The Gear You Need for a Weekend Getaway

March 15, 2014 - posted by Mike Vause

The spring is the perfect time to plan your hiking and camping, and you couldn’t ask for a better location than Utah. Take a week to enjoy the natural surroundings in comfort. Or, take off on a Friday afternoon and get away for a weekend with the family on your favorite hiking trails.

Utah Hiking and Camping Spots

Utah is rich with outdoor hiking opportunities.

I love the Uinta mountains.

The Desert Canyons of San Rafael Swell are also a good hike.

Even our own humble Ben Lomond peak.

Peak of Ben Lomond - Mike Vause, Smith and Edwards

My nephew on the peak of Ben Lomond. Over his right shoulder you can see Willard Bay.

Climb a peak! It will change how you look at things.

We have beautiful peaks in Utah. I like the view from Lewis Peak on the other side of the divide.

Utah’s tallest is Kings Peak – that’s an amazing summit right there.

For camping, I like the Logan Canyon area. There are still some fun spots at North Fork.

I love being in the Uinta mountains – there are many fun places up there you can hike to.

Now is the time to prepare a great backpack trip or day hike. Be ready now so you can grab your gear and go when the weather is right.

Capitol Reef, Utah - Mike Vause, Smith and Edwards

Capitol Reef National Park

Utah Hiking Gear & Camping Picks

Kelty day packs lasted my kids from 2nd grade through to my 20-year-old on his mission in the islands of the Pacific.

When you’re looking for hiking packs, you can’t go wrong with one from Mountainsmith, Kelty, or Jansport.

Hiking packs by Jansport, Mountainsmith, and Kelty at Smith and Edwards

These hiking packs will hold all your gear comfortably – and you won’t lose sight of your family in these bright colors, either.

Rather than trying to haul in your own water, you’ll want a water purification system: either a pump or a gravity system.

Some good purifying pump systems are the Katadyn Hiker, and the MSR Miniworks Ex Microfilter.

Water Purification pumps are great – but gravity-style purification rocks.

I love the Katadyne Base Camp system, where you draw a huge bag through the water, hang it up in camp, and then release water from it as you need it. And because of the gravity, you don’t need to pump it. The Katadyne Base Camp uses the same filters as other Katadyne systems.

A lot of these purification systems have adapters that go right on your Nalgene® bottle, reducing spillage.

Waterproof boots are a must! Danner and Merrell are good waterproof brands, and Merino wool or polypropylene blend socks complete the package.

Here are a couple good shoes: Danner 453 GTX in brown, and Merrell Moab Gore-Tex Mid with Vibram soles.

Merrell and Danner hiking boots and Merino wool socks at Smith & Edwards

Merrell or Danner hiking boots and Merino wool socks will keep your feet dry on a Utah hike.

Don’t forget your hat and sunscreen!

Staying overnight? Think about a Slumberjack sleeping bag. There are a lot of options out there, I like Slumberjack and Kelty.

Kelty and Slumberjack sleeping bags

Always take a pad; good rest is important. These inflatable pads are by ThermaRest, and we have several online you can check out.

I have a Kelty tent with 15 years of use, and we sell other great brands as well.

Kelty and Mountainsmith Tents at Smith and Edwards

The Kelty Grand Mesa and Mountainsmith Morrison 2-Person 3-Season tents are great for camping in Utah.

Shop available tents online, and see the full lineup in our stores.

Hike with Your Kids

Get your kids out; give them a love of the outdoors when they are young, and they will carry your heavy stuff when you are older. Trust me, it works.

You’ll get something started that they won’t be able to put down.

What are your favorite hiking and camping spots? Leave a comment and let us know!

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8 Fun Chalkboard Paint Ideas

February 27, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

Chalkboard paint is a hot home decorating secret! It’s all over Pinterest.

Hey Girl. You're right, chalkboard paint would be perfect on that .

reposted via Handmade by Ryan Gosling

Chalk and blackboards go together – but you don’t have to be limited to black paint! With our Valspar paint line, we can color match your paint, swatches, or color scheme, and mix you up a pint, quart, or gallon of the chalkboard paint you want!

At the Make & Take we had at the Smith & Edwards Paint Department last Saturday, you could paint your own 12×12″ board with chalk paint to take home and demo on your walls…. or let your kids try out what they want in their room!

Girls trying out chalk paint at Smith and Edwards

Taylor, Jaycee, and Payton painting their own Chalk Paint boards at Smith & Edwards

Plus, we had samples of awesome FrogTape Shape Tape to create patterns. This Frog Tape is like painter’s tape gone to art school. No more plain lines – now you can make scallops, zig zags, and ruffles in PERFECT precision.

And this tape is really good at preventing bleed-through so you have crisp contrast, not little droplets showing through.

Revealing the waves under the Shape Tape Frog Tape

Look at those waves!

So thanks to the great creative ideas from the crafters who came to our demo, and the crafty people in our Paint department, here are 8 fun chalkboard paint ideas you can try at your home. Try doing two-tone, too! These aren’t all home improvement ideas, either – these are great ideas for a family activity, hosting sleepovers, or birthday parties, too.

8 Fun Chalkboard Paint Ideas

1. Chalkboard Paint Pixie Dust Container

Does your 4-year-old need cheering up on a rainy day? She’d love to play with this Pixie Dust container! It could have anything in it – maybe even T-Rex Growth Potion for your dino-minded boy. Just take an aluminum container, punch holes in it (hammer and a nailpunch, or a Dremel), and then a coat of chalk paint. Works great for making pretend sprinkle jars for playing house, too!

2. Chalk Paint Spice Jars (or Sprinkle of Awesome)

Much like pixie dust containers, simply paint Chalk Paint on your glass spice jars to label them. When you use all the spices, rinse them out and write the new spice on it.

Remember, we can mix up your chalk paint in any color – so we can match your kitchen accent color, trim, or favorite plates!

This would be so cute for giving jams in Mason jars, or for your flour & sugar bins!

3. Chalk Paint Flowerpot

Label the seeds you’re starting in your flowerpot by laying down some chalkboard paint on a terra cotta pot. Or, if you’re like me, remind yourself how often to water your plants!

4. Chalk Paint Doorknob Hangers

Chalk Painted Door Hanger at Smith & Edwards

Boys Stay Out!

These are great for your middle schoolers! Take a wooden doorhanger blank and your kids can paint them in their favorite colors. Boys keep out!

5. Chalk Paint Clipboard

Out of all those on the list, Smith & Edwards is most likely to have #3

Kids can have fun making ….creative grocery lists! Y’know, we might have #3, let me go check in the back.

Future architects will have fun planning their Lego structures with the help of a clipboard. No more looking for scrap paper: they can sketch blueprints right on the board.

Look at that cool pattern on the back made with Frog Tape shapes!

We’ve got clipboards right here for you in the store.

6. Kid’s Chalkboard Tray for Car Rides

Better than an Etch-a-Sketch, encourage your children’s love for drawing with an aluminum tray painted in their favorite color. The raised sides will keep the chalk from rolling off. They can help you keep track of groceries, draw maps, play hangman with their brother, and practice writing.

This is a 12×9 aluminum cookie sheet that Brenda painted with a mauve chalk paint. Let your kids play on the board with chalk in the back seat, and a slightly-damp paper towel works great to erase the chalk.

7. Swatch for Painting with Chalk Paint

Thinking of painting a wall, toy chest, treehouse, or trim with chalk paint? How about using Frog Tape Shape Tape in your room? Take a 12×12″ board like the ones we have and try it out.

8. Kitchen Chalk Noteboard

Keep the family on track with a wooden noteboard painted with chalk paint!

Take it one step further with scrapbooking paper and you can have a framed noteboard.

Excited? Come on in to Smith & Edwards’ Paint department and we’ll mix you up any color of chalk paint you like to take home with you!

And we’ll have to do another demo day sometime – it was sure fun!

Bonus: Chalk Paint Furniture

Speaking of what to do with this fun paint… How about furniture? We’ve heard of folks painting an old desk – the entire desktop! Maybe your kitchen table or your old desk have some chips in it, or just could use a touchup. Or how about the kids’ table?

To paint a desk: Just put some chalk paint down (you could mix baking soda in it first for extra texture). Then when the paint’s dry, rough it up some with fine sandpaper to give it an antiqued look, and buff it with beeswax (we recommend Johnson’s or Howards Beeswax, we’ve got them on aisle 17) to seal it.

Then the kids can use chalk to play and draw! Or how about writing their names and drawing their own placemats right there on the kitchen table?

The chalk paint you want – in the right color, for the right price

We’ve seen chalkboard paint going for as much as $35 a quart – we’ll beat that price by 33%. Brenda got a quart of the blue paint that she’s used on several projects. She’s been painting and painting with it and she’s still got most of it left! So just a quart of this will last you a long ways.

You don’t have to paint a whole room with chalk paint. It’s best in small, special areas.

Looking even more ideas? Check out some REALLY inventive ideas at brit.co – including chalkboard pumpkins!

Remember we can make you up chalk paint in ANY color, so bring in your ideas, Pinterest boards, or paint swatches and let us help you get the chalk paint you’re looking for at Smith & Edwards’ Paint Department off I-15 in Farr West, Utah.

Watch our Events Calendar for classes, demos, make & takes, and more FREE & FUN events at Smith & Edwards!

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4 Reasons You Can’t Miss the Smith & Edwards Gun Auction

February 8, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

2018 Gun Auction date announced – CLICK HERE!

Ok, here’s the deal. ’round here you’ll find yourself a livestock auction, and a lot of folks are familiar with eBay auctions. But where else in our neck of the woods are you going to find a Gun Auction?

Smith and Edwards’ Gun Auction was in its 30th year here in Farr West on Feb. 1st from noon to 2pm and it was sure a good time. Lots of happy people and families spending a Saturday afternoon together and getting to see 70 nice guns going to good homes.

If you’ve never been to a Gun Auction at Smith & Edwards, you HAVE to come next year. It’s the entire reason folks give each other money at Christmas! (well, part of the reason) You won’t be disappointed. Here are 3 solid reasons to come next year and bring your family with you:

1. You’ll have an Awesome Time

It’s exciting to be there with 200 other people all who are familiar with guns and shooting. You could make new friends here at the gun auction, chat up some seasoned hunters for their favorite ranges or hunting spots, or just watch the crowd as the auction takes off. If you’re into guns and don’t have a lot of people everyday to talk to about your hobby, this is a great place to meet new people who get it.

And there’s even more to see at the Gun Auction than great people. Have a tasty hot dog at our Country Boy Deli right by the auction stage:

And because you’ll want to get here early, we’ve always got friends of Smith & Edwards that come to keep you entertained til the Auction starts.

This year we were lucky to have 3 guests here before the auction: The Eagle was at the front doors giving away prizes and keeping things hopping with great music.

The Zone was back in Sporting Goods, filling folks in at home on auction details.

The Zone at Smith and Edwards Gun Auction

1280 The Zone interviewing Mike Vause, Sporting Goods manager, just before the Gun Auction started.

And Mark Malan crooned to the crowd on his guitar before the auction started.

2. Great Deals & FREE Guns

You know, the #1 reason we do the Gun Auction is to make you happy. Yeah, you! Our customers love the gun auction because we have great guns at GREAT prices.

Lots of the guns start at just $100 or $200 – and these are guns we keep on the shelf with $700 – $2000 price tags all year!

Nice camo gun with scope - Smith and Edwards Gun Auction

Mike Casey talks up this nice camo gun with a scope

And you can inspect the guns before the show, too, and get a good look at what you’re bidding on.

One fellow even came up to me and asked if we made any money on this event or if it’s a wash. Well, I can’t rightly answer that, but let me tell you, there are a LOT of folks who made out real well Saturday!

And how about those free guns?

That’s right! How would it feel to beat all the other fellas out to win the bid on a gun you really wanted… and then get told that you got it for FREE?

Pretty amazing, right? It could happen at the Smith & Edwards Gun Auction!

Not to mention the fun freebies Mike Casey threw out to the crowd: t-shirts, hats, wristbands, and to some, even .22 shells!

“Who drove the furthest to get here? Anyone from Idaho, Wyoming?” Mike asked (a few folks raised their hands.) “Ok, driving 300 miles gets you free ammo!”

Then a fellow pipes up from the crowd: “I’m from Farr West! I’ve driven a mile to here 300 times!” Ok, you can have a freebie too.

Journey handing out freebies at Smith & Edwards

Journey making sure everyone gets a freebie and a copy of the guns up for auction

3. Mystery Safe

It’s the big attraction: The mystery safe! This year Jackie Allred was the lucky winner. And being a lady, she got a $500 Smith & Edwards Gift Certificate as a bonus!

Jackie Allred, 2014 Smith and Edwards Gun Safe Winner

Jackie Allred, winner of the 2014 Smith and Edwards Gun Safe, and her crew, pose with the safe and Mike Vause.

Here’s a partial list of what was in that big ol’ safe:

Top-of-the-line Superior safe that we sell for $1799 – retails for over $2,000.00
“Winchester 1894″ rifle with a 26” barrel, built in 1902, 38-55 caliber – all original
1400 rounds of .22 long round copper-coated rifle shells (WOW!)
Smith & Wesson M&P .22 Pistol
Leuopold’s top-of-the-line Gold Ring Spotting Scope, retails at $1199.00
Burris Fullfield 14×42 rifle scope, retails at $259.00
Nikon Rangefinder Realtree, retails at $469.99
Leupold Olympic 12×50 pair of binoculars
Browning T-Bolt .22 17 HMR, retails at $650.00
Ruger 10 .22 Laminated Stock, stainless steel version
Benelli Super Black Eagle Limited with wood stock, retails at $2499.00

Wow! Nice win, Jackie!

4. Auctioneer Mike Montgomery

And while those are the top 3 reasons…. we think Mike Montgomery is a reason in and of himself! He’s been heading up our auction for just about as long as we can remember – he’s a real staple of the annual Gun Auction.

I don’t know how he keeps his patter going as he’s watching in the crowd for bids! Luckily this year he had help from 4 spotters. He’s just incredible!

Mike Montgomery auctioneering the Smith & Edwards Gun Auction

The 3 Mikes: Mike Montgomery auctioneering, Mike Casey talking up the guns, and Mike Vause being Vanna White.

Well, I hope you’re convinced that you’ll need to come to our 31st Gun Auction next January in 2015. We can’t wait to have you back! In the meantime, make sure to check out guns at Smith & Edwards online and in-store.

From a crazy idea Mike Casey had standing on a soapbox back on Washington Boulevard back 30 years ago to the big auction we hosted today… thanks for a great 3 decades Ogden!

Are you looking forward to the Gun Auction next year? Leave us a comment and let us know what you’d like to win! And would you share this post with one of your friends who’s never come? They’ve GOT to make it out to our Gun Auction!

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How to Clean your Rifle

January 22, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

Did you get a gun for Christmas? Looking to get a good deal at our Gun Auction? Or maybe you’re a hunter who needs extreme accuracy for shooting an elk 350 yards away.

Did you know?
You can see part of our hunting department on SmithandEdwards.com! (click here) We’ve got a selection of our most popular hunting and range accessories for you online. There’s way more in-store!

You may know how to keep your gun dry and safe, you also want to know how to clean your rifle to keep it accurate and firing properly. Every gun needs a good cleaning to keep it functioning the way you need it to in an emergency, on a hunting trip, or just going out to the range for practice.

Eric Halter from our Gun Counter will walk you through the basics of cleaning your handgun so you can keep yours in great condition.

Eric knows how to keep a gun clean and firing properly because it’s what he does. When he’s not at Smith & Edwards, Eric spends his time as a gunsmith – something of a family trade, he’s had over 30 years of experience gunsmithing.

Every time your gun is fired, carbon and copper residue gets deposited and builds up in your bore. A boresnake is a fast way to clean out that residue, and for a deep cleaning after a hunting trip or a session at the range, you can use brushes and patches along with cleaners to restore your gun to pristine condition.

How to clean your gun in the field

A field cleaning is a basic cleaning to get the residue out of your rifle while you’re out in the field. So if you’re not in a place where you can set out all your supplies like your gun vise and cleaning rod, and take the time to give your gun a good cleaning, all you need is your boresnake to do a field clean.

If there’s rain and you’ve gotten water down your bore, if you’re in inclement weather, or you’re in a harsh, dusty, and dirty environment, this is the #1 method to get your rifle back in shape from breech to muzzle.

Take your rifle, making sure it’s unloaded, and remove the bolt.
Drop the weighted end of an oiled boresnake down the barrel and pull through the bore, out the muzzle.
Do that 2-3 times, and you’re good to go.

Gun Cleaning Tip:
Before you go on your trip, lay your boresnake on your bench and wet the first 1/3 of the bore with a bore cleaner like Hoppe’s #9.

Then coil it up and put it in a ziploc bag.

Now when you’re out in the field to do a field cleaning, you pull out your ziploc bag, take out your boresnake, and pull that through your rifle and clean out the residue.

The brass bristles in the boresnake will help give your gun a good brushing.

When you get home from your trip, you’ll still want to give your gun a good cleaning. A quick & easy field cleaning like this will help you in the field to get the majority of the carbon out, keeping it lubricated and water-resistant, but it won’t take out the heavy copper deposits or carbon deposits like a good deep-cleaning at home.

So Eric’s going to show us how to give a long gun the good cleaning it needs. You can follow the same steps on a shotgun or pistol.

How to clean your gun at home

We should mention that your first step ought to be to read your owner’s manual. This will help you see exactly how to disassemble your gun and clean it. Get familiar with your weapon and how to take care of it.

OK, once you get home from the field or the range, set aside a half-hour to give your gun the TLC it deserves.

You’ll need: your gun, a gun vise (and a counter or bench to set it on), a cleaning rod with a brush and a jag attachment, cleaning solution, lubricant, flannel patches, and a shop cloth.

Make sure your gun is unloaded, and then remove the bolt. Rest your gun in a vise.
Take your bore brush and screw it onto your cleaning rod. Dip your brush into your solvent (we use Hoppe’s #9 Copper Solvent).
Push the brush and rod through the bore through the end. Do about 20-25 strokes back and forth, then take it out and set your cleaning rod to the side.
Let it set for about 5-10 minutes for the chemical reaction. Let the bore cleaner work on the copper fouling and the carbon deposits.
Take your patch jag and screw it onto your cleaning rod. Take a flannel patch and pull a corner halfway through the jag, and fold it over the end.

Then, take the patch and run it down through to clean out the dirt in the bore.
Repeat brushing with solvent as needed.
Keep running fresh patches down through the bore til they come out clean.

Now it’s time to lubricate the bore.
Drop 8-10 drops of oil onto a patch and run it down your bore.

This is a preservative, so that humidity and moisture won’t get in there and rust the bore.
Take a dry patch and run it down the bore to remove any excess lubricant or cleaning oils that are in the bore.
Take one of your patches that had cleaner on it and clean your bolt. Then, lightly oil the bolt.
When you’re done, take a good clean shop rag and wipe down your gun so it’s clean and dry, removing any oils, dust, and dirt.

Put the bolt back in the rifle.

And you’re all done!

These steps are identical for handguns, revolvers, and shotguns. The only difference with a handgun is you’d use a shorter cleaning rod.

Handguns typically don’t get cleaned as often as they should, so for best performance try to do it after every trip or every other trip to the range. Just use the same cleaners and process to get rid of the copper and carbon residue in the barrel.

How often should you clean your gun?

You know your gun best. Eric recommends you do a good cleaning like that every other time you shoot. You should run a boresnake through it after every shooting session.

If your goal is extreme accuracy, you’ll want to clean after every shooting session. Your rifle can shoot through a certain amount of fouling without a problem, but after anywhere from 30-100 rounds, you’ve got fouling in there that will affect your accuracy. If you’re out looking for an elk across a canyon or really needing to hit a target, you’ll want your barrel clean.

If you’re a waterfowl hunter, you’re out in harsh environments – rain, cold, sleet, snow, mud – and your shotguns really take a beating. It’s vitally important to clean your shotgun thoroughly after every usage – making sure to oil it well to keep it water-resistant.

If you’ve got a handgun for home defense, even if you don’t shoot it during the year, the preservative oils can evaporate over time. So while you don’t need to clean it, because you haven’t fired it, you do want to re-oil your home defense firearm once a year – whether it’s a rifle, pistol, or shotgun.

What gun cleaning supplies we recommend

There are a lot of companies that make gun cleaning supplies. Hoppe’s is a great company that has brushes and cleaners, and Outers and Gunslick make great cleaners too. You can also get kits from gun manufacturers, such as Winchester and Remington.

All these are pretty affordable, you’re looking to spend about $20-40 on a kit.

Eric picked out some kits – these are just a few of the dozen or so gun cleaning kits we have here in the store. The small one is a universal handgun cleaning kit.

We’ve also got Tipton’s Best Gun Vise $99.99 – this vise can adjust to fit rifles, compact pistols, and everything in between. You can find all these gun care products and much more in our Sporting Goods department here at Smith & Edwards.

Bore snake – a must-have.

Bronze brush and a Slotted Jag – they come in a huge range of sizes, so get the one that fits your bore so you don’t have to scrub as much.

We’ve got tons of flannel patches, a bag will run you about $5.

Orange-label Hoppe’s #9 Gun Bore Cleaner: your standard, all-purpose cleaning solution.

Brown-label Hoppe’s #9 Copper Remover is a copper solvent that will dissolve the copper out of your bore. You’ll know it’s working when your patch comes out with a turquoise-green tint to it. Keep running the patches down til they don’t have that blue tint on the patch.

This copper remover is what you’ll want to use frequently if you’re an extreme accuracy shooter or into long-range shooting, to get the pristine bore you need. If you’re familiar with your rifle’s trajectory and exterior ballistics, you don’t want to waste that knowledge by having a dirty rifle and not being able to count on the bullet’s trajectory.

Hoppe’s lubricating oil is a great choice for keeping your bore dry and rust-free til you use it again. It doesn’t have much of an odor at all. Break-Free CLP is another good choice.

Cleaning rod: Pretty basic, you’ll want either a rifle cleaning rod or a handgun-size cleaning rod. This particular one has a sliding piece of brass that fits on the rear of the action, so the rod stays aligned in the center of the bore, so you get a good clean, and faster.

Your turn

How do you clean your handgun or rifle? What are your tips & tricks? Leave a comment below and let us know.

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Rejuvenate your Home with new Paint Palettes!

December 14, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

Lots of hardware and home improvement stores have paint departments with all those wonderful rainbows of paint chips.

If you’re building your own home, starting to personalize your new house, or finally getting around to touching up after the kids have flown the nest – you know how important those color swatches are, and how much time you can spend with them!

Picking Paint Palettes

One of my favorite things to do when I’m trying to pick paint colors – it’s a long-term decision! – is go to Pinterest and search for paint color palettes and inspiration. I love the colors people have already put together – much better than trying to hope the colors I choose will play nicely together!

And you know what? The paint counter at Smith & Edwards has several color palettes already created in gorgeous combinations with paint chips right in the palette! You’ve got to come in and see them! Take home a sample and tack it to the wall so you can visualize how your living room would look in a brand new coat of paint.

Valspar color trio palettes at Smith & Edwards

Smith & Edwards’ new Valspar color trio palettes

Clark+Kensington paint chips, top, and room color paint palettes

Perfect “mood” palettes from Clark and Kensington

This one’s my favorite – I’m picking colors for our living room and dining room, and this is what I’m settled on: a vanilla-cream on the walls, and white trim. Look at the great options I can use for accents!

Plus I can take this palette when I’m shopping for bookshelves, choosing photos to hang on the walls, and picking out our new couch to make sure everything complements the room.

Smith & Edwards Paint Department gets a Makeover!

These new color palettes are just a tiny part of the big changes in our paint department! That’s right, after years of helping thousands of Utah homeowners improve their home’s appearance – we’ve gotten a makeover, too!

Check out the amazing new lighting – much easier to see true colors and match paints:
(old and new paint counter)

Before…

After…

It’s so bright and clean… we love it! How about you?

The reason for our remodel? We’ve brought in a new line of paint, Valspar, which is a premium paint. It’s got amazing pigments that give you brighter, more vibrant color!

Valspar comes in 2 grades. Aspire is a mid grade paint that’s similar to Clark+Kensington and is pretty durable. Optimus is the high-end Valspar paint and primer, and it’s incredibly durable. You can clean lipstick off flat Optimus without leaving a trace! – and it has great coverage.

Randy, our Paint department manager, will be happy to help you pick the perfect grade of paint!

And because they’re part of the same family, we can exactly color-match Valspar to Clark+Kensington and Ace Royal paints you’ve already got at home.

Clark + Kensington was recently rated #1 among leading paint brands by Consumer Reports. So you know you’re going to get the best paint for your project here at Smith & Edwards!

Sample Paint Pints

Here’s something more you can do than just tack that color palette up on your wall. Just tell us what colors you’d like to test drive, and we’ll mix them up for you and set you up with sample pints of Valspar or Clark+Kensington paint for just $4.99.

That way you can really get a feel for how the colors will affect the mood of the room, how they’ll enhance your furniture and cozy or freshen the feel of the space. You could get a sheet of chipboard and mock up what the room would look like – that way you get a much better idea than just 3″ paint chip swatches.

And while we’re probably the only ones who are excited about this, we’ve also got new displays and signage to match our new modern look! It’s like getting new sconces for us – aren’t they amazing?

(we think so!)

And since a lot of gluing seems to happen whenever there’s remodeling, we collected all our glues and plopped them right next to the paint so they’re easy to find. From E6000 to wood glues and of course Gorilla Glue, you’ll find the glue your projects need.

Come on in & visit!

And just wait… there is something exciting that Randy and the paint department can do with Valspar paints that they’ve never been able to do before! Come in and ask them about it, or wait to see the in-store demo we’ve got coming up in 2014. (Hint: it’s something to do with chalk!)

So come on in to Smith & Edwards and check out our huge range of paints and colors for home inspiration. The Paint department is just past the main entrance around aisles 19-23. Randy and Brenda can’t wait to help you find and match the perfect hues for your living room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen!

Smith and Edwards Paint Dept will get you the results you want!

Come on in and let’s pick out your colors!

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Dutch Oven Cooking with Colleen Sloan

November 30, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

We were so lucky to have Colleen Sloan, the first lady of Dutch oven cooking, give us some excellent tips on Dutch oven (D.O.) cooking. And you’re lucky, too – keep scrolling to see her creations & get 2 complete Dutch oven recipes!

I got to catch up with Colleen as she was cooking up samples outside Smith & Edwards. You wouldn’t believe the number of ovens she had going with all different meals and treats inside.

Colleen had a pie going, pizzas, orange rolls, chicken noodle soup, taco bread, chili, garlic cheese rolls, apple crumble, and even more meals – there were Dutch ovens everywhere.

See Colleen Cook!

If there was a way to capture the heavenly smell of Colleen’s Dutch oven cooking, you wouldn’t need to see what she was doing. But these pictures tell the story of some of her dishes, and just think, every dish smelled – and tasted – just as scrumptious as you’d imagine looking at them.

Remember, Collen prewarms her D.O.s and sprays the inside with a coat of vegetable oil before each dish.

Chili

: Nothing better on a campfire than some chili steaming away. For this pot, we just opened some canned chili and added cheese (lots!) – but a Dutch oven will give your from-scratch chili an amazing flavor, too!

: Serving up the cheesey chili – mm mm mmmm!

Taco Bread

This is a happy recipe Colleen discovered – Taco cheese biscuits, or taco bread! In a warm D.O., the dough rose and baked for about 35 minutes, then it was ready. You can make this same meal with your own favorite spices – and lots of cheese :)

: Audrey’s cutting up some frozen bread dough into morsels. You can keep your dough whole, or in medium chunks for rolls: cutting it this small made it easier to break into samples when it’s done, and also faster to cook.

: Where’s the beef? Colleen’s adding some precooked ground beef cooked in taco seasonings.

: Audrey: How much cheese do I put in?
Colleen: Just put in the whole bag!

Last peek before the lid goes on: some green onions on top. Yum!

: It’s half gone already! Look at that… and it breaks apart into perfect morsels because the bread was cut in pieces. Yumm!

Candied Yams

You’ll have to imagine how these turned out – I could have watched Colleen cook all day, but I had to go back inside before I saw how these candied yams turned out. I’m sure they were delicious… and so easy to make!

: To start, Colleen sprayed vegetable oil in the Dutch oven. Then she’s got some prebaked yams wrapped in foil, just like you can bring on your camping trip, and Skip’s going to peel and slice them.

: Yams are very good for you! So go ahead and add in a couple handfuls of brown sugar…

: …plus a sliced stick of butter for a delicious pot of vegetables!

Then pop the lid on, and let it go til you smell that delicious candied yam smell. Mm mm mmmm!

Pizza

This was another one I couldn’t snap the final product – it was out of the Dutch oven and scarfed down before I could take the picture! But here’s how Skip made his Dutch oven pizzas:

: Skip’s kneading some Rhodes dough into pizza shapes

: Skip can fit 2 pizzas in this 10″ Dutch oven – he could also cook them on a flat lid

: Let’s see… Skip’s got pizza sauce, ground meat, pineapple (yum!) going… good so far, but we’re missing something…

: That’s better! Can’t forget the cheese. Lid on, cook away, and devour!

Apple Crumble

: First thing you need for a Dutch oven apple crumble is some apple pie filling

: Add a bag of cake mix over the filling

: Give it a nice stir – keep the cake mix on top

: Think it needs some cinnamon! It smells so good already (remember, the D.O. is prewarmed)

: Add a can of pop – you can use any you like, Colleen went with Sierra Mist

: It’s bubbling now with the pop in there! Time to put the lid on and let it go.

: Smells ready! We peeked, and it’s done. So we’ve tilted the lid to help it cool down.

: Mmm! It’s ready – smells like cinnamon, rich apples, and good cooking.

: It’s time to serve up! Colleen does the honors

: Kelly gives this apple cobbler her seal of approval! Yum!

Beginning Dutch Oven Cooking Tips

The Dutch Oven Cooking Basics

If you’re cooking for just you or 1-2 more people, a 10-inch Dutch oven is a great size to start with. Get yourself a Dutch oven, a hot mitt and a lid lifter if you like, and a cookbook – Colleen’s Log Cabin Dutch Oven cookbook is a great place for beginners to start! Just start trying it out – you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

Where do you Start?

Do you have a recipe you use at home? Just put it in a Dutch oven, put your Dutch oven in your electric oven set to 300°, and let it go.

You don’t need to go hotter than that, because the cast iron gathers and retains heat, so it’ll get even hotter than 300.

If your Dutch oven is a camp oven – that is, if it has legs – simply set your Dutch oven on a cookie sheet to avoid hassling with the racks. A cookie sheet makes it easier to slide the Dutch oven out, too.

Keep the Lid on It

Try not to peek, so all the flavors and nutrients stay inside the Dutch oven. Instead, when it smells like what it tastes like, your nose will let you know when it’s done!

The Dutch oven is the original slow cooker and pressure cooker – in fact, with the lid on, you can get between 1-3 pounds of pressure inside, which helps your food cook thoroughly for a rich flavor, without a long time waiting. So remember, don’t lift the lid because it’ll release all that pressure.

The best way to get started Dutch oven cooking is to try out your own recipes you already know. Then once you’ve got a feel for it, give one of Colleen’s great recipes a try!

Dutch Oven Recipes

I asked Colleen if I could share some recipes from her wonderful Log Cabin Dutch Oven Cookbook, and… she said YES!

So here are 2 very simple recipes that you can try tonight with just a Dutch oven in your oven at home. And as I learned today, you can add your own spices, sauces, and especially cheese to just about any Dutch oven recipe to make it even tastier! (We debated the finer points of cheese on apple pie – a cheese-stuffed crust was the way to go, we decided)!

Dutch Oven Bread

You’ll need:

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
Water (enough to make a dough)

Mix dry ingredients with 3 Tbsp water to start. Add more if necessary. Work as little as possible and bake in a greased Dutch Oven for 20 to 25 min. It can be baked as one large loaf, or several small loaves.

You’ll find dozens of hand-written notes in the Log Cabin Dutch Oven Cookbook from Colleen. She’s written “Um-Um-Good” next to this one! This is such a simple recipe, I can’t wait to try it. And here are some variations she recommends to mix it up:

Use milk instead of water
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Cinnamon or Nutmeg
Raisins, currants, drained blueberries, cheeses, garlic, onions, and more. All to make your bread taste swell.

Dutch Oven Pot Roast

You’ll need:

1 large Pot Roast
1 tsp. Salt
1 medium Onion (sliced)
1/2 tsp. Pepper
8 to 10 Potatoes (peeled)
1 cup Water
10 to 12 Carrots (peeled & cut in half)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Tbsp. Cooking Oil (or bacon grease)

Put cooking oil in bottom of Dutch Oven and place the roast inside. Place onions on top. Add remaining ingredients and cover. Cook for about 90 minutes. Be sure to maintain the temperature. This one-dish meal is excellent for outdoors. Briquettes can be added 15 minutes before serving.

Recipes reprinted from Log Cabin Dutch Oven Cookbook by Colleen Sloan, with permission – thanks, Colleen!

More Dutch Oven Cooking Tips from Colleen

Colleen uses vegetable oil – Dutch ovens love it, and it’s easy to spray through a spray bottle. Just fill a spray bottle and pack it with your Dutch ovens for easy.

The other spray bottle Colleen keeps with her when cooking is a 4:1 mixture of 4 parts water, 1 part apple cider vinegar. She uses this to disinfect pots, Dutch ovens, and her hands while cooking. That’s a tip you can use camping, too!

Spraying Skip’s hands with vinegar to clean them after peeling yams

Preheat your Dutch oven, so it’s got a head start and can cook your food faster. Especially if you’re out in cold weather! Don’t get it piping hot, just warm, and then oil it up and cook away.

Don’t forget you can cook on a lid! Pizza and fillets are great to cook on a lid, not to mention eggs and toast.

You have some choice in the shape of lids: some lids are fairly flat, and others are quite rounded, giving you better control of liquids and eggs.

Here’s an example of a rounded Dutch oven lid – this one is by Camp Chef.

Speaking of lids… while you’re preheating your Dutch oven, or D.O., make sure your lid’s preheating, too. And when you take the lid off, put it on a burner to help it stay warm!

Keeping a Dutch oven lid warm on the Camp Chef stove (right burner)

Cleaning Dutch Ovens

Cleaning a Dutch oven pan isn’t as hard as you think. Sure you can’t just stick it in the dishwasher (rust), but it’s not tough.

Colleen cleans a bit as she goes – as soon as an oven’s empty, she sprays it with her vinegar water bottle so the food doesn’t harden on the pan.

Then when you’re washing your dishes, put your Dutch oven in the sink with hot water, swish it around with a rag. Dump it out, rinse it again, then put it on the stove and warm it up to dry. You could also put it back in your stove’s oven if the oven’s still warm. This’ll make sure all the moisture disappears.

Then, when you get your Dutch oven out to cook next time, just oil it up, heat it up, and you’re ready to go.

About Colleen

A caterer by trade, Colleen Sloan had always been around Dutch oven cooking – her great-great grandparents came across the plains cooking in Dutch ovens all the way, so her great grandparents, grandparents, and parents have all helped refine her family’s recipes. Colleen compiled her grandmother’s recipes in the Log Cabin Cookbook.

And that’s not her only book… she’s written a total of 6 Dutch oven cookbooks, and you can find them all at Smith & Edwards – we even have her first book available online here.

Colleen Sloan and Vickie Maughn, our Housewares manager

Raised on a Utah farm by pioneer stock, and involved for 45 years in Scouting, Colleen loves sharing her knowledge and passion for Dutch oven cooking. Colleen loves just about everything out of a Dutch oven, but 2 of her favorites are bacon cheese biscuits, and fried chicken in a Dutch oven. And she’s sure you’re going to acquires some favorite Dutch oven dishes, too!

Nervous to try Dutch oven cooking? Colleen’s sure there’s no bad recipe. Just put together the food you have and your favorite seasoning, and it’ll turn out! Colleen says, “When it comes to seasoning, let your imagination do the walking through your Dutch oven recipes. Try some different things and see!”

Get your Dutch Oven Gear online at Smith & Edwards:


Dutch Ovens	Colleen’s Dutch Oven Cookbook

Thanks Colleen, Skip, and Audrey!

Colleen’s been coming out to Smith & Edwards for over 20 years to give us demos, samples, and great advice on Dutch oven cooking. We sure appreciate it.

We owe a big thank-you to Colleen and her crew! They braved the cold the morning of Black Friday 2013 to cook and serve up samples during the day – and they even served up hot chocolate and coffee for folks waiting in line before we opened the doors. It was sure appreciated by folks standing in 32-degree weather!

Who doesn’t love the coffee and hot chocolate camp stove setup that they have?

Steaming-hot hot chocolate and coffee make even a brisk morning warm.

Colleen, left, with her assistants Skip and Audrey – Dutch Oven caterers!

Many thanks to Colleen and her friends Skip and Audrey of S & A Catering in Sandy, Utah. Skip & Audrey’s number is 801-973-8371.

Want to know more about Dutch oven cooking? Visit IDOS, the International Dutch Oven Society. Not only are they worldwide – IDOS members will also be sharing samples and recipes the first weekend of May at the Weber County Fairgrounds, so mark that on your calendar if you’re a Dutch oven fan or just looking to get started!

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Amazing Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas from All Wrapped Up!

November 16, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

Today we had an amazing demonstration in-store: Leslie Sackett and Bonnie Hohman from All Wrapped Up, a Layton-based wrapping paper company, stopped in for a couple hours to give us great ideas on Christmas gifts for kids and neighbors – and great ways to decorate those gifts, too!

Bonnie and Leslie sharing holiday gift wrap ideas today at Smith & Edwards! Check out the green polka-dot gift: sodas because you’re “Soda-lighted” to be neighbors! :)

I was blown away by how many cool ideas Leslie and Bonnie had – and these weren’t outrageous, hard-to-find gifts. These are fun, everyday items that people love to get as gifts – but Leslie and Bonnie made them look like a million bucks!

Leslie and Bonnie know all about wrapping amazing gifts because they’ve built an entire business around making gifts look great with premium wrapping paper!

Take a look:

Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas from Bonnie & Leslie:

Smith & Edwards Holiday Gift Ideas: Hot Chocolate and Pamper Yourself

On the left, give the gift of hot chocolate! A mug (these shown are from the popular “That’s All” line), hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and you could even add candy canes!
I’ll show you a close-up of the middle fudge can – keep reading!
At far right, “Wishing you Warm & Cozy Toes this Winter” has a theme of pamper-yourself goodies. What great holiday gift ideas for neighbors, teachers, and friends!

I love this 5-gallon “game night” bucket that’s wrapped in Santa wrapping paper – it’s perfect for neighbors as well as kids! You can even add cards and your kids’ favorite games, like Sorry!, in the bucket. Perfect for young kids as well as kids who are just starting their own family themselves.

Holiday gift wrap ideas at Smith & Edwards

All you need is a 5-gallon bucket, your kids’ or your neighbors’ favorite candy, and some tulle and wrapping paper, for a great holiday gift idea!

Bonnie and Leslie are really creative, so they found some poems to attach to the gifts that are fun – you can print them out on white paper and glue them to scrapbook paper or matching wrapping paper for a really charming look.

Fudge holiday gift ideas at Smith & Edwards

This poem explains that they ran out of time to make fudge – so here are all the fixins to make their own fudge themselves! (click to view larger)

Cute M&M’s candy gift idea made with M&Ms, a poem, wrapping paper, tulle… and is that a paint can?

Yep- those are real paint cans! Use Bonnie and Leslie’s idea – you can buy never-used, brand-new paint cans here at Smith & Edwards and here on SmithandEdwards.com.

Bonnie told me, So many people will wrap their gifts in a box. But how neat is it to put your gifts in a paint can? It’s a really unique idea they’ll remember!

To make a paint-can gift, simply collect the paint cans you’ll need at Smith & Edwards, then cut the wrapping paper you’ll need to cover the outside. Tape the wrapping paper in place, wrap with tulle, and before you make the bow, slide on a hole-punched poem for a cute note that shows your neighbor how much you care!

Oh, and I’ve got to show you my favorite “neighbor gift idea”:

Neighbor gift Ice Melt at Smith and Edwards

Give your neighbors the gift of ice-free steps and driveway! Use a 5-gallon bucket or a paint can to hold the ice melt, and tie on one of our aluminum scoops, and you’re set!

Ice Melt Poem - Gift Wrap Ideas at Smith & Edwards

Here’s the poem you could use to explain your thoughtful gift of Ice Melt!

What you’ll need to make an Ice Melt Gift:

5-Gallon Bucket or new Paint Can
Ice Melt (we have 8-pound jars and 20-pound bags as low as $6.99)
Aluminum scoop
All Wrapped Up wrapping paper – now available online!
Tulle
Poem

Heck, they might snowblow your sidewalk if they like your gifts – so why not?

What Makes “All Wrapped Up” Special?

Bonnie and Leslie created All Wrapped Up out of their desire for attractive gift wrap that came in large quantities – not just in precut sheets – and was also high-quality.

This paper is thick – this is really nice paper that won’t tear around the corners of boxes – so even if your gifts get mailed cross-country, they’ll look as good as when you wrapped them! They come in rolls of 150 square feet. And the designs are all custom creations.

Plus, the wrapping paper is created right here in the USA. And All Wrapped Up’s wrapping paper is completely recyclable, made using water-soluble inks: having a “green” wrapping paper that was also well-designed and durable was important to Leslie and Bonnie.

Trust me, once you try this wrapping paper, you won’t want to go back to the other stuff!

And they might not want me telling you this, but Smith & Edwards has the BEST prices on All Wrapped Up® wrapping paper in Utah!

Thanks, Leslie and Bonnie, for a great demo today – hope to have you back soon!

Watch for them Tuesday, November 19 on Studio 5… and I’m sure we’ll be running some promotions on their top-notch wrapping paper soon!

Get FREE Wrapping Paper!

Of course, who wouldn’t love a big basket of gift wrap supplies? That’s what you can get through our Facebook page:

Click the picture to go to Facebook and enter the Giveaway! (ends next week)

Come Get Your Wrapping Paper at Smith & Edwards

Come on in to Smith & Edwards to get your hands on these great wrapping paper designs. (MV, our Sporting Goods manager, would like me to remind you that we have plenty of gifts here at Smith & Edwards, too… but that’s another post!)

We’re located at 3936 N Highway 126 in Farr West, Utah. Come see us this week!

Where’s the goods?

Come in the front door and look to your left: you’ll see Leslie and Bonnie’s great Christmas wrapping paper in baskets right at the door. (Look how much paper comes in each roll! No more running out on Christmas Eve!)

Then, keep going down that main aisle until you find yourself in Housewares, where you’ll find those aluminum scoops, tulle, and everyday wrapping paper that’s great for birthdays and more.

You’ll be right next to the Paint counter then, and you can pick up the 5-gallon buckets or new paint cans you need to package your ice melt or candy gifts.

(Where else can you find all these great-quality products in 1 place than Smith & Edwards?)

See you soon!

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Savor the Christmas Experience – and Bring it Home!

November 6, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

Update: our Christmas selection has just been marked down: up to 70% off MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price). So Smith & Edwards is THE place to find your perfect Christmas decorations – and at a great price, too!

Smith & Edwards has all your home decor and outdoor decorations you need to celebrate the holidays! We’ve got the most unique Christmas decorations in Utah. You’ll find Christmas decorations – and gifts galore! – in the aisles here at Smith & Edwards. Just take a look…

Smith & Edwards’ Magnificent Christmas Selection

There’s no way we could fit everything in a little blog post… so check out these photos, and then come on in and see them for yourself!

We’ve got everything you need, extension cords and bulbs to gifts and toys and the best Christmas decorations Utah has to offer. Let’s start off with prelit Christmas trees and these fun tree toppers:

Christmas Trees and Tree Toppers

Prelit Christmas trees at Smith and Edwards

Choose your Christmas tree – we’ve got white lights and multicolored lights, from “Charlie Brown” size trees to 7.5 – 9-foot trees for you.

Perfect for a cabin or country home, this prelit Christmas tree is full of antlers, too! (Deer tree topper available separately…)

Bear, Moose, and Deer tree toppers at Smith and Edwards

Choose a tree topper – we’ve got a Deer, a Moose, and Bears!

Fountains

Indoor fountains make great Christmas gifts! We’ve got simple fountains, statue fountains, fountains with lights, and even “fireplace” fountains – you have to see them…

Christmas Lights

Here are just a few strands of the Christmas lights we have for you…

Bubbling Christmas lights, front, and flickering flame lights in the background

Wreaths & Stockings

Lots of Christmas stockings and wreaths to choose from at Smith and Edwards

Choose a stocking for everyone in your family – and we’ve got several styles of wreaths to choose from, too!

And we’ve got amazing, locally-produced wrapping paper, too!

This paper is from All Wrapped Up based in Layton, Utah.

Tip: Check out the in-store Gift Wrapping Demonstration we had Nov. 16!

Home Decor

You’ll find everything you need to make your home a warm, festive place to host family and friends for the holidays. You’ll find friendly Santas, cinnamon-scented pinecones, and much more to decorate your home this Christmas.

This Santa Claus sings and dances – what a jolly guy!

Nothing says Christmastime like cinnamon-scented pinecones!

There’s room in every home for a floppy moose!

Christmas Ornaments

You can find ornaments anywhere – so we’re featuring just the coolest Christmas ornaments.

Special ornaments with LEDs that light up

Santa Ornament blows out! - Smith and Edwards

This Santa is a great ornament for kids! The “Good Night Light” stays lit, then at bedtime…

…blow on the candle…

and the candle's blown out! - Smith and Edwards

…and the candle goes out!

Cowboy Santas and Snowmen at Smith and Edwards

These Cowboy Santa and Cowboy Snowmen ornaments make great gifts!

Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Holiday banners for your porch

Decorate your front door (or trees!) with a grapevine snowflake wreath like this one.

Light up your fence with clip-on Christmas lights - Smith and Edwards

Light up your vinyl fence with EZKlipz clip-on Christmas lights: they clip right on and stay on straight. (click picture to view larger)

Christmas garden decorations - Smith and Edwards

Festive Christmas stakes for your garden or potted plants

This 7-foot airblown Santa Claus is on special until December 1!

Huge candy canes for your home!

Mickey Mouse Christmas Decoration - Smith and Edwards

Let Mickey light up your porch

Light up your yard with Christmas trees and more!

Train Set

Choo chooooooo!

Who wouldn’t love a Train Set for Christmas?

Come on in – we’re waiting to see you!

So come on in – we’ve got a lovely Christmas wonderland for you to explore and bring home to your family.

Come visit our Christmas display and get your own magnificent Christmas decorations: you’ll see them right away when you walk into Smith & Edwards, located at exit 351 off I-15. Come see us at 3936 N Highway 126 in Farr West, Utah, because we’re your #1 Christmas decor & gift destination!

Smith & Edwards’ Christmas Sale

Check out our Christmas Sale – Great savings starting Black Friday!

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Dyson Vacuum Demo: Animal Complete DC41

November 2, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

If you came in the store today, between 11:00-3:00, you could’ve gotten a great deal on Dyson Vacuums! We had special pricing on Dyson vacuums and you could even try out a Dyson yourself at our Dyson vacuum demo.

Want to hear about all our in-store demos and giveaway? LIKE us on Facebook, and sign up for In-Store Offers for our best deals at our store in Ogden, Utah!

Today we had Mike and Eugene from Dyson drop by Smith & Edwards to demonstrate the DC41 Animal Complete vacuum. This is a beast!

Plus, not only could you try the vacuum out, vacuuming up confetti, metal shavings, dust, and fluff, but we also had great deals on Dysons during the demo – saving you $200 or more on certain models!

Dyson DC41 Animal Complete Vacuum available at Smith & Edwards

Dyson vacuums are amazing because they never lose suction! Just watch.

Uh oh….

Someone’s breaking out the confetti…!

By the way, check out the angle Mike’s getting thanks to the Dyson ball –

Works on carpet…

Vacuuming confetti on hard surfaces with DC41

Then because of the unique Dyson active base plate, you can switch to vacuuming on hard surfaces like tile without losing suction.

The Dyson active base plate on this vacuum self-adjusts to carpet and hard surfaces, so you won’t lose suction as you vacuum across your home.

Confetti in Dyson canister at Smith and Edwards

Confetti in the Dyson DC41 canister

Excellent for Allergies and Pets

The Dyson Animal Complete is simple – there are no bags or filters to replace, and you can empty the canister in just a push of a button.

And if someone in your family has allergies – or you just have a lot of pets to clean up after – you’ll love how many allergen particles, pollen, and dust Dyson vacuums can capture. Plus, your Dyson vacuum will retain the dust it sucks up too, instead of venting it back into your rooms!

The Attachments Really Make this Vacuum Stand Out

The Animal Complete DC41, the model Mike demonstrated, comes with a bunch of cool attachments in a case.

If you or your family have long hair (like me) or lots of pets, you know the chore of cutting hair & fur out of the vacuum base. But check out this extension – it won’t get clogged:

Tangle Free Hair Tool on Dyson Animal Complete

This tangle-free hair tool rotates in opposite directions, so instead of getting stuck, hair and string go…

Hair didn't get tangled in the Dyson brush

…directly into the canister!

The wand extends to 16 feet, so you can clean your ceiling fans with your feet on the ground – no chairs or stools to climb on to dust your fans.

Use the angle brush to clean your ceiling fans!

Use this extension to dust surfaces.

Crevice Tool

Great internal filter for lifetime use.

Like us, Dyson will give you great customer support

And one more thing about Dyson vacuums: They put a 1-800 number on the vacuum handle, and you can call about anything – whether your vacuum’s working great or needs some help. They’ll recommend the attachments you should use and how to best clean your home’s carpet and floors.

Plus, when you register your new vacuum, you can give them your email address and they’ll send you reminders on when to rinse your filter (the recommendation is to wash your filter every 3 months).

Dyson’s 1-800 help number is on the vaccum handle.

Thanks Mike and Eugene for coming by and showing us the Dyson Animal Complete DC41! We’ve got a great selection of Dyson vacuums here for you to check out at Smith & Edwards. Come on out and see us just off I-15 at exit 351 and take home a new vacuum today.

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3 Tips for a Victory at Smith and Edwards’ Toy Sale

October 24, 2013 - posted by Rose Marion

Smith and Edwards’ Toy Sale is a great event for getting gifts for Christmas! You’ll be sure your kids and grandkids will have a fun-filled Christmas morning with toys from our Toy Sale.

About the Toy Sale

The Smith and Edwards Toy Sale happens every fall. Like us on Facebook to see all our events and when they are scheduled. Promotional toys are at a fixed low price leading up to December!

We’ll publish our list of Toys available on our Current Specials page!

What kind of toys can you get? Top brands like Disney, Mattel, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, Littlest Pet Shop, and much, much more.

3 Tips for VICTORY at the Smith and Edwards Toy Sale

What do we mean by “victory”? Well, the top toys sell out fast, and you want to be sure and get the toys your kids will love. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting the toys your children want at a great price! You’ll walk out the doors with amazing toys and a huge smile on your face because you did so well at the Toy Sale.

Vickie, our Toys & Housewares buyer, offered some advice she’d give for first-timers hoping to have a great time at a Toy Sale. Hardware buyer Blaine offered tips, too – together they’ve watched thousands of excited, savvy shoppers run down the aisles of our Toy Sales, and they know how to make it a great experience.

1. Prepare – and be early! Watch for our toy lists so you can go straight to the toys you’re shopping for.

While we have thousands of toys at each Toy Sale, the most popular ones disappear fast, so if you want a specific toy from the toy list, plan ahead so you can head straight for it Monday morning without distractions.

Our doors open at 9am, but we’ve seen people lined up much, much earlier than that. Plan to be here early. You can even bring a chair and meet some new friends in line before the Toy Sale starts!

Our lucky winner and her friends, first in line at Smith and Edwards' Toy Sale!

Nitasha got to skip to the front of the line October 14 at our second Toy Sale in 2013. Congrats!

2. Shop Ahead! It feels amazing to get your Christmas shopping done early! Sure, you might be getting great deals on toys for the holidays. But these aren’t Christmas-only toys – I bet you can get great deals on toys they’ll love the whole year, for birthdays and more.

This is a great way to get name-brand toys for every boy and girl on your list – especially if your children have lots of cousins and friends. You’ll be prepared for Christmas and beyond with a little help from us at Smith & Edwards :)

And by the way – if it looks like we’re out of a certain toy, feel free to ask us for help. Oftentimes shoppers will take toys to the register, but they’ll only keep some of them. We’ll be running more toys back to the Toy Sale tables all morning to help you get the toys you want!

3. Come with your friends! Arrange for someone to watch the kids while you bring your friends to go Toy Sale shopping with you. Leave the kids at home, because you don’t want to worry about a stroller or collecting the kids when you check out (or them seeing their presents!). So having a girls-day-out-shopping will make the sale a big adventure. Not only is there safety in numbers – it’s a lot more fun, too!

You can combine your friends’ shopping lists with yours, or you can divide and conquer – you’ll have a ton of fun together, and you’ll all have a great experience to talk about afterward.

So get ready for lots of fun! Plan on coming and enjoying a morning of scoring great toys your kids will love. It’s really spectacular – you’ve gotta be here!

And while you might have heard scary rumors… our Toy Sales are typically pretty tame. Promise! It can get crowded, but everyone’s here to have a good time and get great toys for our kids, so you don’t need to bring knee pads or elbow pads. Just plan on a nice morning of great deals and great savings!

Got questions? Give us a call at 801-731-1120, we’ll be happy to help you get everything you need for a great Christmas.

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