Mom-of-three-to-be Pam Walsh reports, “Got a peek inside my belly and saw Luke’s face. It was the best birthday present ever!”  Handsome Luke won’t hit the scene until August, but already he’s a stylin’ Virgo babe, with a fully-loaded Crypton crib awaiting his arrival – decoratively decked out by his big brothers, Jack and Reeve, with a Throver and pillow.

According to Crypton’s favorite astrology expert, Susan Miller, the colors the big boys selected are perfectly Virgo – it’s an earth sign that naturally gravitates to deep, dark brown.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

We’ve had stars in our eyes ever since learning that Traditional Home’s new zodiac column mentions Crypton in the June issue! Here’s what “Star Style” has to say about the sign of Cancer: “In the kitchen, nurturing crabs – like TV’s Sandra Lee – may take culinary shortcuts or wear a stain-resistant astrological apron from Crypton, but at a sit-down meal, it’s linen cloths and napkins all the way!” Read all about the style and entertaning tendencies of all 12 zodiac signs on pages 38 and 40.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog” features glam, globe-trotting dog trainer Victoria Stillwell making house calls to help modify undesirable dog behaviors. On the episode about
Victoria’s recent visit to the palatial pad of Jill Zarin, a star of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” we spotted a few of our fave pet products: a matching Doodle Dog pet bed and pillow in Jill’s living room, plus another Doodle Dog pillow outdoors, on the balcony seating. Jill and her family know from fine fabrics – her father founded Zarin fabrics, a New York City institution – so this is a high compliment indeed!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Nobody makes how-to videos hip and hot like Howcast. Check out the Howcast blog  for a fun interview with our own Julia Szabo – and check out the Doodle Dog Pillow, Tote, and Dog Bed in Howcast’s Weimaraner video, at the bottom of the post!

What a pleasure to post here at LifeOnCrypton. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Katie Brown and I am the host of Katie Brown Workshop, a show about cooking, nesting, and growing on PBS.

On my show and in my personal life, I tend to get a little messy in the kitchen…and really, who doesn’t? This kitchen conundrum is part of why I’m so thrilled to share with you an exciting new Crypton product. This spring, the Katie Brown product lines at regional retailer Meijer proudly include a beautiful apron made with Crypton Super Fabric!

To me, it makes perfect sense to use the stain-resistant and durable quality of Crypton in such a practical and stylish way. The attractive pesto green color of our apron makes for an excellent addition to any chef’s wardrobe, and the affordability makes it irresistible.

Like Crypton and Meijer, my roots grew in the state of Michigan. The fact that the lovely apron is made in the Great Lake State with two amazing Michigan companies is a major plus! With all the flimsy aprons on the market, how will you know the Katie Brown Crypton apron is any different? Well, we put it to the test with one of my messiest recipes. Can the Katie Brown Crypton apron withstand the trials of the SloppyJoe Casserole?

What you’ll need…
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 carrots, grated
4 Tablespoons oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups ketchup
4 Tablespoons molasses
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 package pre-made dinner roll dough
Sesame seeds

Get Cookin’
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté onions, garlic and carrots until soft.
2. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in ketchup, molasses, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Gently simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Place dinner rolls on top of cheese to cover casserole. Brush rolls with some melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake uncovered until rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

So who won the official Katie Brown Crypton Apron vs. Sloppy Joe Casserole contest? Looks like one stain-free Pesto Crypton apron came out victorious! (And the Sloppy Joe Casserole is delicious, too.)

Keep up-to-date with the latest tips and tricks for all your cook, nest and grow projects at the Katie Brown Blog. And make sure you keep it simple and mess-free in your kitchen with Katie Brown, Crypton and Meijer!

The actor dubbed “The redoubtable Daniel Reichert” by The Los Angeles Times is a leading man of the California stage whose talent, dark good looks, and mesmerizing voice command the spotlight in a wide array of starring roles.

He’s as sought-after for the pictures he takes as the scenes he makes. When he’s not playing theater roles to critical and popular acclaim, Daniel moonlights as a headshot photographer. His keen eye for portraiture helps his fellow acting talents put their best faces forward, to secure the plum parts they deserve.

Daniel has the classic Virgo’s  perfectionist eye for detail, so not surprisingly, his very collectible fine art photography zooms in on familiar things – a quarter, a pencil, a fork – with microscopic precision. Viewed through his lens, these ordinary, often overlooked objects appear iconic and much larger than life.

We were thrilled when Daniel applied his signature “Up Close” technique to a place mat. The result, we think, is a perfect portrait of Crypton Super Fabric: combining yesterday’s charm (the retro glamour of a rum highball) with tomorrow’s convenience (spill-proof protection).

Cheers!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

According to a controversial new study published in the February issue of the Centers for Disease Control journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, sleeping with pets can put some people at risk for serious medical problems. “I know this will make me unpopular, but pets really don’t belong in your bed,” says vet Bruno Chomel, co-author of the paper. 

At greatest risk for zoonoses (diseases transmitted from animals to people) are the very young, the elderly, and those whose immune systems are compromised, such as transplant patients, diabetics, and people who are HIV-positive. Please don’t panic if Spot or Fluffy jumps on your bed – as long as pets are up-to-date with vet visits, everything will be fine.

But if you do plan to banish pets from your bed, the kindest, gentlest way to do this is by providing the comfiest, most paw-supportive dog bed possible. Give it pride of place in the bedroom, and Spot won’t even miss your bed.

Sweet dreams!

The zodiac made headlines last week when a Minnesota astronomy professor proposed moving all the star signs back one month and introducing a 13th sign, Ophiuchus, to readjust the calendar.

Astrology buffs around the world tried coming to grips with the possibility that the star sign they’d known all their lives was – gasp – wrong?! Leos were faced with the possibility that they were actually Cancers… and nobody, but nobody,wanted to be reassigned as a Virgo (which mystifies me, because it’s a lovely sign).

Whew – such drama. Thankfully, Crypton’s favorite planet-reading power, the world-renowned expert Susan Miller of Astrologyzone, set us straight on Twitter. Susan dismissed the whole Ophiuchus hoopla as a publicity stunt: “You are the sign you think you are, the sign you knew since you were little! Nothing has changed.”

So, next time you cook a meal, why not show your de-sign sense by wearing an astrological apron? With 12 zodiac signs to choose from, there’s one for every planetary persuason
- and they’re all Susan-approved.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

They are the lucky winners of the Crypton products available in the Dwell 2010 Holiday Sweepstakes. Enjoy your Throver, Power Lines Shopper and Multi-Plex Pillow!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the contest. Please check back soon for more opportunities to enter to win Crypton products.