The home front

By Compiled by JUDY STARK, Times Homes Editor

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2000

Twist and smile

[Photo: Sun Hill Industries]

These pink flamingos are supposed to be used as plant ties, to stake plants in the garden or indoors. But surely we can think of other creative uses for these cute little guys! They're made of pliable vinyl, so they can be bent and twisted to sit on a shelf, perch on the edge of a flowerpot, hold a place card at the table, be a friendly face in your locker, hang from your wire out-basket . . . let your imagination run free on this one. (Is a co-worker having a birthday soon? Picture that lucky person's desk decorated with a flock of these.) Besides the flamingo, there's a yellow duck and a green frog. They come in packs of two for $2.98 or individually for $1.49 at some Wal-Marts (look in the garden department), mass merchants, home centers and hardware stores. Send an e-mail to twistyfrog@aol.com for the location of a store near you.

10 homes on tour

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, 10 homes in south Pinellas County are open for the St. Petersburg Catholic High School Tour of Homes. Buy tickets today for $12 at Fanitsa's Ultimate Shoppes, 3909 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, or at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, 6333 Ninth Ave. N. You can also buy a ticket ($10) for a drawing to win a custom-decorated 6-foot backyard wooden playhouse. Information: (727) 327-2772.

Dress up your dishwasher

Why should your dishwasher look like a plain old appliance? Artist Janie Atkinson offers decorative, soft magnetic panels in six designs: the wine cooler; a blue-and-white china display; an herb garden; an aquarium; a holiday wreath; or a children's dry marker drawing board. View them at her Web site, http://www.doordecorllc.com. They're $69.95 each. Call toll-free, (877) 884-8058.

Paint sample needs size

Thinking of repainting a room? The experts tell you to paint a sample on the wall so you can see what it will really look like. New York paint color guru Donald Kaufman says people never put up big enough samples. "You need to paint a sample 6 feet wide floor to ceiling to evaluate a color properly," he told the Sun-Sentinel of South Florida. The biggest mistake people make is selecting a color chip that they think looks "happy," Kaufman says. Invariably when they paint the wall, it will appear too bright. His advice: Always pick a sample that appears slightly grayer than you think you want.

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