…who Can Help You with Your Home Projects – Inside and Out

Owning a home means you have projects that you need to do to help you repair, maintain or update your investment. It also means you may have hobbies that you enjoy around your home or yard. The St. Louis 35th Annual Builders Home & Garden Show has the experts who can help you with your home and garden projects. The Show, produced by the Home Builders Association, is February 23-26 at America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome.

Brian Santos, The Wall Wizard, is a best-selling author, fourth generation decorative artist and licensed contractor whose past clients include Clint Eastwood, Joe Montana and George Lucas. “Paint is the number one home improvement project that will dramatically improve the value and look of your home … but no one teaches us how to do it,” says Santos. With more than 25 years of experience painting, he will share short cuts, cool tools, and practical techniques that will help both the first-time and experienced painter produce a professional looking finish.

Learn how to clean water-based paint from brushes in just 10 seconds, the best way to handle quick touch-ups, when you should pull off that blue tape and much more, including how to:
• Make environmentally safe paint using milk, berries and other organic ingredients
• Save money by ”painting from your pantry” – using rubbing alcohol, plastic wrap, baby wipes, toothpicks,
lip balm, cooking spray, liquid fabric softener, vanilla extract and more
• Remove tough stains off your walls including water marks, grease, rust, marker and crayons
• Create clever visual effects and realistic illusions using the same application techniques that Hollywood set decorators have used for generations

Don’t miss his educational seminars: Painting Secrets, Faux Finish Secrets, and Wallcovering Secrets. The Wizard’s Workshop is sponsored by Y98

Learn how to create the yard and garden you’ve always dreamed of with seminars at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Green Thumb Theater. The Home & Garden Show is excited to welcome Melinda Myers, nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist. Myers has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist, has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written 20 gardening books. She will talk about small space gardens and container gardening. She will also share 10 easy, green and growing ideas. These are 10 easy things that any gardener can do to maximize their enjoyment, be kind to the environment, and reduce the time, money and energy spent managing their gardens.

Jeff Holper, The Mole Hunter will present Taking Your Lawn Back from Moles and Voles, an educational and entertaining program to help you get rid of moles, voles and other vermin in your yard. Bring your questions and bugs, and The Mole Hunter will help you solve your pest problems. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Green Thumb Theater is sponsored by FM NewsTalk 97.1

Learn how you can save money, breathe easier and help the environment at the GeoComfort Green Products Pavilion & Stage. Doug Rye is a licensed architect and nationally recognized energy consultant who helps people all across the country lower their utility bills by as much as 50%. He is commonly referred to as the “King of Caulk and Talk” and the “Roy Rogers of Energy” because he’s an expert in the home energy conservation field. He presents a seminar that teaches you how you can Heat and Cool Your Home for Just $1 a Day.

His humorous, but straight to the point advice, can be applied to any home, new or existing, anywhere in America. And probably anywhere in the world! He is a leading consultant in all aspects of energy efficiency including home insulation practices, energy efficient heating and air conditioning, water heaters, caulking, air infiltration, and attic insulation.

GeoComfort will share the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling, and KMOX Home Answer Man Scott Mosby will reveal the best place to spend your home improvement dollars.

Visit the Better Living Theater and the Mosby Home Advice Stage for more fantastic seminars from local experts. For more information and complete stage schedules, visit www.STLHomeShow.com.

The St. Louis 35^th Annual Builders Home & Garden Show returns to America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26. The Home & Garden Show is the place to see, learn about and buy the latest home products and services from reputable companies you can trust. The show is produced by the Home Builders Association.


The Home Show is more than just windows and doors – it’s a fun outing with often unexpected features and entertainment. This year, the Show is proud to host Diana, The People’s Princess, a compelling story of the life of one of the most iconic people in recent history. The life journey of the beloved Princess – mother, fashion icon and humanitarian – is told through a carefully crafted presentation of her personal possessions, including a sampling of the Royal dresses Diana chose to auction for charity. This professionally curated exhibit, in St. Louis for the first time, includes five of her dresses and accompanying informational panels explaining Princess Diana’s journey from childhood to Royal Princess to Global Humanitarian.

The exhibit is arranged in seven sections.

Entrance: Show visitors begin their tour with a 15-minute documentary video that provides an introduction to the exhibit and tells Diana’s story.
Diana’s Childhood: Visitors learn about Diana’s ancestral background, early childhood experiences and how her lineage factored into her future relationship with Britain’s Royal Family. Guests will also gain insight about a compassionate little girl whose own painful experiences shaped her perspective and future.
Engagement and Wedding: Guests will learn about Diana Spencer, the seemingly perfect choice to be the bride of His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. This area includes a video presenting the story of Diana’s engagement announcement and the royal wedding which was viewed by more than 750 million people. A Princess of Style & Charity: Her style transformation from ingénue to icon of style is legendary. Although the visual journey of her wardrobe from 1981 (“Frilly and Flouncy”) to 1997 (“Sleek and Sexy”) is sometimes hard to enjoy, it proves familiar to many women who may awkwardly grow and evolve from a style standpoint as Diana did. This area will engage guests with video, graphics, sketches, notes and commentary from Diana’s favorite designers. A video montage of Diana’s various wardrobe experiences (successes and failures, function and form) will include supplements from many authentic pieces of her wardrobe.
The Servant Princess: This area chronicles Diana’s ascent to global humanitarian, and highlights the perspectives of so many who benefitted from her compassion and generous use of her royal platform. This includes the AIDS patient she so boldly shook hands with in the 1980’s as he lay dying, and the girl with one leg who was injured by a land mine in Angola. Diana’s charity work is legendary, and guests will understand the tireless approach she took to her duties as a “Princess with purpose.”
Goodbye England’s Rose – The Painful Passing of The Princess: Attendees are gently educated about one of the most heavily chronicled tragedies of our time. As her brother eulogized, “a family in grief, a country in mourning and a world in shock….” Ironically, it was only in death that the world formally acknowledged how admired Princess Diana was. Around the clock news coverage detailed the acts of significance and compassion the Princess had become known for. Video in this area plays her brother’s moving eulogy as well as the royal family’s reaction to her death and ultimate honoring of her life. Guests can leave words of endearment and tokens if they wish.
Finale – Royal Dresses: Show visitors will see five of Diana’s royal dresses, including:

• The midnight blue velvet off-the-shoulder dress that Diana wore in 1985 when she danced with John Travolta at the White House at the State Dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Reagan.
• The Black Halter with Bugle Bead Trim worn by the Princess in 1994 to Versailles and also in the Vanity Fair issue that promoted the 1997 Christie’s Charity Sale.
• The Burgundy Tailcoat ensemble with heavy pearl and gold thread embroidery on both the front and the back of the coat. The Princess’s designer had realized that the Princess was photographed from every angle and designed both the front and back of this outfit to be of visual interest.
• The Green Sequin “Dynasty” dress worn by the Princess around 1990.
• The Cream and Pink Sequin dress the Princess wore during an official State Visit to Brazil and also to a movie

premiere where she was photographed with actress Liza Minnelli.

Don’t miss this amazing exhibit, in St. Louis for the first time! Viewing the exhibit is included in the cost of your Home Show ticket.

Visit www.STLHomeShow.com for more information.

Sponsored by Fresh 102.5

The Italians are known for their fresh ingredients and simple recipes, and pizza certainly is not excluded from the list. Just imagine, a cultural change took place all because Americans started growing this little herb in their gardens.

One of the greatest bits of information or tips anyone can glean from the Italians is their love of gardening. Although it is not the actual garden that gives it such a precious value, but the end product fresh ripe vegetables and fruit that are delivered from their little or not so little plot of plowed land.

Taking this principle of fresh ingredients to heart, anyone can then make their own pizza taste better and healthier than any veggie pizza on the market by creating their own pizza garden. Here’s how…

Choosing the Toppings:

There are endless toppings a person can choose from when designing their own pizza themed garden. So make sure to pick vegetables and fruit you actually enjoy eating. Although adding asparagus as a topping may sound chic and creative, it will not do much good if it simply gets picked off when the pizza is served.

Here are a few basic toppings most everyone in your family will enjoy and are easy to grow:

Fresh Tomatoes:

Tomatoes on top of a tomato based pizza sauce – yes you read that correctly. Adding thin (or thick depending on preference) slices of tomatoes as an additional toppings adds a greater depth to your pizza.

Pizza sauce (whether it includes meat or not) has a drastically different taste and flavor than that of fresh tomatoes. So don’t worry about having too much of a tomato flavor – fresh tomatoes are an excellent choice, and besides, who doesn’t grow tomatoes in a garden?

One tip to keep in mind is what type of tomato you want to grow and when will they actually produce. Some tomatoes are known for delivering in mid-summer, while others tend to hold off until the late summer months to produce a nice harvest.

Basil:

Basil is an amazing herb whose varieties are enjoyed in different cultures around the world. However, fresh Genovese Sweet Basil brings to life a dull pizza any day of the week, any hour of the day and any second of an hour.

Fortunately, basil grows easily with the tomatoes and are a great companion plant. In addition, basil enjoys the hotter weather and therefore is usually in full bloom around the same time tomatoes are producing making them not only compatible for the garden but for the pizza as well.

Here is a tip to keep in mind when using basil on your pizza. Never place basil on as a topping until the final minute of baking – and one can go so far as to say not until it comes out of the oven. This herb will dry up and lose its precious flavored natural oils if heated too fast and will leave you disappointed.

Green Peppers:

Not everything has to be as delicate as the tomato and basil pizza, but for those who have a natural leaning towards spicy foods, growing your own hot peppers can be an excellent choice for a pizza topping.

Peppers come in all sorts of varieties and it might be a good idea to plant a few different kinds to really mix things up from your red hot chili peppers to more mild banana peppers to even the crispy common green pepper.

Unlike the basil, peppers can be placed on a pizza before it goes into the oven and are liked by both those who favor meat toppings and those who prefer to go without.

Let’s Talk about the Dough:

Anyone can make a pizza dough at home. All it requires is olive oil, flour, yeast, lukewarm water and a dash of salt. You can also choose to buy your dough already made which many grocery stores will import from pizza makers in NY or PA and store in the freezer section where the breads are kept. Let the dough thaw over night in the refrigerator and you are ready to go the next day.

However, the easiest way to get your pizza dough is to buy the crust already precooked. The downside to this method is that it will most likely not have the “fresh” factor and quite frankly not all of them taste very good.

Here is a quick recipe for homemade pizza dough:

1. Start by dissolving 1 tsp salt into lukewarm water along with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast in a large bowl
2. Then let it sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast foams a little
3. Gradually add 3 cups of flour to the water and knead until the dough becomes a smooth elastic like texture . You do not want the dough sticky, so gently add more flour a little at a time until the right consistency is achieved
4. Roll into a ball, cover and put in your fridge overnight. If you need it the same day, keep it out, covered, and wait for half an hour to an hour for it to rise
5. When ready, roll out onto a greased pizza pan and bake at 400F for about 8 to 15 minutes or depending on the thickness of the dough and toppings used.

Margarita Pizza:

This pizza is very popular in Italy and has its roots in Naples, Italy where it first became popular. It does not use a sauce but relies on fresh garden ingredients to satisfy the appetite.

1. To make a margarita pizza which uses two of the ingredients above simply slice your tomatoes (meaty ones are best such as Roma), and place them on the pizza crust.
2. Next, slice some fresh mozzarella balls to the same thickness of the tomatoes. The regular blocks of mozzarella will not work – it must be fresh – the kind which you will find near the deli. Place the slices on the crust as well, spacing them between the tomatoes trying not to overlap
3. Bake in a 400F oven for approximately 14 minutes making sure to check that the cheese does not burn.
4. Right before removing from the oven, sprinkle generously with your fresh basil leaves and leave for 1 minute or less
5. Remove from oven and have a taste of heaven!

About the writer: Pizza is enjoyed by everyone, and that includes writer Liz Krause who owns and operates her own Italian cooking website. She enjoys writing about recipes and reviews of various products from the Waring Pro meat grinder to pizza slicers. Liz grew up in an Italian home and understands the benefits of growing fresh ingredients in the backyard believing fresh food and simple ingredients are the best way to enjoy Italian cuisine!

When you are remodelling a room, one of the big challenges is deciding which window treatments will suit it best. There are a huge number of options out there but the first question you need to answer is whether you would prefer blinds or curtains.

The answer will depend a lot upon the purpose of the room. For example your living room will probably benefit most from curtains as they will give it a softer and warmer atmosphere. In contrast your kitchen will probably do better with wooden Venetian blinds as they will give you a lot of light and space as well as being less vulnerable to moisture and mould.  To help make the decision easier I’ve composed a list of the pros and cons of the different types of window treatment below.
Having said that if you choose blinds that will add another layer of complication as there is a large variety of styles and materials. Slatted blinds such as Venetian and vertical blinds are typically composed of overlapping slats made of plastic, aluminium or wood. Venetian and mini blinds are made of horizontal slats whereas vertical blinds (as the name suggests) are made of vertical slats thought vertical blinds rarely seen within the home.

Roller Blinds do largely what they say. They are made out of a fabric sheet that rolls up out the way when not in use. They are great for bedrooms in urban areas as they can be made out of blackout fabric ensuring that external lights don’t disturb your sleep. Roman blinds look similar to roller blinds but are either made of tightly woven slats or contain slats within the fabric meaning that they fold up rather than roll.

Slatted Blinds (Venetian and Vertical blinds)

Pros:

• Slatted blinds stack when drawn, ensuring that they take up less space.
• They offer the greatest degree of control over external light.
• They will fit in with a wide variety of different colour schemes without much work.

Cons:

• They require frequent cleaning and dusting.
• The slatted design allows light to get through even when fully closed.
• They don’t retain heat very well.
• The individual slats and the lift cords can break very easily.

Roman and Roller Blinds

Pros:

• Can be used to block all light.
• They take up the least amount of space.
• They don’t require regular cleaning.

Cons:

• Difficult to clean unless the fabric is coated with wipe down surface.

Curtains: Curtains can frame the window to create a striking and sophisticated effect as well as drawing attention to the view. The Fabrics they are made of come in a variety of thicknesses, from see through net curtains which offer little more than decoration to heavy drapes.

Pros:

• Curtains are aesthetically striking and can give the room an air of sophistication.
• In winter curtains provide the best insulation.
• They come in a wide range of colours and patterns.

Cons:

• Curtains take up more space than blinds.
• In rooms like bathrooms and kitchens there is a risk of mould and staining due to the moisture in the air.
• Kids can hide behind large curtains.

I hope this guide helps anyone trying to redecorate choose their window treatments. Done well both blinds and curtains can add a lot to a room.

Author Bio
This is a guest post by Daniel Frank a UK blogger writing on behalf of wooden Venetian blind specialist wooden blinds direct

The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a bustling bundle of nervous energy showing up in Spring in garden trees and roadside shrubs throughout southern Canada and most of the United States.

The male bird arrives at his breeding ground to stake a claim before the females arrive. He looks for a low, wooded tract, preferably deciduous, at the far edge of a yard. When he finds it, he proclaims his rights. The male is a habitual nest starter. He stuffs any likely nesting cavity with twigs, grass and other materials, perhaps marking his territory or as an inducement to the female House Wrens when they arrive.

Male House Wrens are from Venus; female House Wrens are from Mars. Somehow the nest building gets done anyway.

As soon as the female appear, the male wren’s song draws her attention. He courts ardently, wings quivering, tail flicking straight up. If the female bird is receptive, he escorts her around his prospective nest sites. The female almost always disapproves of her mate’s home-building efforts.

So after she selects one of his sites she usually removes all the materials and starts the nest over again. The female collects strange items for the nest such as hairpins, nails, tacks, staples, safety pins, paper clips and hooks.

Controversies rage during the rejection and rebuilding of house wren nests. Pairs of house wrens often fight fiercely, but somehow the job gets done. The female lines the nest to suit her; while the male stands guard and sometimes starts another nest which may be used later for a second brood. He also may take up with a second female, for just as his mate is a shrew, he is a philanderer.

In the wild, house wrens nest in natural hollows or old woodpecker holes. Near human habitats, the birds make full use of whatever civilization may provide, including a weathervane or old farm machinery. They have also been known to set up housekeeping in a tin can in a garbage dump, a mailbox and a basket. House wrens also welcome boxes and birdhouses that people put out for them. To bar the house sparrows, wren houses should have an entrance hole no more than 1″ across. A slit that’s 1″ x 3″ provides an even better door, for it permits wrens to carry in twigs held crosswise in their bills.

House wrens often leave sticks jutting out from their entrances to help bar larger birds. Their six to eight eggs, finely sprinkled with reddish-brown dots, hatch in just 13 days. House wrens have a strong feeding instinct and are tireless parents. They work from early morning to late night, feeding their young and even feeding the young of other species, even a nestful of house sparrows which are the house wren’s worst enemies. Young house wrens leave the nest about two weeks after hatching.

As fall approaches, the birds grow shy and desert their homestead to find seclusion in the woods. Soon after that, they migrate.

Other Bird Articles:
Five Steps to Attracting Birds to Your Garden
Feed the Wild Birds, Feed your Soul
The Indigo Bunting: The Smallest Sparrow Warbler
Top 10 Most Common Blue Birds in Your Garden

Originally posted 2009-11-03 09:09:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If you have any elderly or disabled living with you or are regularly visited by someone who is, then making your home easily accessible will make their life safer and easier. Whilst accessibility might seem to only be an issue for people suffering serious disabilities, you will be surprised at how much of a difference it can make. For example I’m sure many families have struggled with getting a pram or furniture through a narrow doorway fronted with steps.

Simple Steps to Improve Acccessibility
There are a number of trip hazards that you may not notice or be aware off. In particular throw rugs which can catch or slip under people. They can be simply taped down to prevent slippage but still be easily moved for cleaning. This step is particularly important if you have anyone with a walker or a wheelchair which can easily be caught by a rug.

If you use chairs with arms then it will make it easier for people with less strength to get in and out of them. They are also safer as they allow people to lower themselves onto them if necessary. Similarly placing cushions on low chairs will provide a simple and effective step for making them easier to get in and out of.

In the kitchen you can buy large handled grips for tableware will help make life easier, particularly for people with arthritis or other conditions which can reduce the strength of their grip. Similarly double handled pots and pans can be lifted without placing as much stress on the wrist joints as single handed pots. The not only means they are easier to lift but reduces the chance of spillages.

Replacing door knobs and tap handles with longer handles makes turning them easier. (Who hasn’t struggled with a stiff tap?) Similarly large handles which allow you to insert several fingers on drawers are easier than knobs or ones which only insert a small number.

Some more complex steps
You can make your bathroom safer by placing non slip tape and grab bars near the toilet and shower to help prevent slippage. In addition walk in baths and hand held showerheads make bathing far easier for people with disabilities.

For more serious mobility problems a reconditioned stairlift will provide an affordable option if you or people you live with find it hard to climb the stairs, and is safer than getting a second hand stairlift.

Wheelchair ramps come in many forms depending upon what you can afford, but an aluminium portable ramp should not only make accessing the home easier for people in wheelchairs but also help other people who might find the steps hard to manage such a people using walkers. In general it’s recommended that ramps have a slope which rises 12 inches for every foot.

The costs don’t need be prohibitive despite the initial set up. There are a variety of organizations such as The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs which offer grants so as to allow people with disabilities to afford technology to allow them to do tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible.

Author Bio
This is a guest post by Daniel Frank, a UK blogger who is interested in disability issues. He is currently writing on behalf of Stannah Stairlifts who provide a range of products including reconditioned stairlifts

 …and How to Stay Warm While You Wait!

If you are not a DYI guru, call a heating expert

Inevitably, the heating system in your home won’t fail on a crisp, October morning, but on the coldest, harshest day of the year! If the failure occurs in the morning on a weekday, you may be fortunate enough to have a repair professional available that day to set things right again. However, if it is evening, the weekend, or the repair businesses are busy, you may have to wait some time.

While you wait, take steps to help your home retain as much heat as possible. Leave your window coverings down and drawn. If you have south facing windows and it is a sunny day, open the blinds/curtains while those windows are in direct sun. Make sure all windows and doors are closed, and block any drafts that may be sneaking in around them.

If you use a space heater for temporary heat, make sure you heed all safety warnings and supervise children around these devices. No need to add a doctor bill on top of the repair bill. If you can, use the space heater to heat a small room, rather than a large, open area.

Rice socks are a great way to warm up your toes in bed at night. Pour plain white rice into a clean sock and firmly knot the end. Heat the sock in the microwave on high for 30-60 seconds or until the rice is very warm, but not too hot. Slip the rice sock under the covers at the foot of the bed. (A rice sock is fairly safe, but can still be very hot! Don’t put it on bare skin and please, supervise children so they don’t burn themselves!)

Now, on to getting that heating system fixed! Be sure to check that the problem isn’t something you can address without paying a costly repair bill. For example, check to see that the thermostat is set properly and that it is working properly. Consult your furnace’s operation manual. Some furnaces have a “reset” button that may solve all your problems! Or, perhaps the pilot light has gone out!

If the problem is not so easily identified and solved, it is time to bring in a heating professional. If you have not needed a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) service in the past, you may not have anyone in mind to call. Assuming the situation is fairly urgent (as in our scenario above) you may not have much time to research. However, it is still a good idea to ask friends and relatives in the area for a recommendation.

Your local utility company may also have information about trusted heating ompanies in your area. Once you have a couple names, a quick search of online reviews will also give you an overview of your chosen companies before you call.

When you call, be sure you understand the heating contractor’s pricing and warranty policies before you agree to have them come out to your home. Trust your instincts—if a company doesn’t “feel” right based on a phone call, move on. On the other hand, if you have a great experience with a company, pass the word along, both by word-of-mouth and online. That way when a friend or neighbor is in the same boat as you, they will be more likely to find a heating company they can trust to do the repairs for them.

Signs of a Good Year

Home Improvement projects often show up high on homeowner’s list of New Year’s resolutions.  But without proper planning it’s easy to spend too much or hire a disreputable contractor.  Then the home improvement project that should bring you joy turns into a home improvement nightmare.

Here’s a list of five New Year’s resolutions that will help bring you peace and joy in the New Year:

1. I will do my research online weather I am hiring a home improvement contractor or doing it myself.

2. I will not pick the first home improvement contractor that shows up in a Google search or has the best looking website.

3. I will ask for and check at least three references.

4. I will check with the local contractor’s board or licensing agency to see if there are any complaints against the home improvement contractor AND see how it was resolved.

5. I won’t make a decision until I have attended my local home and garden show and met the home improvement contractor I am going to hire. Here is a list of the best home and garden shows in North America: http://www.hgsei.com/

When there’s a bumper crop of fresh herbs, the best way to preserve them is in oil. Here’s a great recipe to do this.

1. Pluck leaves from the stems and pack them down in a measuring cup.
2. Place two hard-packed cups of herbs in a blender or food processor.
3. Add 1 cup of good-quality cooking oil (such as extra-virgin olive oil) and blend until pureed.
4. Place in small containers, cover tightly and freeze.

Oil brings out the flavors of herbs. This method will keep them fresh up to six months. It works especially well with:

• Fresh dill
• Tarragon
• Oregano
• Sage
• Mints
• Lemon
• Thyme
• Basil

Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh herbs, so when substituting dried herbs for fresh, the ratio is one measure of dried herbs to three of fresh. This also works in reverse.

How much of a fresh herb to add to a recipe is a personal decision. Use common sense and Barclay’s axiom- “Stop adding when it turns green.” Fresh herbs will not overpower a dish as easily as dried, so do not be too concerned about overdoing it.

To chop herbs finely and quickly, place leaves in a bowl and use scissors to snip.

From NGC Club Program Lesson Plan #4, “Enchanting, Useful & Romantic Herbs.” Available from Member Services. With special thanks to Nell Denman, NGC Mentors Committee Chair.

Other Herb Articles:
Creeping Winter Savory Is Tasty Addition to Any Garden
Locating and Planning Your Herb Garden

Originally posted 2010-11-28 07:00:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter