Spring Spruce Up
Bringing Your Backyard Back to Life
By Patricia Guth
Spring is here, the perfect time to think about opening your home to family and friends for pool-side BBQs, lawn games and fun get-togethers. What better place to gather than your backyard! But if you’re like most homeowners, your backyard probably suffered a bit of neglect during winter. Now is the time, while the weather is still mild, to rejuvenate that barbecue, landscape, swimming pool and outdoor furniture. Come summertime, you’ll be ready to cool off in a beautiful, well maintained backyard oasis.
Get Cookin’
Spring is a great time to do the necessary annual maintenance that will keep your BBQ grilling all summer long. Set aside one weekend afternoon to perform a few essentials.
Rub a Dub
Preheat your barbecue in order to soften any food residue, then turn off the heat. When it is cool enough to touch, yet warm enough to easily remove greasy byproducts, don heavy work gloves and remove any parts that aren’t fastened down–such as grills, warming racks, rock grates/bars and lava or ceramic briquettes–and lay them on newspaper. Scrub the inside of the grill with warm, soapy water (dish soap is fine), commercial cleaning agents like GooGone BBQ Grill Cleaner or environmentally friendly products like SoyClean or SunBrite, and a steel wool pad. Rinse with a hose, let dry, and coat with cooking spray or oil to prevent rusting.
Next, clean individual parts in hot, soapy water, spray them with cooking oil and let air dry completely before re-assembly. Check for any broken or cracked parts, replacing as needed. You may also want to replace lava rocks or briquettes, available at most garden, home and barbecue stores, or update your cooking surface with modern, non-flare up ceramic grill tiles available at www.thenoflaresquare.com.
Making the Connection
For gas or propane grills, test hoses and connectors for leaks by applying soapy water at the connections. Turn the gas on briefly but do not light barbecue. If the mixture bubbles, you have a leak that needs repair. If the propane tank valve is leaking, simply tighten the connections. If hose fittings are leaking, you may need to replace them. In addition, if one side of your gas grill doesn’t produce a good, blue flame, you probably have a blockage in a gas jet or venturi tube. Check out the “Grill How To” section at www.gasgrillsnow.com for detailed information on cleaning these and other important parts of your grill. Always use extreme caution when dealing with propane and natural gas. If you feel hesitant, contact Southwest Gas for help and information.
Adding Sparkle
Brighten up the outside of your grill by using high-temperature barbecue paint on any outside surfaces that have faded. (Try Krylon or Rust-Oleum, available at Lowes or Home Depot.) NEVER paint the inside of the barbecue. Wait for paint to dry before re-assembling grill.
Clean stainless steel grills with warm, soapy water or industrial stove or barbecue stainless steel cleaner, using a non-abrasive sponge or brush (never steel wool), and buff with a soft cloth for a brilliant shine.
Pool Particulars
Getting the pool ready for summer playtime also requires some routine maintenance. Probably the most overlooked task is cleaning out your filter pumps. Ideally, these should be rinsed out every month or so, as they become clogged with debris. This causes the water pressure to drop, preventing your pool sweep or in-floor cleaning system from operating at full capacity.
Follow the directions from your pool equipment manual for removing the filters from their housing. Rinse the filters until the water runs almost clear. This is best accomplished by using the high pressure hoses at a self-serve carwash rather than a home garden hose, and because they recycle their water, there’s no water waste. In addition:
• Inspect the deck for cracks or areas that need to be repainted or refinished.
• Check inside the pool for loose tiles or plaster chips, and give your grout a good cleaning with special grout cleaner (available at pool supply stores) to prevent calcium buildup.
• If you don’t have an auto-fill, bring the water level to its proper height.
• Have your water analyzed by a professional (Leslie’s Pool Supply will do this) to determine what chemicals are needed for proper balance. You may need to drain the pool periodically if the water will no longer hold chemicals.
Sprinkler Savvy
As the heat arrives, nothing will kill your lawn quicker than a broken or leaky sprinkler system. Look for signs of underground leakage or breaks in the pipe by testing each individual station and observing its performance. Tell tale signs include reduced water pressure in a specific station as well as muddy ground water or sink holes near the pipes or sprinkler heads. During this same check, also look for missing, broken or clogged heads, and be sure that all the sprinklers are spraying in the right direction and proper pressure. Replace and adjust as needed. You should also check for watering schedules in your area by visiting the Las Vegas Valley Water District website at www.lvvwd.com.
Yard Work
Once hot weather comes it may be too late to treat your grass with certain chemicals, so now is the time to fertilize and treat for annoying pests and fungus that can kill your grass and plants in a matter of weeks. Take this opportunity to put your lawn and flowers on a fertilization schedule. An easy way to remember to fertilize is to do so on every major holiday. Choose a fertilizer that incorporates a fungicide agent to protect against airborne fungus, prevalent in the summer months. Be sure to consult with your garden store for the best percentage of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus suited for the outdoor temperature at a given time, as high concentrations of some chemicals can burn your lawn and flowers in the summer heat. Inspect all plants for nibbles, treating as necessary to eradicate pests.
Finally, prepare your lawnmower by taking it in for a check-up and having the blade sharpened. You may also wish to rub the blades periodically with rubbing alcohol to kill any fungus and prevent a previous infestation from reoccurring.
Finishing Touches
If your patio furniture is looking less than fabulous, take time to restore it to its original beauty. Any metal, plastic or wood furniture can be painted for a quick fix. (Use rust-proof paint on metal furniture.) Replace loose bolts, screws, etc. Wash vinyl seat cushions with soap and water. Fabric cushions can be put in the washing machine if small enough, otherwise, use upholstery cleaner.
If your cushions are beyond saving and you wish to invest in some new ones, check out www.customcushions.net or www.patio-furniture-cushions.com for a large selection of replacements. For odd sized pillows or for a more custom look, consult with companies that restore outdoor furniture cushions. They typically provide better quality and more varied fabrics, and can also fix and coordinate matching umbrellas, throw pillows and even patio curtains.
Add some new accessories, including potted plants, backyard wall art, a small fountain and perhaps even a comfortable hammock strung between a few sturdy trees – a perfect place to rest after spring cleaning is completed!
Once Upon a Time
The Art of Telling Interesting Stories
By Michelle Vessel
You’re laughing it up at a cocktail party with a group of old friends and new acquaintances. Suddenly, there’s a lull in the conversation, and you decide to launch into a hilarious anecdote about something that happened to you a few days ago. You backtrack to provide some context for your story, and before you know it, you’ve veered wildly off-track and begin to blank on the details of what it was you wanted to say in the first place. As you stutter and stall, eyes are glazing over, snarky looks are being exchanged, and you even catch a glimpse of a muffled yawn or two. Before long, a few ladies excuse themselves to freshen their drinks. Within seconds, the others have followed suit, leaving you alone and feeling like a social reject that doesn’t deserve to have friends.
Don’t take it personally. You simply suffer from an all-too-common affliction; you’re just not a naturally gifted storyteller. Although some people seemingly tell great stories from the time they can speak, communication experts say that crafting a great tale is actually a learned set of skills that, when practiced and perfected over time, will come in handy much more often than you might expect. By harnessing the age-old power of storytelling, you can get a leg up in situations ranging from getting the word out about your new business to breaking the ice on an awkward first date.
Touting the Telling
If you think about it, virtually every type of communication we engage in can be improved just by adding a touch of storytelling flair. When it comes to trying to land a new job, career coaches advise jobseekers to distill their qualifications and professional experience into a 30-second “elevator pitch” that can be unleashed at a moment’s notice. Child development experts cite storytelling as a great way to impart life lessons and to illustrate the reasoning behind household rules. Last but not least, having a firm grasp on the basics of good storytelling can make parties and social gatherings a whole lot easier and more enjoyable, especially for those shy and retiring types who tend to feel anxious when they find themselves in the spotlight.
A Well-Tuned Tale
Telling better stories doesn’t just happen by accident. Focus first on learning how to recognize the ingredients that make for a ripping good yarn.
• A beginning, a middle and an end. Perhaps the single most important part of identifying a good story and telling it well is figuring out how the plot should be structured. Don’t provide too much history or context, and finish with a bang to avoid rambling on and diluting the impact of your story.
• Dramatic impact that fits with the audience. Figure out who your audience is and tailor the message to engage their interest. The story elements you emphasize when speaking at a cocktail party are likely to be totally different than those for a roomful of grade-school kids.
• A fast-paced plot. Once you get things rolling, try to retain a consistent momentum. Nothing makes an audience’s attention wane more quickly than an unevenly paced story.
• Vary Voice Inflection. A monotone voice is an interest killer. Vary the speed, volume and intonation of your voice to create interest. If inclined, impersonate other voices to garner affect and emphasize character traits.
• Just enough vivid detail. To ensure that your story will really come alive in the telling, elaborate on little details that do a lot of narrative heavy lifting. A one-sentence description packed full of sensory details can really bring a character to life without dragging down the pace of the story.
• A clearly defined theme or point. Long-winded stories that never get to the point are grueling. Convey events that happened, but also why they matter in the story. This will help your audience to care about the outcome.
Fact or Fiction
Keeping these elements in mind, it’s important to develop your own storytelling code of ethics. Although most of us know that some of the anecdotes told at cocktail parties and backyard barbecues are likely to be a bit exaggerated for effect, professional storytellers advise saving tall tales and outright fiction for venues in which the audience is open to an element of imagination. Fabricating details when spectators are expecting at least partial truth may cause you to lose credibility. If your story is fantasy-based, make sure you convey that fact by describing it as a “fable” or a “fairy tale.”
Still, when your story is mostly true, that doesn’t mean you have to provide a police report-like accounting of names, dates and details. The true art of effective storytelling comes with knowing when and how to emphasize some aspects of your tale and downplay or gloss over others.
Practice Makes Perfect
Now that you understand more about what makes a story effective, it’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice. Opportunities to burnish your new skills are all around you, both in the community and at home.
• Storytelling Festivals: Check out the events calendar at Clark County Libraries (www.lvccld.org), Henderson Libraries (www.mypubliclibrary.com), or call the NV Storytelling Guild (478-7704) for local events and make one of them the focus of a family day trip.
• Toastmasters Meetings: Dedicated to the art of storytelling and effective communication, Toastmasters focuses specifically on helping its members become better public speakers. Check the newspaper or the Toastmasters website (www.toastmasters.org) for a meeting time near you.
• Kids’ Story Times: If the thought of telling a story in front of grown-ups sends chills down your spine, use your own kids and their friends as storytelling guinea pigs. There are few critics who are harsher or more ruthlessly honest than a room full of easily distractible youngsters.
• Volunteer: Once you’re feeling bold enough to take your act on the road, why not volunteer your storytelling services? Children’s hospitals, assisted living facilities, senior centers, organizations that work with developmentally disabled individuals–these are all great venues in which to try out new stories and give back to the community at the same time.
• Story Potluck: When you get right down to it, stories are an important part of what makes us human. Celebrate the ancient tradition of storytelling with a story-themed potluck dinner. Ask everyone to bring a covered dish and their favorite family legend, reminiscence, ghost story, or tall tale.
Although storytelling is an age-old part of our culture, it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But with just a little practice and attention to detail, you can hone your storytelling ability, get your point across, connect meaningfully with others, and effortlessly reel off a few hilarious and perfectly timed anecdotes at next month’s cocktail party.
Boost Your Budding Skills
Whether you prefer an online course, how-to books or other fun teaching aids, there’s help out there for every aspiring storyteller.
• Sign up for an online class or personal coaching from storyteller Doug Lipman at www.storydynamics.com. The site also offers a treasure trove of storytelling tools and resources, with kits and story-of-the-month club memberships starting at $5.
• Margaret MacDonald’s highly acclaimed Storyteller”s Start-Up Book is an absolute beginner’s guide to the fine art of storytelling, available at Amazon.com and your local library.
• The popular public radio show This American Life features a loosely themed group of gripping personal stories Sundays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 & 11 p.m. on KNPR-FM2 88.9. You can also get some storytelling technique tips from the show’s creator and host, Ira Glass, online at www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/15255.
• Practice family storytelling with the Once Upon a Time card game. These game cards provide lots of interesting storytelling prompts for players of all ages. Available at Amazon.com and select specialty retailers.
Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong: Reopening the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles
By Pierre Bayard
As Reviewed by Macy Walsh
Anyone who imagines that Star Wars or Star Trek or Harry Potter may claim to be the largest franchise in literary and film history has just not been paying attention. In raw sales they may emerge victorious, but in sheer numbers of attempted tributes, revisions, expansions, parodies, exposes and scholarly studies, they are no competition for the Sherlock Holmes industry. Novels and stories that star the private detective from Baker Street pour out of publishing houses every year.
Now we have a scholarly work out of left field by a professor of French literature at the University of Paris who is also a psychoanalyst. With Sherlock Holmes was Wrong, professor Bayard offers a novel interpretation of what is arguably the best known and most beloved of Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The professor’s contention is that the truth behind the story eluded not only Sherlock Holmes, but generations of readers and Conan Doyle himself and he means to set the record straight; to reveal the real crime committed at Baskerville Hall and see its perpetrator brought to belated literary justice.
Bayard contends that in settling on Jack Stapleton and his hound, Holmes nailed the wrong suspect. In brief chapters he recounts the well-known plot, describes Holmes’ methods of inquiry, notes a number of mistakes made by the master, presents his own method of “detective criticism” and then delineates all the problems with the story and solution.
Among the problems the professor highlights are: Why did the hound leave no marks on the first corpse, that of Sir Charles Baskerville? When Seldon, the convict, dies wearing the clothes of Sir Henry Baskerville, the hound is never actually seen, so why assume that it was responsible? It does attack Sir Henry near the end, but only after a shot has wounded it first. Bayard also notes that, after deciding on Stapleton as his suspect, reading all the clues as pointing in his direction and then driving the man out onto the moor to his certain death, Holmes waves away the issue of motive when questioned by Watson. In response, Holmes admits this is “a formidable difficulty,” but adds, “I fear you ask too much when you expect me to solve it.”
Fortunately, the story offers enough clues to indicate, not just the real killer (and the real murder), but also Doyle’s “hatred” for the hero his public forced him to revive and bring back from a supposed death at Reichenbach Falls, as reported by Watson eight years before. Turning to psychoanalytic theory, Bayard argues that The Hound of the Baskervilles is a “compromise formation.” It represents Doyle’s deadly hatred for Holmes by absenting him from much of the story (Watson is sent to Baskerville Hall to investigate alone for many chapters), by showing Holmes committing mistakes and inaccuracies when he does reappear, by associating Holmes with evil portents and forces, and of course by showing the great detective fastening on the wrong suspect and, indeed, the wrong murder: “…the victim in Conan Doyle’s book is executed with the complicity of Holmes, and without the true murderer ever being bothered.”
Underlying Bayard’s theme of Conan Doyle’s “hatred” of Holmes is his contention that fictional people are, in some important respects, the same as real people; that they have a strongly real existence–at least in the unconscious psyche of human beings–and thus they can act, to a degree, on their own initiative; that they can move into the real world, as real people can move into the fictional world. As evidence of this, he offers Holmes mania–the massive and violent public outcry that literally forced Doyle to bring Sherlock Holmes back from the dead–as well as Doyle’s own struggle with the character that he seemed to conceive as literally killing him from within.
It’s heady stuff for the casual reader who simply wants to enjoy a good “who-done-it” without spending too much time analyzing the plot or the author’s motives, but Bayard lays out his arguments concisely and convincingly, in plain language. The chapters, as well as the book as a whole, are short. If you know and love the Holmes canon well, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you don’t, you’ll probably wonder what all the fuss is about. I found it thought-provoking and fascinating. Oh yeah, who done it? You’ll have to read it!
2009 Holiday Fitness Gift Ideas
No matter how many people are on your gift list there’s always at least one that’s a stumper. Well, if you’re shopping for a gym junky, or just somebody who’s already proclaiming a New Year’s resolution to get fit, why not give them the tools and accessories they need for a health regime? Here are some suggestions to help cross that health nut off your list.
Gizmos and Gadgets
The Wii Fit was such a hit that Nintendo launched its sequel, the Wii Fit Plus ($99.00), just in time for the 2009 holiday season. Wii Fit Plus contains all the features of the original but adds 15 new activities, 6 strength and yoga exercises, and the ability to fully customize your own routine. Already have Wii Fit? No problem; purchase the Wii Fit Plus disk ($19.99) which transfers previously saved files from the Wii Fit into the Plus. Available at local electronic and retail outlets.
Compatible with iPod Nano, iPod Touch and iPhone 3GS, the Nike + iPod Sportkit ($29 at www.apple.com) helps joggers, runners and those using cardio machines track their time, distance, pace and calories burned. Data is collected either via a sensor in your shoe or a connection to your cardio machine and then sent to the iPod for audio feedback and display. iPod recommends using Nike + shoes with the foot sensor, but you can easily attach the sensor to any running shoe with special attachments like Runaway clip-ons ($8.99 at www.switcheasy.com) or lace-ins ($4.95 at www.lacelid.com). Locally available at Apple retailers.
Cardiac Friendly Cuisine
Devin Alexander, author of the NY Times bestseller Biggest Loser Cookbook, offers a new family friendly version, Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. With more than 125 guilt-free, budget friendly recipes, you can whip up recipes like hula pizza, mandarin orange chicken and even a meatball parmesan sub. Fast Food Fix, also by Alexander, takes recipes from fast food chains, including guilt laden Subway oatmeal cookies, and reinvents ingredients for healthier versions. Available at Borders and Barnes & Noble Bookstores for $21.95.
Slow cookers ($29.99+), available at Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond and most kitchen appliance retailers, are making a comeback. Healthy accompaniments to this gift include Fix-It and Forget It Lightly Low-Fat Slow Cooker Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman (try the Beef Stroganoff and the Caramelized Pears ‘n’ Wine) for around $14.99, and Slow-Cooker Liner Bags ($1.99) for clean-up in less than a minute. Cookbook is available at Barnes & Noble; liner bags are sold at most grocery stores.
Fun & Functional
A Physio/Fitness Ball is one piece of equipment that can shape, tone and stretch the body while providing a great, low impact workout at home. Danskin’s Core Ball Plus ($50 and up) features a floor ring for added stability and two resistance tubes with adjustable handles attached to its sides for a new level of training. A variety of instructional DVDs are available to customize your workout. Available at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Practicing fitness moves on a Wobble or Balance Board will not only challenge one’s core but tone without building bulky muscles. They’re perfect for those training for board sports or anybody looking to improve their balance and strength. ($10 and up)
Resistance Tubing ($7.50 and up) is used for toning all muscle groups and comes in six resistance strengths. Extremely light weight, portable and easily stored, these are perfect for fitness fanatics who like to workout anytime, anywhere. Both Balance Boards and Resistance Tubes can be found at Dick’s, Sports Authority, Big 5, Target and Walmart.
Apparel & Accessories
There is no excuse for missing workouts when your clothes are packed and ready to go in a new gym bag. Puma bags are functional, including zippered areas that separate dirty clothes from clean, yet fashionable enough to sport as purses or luggage. Check them out at Puma stores in Town Square or Fashion Show Mall.
Adidas’ new line of ClimaWarm® workout clothes keep cold weather warriors dry and comfortable in chilly conditions, yet still allows sweat to escape ($55.00 on up for Clima365 pieces). If you’re looking to spend less, but still want to give the gift of fashionable workout wear, check out Target or Nordstrom Rack.
Lucy active wear, yoga accessories, hats and leggings are the latest in fitness wear that’s fun, energetic and inspirational. The new Hatha pant is even socially conscious, with partial sales proceeds through December going to Off the Mat, Into the World, a charity organization that bridges yoga and service. Visit the Lucy store in Town Square.
Stocking Stuffers
Last minute stuffers include specially padded Thorlos® blister-free socks ($12 and up), available at REI, Outdoor World and Boot Barn; EZ-Freeze® Flip ‘n’ Flow sports bottles and others that hook onto belt loops, making hydration “green” and stylish; and a variety of Gift Cards from health conscious establishments including Whole Foods, iTunes, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Puma or Lululemon.
Remember, fitness is priceless. Give a gift that inspires health, happiness and a renewed outlook on life that lasts far beyond the holiday hoopla.
A Special Spot for the Holidays
The Cool Kid’s Table
By Lisha Ross
Holidays are all about food, fun and enjoying it together right? Well, those of us who were banished to the kid’s table well into early adulthood might’ve seen it differently, having felt excluded rather than special. Then again, it was still slightly better than hearing about CNN’s latest world report and eating with forks instead of our fingers at the adult table. If only that wobbly, folding card table was jazzed up a bit, we might’ve had more to keep us occupied than kicking each other under the table. This holiday season, let the kiddos have their cake and eat it too at a festive kid’s table. By adding colorful touches and some hands-on activities, you can put together a cool kid’s table that’ll make all in attendance feel like a VIP.
Set Up for Success
Generally, the kid’s table is reserved for those old enough to feed themselves, yet too young to participate in adult conversation, although teens might prefer to sit with younger siblings rather than the boring grown ups! Consider the age of your diners and set the table accordingly. With very young children, for example, grandma’s fine china and crystal candelabras probably aren’t the way to go. Instead, opt for seasonal paper or plastic plates, plastic champagne or wine glasses and battery-operated candles like those found on www.candleimpressions.net. The table will feel adult-inspired but without the accident-prone possibilities.
Placement of the table is also an important factor. Position it far enough away to give the kids some independence (perhaps in the adjacent room), yet close enough to see and hear the goings on in case you have to squash any tug-of-wars over the salt shaker.
The Fun Stuff
Providing a few activities to keep the kids busy before and after eating will help make the experience fun for them and more relaxing for the adults. You can go simple or over-the-top depending on your time and budget. Susan Doherty, star of the podcast “Six Minute Style” likes to go all out, and you can watch her set up a superb beach-themed kid’s table at www.sixminutestyle.com. Granted, you probably won’t be setting up a nautical table for Christmas or Thanksgiving, but most of her ideas can be adjusted to suit any holiday theme. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Bucket of Fun: Whether you use a bucket or basket with a tisket and a tasket, these fun receptacles can be filled with crinkle confetti and party favors and placed at each setting or in the middle for all to share. Seasonal pieces like stockings or cornucopias work great too.
Color Splash: Ask your local butcher if he can spare a few pieces of butcher paper or pick some up at Office Depot to line the table. Supply crayons, color pencils or markers and festive cookie cutters for stencils.
Name Cards: Cut fun shapes into colored poster board and write each kid’s name on it with a sparkly marker. Better yet, let them spell out their own name with markers, stencils or letter stickers, decorating their tag as they please.
Personalized Placemats: Pick up a few cookie sheets from the dollar store and spell out each child’s name with letter magnets. A bag of extra letters and themed magnets can be placed in the center for sharing.
Delightful Drinks: Give each kid a fun bendy straw or stick candy to slurp up their hot apple cider or specially created kid’s beverage.
Cookie Charisma: Place pre-made sugar cookies in a bucket or bowl in the center of the table and set out tubes of colored icing. After dinner the kids can decorate the cookies and chow down.
Fanfare: Sprinkle each table with cornucopia shaped Bugle chips for Thanksgiving, chocolate gelt for Hannukah, or red and green M & Ms for Christmas; tasty treats are the ultimate, edible table-toppers. Add color and fun with shiny confetti, tiny dreidels, etc.
While younger kids might enjoy a good Dora the Explorer coloring book, older ones may feel patronized by the gesture. For older kids, swap out the cookie cutters and coloring books for a holiday word search puzzle or educational worksheet from ABCteach.com or Enchantedlearning.com. For groups of mixed ages, you can also provide inexpensive, disposable cameras so they can take fun pictures of each other. If they finish eating before the adults, clear the table of plates and liquids, set out a basket of holiday books and encourage older kids to read aloud to the little ones.
Cool Kids Rule
All that fun at one table is bound to rally up some excitement. As a parent (and particularly a guest in someone else’s home) it’s your job to remember that the kid’s table is not a free-for-all and basic rules of behavior should be encouraged. Throwing food, screaming, fighting and running around should never be permitted. Make sure you go over the rules with the children before they sit down; you don’t want to have to excuse yourself from the adult table repeatedly to ask the children to behave. Once the ground rules have been set, you can let the good times roll until the last apple pie crumb is devoured.
Setting up an amazing kids table may add a few more items to your holiday to-do list, but chances are you’ll have as much fun decorating it, as they will have dining there. Who knows! You might just create a bigger and better kid’s table tradition, giving everyone in attendance, young and old, fond memories that’ll last a lifetime.
Reuse…Recycle…Redecorate
Creating a Fresh New Look for Free
By Tracey Drake
For most people, home is a place to retreat from the everyday stresses of life. It’s where we go to rejuvenate, and it’s important to have a space that mends the spirit and provides comfort and happiness for those we love. Unfortunately, budgetary constraints may be preventing you from revving up tired spaces, leaving your home in a kind of decorating limbo that’s stale and less than appealing. How to break the rut? Reuse…Recycle…Redecorate!
A Different Perspective
The easiest way to redecorate without spending any money is to simply ‘rethink’ your existing furnishings. Every day, interior designers and home stagers rethink for their clients. What this means is moving furniture, accessories and décor accents from one place to another, and in many cases, from one room to another. It may seem like an overly simplified way to redecorate a home, but you will be truly amazed at how small changes can make a big impact.
Get started by taking a tour of your own home, going into each room with a fresh eye and an open mind. Don’t forget things hidden away in closets, cabinets or in the garage. Create an inventory paying special attention to each piece of furniture, the draperies and area rugs, and accessories such as lamps, vases, artwork, plants, throws and toss pillows. A few helpful hints for successfully integrating your “stuff” might include:
• Measuring: Scale is very important when rearranging items from one part of your home to another. By taking the dimensions of furniture and large scale items like trees and artwork before you move them around, you’ll save on back breaking mistakes.
• Organizing: Put like accessories into one specific area of your home; for example, the lamps all on the dining room table, artwork lined along the walls of the spare room, vases on the kitchen countertops etc. This makes for an easy way to visualize and then “shop” for what you need without having to run all over the house to find things.
• Inspiration: This can be found in decorating magazines, furniture stores and online. Look closely at the shape and scale of the room in the picture, choosing those that best fit your own home design and furnishings. Use the picture as a kind of schematic guide for placing the furniture and accessories in your own space. It’s a great way to gain new perspective and obtain a professional look.
Invite a friend over for an extra set of eyes, muscles and ideas, and get things rolling. Two heads are always better than one, and it helps to have a fresh outlook from those that don’t see your home on a day to day basis.
From This to That
Thinking outside of the box is important when decorating with recycled and repurposed items. Experiment and don’t be afraid to alter the color, shape and purpose of your belongings to create interest and functionality in newfound form.
Furniture Makeovers
Less can be more in a space, especially in the case of an over-furnished master bedroom. Consider moving that oversized highboy dresser to the end or along an empty wall of the upstairs hallway. Properly accessorized with a vase of flowers, family photographs or a sophisticated lamp, it does double duty as an elegant way to store linens or off season clothing. In a tired looking family room, an outdated solid oak coffee table could easily take on a new life in the entry way. With just a few seat cushions on top and baskets beneath to hold homework, backpacks and unsorted mail, what was old is now new, and serving the need for additional storage and clutter concealment.
Fabric from Unexpected Places
Sometimes all a room needs is a touch of texture and color, and the easiest way to accomplish this is by using fabric. Cotton, silk, and linen sheets, thin, chenille bedspreads or duvet covers make fabulous window treatments. For smaller windows, tea towels or placemats make adorable café style curtains for the kitchen or laundry room. Create rod tabs with inexpensive ribbon pinned to the underside of the fabric for a casual, country flair. For larger windows, create a rod pocket by folding fabric over the rod and securing with small safety pins which will not be seen from the front once the panels are adjusted for fullness. Conversely, a window valance makes a perfect table runner for a small dining room or coffee table. Embellish it further by folding the edges to a point and pinning a tassel to hold it in place. When you want to change things up again, no harm no foul to your linens; simply unpin, wash and press, and they’re as good as new for another use.
A Work of Art
You’d be surprised what you can turn into wall art if you put your mind to it. Repurposed, clear DVD or CD cases make for an amazing piece of art when fitted with your personal, digital photos and hung side by side in a large, rectangular grid. Visit www.Ehow.com for instructions to make it. Colorful plates or shallow bowls that may be taking up valuable storage space make a graphic statement when artfully arranged on plate hangers or shelves. Antique quilts and decorative rugs are also great options. When using a number of different items or pictures on your wall, be sure to have an organized design to avoid a cluttered look, and paint all frames the same color for cohesiveness.
Unused, Unloved Paint
Every year, millions of dollars are spent on gallons of paint that end up hidden away on a shelf in the garage.
Check your stash to determine how much paint you have to work with. If you have less than a gallon in a single color, think about painting a single feature wall–perhaps behind the fireplace–to make the hearth a feature of the room. Other options might be to paint outdated or inexpensive accent furniture pieces. Don’t be afraid to use vibrant hues including that seafoam green or barnyard red that wasn’t quite right for the entire room, but would make for a nice pop of color as an accent. Tone down your piece by distressing with fine sandpaper, allowing some of the original wood tones to peek through.
The art of looking beyond a single purpose and seeing the vast possibilities your existing furnishing could have might seem daunting at first. But with a little imagination, a bit of elbow grease and a ton of creative energy, your home can be new again without buying a single item.
Host a Neighborhood Swap Meet
So you’re tired of your own furniture and decorating accents but don’t want to foot the bill for new ones? No worries – host a decorating swap meet!
• Gather your friends, family, and neighbors or post an ad at your community center.
• Invite everyone to bring their unwanted furniture, knick-knacks, accessories, dishes, fabric, draperies and unused paint and building supplies.
• Be sure to make a rule that if someone brings something, they must take something home.
• When the event is over, anything that is left over should be donated to charity. It is a win-win situation.
Remember: One woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure! A do-it-yourself swap meet is a great way to find new pieces for your home without spending any money.
