 |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
The Home FrontBy JUDY STARK, Times Homes Editor
© St. Petersburg Times, Keep an eye on the small stuffIt's not the sofa and the dining table that get lost during a move. It's the small stuff: the TV remote, the lamp finials, the extension cords, the plastic supports that hold adjustable shelves in place in a bookcase. Pack these easily lost items in padded envelopes that you attach to the appropriate piece of furniture or appliance with tape or spring clips held in place with adhesive. This suggestion comes from 3M, maker of the Command brand of reusable adhesive that you can use for just this purpose. Those removable clips can come in handy in your new home: put a couple of 'em up in the kitchen to hang keys and important papers as you get settled. They leave behind no holes or residue. The clips and mounting adhesive are available in office-supply, hardware, decorating and discount stores for $1.99-$3.99. Sweet decoratingGhost and goblin time is fast approaching. Here's an easy table decoration for Halloween. Fill a tray with candy corn. (Sample a few pieces just to make sure they're good.) Set into the candy an orange ball candle, a yellow pillar and a porcelain Halloween luminaria bag with a white tea light inside. Stack orange, yellow and white tea lights, wrap in netting and tie the ends with thin orange ribbon so they look like candy. Tuck these into the candy platter. Trick or treat! Touch up your home before sellingHow to improve your home's appeal for $500 or less: Coldwell Banker offers these tips to those planning to put their homes on the market, but they're good suggestions for anyone who wants to freshen a house: A light-colored coat of interior paint makes a house feel spacious and bright; painting offers one of the highest returns on investment. New lighting fixtures can update and brighten the house. Clear out knickknacks, stuff, junk, items you've outgrown or no longer want. Hold a yard sale or give them away. If you're planning to move, pack up items you don't need and put them in temporary storage so the house looks spacious rather than packed full. Trim the lawn and shrubbery, get rid of straggly plants. On the horizon: bakingThe cookie holiday will be here before we know it, so now's the time to start adding a few ingredients to the weekly shopping list: a bag of chocolate chips, an extra pound of butter, a bag of nuts, a jar of spice. This year treat yourself (and your aching hands) to new cookie scoops from Oxo Good Grips. Give a squeeze on the soft grips to release the dough onto the cookie sheet. They come in two sizes, small ($8.99) and large ($9.99), and should be arriving in retail stores this month.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
