COLOR STORY

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

The Anniston Star ◆ May 3, 2009

Ponds | Style Trends

DecoraTing on a buDgeT

energy-saving tips

Finding your authentic

palette

2

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813 Snow StreetOxford, AL 36203

(across from Dillard’s)Phone & FAx256-831-5357

4414 McClellan Blvd.Anniston, AL 36201

(across from Anniston Star)Phone & Fax256-237-3882

EditorLAURA TUTOR

Design/Photo StylingTOSHA JUPITER

Cover PhotographyTRENT PENNY

CONTRIBUTORS

Home improvement Q&AQ: We just lifted our carpet and

had our hardwood floors stained and polished. We noticed there are squeaky spots. What can we do without redoing the floors again, or is that the only way?

A: Most squeaks occur when the subfloor loosens from its supporting joists and rubs against a popped nail. For stairs, the problem is similar: The tread loosens from the riser. In both cases, silence the squeak by eliminat-ing the movement.

If you have easy access to the floor joists in the basement, first have someone walk on the floor above to determine where the squeaks are.

Then insert a wood shim there, tight-ly between the subfloor and the joist. That should stop the movement.

In your case, you’re going to have to pull up the carpet to get to the floor underneath. Locate the squeaks in the same way, and then renail the subfloor to the joist. This time, use ringed nails, which have edges that lock into the flooring and are designed to prevent loosening, or spiral nails that turn like a screw and tighten when driven in. If you can work from the top down, drill pilot holes before you nail.

— By Alan J. Heavens, The Philadelphia Inquirer

FINDINg A NEw IDENTITY FOR

HOmE CASTOFFSBy NaNcy Schoeffler

The Hartford Courant

Pam Hartz miller says her family made fun of her when she took an old seed cabinet from the family hardware store that her father ran in Deposit, N.Y. The store, Ed Hartz and Sons, has been in the family for five generations, and the seed cabinet was a wreck.

“The backs of the drawers were chewed up from mice, and it was painted a mustard gold,” she says.

Hartz miller and her husband, Jim miller, transformed the oak cabinet, with its slanted bank of windowed drawers, into a distinctive kitchen island Her family isn't teasing her anymore.

“Now they all want it!”Hartz miller, who once designed win-

dow displays at the hardware store, sees new identities hidden in castoff items, flea market buys and roadside finds — second careers for old furniture.

She created an unusual settee from an old bed with a spool-style headboard.

In the same vein, an old typesetters' drawer serves as a coffee table, and Hartz miller transformed a CD rack made from dowels into a hand-stenciled display rack for the quilts she makes.

Hartz miller has woven pillows from neckties, framed a mirror with a Victrola cover and turned discarded wooden shut-ters plus the arm rests of a broken rocking chair into a one-of-a-kind headboard. The base of an unusual table lamp she and her husband, Jim, made is encircled with antique thread bobbins.

Sometimes Jim has to “temper me,” Hartz miller says. “He'll say, ‘This is something you found by the side of the road. why are you putting so much time into it?’ ”

She smiles. It's her nature. An old chamber pot works for a houseplant. An antique shoe form makes a charming candleholder.

The creative way Hartz miller uses things in her home echoes the work she does in her part-time business as an interior "redesigner” — bringing a fresh eye to clients’ homes and finding new uses and contexts for the things they have.

“I love this kind of decorating because I think it's less intimidating. I'm not going to judge their stuff. They have collections, and that's what makes their home personal," she says. "It's their style. I just find ways it can be arranged better, so that it functions better. And they didn't have to buy any-thing new.”

Turn an old bed into

an unusual settee.

Below, even utilitarian

objects can be art.

Cloe Poisson/The Hartford Courant

4

1FOYERS NEED DRAMAThe entry should let your visi-

tors see a little into your soul or at least reveal some of your personal style. Foyer walls should also make a statement with an interesting paint finish or wallpaper treatment.

2ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

The southern climate is perfect for outdoor rooms. Try adding white curtains to a porch or sunroom and accenting with pops of color. Try breaking your outdoor space into several different living zones for relaxing, eating and entertaining.

3WANDERING PAPER

It’s a designer’s trick to wallpa-per the insides of bookcases to add interest and cover imperfections, make it work especially well with an oversize pattern.

4THE WOW FACTOR

Take a cue from Hollywood Regency style with clean lines and a focus on bold artwork. Group col-lections en masse for maximum impact.

{8 desIGn Ideas noT To

on TRansLaTInG Ideas FRoM sHoW HoMes and MaGaZInes“You have to do things that are a little unexpected and untried. You have to push the envelope to convey a message or concept.

It’s about a concept, a kind of wow. It’s not about a literal translation to your home. You can see it and take away an idea.”

— Joseph Pubillones, a Palm Beach, Fla., designer

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5custom details

Tape-bordered drapes add a fin-ishing touch to a room. The embroi-dered tape on the edge of these linen drapes comes from samuel and sons, but you can achieve a similar look with grosgrain ribbon from a craft store.

6Home Happy HouR

Transform an under-used corner into a bar. Decorate with accessories you have around the house and add a few funky barstools to suit your taste. stress be gone!

7BiG impact

Large prints in wallpaper are a hot trend, especially those papers with shimmer or flocking. apply shimmery large-scale wallpaper on an accent wall to break up dark paint.

8NeW HeiGHts

Who says you can’t use a chande-lier in the bedroom? add drama and light to a bedroom with dark walls with a show-stopping chandelier.

— By Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub, Sun Sentinel

Balance, harmony and connection with nature. Those are a few of the fundamental principles of Asian design. ‘The New Asian Home’ by

Kendra Langeteig (Gibbs Smith Publisher; $29.95; hardcover) is a compilation of 23 American homes designed with Asian architectural traditions in mind.

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By Brett Bucknerbbuckner@annistonstar.com

Lingering beneath the crunch of gravel kicked up by an exiting pick-up truck is a gentle babbling. It takes a careful ear, but the sounds are there, soothing even the most haggard visi-tor from an unseen distance.

Scattered across the sprawling lot of neatly lined rows of one, three and five gallon plants of all imaginable varieties at Bloomin’ Miracles Nursery in Jacksonville are about a half dozen ponds and bubbling fountains.

But it’s the ponds that frame the bucolic setting, tucked amid the emerging Japanese maples of crimson

and green. It’s a feature that most gar-deners — novice and master alike — yearn for. And yet many avoid pursu-ing it, fearing that building a pond will lead to more stress than relaxation.

“It’s the myth and the mystery that keeps too many people from build-ing a pond of their own,” says David Dubose, co-owner of Bloomin’ Mir-acles. “And that’s a shame. It’s really not that much trouble, as long as they plan things out, research and think about what they’re doing.”

Plus, many would-be pond owners have a nasty image in their mind of the friend or relative who built a pond that had gone bad. They remember the scum on the surface, ▶

Skimming the surfaceFor those seeking solace in the garden, nothing is as soothing as a pond

Trent Penny/The Anniston Star

A water garden bursts with life, color and auditory stimulants at Blooming Miracles Nursery in Jacksonville.

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the stagnant water that became a breeding ground for mosquitoes and how the whole thing smelled some-thing awful.

“So it’s no wonder people are afraid to try,” says Victoria Dubose, who also co-owns Bloomin’ Miracles. “But that’s not a good pond. That’s a mis-take. When they’re done right, ponds are a blessing, not a curse. People need these ponds that are relaxing … something with less maintenance, not more.”

The building of a sturdy pond begins with location, especially if the goal is for aquatic gardening or “aqua-scaping.” For example, water lilies and lotus, two popular water plants, require at least four to six hours of sun-light a day to bloom.

Once the location is settled, the pond itself must be created, keeping in mind that the project doesn’t have to be huge.

The average pond measures about 11-feet-by-16-feet, but it can be built to virtually any size. In some designs, water trickles down a long, mean-dering stream before emptying into the pond. Many smaller ponds, like the typical 6-foot-by-8-foot kidney-shaped ponds, don’t have streams. Instead, water runs over a large flat rock and spills directly into the pond. This style is easier to build and can fit into the smallest yards.

Basically, such a pond is just a hole

lined with rubber, plus some tubing and a pump powered by a cord from the house. It’s that simple but elegant style that Reese Nelson first attempted in his Oxford backyard several years ago.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Nelson says, “but it serves the purpose.”

Measuring roughly 10 feet, Nelson’s pond is stocked with goldfish, sur-rounded by rocks dug up in and around his backyard, chock-full of water lilies and complete with a pair of weather-worn benches where Reese and his wife can be caught late spring afternoons sitting peacefully.

“There’s just something about the peace it brings,” he says. “Much as I enjoy my garden and gardening, it’s kinda like I measure everything against that one feature — before the pond and after the pond.

“I’d build another … but I’d hate to

have to decide where to sit.”Once the location has been deter-

mined, the next step is digging. But as is true with garden plants, there’s more to a successful pond than simply dig-ging a hole.

“It’s all about research,” David says. “The most important thing is to know what you’re doing before doing any-thing.”

Both David and Victoria suggest that potential aqua-culturists spend a little more on the “bells and whistles” at the beginning of the project than later on in order to make up for costly mistakes. Both suggest investing in mechanical filtration systems and skimmers — to name a few options — ahead of time. All told, a quality pond can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to … “limitless,” David says. “It can cost as much as you want it to.”

“It’s better to spend money on the front end,” Victoria adds, “otherwise you’ll end up spending more on main-tenance and fungicide later on.”

One of the main decisions comes with choosing a liner. There are mul-tiple options, but most experts suggest using a rubber liner as opposed to the pre-formed plastic ones.

“That’s the weapon of choice,” David says. “They’re forgiving, creative and durable — most come with at least a 20-year warranty.”

The rubber liners allow for more

freedom of design and tend to be sturdier, whereas the plastic liners can have stress fractures and are more dif-ficult to disguise.

Reese Nelson learned this lesson the hard way. Less than two years after installing his first pond using the pre-formed plastic liner, he noticed a growing crack was causing his pond to leak.

“So I had to start all over again,” he says. After putting in a rubber liner, it’s been “smooth sailing ever since.”

And with a rubber liner and those extra “bells and whistles,” mainte-nance is minimal. David estimates that a well-built pond requires 15-20 min-utes of work in the spring and maybe five minutes a month.

“People are surprised by that,” he says. “But it’s true. Ponds really aren’t any trouble to maintain … least not the ones that are done right.”

Another option for water gardeners is the fish that are meant to add color and activity to the pond. While koi seem to be something of an expected treat, they aren’t very suitable to some plants and often don’t create the desired effect.

“If you want koi, build a koi pond,” Victoria says, “not a water garden. Their food source is roots and tubers, which is what water lilies and lotus are. Why buy plants that are just going to be killed?”

Contact Brett Buckner at 235-3561.

The MasTer Gardeners annual planT sale

WHEN: May 16, 8 a.m. WHERE: Anniston Museum of

Natural HistoryINFO: Sale will feature a variety of

lotus and water lilies including:Berit strawn, Charlene strawn, liou,

hollnaida, sulphurea, Albert green-berg, Nymphae Cperulea and mixed lotus

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7 easy design ideas

CHeaP TRiCKs

Home improvement Q&AQ: I have been having a prob-

lem with the cabinet under my sink in the main bathroom. It has a terrible odor coming out of it every time I slide open the doors. (The was house built in 1959.) I tried cleaning it with different prod-uctsl, but nothing has worked. Do you have any idea what causes this smell and what I can do about it?

A: Perhaps a pipe leaked at one time into the space underneath the vanity, and there’s mold or some odor-causing problem there.

When we bought our present

house, I noticed a sewer-gas smell in the master bathroom, coming from both the shower and sink drains. When we renovated the bathroom to add a tub, the plumber discovered the drain lines had been incorrectly installed.

Any number of things might be causing the odor in your bathroom. Since you have tried some remedies and they haven’t worked, it’s time for a plumber.

— By Alan J. Heavens, The Philadelphia Inquirer

1tHe Big picture (above)

For impact, use several small pieces of art hung on a larger

background. Do it: Buy a large piece of plywood, use a staple gun to attach a stable fabric that won’t stretch out of shape and hang the

board on the wall. Add your exist-ing art, frame pictures from a cof-

fee table book or magazine.

2Seeing tHe LigHt

An interesting table lamp or pair of lamps can add pizzazz to a room

that is beginning to look dated.

3HeAdy deSign

If your bedroom looks like some of those on the HGTV “before” scenes because you don’t have a headboard, here’s an answer: Use

paint and stencils to create a “headboard” on the wall.

4yArd Hunter

Find floral or green accents in your yard. You can put something as simple as areca palm fronds in a

clear vase.

5StArt A group

Look throughout your home for accents on the same theme. Group

them together for more impact.

6refLectionS

A collection of mirrors in different shapes and sizes hung across from

a sliding glass door reflects the outdoors.

7in WitH tHe oLd

Shop your closet, attic crawl space and garage for items you haven’t

used in a while. The old things will look new again. Your closet may be another surprising source for decor.

— By Charlyne Varkonkyi Schaub, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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FOUR COLLECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM.By Ken SheinKopfMcClatchy-Tribune News Service

Q: I’ve seen you write a number of times that turning off lights when you leave a room that is empty will help save energy. I appreciate the thought, but come on, how much energy and money does this really save?

Aren’t we just talking about something here that doesn’t mean a whole lot in real terms?

A: You’re right that I have written about this a number of times over the years, and I’ve done this because I really do believe that it makes a difference. Sure, turning out one light that you’re not using isn’t by itself going to change your financial picture. After all, if you turn off a 100-watt incandescent bulb that is on for six hours in a room not being used that you’d otherwise have left on, you’re saving around six cents during that time.

Now before you start to snicker at this, consider that adds up to around $1.80 per month, or more than $20 a year. Now think about how many light bulbs you have in your home. I’ve seen estimates that say the average home has 25 to 40 bulbs (think about some of the bathroom fixtures with six or more bulbs and the many multi-bulb lamps people use), and suddenly $20 a year for turning off one bulb becomes a few hundred dollars a year for turning off a bunch of them.

When I tell people about this, I often hear that they think that turning bulbs on and off too often makes the bulbs burn out faster. Actually, frequent turning on and off won’t shorten the life of an incandescent bulb’s filament so there’s no reason here to leave unneeded bulbs turned on.

Where this does make a difference is if you’re using an energy- efficient compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). Energy experts generally agree that if a CFL is not going to be used for five minutes or more, turn it off, but frequent turning on and off can reduce its lifetime. These bulbs use only about a fourth of the energy used by incandescents, so they still will save a significant amount of money even if they’re on for a couple of minutes when they’re not needed.

Finally, to make my point a little stronger, take a walk around your home this evening and count how many light bulbs are turned on in empty rooms. If your home is typical, there are several empty rooms that are brightly lit, and if you ask whoever was in them last why they didn’t turn the lights out, you’d hear that “I was going to be back in just a couple of minutes.” Some people call this human nature, but I call it a waste of energy.

Home energy Q&A

One of the most expensive sup-plies in a renovation project is the paint. It’s hard to believe, since it’s just paint, but paint a room with cheap stuff and it shows. High-end paint can run you $100 a gallon. So here are a few tips on buying paint without taking out a second mort-gage on your home:

Tip #1: If you’re painting to sell a house, consider using a lower grade paint in a neutral color and a flat finish. A new owner will likely paint the room their own color any-way and you haven’t spent a ton of money to make your house look nice while it’s on the market. “You’re not going to get a lot of wear in the time from when you paint it to when you sell it,” said Bill Thornton, owner of Potomac Paint, a paint store with locations in suburban Virginia.

Tip #2: Think about the space that you’re painting. It will dictate what kind of grade of paint you buy. Builders grade, which is the lowest,

may not withstand cleaning prod-ucts that you use to clean the walls. Higher grades will withstand ammo-nia-based cleaners, as well as magic markers and other stains.

Tip #3: Before you head to the paint store, look online for coupons and sales. Brands that are sold in boutique paint stores — like Benja-min Moore and Duron — often have discounts at certain times of the year, as well as online, printable coupons.

Tip #4: Think about how much you want to paint. Higher quality paint might often mean you’re roll-ing on fewer coats, which means less expense in the end.

Tip #5: Don’t buy the most expensive paint supplies, such as brushes and rollers, if you’re just doing one small project. And use less expensive plastic drop cloths rather than canvas ones. Old shower cur-tains work great as well.

— By Tania Anderson,The Washington Post

BUYING PAINTtIps

White tableWare dresses up or doWn, suits any occasion

Pale plate13

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Natalie Caudill/Dallas Morning News

By Paige PhelPsThe Dallas Morning News

DALLAS — the secret to suc-cessful hosting is something other than the special ingredient in your grandmother’s marinara sauce: it’s the white plate.

classic, clean and simple, “white dinnerware offers a blank canvas for the artistry of food presentation,” says turtle creek, texas-based events planner Joanne M. Kersten, of le Glace events. Furthermore, white is versatile; it dresses up or down to suit the occa-sion.

Kersten says a white palette creates a nostalgic atmosphere, explaining that the mood “harks back to the age of english gentility.”

dean driver, a dallas designer and events planner who has worked for tabletop companies such as rosenthal, lalique and

haviland & parlon, delves even deeper into the history of white plates and platters.

driver says the clay mineral kaolin is the secret to porcelain’s pure-white color and durability. until the 17th century, when kaolin deposits were discovered in France and Germany, europeans imported white porcelain, a pricey and desired commodity, from china. (porcelain was introduced to the continent by Marco polo, driver reminds us.)

For those of us living in the 21st century, white dishes, from porce-lain to pottery, continue to inspire.

Tips:■ nontraditional shapes help

make a presentation more memo-rable.

■ hotel-style white dishes with wide rims are a timeless choice.

■ a set of wide, low bowls belongs in every cook’s cupboard.

14

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A HOUSE OF BUILT-INSBuilt-ins can help maximize every nook

and cranny in a home:

1. SEATINGA window seat in a guest bedroom not only provides seating, it creates extra storage for pillows and bedding.2. PANTRYA set of built-in drawers helps keep napkin rings and table linens organized.3. LAUNDRYDividers and cubbies keep detergent and other laundry supplies in reach but out of sight. Built-in pocket doors close the laundry off from the hallway.4. FILESMaximizing unused attic space, file cabi-nets can reach back 3, 4 and 5 feet.5. PRINTERSAdjustable sliders pull printers forward. Drawers keep paper and other supplies.6. TOILETRIESMedicine and cosmetics can be con-cealed in a cabinet behind a long wall of mirrors in the master bathroom.7. ACCESSORIESMaking the most of space behind a bed-room door — a built-in unit can hold cos-tume jewelry and belts. A slat wall allows hooks to be placed at different heights.

2 3Shane Keyser/Kansas City Star

BY STACY DOwNSMcClatchy Newspapers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Built-ins are not only beautiful and functional, they personalize a home. Constructed to fit the odd nooks and crannies of a residence, they provide customized storage for the owners’ interests.

Built-ins are a good idea for any home, experts say.

For starters, they’re a strategic defense against clutter, says architect Sarah Susanka, author of the

best-selling The Not So Big House books. She believes in the mantra of William Morris, one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts movement: “Do not keep any-thing in your house that you do not know to be use-ful or believe to be beautiful.” Therefore, utilitarian things can be kept behind closed built-in cabinetry.

“Built-ins eliminate the need for having lots of furniture in a house, which can make a room feel cramped,” says Paul Gross, owner of Wildwood Con-struction in Blue Springs, Mo. “Everyone is trying to simplify and streamline their lives, and homes and built-ins help do that.”

Built-ins solve storage problems

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today - we’ll install. Call Cary @310-7939

Mirrors - Bathroom, hall, many styles to choose from. our staff will hang

and mount. Call Cary @310-7939

Door Locks and Door Hardware - Choose from any of our many lines and

we’ll install. interior/exterior/any fi nish. We can key all your locks alike.

We do apartments, comercial and rentals. Call Cary @310-7939

Bath hardware - Towel bars, rings toothbrush holders, soap dishes, Knobs

- everything you need to update your bath. Take a rest, let us do the

installation for you. Call Cary @310-7939

Insulation - Cut down your heaqting & cooling bills. We’ll blow or batt

any project. We’ll come out and do the measurements and installation.

Free Estimates! Eligible for $1500 Tax credit. Call Chuck @310-7851

Doors - Entry doors or storm doors. It’s easy when you visit our show-

room; pick your door and we’ll install. Call Rick @831-0540

Don’t forget Columns, Shutters and Garage Doors,

we’ll install them all. Call Rick @ 831-0540

831-0540

Bring this ad in for a 10% Discount on your next Garden Center Purchase.

15

Home gardeners can help save the bees

By SuSan ReimeRThe Baltimore Sun

“Birds do it, bees do it. Even educated fleas do it.”Cole Porter would still be looking for lyrics if he were writing this song

today, because not enough bees are doing it.Pollinating, that is.In winter 2006, millions of honeybees began to disappear. Without them to

pollinate our fruit and vegetable crops, our food supply suddenly was at risk.This huge pollination of crops doesn’t happen on a bee’s whim. Hundreds

of thousands of hives are moved by truck around the United States to farms that have paid for the visit by the millions of pollinators in those hives.

It was this link in the food chain that was endan-gered by the die-off of bees.

“We are still working to try to understand the decline,” said Dr. Jeff Pettis, research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research service-bee lab in Beltsville, Md.

Scientists suspect that parasitic mites or pesticide exposure might be behind the die-off, weakening the bee colonies to the point that any virus will kill them off.

“We are barely meeting the needs of the almond pollination in California,” Pettis said. Apples and blueberries are in trouble, too, because beekeepers will move their hives somewhere else for a better payday.

“Even the backyard beekeeper has noticed it,” he said.There are things the casual gardener can do to help increase the bee popu-

lation, Pettis said.▶ Plant “pollinator-friendly” native plants and consider planting lots of a

few species so bees expend less energy for a big reward.▶Don’t use pesticides. Even “organic” pesticides can kill bees and other

pollinators.▶ Don’t mulch every inch of your garden. Leave some dirt exposed for the

ground bees and for the mud that the Blue Orchard Mason bees need to pack their breeding tubes.

▶ Don’t be too much of a garden neatnik. Bees nest in old plant material, such as dead stalks or dead trees.

▶ Purchase nest kits, which are collections of tubes that Mason bees use for laying eggs.

Unlike honeybees, Mason bees have hairy bodies, which make them per-fect pollinating devices. It can take only 500 Mason bees to pollinate an acre of apples, while it might take 100,000 honeybees to do the same job.

And there is another nice thing about Mason bees. They aren’t territorial in the way honeybees are, and they rarely sting.

“They are fun,” Pettis said. “You can watch them fill the tubes with eggs and then pack them with mud. It is fun to do with the kids, too, because you are at very low risk for a sting.”

Position the nesting kits in a sheltered, sunny spot, facing east or south. Make sure they are safe from birds, mice or rats, which will eat the larvae.

For information about preserving the habitat of pollinators, visit the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign at nappc.org.

DON’T FORGET THE EXTERIORThe outside of a home is increasingly becom-

ing a hot spot for partying, entertaining, cooking and eating.

Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide by Bridget Biscotti Bradley has creative options for outdoor dining areas, kitchen gardens, storage sheds and backyard cottages. From advice on selecting furni-ture and fabrics, the guide offers suggestions for installing fireplaces, landscaping pool areas and “petscaping” for your four-legged family members.

16

Wicker, Iron

and Mexican Pottery

Wicker, Iron

and Mexican Pottery

Midtown Outlet1730 Quintard Ave. Anniston • 256-236-2642

Room by Room Home FurnishingsHwy. 231, 1 1/2 mile South of I-20, Pell City • 205-884-1224 • Hrs. Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

1119 Highway 78 East, Oxford • 256-831-7868 • Hrs. Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.