Basket Care, Love Birds, Feng Shui Directions

Basket Care

Grass Baskets commonly lose their shape in transit. To reshape, lightly mist with water and smooth out any dents.

Shop our selection of Baskets...

Safari Animals

We add new Safari Jungle Animals monthly!

Jade Bonsai Flowers

Wall Art

Furniture & Room Dividers

Birds

Follow us on Twitter and watch for special sale announcments!

Love Birds

The Chinese have always regarded Mandarin Ducks as perfect mates. Called "Yin Yiong", Mandarin Ducks mate for life (as opposed to the Emperors who had numerous concubines). They are also excellent mates, taking perfect care of each other.

Never seen apart or without the other tagging along many termed this the "perfect marriage". As such they eventually became the definitive symbol for conjugal bliss. Even today they are still the most potent symbol of everlasting love.

Shop for Love Birds...

Feng Shui Symbol Placement

Success Direction - Display items for Career, Prosperity, Strength, Stability, Protection and Wealth. You should always display Wealth and Protection symbols in this area at a minimum.

Romance Direction - You should always display Love and Romance symbols here if you are looking to strengthen or attract a loving relationship. This area can be enhanced to strengthen work relationships in power and respect.

Unlucky Direction - Be aware of this area and work to avoid negatives.

5 Ghosts Direction - Protection symbols are a key in this area.

Six Killings Direction - This is the perfect area to concentrate on working to dispel or absorb negative energies.

Read more...

Sake Sets & Recipes, Feng Shui Tips for Home Office

Where has the Summer Gone?

The Crabby Nook has new products! We have been working on our website to give you new and exciting information! And, we have been researching ways to give our most loyal customers a rewarding shopping experience!

Please visit our website: The Crabby Nook for new information, product reviews, and an overall good time. We think you will enjoy your visit!

Fall Trends in Entertaining

The fall is our favorite time of the year to entertain. We can sit outside on our deck or patio and enjoy cooler temperatures. Our friends seem to enjoy trying our new recipes and drinks that we serve.

One of our most popular fall drinks that we serve is Japanese Sake.

We recommend that you slightly warm a Hatsumago Sake and serve with an Autumn Dessert made from Pears, Apples, Grapes and Chestnuts.

Do not overheat your Sake because in most cases this will ruin your sake. Once a bottle of sake is opened, it should be refrigerated and not kept longer than five days after opened.

If you prefer a chilled sake, we recommend that you purchase a higher grade sake ginjo or a daiginjo. A chilled sake is also a wonderful selection to compliment an autumn dessert.

We carry a nice selection of Sake Sets. These make wonderful gifts and are perfect for your entertaining dinnerware.

Shop for Sake Sets...

Bone Carvings - A wonderful addition to your collection!

Shop for Bone Carvings...

Decorative Balls - We've added several new designs of our most popular item! Don't forget to purchase the display holder.

Shop for Decorative Balls...

Feng Shui Tips for Your Home Office

LIGHT AND COLOR

• 
  
• WINDOWS: When selecting a room for your home office, you should pick the one that has at least one window. Enveloping yourself in natural light helps keep you on track with the progression of day and night, keeping you in sync with the environment around you. Make sure the window has blinds or curtains, though, in case the sun is too bright or causes an irritating glare on your desk.

• 
  
• LAMPS: Putting lamps on your desk or end tables will allow you to control the amount of light you receive more pointedly. If the overhead light is too harsh for example turning it off and relying on lamps and the natural light from the window will keep you more relaxed and your eyes less strained. If the main light isn’t bright enough however, a lamp will help you see better and concentrate on your work, as your eyes will naturally be drawn to where the light is focused.

• 
  
• LIGHT BULBS: Choosing the right light bulbs for your home office is extremely important. You will want bulbs that radiate feelings of warmth. Avoid buying fluorescent lights altogether. Click here to read more about the benefits of lighting when creating a Feng Shui environment.

• 
  
• BLUE: Incorporating the color blue into your home office helps include an association with the element “water.” Blue is a soothing color and is best used in the East and Southeast areas of the room. According to Feng Shui expert Rodika Tchi, painting the ceiling blue is a great way to not only add color to your office, but to improve productivity and promote good energy.

• 
  
• GREEN: - Green “is considered to be a color of freshness, growth, and peace,” so try adding cushions or pillows in light, subtle shades to give your office soothing energy with a punch of personality.

• 
  
• RED: Bold reds are thought to introduce feelings wealth and happiness into a person’s life. Supplementing your otherwise subdued room with red accents will brighten your mood and perhaps even bring you luck. Don’t go overboard with strong reds or you may end up creating a negative energy infused with anger and agitation.

• 
  
• METAL: Metallic accents will brighten up your room in a subtle way. Use a bronze paperweight or hang copper wind chimes near the window to represent key Feng Shui element while allowing natural light to reflect off the metallic surfaces.

• 
  
• EARTH TONES: Earth tones are known to be soothing shades of yellow, brown, and green. They generally make people feel comfortable and at ease because of their relationship to nature, so stick to these shades when designing your home office. A deep yellow rug or tan curtains will create a simplified atmosphere perfect for work.

• 
  
• BALANCE: As with any Feng Shui practices, you must maintain a balance of color in your room. Adding too much blue and not enough red will leave your office vulnerable to the water element, for example. Keeping the elements in check through color is a fun, inspiring approach to Feng Shui interior design because of the choices you have to accessorize each area.

• 
  
• MIRRORS: Mirrors help positive energy dart about the room by letting in more light and allowing you to keep your eye on what normally wouldn’t be seen. Hang a mirror over your computer to watch the wall behind you and open up the space around you. Mirrors maximize your space by making rooms appear much larger than they actually are, making the office feel roomy and uncramped.

Fall Recipes, Salad Servers

Multi Cultural Shopping

• African Collectibles
• Oriental Collectibles
  
• Elephants
• Furniture & Room Dividers
• Tea & Sakes Sets
  
• Jade
• Pool, Pond & Patio
  
• Wall Art
• For the Home
• Jewelry & Accessories
  

Fall Recipes for Entertaining

Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 TBLs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 (1/2-inch thick) pork chops
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 TBLS brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 cup hot water

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Saute onion in oil for 1 minute, or until tender. Remove onion and set aside. Brown pork chops on both sides in oil.
3. Place chops in an 8x12 inch baking dish and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cover the chops with the apples and cooked onion.
4. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard, cloves and water. Pour over chops. Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!

We have a wonderful spice store here in Kansas City and they carry a special mixed spice called, Apple Smoke Rub. I like to rub this on my pork chops the night before I make this dish.

Side Dishes

We like to serve our Apple Pork Chops with Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Scalloped Apples and French style green beans.

Sweet Potatoes:

• Peel and Cut up several sweet potatoes.
• Boil until soft.
• Add half & half, brown sugar and butter.
• Whip until smooth.

We buy scalloped apples in the frozen section at the grocery store. Heat & serve.

French Style Green Beans are a wonderful side dish with this meal.

Serve with warm yeast rolls. Serves 4-6.

Bone Accents African Wood Salad Bowl...

Bone Accents African Wood Salad Servers...

Pool & Patio

We LOVE Summer!

Thermometers

Pool Brushes

Wind Chimes

Lanterns

Pond Vacs

Birds

Follow us on Twitter and watch for special sale announcments!

Watch for our auctions on eBay starting in June for some of our high-end items and one only left in inventory!

You will not be disappointed!

Dragon & Phoenix

Put together, the Dragon and Phoenix is the symbol of ultimate yin and yang and perfect feng shui. The Dragon is symbol of male vigour and fertility. The Phoenix symbolizes yin splendour and female beauty. They represent fruitful marriage blessed with a great deal of success and prosperity as well as many offsprings, and the beginning of a dynastic family.

Middle East Recipes for Entertaining

Middle East Recipes for Entertaining

Fried Tomatoes with Garlic

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 small hot pepper, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 large, firm tomatoes, thickly sliced

Preparation:

Thoroughly mix the garlic with the pepper, salt, and hot pepper; then stir in the parsley and set aside. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tomato slices and cook for about a minute on one side; then turn and sprinkle slices with the garlic, hot pepper, and parsley mixture. Continue to cook for another minute, shaking the pan occasionally; then turn the slices again and cook until they are done, but not mushy. Slide the tomato slices onto a plate, and serve immediately.

Note: Do not try to cook more than two servings at a time or the tomatoes will end up overcooked. This type of tomato appetizer is great scooped up onto Arabic bread.

Serves 4.

Chickpea and Olive Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, washed and soaked overnight in 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup black olives, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation:

Place the chickpeas with their water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for about 2-1/2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain; then place the chickpeas in a salad bowl and allow to cool. (Or, substitute half a 19 oz. can of chickpeas, drained.) Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Serve with warm pita bread for dipping. Serves 4-6.

Wedding & Shower Gift Ideas from The Crabby Nook

Wedding & Shower Gifts

It's the time of the year again when we receive many wedding invitations. The Crabby Nook carries a great selection of Home Decor items and Collectibles that make perfect gifts. Many Brides and Grooms are young professionals today and they also appreciate getting gifts that will help them decorate their office. But, most importantly, don't forget the groom when purchasing your gifts!

It is a nice idea to help the couple add to their collectibles or to even help them start a collection. Many times I had young professionals come into my warehouse wanting to purchase sculptures for their home or office and did not know how to go about starting a collection. And, many times a person does not know how to blend a collectible into their normal living decor.

Many are afraid to try mixing cultures in their decor. Most don't realize that 5000 year old continents/countries like Africa and Asia have many similarities in their art and can be easily mixed. One of my favorite decor themes is the "Asian Safari". It is an amazing exotic look when you mix the two together. And since both countries are what we consider "from the Earth" their collectibles blend in very well with todays color schemes.

So, this year, we have to be socially concious, environmentally concious and economically concious in selecting our gifts. The perfect gifts will be hand crafted from natural ingredients that support artists. The Crabby Nook can help you meet all of those requirements.

Shower & Wedding Gift Suggestions

African carved wood with Bone Accents Jacaranda Salad Bowl and Server Set

Baskets Jade Wall Art Statues

Trivia

Did you know that in Africa the Hippo is known to save other animals from crocodiles by pulling the prey from the reptile's mouth?

We are giving tribute to the HIPPO this month!

Shop for Hippos now...

What's New?

Bamboo Shades - For a limited time only, we are offering Bamboo Shades! Available in five sizes, 24"W, 36"W, 48"W, 60"W and 72"W.
* All sizes measure 72" long.

Shop for Bamboo Blinds...

Paperweights - These make GREAT gifts!

Shop for Paperweights...

Decorative Eggs - We've added several new designs of our most popular item! Don't forget to purchase the display holder.

Shop for Decorative Eggs & Holders...

We LOVE Summer!

We continue to carry our swimming pool brushes and thermometers. We have a few pond mini vacs left in stock. And, we have a couple of granite lanterns left in stock. Everything is on SALE and we are taking offers on multiple purchases. Once these items are gone, we will no longer carry this inventory.

We also have some telescopic poles left in stock, but, they are too expensive to ship due to their size. However, if you are in our area you are more than welcome to pick one up for $5. These come in cases of six. We can ship a case more reasonable than we can ship a single pole.

We are also carrying a nice selection of wind chimes this year.

Shop The Crabby Nook...

Feng Shui Tips for Your Home Office

SCENTS AND SOUNDS

MUSIC: Play soothing music throughout the day to alleviate stress, calm nerves, and keep you relaxed. Try a Norah Jones CD or listen to something purely instrumental so you won’t get caught up in the lyrics.

ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS: Close the door if others are at home with you so that you don’t have to listen to distracting noises. Eliminating unnatural, exterior noise will keep you focused on your work and will allow the chi to move around your room with minimal disruptions.

EVALUATE YOUR REACTIONS TO CERTAIN NOISES. Does the sound of birds chirping keep you relaxed? Does the rumbling dishwasher make you stressed? Evaluate your reactions to everyday noises and then try to accommodate accordingly. Crack the window a little to let in natural noises and drown out that dishwasher. Or, turn up your music to keep out the bothersome weed eater outside.

PICK A ROOM LOCATED FAR AWAY FROM LOUD NOISES. When selecting the perfect room for your home office, pick one that is located far away from loud, distracting noises. For example, if your neighbors are always out on their front lawn playing or visiting, go to a room that’s located at the back of your house. If the neighbor on your left has a dog that barks all day long, choose a room on the other side of the house. Eliminating as much extra noise as possible will help you concentrate.

CANDLES: Light candles to welcome scent and give your office a relaxed atmosphere. The warm flame is a soft, natural representation of fire that also helps you feel cozy.

INCENSE: Lighting incense is another way to bring scent into the room.

GARBAGE: Take out the garbage often to get rid of bad smells that will interrupt your room’s chi. Mildew, garbage, and other noisome scents will also distract you until they are eliminated. Empty out your trash several times each week to keep bad smells from developing in the first place.

CITRUS: Citrus scents like tangerine and mandarin increase the amount of energy in the room, keeping you awake and alert even after hours of work.

GERANIUM and LAVENDER: These soothing scents will calm nerves and help you keep things in perspective.

BURNING OIL: Burning tiny amounts of oil will cause your room to smell better in seconds.

What's for SALE?

Room Dividers & Furniture

Wall Art

Pool & Pond Equipment

Baskets

Decorative Eggs

Birds

Paperweights

Bone Carvings

Jade

Designer Vases

Dragonfly Motif

Coupons

15% Discount on your entire order over $50 when you use Google Check-Out. Use code # 15tcn09.

20% Discount on your entire order over $200 when you use Google Check-Out. Use code # 20tcn09.

African Recipes for Entertaining - Hot Shish Kabob Pepper Meat

African Recipes for Entertaining

Hot Shish Kabob Pepper Meat

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs beef chuck roast
• 2 large sweet onions
• 2 Bell peppers
• 1 tsp meat tenderizer (salt-less)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs cooking oil
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 2 pods hot pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 bottle beer (optional)
• Wooden or metal skewers

Preparation:

Wash and the cut up your meat into one-inch chunks. Add seasoned salt, meat tenderizer, and black pepper. Mix well. Taste. Add salt to taste.

Add chopped hot pepper. Let stand about 20 minutes for the seasonings to go through.

While you are waiting, Cut up your bell peppers and onions into one –inch chunks. Set aside.

Add oil to seasoned meat and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix to evenly coat meat.

Beginning with a piece of onion or sweet pepper, stack meat, onions, and sweet pepper on the skewers. Alternate between meat, sweet pepper, and onions.

Place your pepper meat on the hot grill. Splash some beer over the meat while cooking if desired. Turn occasional.

Remove from grill when ready.