http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 09 May 2008 11:40:29 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Right now, in your kitchen or bathroom, you probably have the key to healthier plants: Epsom Salt. Did you know that according to research by the Epsom Salt Council, Epsom Salt:

• Helps seeds germinate
• Makes plants grow bushier
• Helps plants produce more flowers
• Increases chlorophyll production
• Improves phosphorus and nitrogen uptake
• Deters pests, including slugs and voles

Here are a few of the ways that the Epsom Salt Council suggests you can use Epsom Salt to help your plants grow.

Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet in your garden and mix into soil before planting.

Houseplants: Feed plants 2 tablespoons per gallon of water monthly.

Tomatoes: Apply 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant every two weeks.

Roses: Apply 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base of plant to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes in 1 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests.

Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): Apply 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet over root zone every 2 to 4 weeks.

Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.

Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet over the root zone 3 times annually. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/healthier-plants.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/healthier-plants.html epsom salt gardening houseplants lawn plants roses tomatoes Fri, 09 May 2008 11:40:29 -0500 Purple is a popular color this season. From furniture to paint, here are just a few of the examples that I’ve seen.

This Eleonora Armchair in Mohair Velvet from The Conran Shop is a favorite of iVillage contributor Susanna Salk. Susanna also likes Ralph Lauren’s Academy Purple.

Also covered in an amethyst mohair, this club chair is a new release from Century Furniture.

Pantone selected the blue-purple Blue Iris, as the 2008 Color of the Year.
]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/popular-purples-purple-is-a.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/popular-purples-purple-is-a.html choosing color decorating furniture home decorating paint purple Thu, 08 May 2008 16:28:09 -0500 Canon’s Creative Park website. Projects include scrapbooks, cards, gift boxes, and some beautiful origami flower bouquets, but I’m partial to the teddy bears that you can make yourself. They’re awfully cute. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/crafting-a-special-mothers-day.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/crafting-a-special-mothers-day.html Canon crafting mother's day paper crafts scrapbooking Tue, 06 May 2008 17:48:30 -0500

As you can see, my grass is looking a little brown today and in need of a trim (a project for this afternoon). I think that it may need to be transplanted into some fresh soil to keep it growing. Fortunately, though, I know just who to ask to confirm my theory. Right now through May 15 I can call the Yard Smarts Hotline at 1-866-YARD-TIPS (1-866-927-3847) to ask a lawn, garden or equipment question. Or I can visit the Yard Smarts website to read articles, watch videos, get tips and ask questions about growing and maintaining a healthy lawn from the Yard Doctor himself, Trey Rogers. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/watching-the-grass-grow-day-66.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/05/watching-the-grass-grow-day-66.html gardening grass lawn Trey Rogers Yard Doctor Fri, 02 May 2008 12:09:18 -0500 Pillow Decor Ltd. Plus, find out which pillows are the most popular.

1. Use pillows as art: Use hand painted, one-of-a-kind pillows to add original art to your home, or try a pillow that features the work of one of your favorite artists. They are so easy to decorate with, and don't leave holes in the wall!
2. Seasonal makeover: Update the look of your home seasonally with new pillow covers and accessories. Most pillow covers have zipper closures, so you can put lighter colored pillow covers on your existing pillows for a fresh look. Just store your fall and winter pillow covers flat in the linen closet. Choose lighter weight silks with a slight sheen to capture the light and add sparkle to your room.
3. Mix fabrics like a pro: Professional designers combine different fabrics, shapes and sizes for a layered look. Mix florals, stripes, textures and solid colored pillows and build a collection of different fabrics to add color and personality to your home. Unify an open plan décor with fabrics that reflect and tie together the colors in the rooms.
4. Inexpensive updating: To modernize an outdated room or sofa, pick new pillows in a color that you like. It will let you test out the new colors in the room, and begin the transformation. You don't have to redo the whole room at once; reupholster that sturdy reading chair and ottoman or throw in a cozy chenille. Do it piece by piece as budget allows.
5. Bring the outdoors inside: Botanical and floral print pillows will bring the feel of the outdoors in. Combined with textured fabrics, they’ll make your décor feel more connected to the earth even in the heart of the city!
6. Take the indoors out: Decorative pillows offer an ideal way to help transform your outdoor living space into a comfortable continuation of your home. Whether it's a kitchen, family room or bedroom that opens up onto a deck or poolside patio, try using throw pillows that pull from the dominant color of the adjacent indoor room. The transitional effect will create harmony and continuity between your indoor and outdoor living spaces. Don't hesitate to use designs that might typically seem unfitting for the outdoors. Go with pillows that feature bold circles, stripes or colors not standard of nature, such as black and white. The pillows will stand out amongst all the earthy greens and browns and really spice up that outdoor space!
7. Keep the peace: She wants mauve florals, he wants green and orange geometric pillows. Compromise with pillow covers in each color scheme and theme, and alternate them occasionally. Or try finding some common ground with a coordinating pair that combines the 'Yin' and the 'Yang'. Your room will feel new, and the change will be refreshing. Everybody's happy!
8. Dressing up a child's room: For the kid whose room is never tidy, solid color pillows will help create a less cluttered look. Or if texture and pattern is what you are after, you can add wide wale corduroy or striped pillows to a boy's room, and wavy or florals for the girls. Choose soft, durable pillows for a child's room made from microfiber suede. The microfiber fabrics are so tightly woven that they are tougher and more durable than most other fabrics. Spills just bead up and roll off, and they can be wiped clean with a damp cloth! Large floor pillows are perfect to sprawl on while reading a book or playing a game.
9. What's hot now: The hottest new pillows are the versatile rectangular shape, sometimes referred to as "lumbar pillows". They can be used in so many ways, to add back support or color to an armchair, or nestled against each arm of your sofa. Layer them in front of larger, square pillows in the corner of your sectional, or on a window seat or daybed. Add one in front of pillow shams to give your beds a decorative touch. On a low backed, clean lined sofa, place one at the back of each seat cushion.

See more ideas for decorating with pillows from Pillow Decor Ltd. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/9-ways-to-decorate-with-pillow.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/9-ways-to-decorate-with-pillow.html accessories budget decorating children's rooms decorating indoor decorating outdoor decorating Pillow Decor Ltd. pillows Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:24:15 -0500 Sustainable building techniques are becoming increasing popular. What does that mean? Here’s an interesting video that shows how one architect is using green home design techniques to inexpensively build a house that heats and cools itself. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/green-building-techniques.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/green-building-techniques.html building a house eco-friendly enviromentally-friendly green home building home renovation Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:39:19 -0500
You can give one (or several) to someone who does have a yard. (I just gave one to my MIL last week.) Or you can plant a tree in one of the country’s national forests through the Arbor Day Foundation. Every year these forests are damaged by wildfires and just a one dollar donation replaces one of the lost trees.

Or here’s a really easy way to plant a tree that I found on GreenisUniversal.com. Send an e-tree to a friend for $1 and Mokugift will work with Sustainable Harvest International to get a real tree planted.

Happy Arbor Day. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/things-to-do-this-weekend-plan.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/things-to-do-this-weekend-plan.html eco-friendly enviromentally-friendly gardening green trees Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:56:47 -0500 Since today is Earth Day, I’m taking a moment to consider my carbon footprint —the impact that I personally have on the environment—and I have to admit that I could be doing more to conserve and recycle. The funny thing is, if I did do more, it would probably save me money on my gas and electric bills, making it good for my wallet as well as good for the environment.

If you need a little help to jump start you on your way to reducing your carbon footprint, a few small steps can make a big difference. Start by taking the ENERGY STAR Pledge and sign up to make a few easy changes. According to the people at the Environmental Protection Agency, if every American household took part in this new Energy Star pledge, we would save more than $18 billion in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 18 million cars.

Take the pledge to:

• Replace at least one light bulb in your home with an energy-efficient alternative
• Make sure your home heating and cooling systems are working efficiently
• Make sure your home is well sealed and insulated
• Set your computer and monitor to sleep or shut down when you’re away from them
• Choose an Energy Star qualified refrigerator, dishwasher and/or clothes washer when you replace old appliances

Get more tips for how to improve your home’s energy efficiency from Energy Star. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/save-green-by-going-green.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/save-green-by-going-green.html appliances Earth Day eco-friendly enviromentally-friendly green home improvement money Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:36:09 -0500 After 52 days, I’m a little surprised that my little pots of grass are doing so well. I water them regularly, though, and give them a trim once a week (usually on Fridays), which are good things to do for your grass, potted or not.

Here are a few more tips for growing healthy grass. This time they come from golf legend and golf course designer Jack Nicklaus and the experts at Lawn-Boy.

Get your equipment into shape. After sitting unused for several months, spring is the perfect time to check and change your mower’s oil, air filter, and spark plug or plugs. Check your blade to see if it needs sharpening or replacing. You may want to contact your local dealer to schedule a spring tune-up.

Use the right mower. Today’s mowers combine professional-level effectiveness with lots of user-friendly features to make mowing easier on the body. “In golf, there are dozens of technology and equipment choices. The same is true when people are trying to find the right lawn mower,” says Nicklaus. Check out Lawn-Boy’s mower guide to see which features you need in a lawn mower.

Fix bare spots. You probably don’t have divots in your backyard, but you might notice a few unsightly bare spots that need fixing due to disease or pets. They’re easy to repair. Just clear away the dead-looking patches, sprinkle grass seed on the newly exposed soil, add fertilizer, and keep the area moist.

Aerate. Golf courses aerate regularly to loosen the soil and to let water, air and fertilizer make their way down to the grass plant’s roots. Home lawns can benefit from this procedure as well. Mature lawns can often become compacted, reducing the ability of critical nutrients to reach grass roots.

Get more lawn, and golf, tips and advice from Jack Nicklaus. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/watching-the-grass-grow-day-52.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/watching-the-grass-grow-day-52.html grass Jack Nicklaus landscaping lawn lawn mower Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:45 -0500 The other day I went to a fun event for OxiClean with one of my coworkers, Anne. You may remember Anne, since she used to write this blog before I came on board. That’s her in the photo below with Clinton Kelly, from TLC’s show What Not to Wear. Clinton was at the event giving styling tips and he told Anne and I a story about how OxiClean saved his new couch after he spilled General Tso’s chicken all over it. A quick spray and blot later and OxiClean’s Laundry Stain Remover took that stain right out. Pretty cool. So cool in fact that I’m going to try it on my rug, which between my husband and dog is just a few stains away from being tossed in the trash.

]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/out-out-damned-sport.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/out-out-damned-sport.html cleaning Clinton Kelly laundry OxiClean stains what not to wear Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:59:27 -0500 As promised yesterday, here are a few more of the great green products that I’ve been seeing. Today’s topic: conserving water with smart plumbing fixtures.

According to the people at Waterpik, you can save up to 1 gallon of water a minute without noticing a difference when you shower, just by switching your shower head. Check out the Waterpik EcoFlow 1.5.

While you’re conserving water in the bathroom, consider switching to a an eco-friendly faucet like the Rothbury from Moen, which can help reduce your water consumption by more than 30 percent.

In addition to being good for the environment, conserving all that water will save you money by lowering your water bill. It’s win-win. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/good-for-the-environment-good.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/good-for-the-environment-good.html bathroom eco-friendly enviromentally-friendly green water conservation Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:10:38 -0500 With Earth Day approaching, I have been inundated with press releases about new, eco-friendly products. From cleaning supplies to paints to plumbing fixtures there are so many great, green products. Here are a few that I’ve seen lately, with more to come tomorrow.

There was recently an item in the news here about the chemicals found in a recent test of the water supply. That’s one reason why this product from Palmolive caught my eye. According to a US Geological Survey, phosphates, a chemical that is commonly found in dish detergent, often wash down the drain and into the water supply where they can accelerate the growth of algae. This can make the water unsuitable for drinking or swimming. To help protect our waterways, Palmolive has introduced a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent alternative, Palmolive Eco+.

Here’s another eco-friendly cleaning product that the iVillage community is buzzing about. They love Charlie’s Soap. The laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaner from Charlie’s Soap are non-toxic and completely biodegradable. The laundry powder is hypo-allergenic and the laundry liquid contains no dyes, phosphates, UV brighteners or perfumes for laundry that’s really clean. Best of all, as the iVillage community can attest, it really works. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/greener-cleaning.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/greener-cleaning.html Charlie's Soap cleaning eco-friendly enviromentally-friendly green Palmolive Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:26:50 -0500 Susanna Salk, talks about how she makes up her mind.

Color Me Everything
From Open House by Susanna Salk

As I prep for my Today show spot on color, I am indulged with color wheel upon color wheel from many of the top paint companies.

As I spin out the hues with delicious names like Violet Driving Coat, Sage Sweater and Cymric Silver, I wish I had a hundred rooms where I could give these colors a proper home, the chance to shine in the ever changing light that comes with four fabulously fickle seasons. And it’s not just the luxury of coating entire walls in shimmery Atlantic Winter or pragmatic Starch Apron or naughty Temptation that gets me. The potential combinations all these colors could have with one another make me as hungry to pair as a matchmaker. A chocolate brown with Tiffany blue? Dreamy for the girl’s room I’ll never have. A tangerine orange with palest yellow? Makes me long to escape somewhere warm and provincial. Aborigine with glossy black? A luxurious library filled with all the Russian novels I never have time read.

See how Susanna chooses between the myriad of colorful options.

See Susanna’s favorite color choices for spring on the Today show.

]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/colors-for-spring.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/colors-for-spring.html choosing color decorating painting Susanna Salk Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:28:06 -0500 Here’s an interesting new book that came across my desk today. While I’m a long way from retirement, I confess that I periodically daydream about what it would be like not to have to get up every morning and rush off to work. In Nextville: Amazing Places to Live for the Rest of Your Life, real estate expert Barbara Corcoran give her advice for how to find the right community for your retirement and suggestions of some of the places that might fit your future lifestyle whether you’re looking to live green or pursue your passion.

So where does Barbara suggest are the up-and-coming spots for the newly retired? Here are a few.

• Eugene, OR
• Burlington, VT
• Auburn-Opelika, AL
• Austin, TX
• Tempe, AZ
• Chicago, IL

Check out the book to find out why and for more great places to retire. ]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/best-places-to-retire.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/best-places-to-retire.html buying a home real estate retirement Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:06:26 -0500
Next Sunday, April 13 at 9:00 pm, HGTV is airing a special highlighting the 25 biggest real estate mistakes that people make. Real estate experts will let you know what mistakes you’re making and give tips on how to avoid or fix your mistakes.

So what are the 25 biggest real estate mistakes? Here’s a sneak peak at HGTV’s list:

1. Failing to showcase your home and make small cosmetic changes
2. Setting too high of a sale price
3. Buying what you want, not what you need
4. Overlooking the extra and hidden costs
5. Buying a home without a professional inspection
6. Falling in love with the first property you see
7. Skipping the loan pre-approval
8. Doing major renovations/remodeling before selling
9. Not being pro-active at closing
10. Visiting the house only once
11. Not setting a realistic budget
12. Buying the most expensive home on the block
13. Not hiring an agent
14. Not knowing your agent
15. Trusting everything a real estate advertisement says
16. Buying with actually seeing the property
17. Not thinking about resale
18. Failing to market your home in dfiferent ways
19. Looking at the real estate market as the stock market
20. Waiting until spring to sell your house
21. Trying to make the "hard sell" while showing
22. Losing money with auctions
23. Not researching the neighborhood
24. Not providing easy access for showings
25. Buying the house for its decor

]]> http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/25-biggest-real-estate-mistake.html http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/archives/2008/04/25-biggest-real-estate-mistake.html buying a home HGTV real estate selling a home Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:19:19 -0500