Montgomery Ward

You know who you are: your favorite sounds of summer include the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. The smell of roasted peanuts and hot dogs is the ultimate comfort food. If you count the time between games in hours, not days, you’re a true baseball fan and this is your favorite time of the year.

Can’t get enough of the home team? Here are some of our favorite picks to help you cheer on the team from the comfort of your own home:

• Major League Baseball Woochie Pillow (shown at right)
• Perfect for the ballpark or at home, stay warm on chilly nights with these Major League Baseball Blanket Throws
• Bring some team spirit to your home office with a MLB desk lamp
• Greet your guests in style with a MLB team logo door mat for your front door
• …and more! Find your favorite team in our MLB Team Shop at wards.com

It’s the middle of summer and, unless you’re lucky and have a summer birthday or anniversary, there’s no gift-giving occasion in sight. Which is really unfortunate because we’re in love with these fun, whimsical diamond accent necklaces.

Perfect for summer, this diamond flip flop (sandal) pendant is definitely one of our favorites. It’s fun, under $100 and unique. We also can’t help but love this retro eyeglass pendant necklace with diamond accent. One last sea-themed pendant to tell you about: this diamond accent starfish pendant.

Know someone who’s stylish and loves a good cosmo (the drink, of course)? She’ll really appreciate the style of this diamond martini pendant.

Need some good luck? Whether you’re starting a new job, getting married or just need an extra boost of luck, it never hurts to take your lucky horseshoe with you every day — this lucky horseshoe pendant necklace may be just the thing you’re looking for. Good luck!

(More diamond pendants also available online at wards.com. …and don’t forget: $100+ orders qualify for deferred billing so you can bling today, pay later!)

Annoyed by allergies, I’ve been looking into finding an air purifier to help keep the air indoors cleaner. I’ve been discouraged, though, because it seems like each purifier I found was another large boxy, bulky contraption that I’d have to find a place for in the house.

Thankfully, I found something that not only works, but doesn’t look like an air purifier. Disguised as a ficus tree, this purifier filters air through a five layer filter to remove smoke, pollen, dust, etc. from the air. 

More good news: not only is the filter washable and won’t need replacing, but this is one plant you don’t have to worry about watering! (Which is perfect for me and my non-green-thumb.)

In honor of the official start of summer tomorrow (Friday, June 20), here are our top 10 essentials for the ultimate summer:

10. Frozen Drink Machines: Whether mixing up margaritas or fruity smoothies, we couldn’t imagine a better way to spend some time in the sun than with a cool beverage in hand.

9. Pool Toys: Inflatable chairs, bumper blasters with water guns, even inflatable ducky baby seats — what else do you need for a day at the pool?

8.  Sturdy Folding Sports Chairs: Summer means sports…and lots of it. Whether you’re watching kids’ soccer, coed softball or just relaxing at the lake, you’re going to want a comfortable chair. These folding chairs are lightweight, come with a bag for carrying and easily fit in the trunk of your car.

7. Patio Furniture: Enjoy dinners outside on the deck and get ready for summer BBQs and entertaining with a patio furniture set. A portable patio set is perfect for small spaces and the folding chairs also make it easy for indoor storage.

6. Ice Cream! Nothing compares to the taste of homemade vanilla ice cream in the summer. It doesn’t matter if you make it yourself or buy it, all that matters is that you get an extra scoop with sprinkles.

5. Keep Cool: Ceiling fans, outdoor fans, dehumidifiers - whatever works for you, be sure it’s working and on-hand when the hot days of summer creep in.

4. Curbside Lemonade Stand: OK, so this one only works if you’re a child (although we’d love to see photos of some grownups with a lemonade stand if you decide to try it out!).

3. An Evening Boat Ride: Whether you have a friend with a yacht (we wish!) or if you rent a row boat to go out and watch the sun set, be sure you enjoy a relaxing evening out on the lake at least once this summer.

2. Read! It doesn’t matter if it’s The Odyssey or the latest issue of People magazine - as long as you read something. Of course poolside or beach reading is our favorite, but even just taking a book out and reading on the front porch, balcony or deck is much more relaxing than an hour of re-runs on TV.

1. Relax in a Hammock: After a long day at work (or after a long day of yard work), relax in a hammock and you’ll feel like you just went on vacation. Close your eyes, listen to the sounds of summer and enjoy…

Our buyers just told us about this cool new product - inflatable headboards!

Options include upholstered, faux leather and microsuede finishes but here’s our favorite part: the price is much lower than traditional headboards and they’re easy to assemble.

These durable headboards rest on the mattress and attach to the wall with easy-to-use (no tools required) Velcro wall tabs.

Did we mention no tools are required? Everything you need comes with the headboard: air cushion, electric pump and wall tabs. Check out these inflatable headboards and tell us what you think!

If you love shopping with the Montgomery Ward catalog, you’re going to love shopping at wards.com. Not only does the website have all of the products from our catalog, but we have, literally, thousands more products online that you can’t find in the catalog.

Here’s the great news: now it’s even easier to shop our online only web products. When searching at wards.com or browsing through our categories, you will automatically see both our catalog and Internet products. Now, in addition to refining your results by price, size, color, etc. you can see just the ”Web Only” items by selecting the “Web Only” criteria on the left hand side of the page.

Happy shopping!

Hundreds of new items were just posted online at wards.com and I couldn’t wait to show you some of our favorites…

Club Chair and Footstool: Only $199.99 for the pair (!), this gorgeous set is perfect for a corner or even as extra seating in an office or reception area.

Ice Cream Cupcake Pan with BONUS Mix: I have already confessed my cupcake addiction but this special pan is perfect for kids birthday parties or something fun and different for your next party. These butterfly and beehive cake pans are also fun alternatives to a round cake.

Perfect Pink Teen Comforter Set: Available in twin, full and queen sizes, this comforter set is perfectly pink and great for a teen girl’s bedroom!

Summer Essentials: Cool Pool Toys. Don’t start summer without it - a fun inflatable pool toy is a must for a visit to the pool or the beach. Of the new styles and designs just made available today, this Water Caterpillar Inflatable Pool Toy is definitely our favorite.

Want to see what else is new today at wards.com? Feel free to browse our selection of new items just added today!

I have a problem of the worst kind: too much stuff that I don’t want to part with and not enough space for it all.

But it gets worse: I have already updated my closet to maximize space, got some bed risers so the underbed storage boxes fit, etc.  Not quite ready to install overhead garage storage in my bedroom, it’s time for some serious help and some serious storage solutions.

Step 1: Sort, Clean, De-Clutter
Not only am I a pack rat, but I’m also a paper person who stores anything that I think I might need some day. The first step is figuring out what I really need — instead of keeping all of my paycheck stubs, I have shredded everything but the last year’s papers. ‘Adios’ old utility bills, receipts for clothes I purchased over six months ago and magazines that I have already read.

Step 2: Put It All Somewhere
Not only am I a pack rat, but I’m unorganized. Now that I have cut down on the amount of papers I’m storing, now it’s time to put it all in one place, in a two drawer file cabinet.

Step 3: Conquer Closet Space
No matter how large or small your closet is, there’s no such thing as too much closet space. Conquer your unruly closet with these helpful closet storage tips:

• Hide it under the bed: Store winter clothes under the bed during the summer months, for example, with a spacemaker bag. The air-tight plastic bag will help keep clothes fresh and dust-free during the off seasons.
• Instead of storing jewelry in countless boxes or even in multiple places, organize your family jewels with a jewelry armoire. Not sure if you have enough jewelry to fill an armoire? You don’t need to fill it - in fact, the extra space is great for scarves or even keepsakes that you’re not sure what to do with.
• Place a storage bench at the foot of your bed for extra clothes or even shoes.
• Donate! If you haven’t worn it in a year, donate it to good cause and not only will you enjoy having the extra space, but it will also help with taxes next year, too. Also don’t be afraid to clean out your bookshelf -  if it’s not a book you absolutely love, donate it to your local library.

Good luck conquering your clutter!

We want to hear your success stories - send us an e-mail and be sure to include “before” and “after” photos of your project. If your project is featured, we will send you a Montgomery Ward gift card!

Q: I really like animal prints and would like to try decorating with a few styles but am worried that it will look too busy or weird. (Does anyone decorate with animal prints any more?) Do you have any advice on what I should and shouldn’t do?
–Cheryl G. (Cincinnati, OH)

A: When used in moderation, animal prints can help add some zing to a room. For example, in a room decorated with red and black or even black with pink accent colors, this zebra print chair adds some flair without going over-the-top.

Another way to add some zebra print to a room would be with a zebra print rug. I recently visited a home where their zebra print rug was the perfect touch to keep an otherwise traditionally-decorated library/study from looking too stuffy.

In the bedroom, another option is using animal print sheets with a solid colored comforter set.  

In a teen bedroom, don’t be afraid to go over the top with pink or purple animal print bedding and don’t stop there! Add a hot pink, zebra or cheetah print shoe chair to go with a zebra comforter set or to accent a pink leopard chair.

Have a decorating question? Send us your decorating dilemma!

Over the lunch hour today, I stopped for a sandwich at a deli inside a grocery store and decided to grab an apple. One apple.

Keep in mind: this isn’t a fancy store, this wasn’t a fancy apple or even an organic apple. And it was $1.24! After I paid for my $1.24 apple, I filled my gas tank with $4.19/gallon gas.

Feel like you need a break, too?

We’ll be sending out a special offer to our Montgomery Ward e-mail list on Thursday but have decided to let our blog readers get a sneak peek at the coupon.

Save $20 on your $100+ order* online only at wards.com when you enter MWEM5228 during checkout. But hurry, this offer ends on 5/26/08. Happy Shopping!

*Minimum purchase of $100 required online at wards.com and cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires 5/26/2008 and may be used only once. Discount applies to merchandise only, not shipping & handling or taxes. Telephone and mail orders are not included. Cannot be used on previously placed orders. Promo code not valid on gift card purchases or redemptions.