Saturday, July 4, 2009

Designers find common cause with international artisans

In Africa, Asia and Latin America, gifted craftspeople who can express age-old traditions in beautiful ways often lack access to raw materials and distribution venues. And they may have no expertise in getting their goods to a wider marketplace.

Dishing the dirt with Mrs. Meyer

The inspiration behind Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products is a real person. Thelma Meyer, whose Minneapolis daughter founded the company, talks about her new book and her allegiance to dish rags.

How to design a timeless, clean, classic kitchen

Kitchens are expensive. It cost about $56,611 for each major kitchen remodel in 2008-09, according to Remodeling magazine’s annual “Cost vs. Value Report.” Which means if you’re remodeling yours, you’re left with this to chew on: Spending that kind of money on a home improvement means it had better have a nice long lifespan. Ideally, it should look as sharp and attractive in a couple of decades as it does the day the renovation crew clocks out. So, how to get a kitchen that doesn’t rely on flash-in-the-pan trends or stodgy cliches? What exactly goes into a timeless kitchen? We asked Oprah’s resident decorating genius, designer Nate Berkus, to give us his ingredient list and a few style pointers.

COOL DIGS

The views afforded through the windows of Plan LS-97264 by Home Plans LLC make this home a delight to live in. Its floor plan totals 1,648 square feet of living space.

Tea for two — or more — for just a few pennies

In the sweltering summer, a glass of freshly brewed iced tea can quench and cool anyone in no time. But bottled teas can cost as much as $1 or more. That can drain your grocery budget and add mountains of plastic bottles to landfills. Making tea from scratch costs just pennies.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A cut above the rest Times Leader Photo Galleries

The tomatoes would contribute some tang, the arugula would offer some bite, and the bleu cheese would add creamy smoothness. Still, the star of the entr�e executive chef Kevin Klinetop was about to plate would be a finely marbled, 14-ounce Kansas City strip steak.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

File away these helpful tips for buying storage units CHEAT SHEET ALAN J. HEAVENS

I WAS WALKING to the drugstore the other evening and happened to pass a discarded computer table with file drawers that had seen better days.

in brief



FRESNO, Calif. — The recession has

FRESNO, Calif. — The recession hasn’t been kind to you coffee-lovers.

cool digs

French doors open from a nostalgic wraparound porch into the spacious enclosed entry of this home, Plan DRU-4735 by Home Plans LLC. The floor plan covers 1,432 square feet of living space.

These high-impact perennials demand little of their gardeners

Trying to squeeze some gardening into your busy schedule?

...make lemonade

Louise Mattas’ backyard in Dallas Twp. gave her rocks – “every time I put a spade in” – so she built a rock wall.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009



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