HubPlus. This charger has 3.5 times extra battery and also comes with the built-in lightning and micro-usb cords as well as built-in wall prongs to charge the unit.

We just got back from a few days in Las Vegas for Spring Break and I had my myCharge HubPlus in my purse everyday. I used it halfway through the day when my phone battery got to 19% and by the time we finished lunch it was charged back up and only 1 of the 4 charge indicators was off. I could have charged mine and my husbands phone many more times if needed.

I cannot stress enough how convenient it is to have an all-in-one portable charger like the options from myCharge. Bulky cords are so hard to travel with and get left behind. No more cords and that is my favorite feature in this portable charger review! It makes a great gift for Newlyweds on their honeymoon, Grads, Moms and Dads!

Visit myCharge to see all of their built-in cable portable chargers.

Buy myCharge HubPlus on Amazon

Home, Mother's Day, Reviews

VIDBOX Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite Review

Erin Sluka
Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite

This is so exciting and what a great Mother’s Day gift! This is the VIDBOX Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite. This little box takes your old VCR (VHS, Betamax, S-VHS), camcorder (8mm, DV, mini DV, HDV, AVCHD) home movies and converts them to digital files.

I grew up in the 80’s and my younger siblings were into the 90’s so all of our home movies are on VHS and a few on 8mm. Do you even know what I had to go through to find someone who still has a VCR? That’s how long it has been since we saw our tapes and without owning a VCR we don’t get to sit and organize them or share.

The first 4 VHS tapes I played were taped TV shows, which was comical, such as ER, Will and Grace and even some old Fit TV episodes which I assume are my sisters recordings. I could just ignore those and not record.

Then I got to a stash of my youngest sister. Katie’s ballet show from 1996, her Middle School and High School choir and talent shows. Some Christmas family video and even one with my brother’s beloved dog he lost in a car accident (Shaft was in a Christmas video-such tears)! The memories are so fun!

Converting was so easy! You simply use the USB to plug in the VIDBOX to your PC or laptop (mine is the Mac version). Second, you use either RCA (composite) and/or S-Video outputs to connect VIDBOX to your VCR or video player/console. Then you will get a screen asking you length of the video you will record and then you get the actual record screen.

Here is the record screen (a bit blurry but that was my camera taking a moving photo on auto and not a reflection of VIDBOX quality). You simply get the video to the spot to record and hit RECORD. Then hit STOP and the NEXT arrow. At that point you can choose where to download to such as iTunes folder, file on computer, iMovie to edit and more.

The blur was my camera taking a moving video-VIDBOX conversions quality is great!

It’s that easy! TIP*** I recommend as converting these VHS tapes is a hefty file size that you record in 10-20 minute increments. That worked best for me in all formats of converting.

Buy VIDBOX Conversion Suite