If you’re an avid reader of romance novels or just find yourself watching a lot of cologne commercials on TV, you are very familiar with the term “the scent of a man.” But really, what does it mean? The good scent of someone freshly showered or doused in cologne? That smell that clings to them as they work out in the yard or follows them home from the gym? If you’re like singer Rhianna, who is creating a cologne for men, the scent of a man needs to smell “like when you wake up.” Now how do you bottle that?

Yankee Candle is packaging up man-inspired scents with their new Man Candles Collection. Thankfully, we’re not talking sweaty gym socks and beer here. The fragrances are  down-to-earth scents inspired by “hard work, fun and games.” Here are the first scents:

Man Town™ – Escape to the man cave with this masculine blend of spices, woods and musk.

First Down™ — This combination of orange, patchouli, vetiver and leather is as exciting as game day.

Riding Mower™ — Hot sun. Cool breeze. And the intensely summery scent of freshly cut grass.

2 x 4™ — The warm, unmistakable scent of freshly planed wood and sawdust evokes a sense of confidence and quality.

What do you think about Yankee Candle’s new collection?

Burpee's Culinary Collection Herbs, $22.95

Fresh herbs can transform an ordinary dish into something special. Individual herbs can cost several dollars for a small package at the grocery store, so save yourself some money by growing your own herb container garden. Here’s how:

Choose a self-watering planter: Choose a good sized planter to accommodate all the herbs you want to grow. A self-watering model will save you the hassle of having to remember to water every day. These stylish planter boxes are made from a tough plastic material with a structured exterior that is impervious to impacts, sun, and weather. They have an integrated sub-irrigation system assures your plants will never dry out – or suffer from too much water.

Add good soil: Select a moisture- and nutrient-rich soil for planting. Home and garden centers have plenty of pre-packaged blends to choose from.

Choose your herbs: Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are easy to grow and versatile in the kitchen. Mint, basil and oregano are also good choices for your first herb garden.Pile in several herbs in the same pot, but make sure that that they demand similar amounts of sun and water by reading their care labels. Basil and parsley love lots of water, while rosemary and oregano prefer drier soil.

Watch them grow: Keep your container watered and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Use your herbs often because if you don’t, the plants will grow tall and lanky and annual herbs will go to seed quickly.

Fuzzy Wuzzy: Not that anyone would challenge you to dust your home with one hand tied behind your back, but you could with the Fuzzy Wuzzy microfiber mitt. This clever little tol has two sides. The top feature  nubby chenille side cuts through dust and cobwebs on any surface–fan blades, blinds and shelves–while the smooth suede-like side cleans, buffs and polishes. Just $5 at Container Store.

Cleaning Carryall: Stop running from one end of the house to the other gathering cleaning supplies. Instead, store them in this portable container by Casabella. It will hold large and small bottles, along with your other cleaning supplies. $7

Sparkle Time: Ideal for windows and bathrooms, this dual-sided tool helps remove dirt and water drops. The scrubber portion lathers up your surfaces with cleaning solution and lifts off grime while the squeegee part removes all liquid for a spotless surface. $12

No time to deep clean? Fear not! Caldrea, the Minneapolis-based company that makes eco-chic home fragrance and cleaning products, just launched a new way to create a clean-smelling kitchen.

The Kitchen Fragrance Diffuser ($19.99)  is an innovative and really pretty way to scent your room without the mess of traditional reed diffusers. Just pour your Caldrea essential oil scent into the glazed white ceramic container and then stick in the green leaves. The oil wicks up through the unglazed ceramic leaves, emitting the scent throughout your space. Available exclusively at Target, choose from four scents: Herbs of Provence, Citron Ginger, Green Tea Verbena and Hibiscus Yuzu.

Some say I’m glutton for punishment, but I have cats even though I am allergic to them. I can’t help but fall in love with their opinionated meows, their friendly head bumps and the soft, fluffy fur that calms me after a long day. That same fur and the ensuing dander drives my allergies crazy.

I’m not alone with my allergies. A 2011 study by Quest Diagnostics found that allergies are on the rise in the U.S. with one in five Americans now being affected. Allergies to dust mites, pet dander, ragweed and other allergens now account for more than 17 million visits to the doctor per year, according to the report.To reduce the amount of pet dander, fur and feathers around, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends vacuuming frequently.

But what if you don’t have time to vacuum all the time? Check out the new Neato Robotico XV-21, an automatic vacuum cleaner that’s designed especially for pet owners and allergy sufferers. This little gadget works on all floor types and includes a new bristled brush to improve the pick-up of pet hair, dander and fibers and allows the vacuum cleaner to run more quietly than previous models, especially on hardwood floors. The filter, which is cleanable and designed for long-term use, can pick up and retain more than three times the fine dust particles. What I love about the Neato ($429) is that you can turn it on while you’re away from the house and come home to a freshly vacuumed space.

Sabrina Soto Home Design (c) John Wiley & Sons

Sabrina Soto, the bubbly host of HGTV’s Get it Sold, Real Estate Intervention, and The High Low Project, is bringing a personalized approach to home design with a new book: SABRINA SOTO HOME DESIGN: A Layer-by-Layer Approach to Turning Your Ideas into the Home of Your Dreams (List price $19.99 but only $12.99 on SHOP.COM).

In it, Soto shows and tells homeowners how to bring their dream homes to life through perfect colors, furniture and lighting for their home. She battles the most common roadblock between homeowners and their ideal home design– the lack of a simple, reliable and effective method to organize and develop design ideas.

Soto outlines a template for home design by taking each layer step-by-step. Each chapter represents one decorating element or area, such as color or furnishings, that leads the reader through an easy-to-follow roadmap to design. The process works for any room, in any home and with every style.

Soto’s layering techniques takes the following eight steps:

Understand Your Space and Plan Your Design: Identify the constants, or the things about the space that you can’t change, such architecture and lighting.

Choose Your Colors: Color makes the biggest impact on home design, so Soto educates the reader on color rules, schemes and vocabulary.

Select Your Surface Treatments: Walls, floors, ceilings and countertops are the package for your interior design, and Soto tells you how to make them part of the backdrop or the focal point of your design.

Integrate Storage to Organize Your Space: The ultimate goal is to integrate storage solutions that perfectly meet your needs and add to the design in every instance. Sabrina shows you how to incorporate spaces to de-clutter and organize your space.

Edit Your Furniture: It’s the rare homeowner who has the option to put together an entirely new and completely coordinated collection of furniture from scratch. That reality is why Sabrina uses the word edit rather than buy – you can create a beautiful room by repositioning or reviving your existing furniture.

Select Your Textiles: Fabrics play a big role in adding color and texture to a space. Soto will show how different types of fabrics can mark the personality of your space: casual or formal.

Illuminate Your Design: Lighting is the most important element in interior design. Soto explains the types of light and how to control and understand them.

Accent Your Interior Design: A problem that plagues many homes is too many accents used in the wrong way or in the wrong places. In this chapter, Soto helps walk you through the editing process so that you are left only with the pieces that will make the most impact and best represent your own personal flair.

It’s almost summer vacation time, and that means more kids will be at home screaming, “I’m bored!” If you’re one of those parents who needs to arm themselves with bags of tricks and treats to occupy every moment of the summer, here’s a great idea for you! Amy, the blogger who writes Positively Splendid, introduced readers to a fun spin on an old favorite: edible bingo.

With edible bingo, you start with a full bingo card. As you child answers questions, he or she gets to take off a marker, which can be any small edible snack. You can customize the game for your child’s skill level, and make it about any subject: letter recognition, sight words, simple math. It’s fun and educational.

To play, you just need to pick up small snack foods, like crackers, bits of cereal, or dried fruit. In the picture above, she uses the Scrabble version of Cheez-Its. Download the Tasty Bingo game board printable PDF: {{Blank Version}}or {{Original Version}} and print it on heavy cardstock. You can make these one-time use, or use it again and again by laminating it.

Round Tray in Red and Green, $19.99 each. Large Wicker Glass, $5.99 Small Wicker Glass, $5.49

I had the opportunity to peruse the pretty housewares from Privet House, one of the first specialty shops featured in The Shops at Target this past weekend. Privet House founders Richard Lambertson and Suzanne Cassano opened Privet House in May 2008 in Warren, Conn., followed by a second location in Greenwich, Conn. The boutiques boast an international collection of antique and vintage furniture, artwork and mirrors for the home and garden.

The Flexx Spring 9-foot Market Umbrella

Dermatologists say to slather on the sunscreen to protect your delicate skin from the sun. The bad part is that sunscreen wears off after just a couple of hours, so you have to reapply again…and again. If you’re concerned about keeping your skin looking youthful looking, you might look into outdoor accessories that will help protect you from those glaring rays. For your patio, an umbrella is a must-have. Not only does it look cute, but it will provide some much-needed shade as you spend the afternoon lounging outside in the fresh air.

I discovered the Flexx market umbrella on SHOP.COM and fell in love with it for its trend-worthy shade of tangerine and amazing low price–just $89! Windy days are no match for this umbrella. It’s all thanks to a patent-pending, stainless steel spring, which helps extend the umbrella’s life in windy weather. Should the umbrella blow over, this super spring will also absorb most of the pressure on the canopy ribs. It also helps reduce stress on the umbrella pole. Add this umbrella to your existing patio table, or get an umbrella stand and arrange it over a couple of lounge chairs. Either way, you’re skin is protected and your patio is looking cute.

Cleaning floors hard flooring can be such a chore. First you vacuum, then you mop. The Bissell Steam and Sweep makes quick work of these dreaded tasks by simultaneously vacuuming up debris and steaming away dirt and germs. That means you can clean up in half the time.

How does it work? The rotating soft bristle sweeper brush sweeps dirt and debris into the dust bin. When you press the Steam on Demand Trigger, the mop releases powerful steam that will loosen grime while a washable microfiber mop pad wipes it away. This entire process can be done at the same time, so you only have to go over your floors once. Use this baby on  sealed hard wood flooring, vinyl, linoleum, tile and stone. $129.