Pick a Color

Picking the right color for a room can be a daunting task.  The right color can be the key to a successful room design.  Amy Troute from ‘design for home’ (503-805-0811) walked David through some of the rules for picking colors at the Sherwin Williams (503-222-1200) in the Pearl, and some common mistakes.  Mistake #1 in choosing a color is not taking the whole room into consideration during the process.  There are a number of elements in a room that go into creating a ‘look’ and you need to look at all of them.  That leads into mistake #2, don’t use small paint samples. Small paint chips can never give you the right impression of the final color.  Paint a large piece of cardboard to give yourself a good visual of the color and how it will look.  Mistake #3, don’t get frustrated and give up.  Amy called this the ‘give up and go beige’ syndrome.  But even choosing a neutral color like beige still can create a huge number of choices.  Instead of getting frustrated at the paint store, you should look at a full range of colors and then pick out colors that you are drawn to.  This means that you will start out with a group of colors that you already like.   One other design tip… look at possibly using more than one color in a room.  Paint different colors on different walls to make a statement.  If even this seems tough you can always give Amy a call to walk you through it!

Cut Hellebore Blooms

In the cold, dark days of winter it is hard to enjoy the colors of your outdoor plants.  To help you enjoy them, bring them indoors.  Winter blooming plants like hellebores are even more difficult to enjoy because the flowers sometime face down to the ground.  One way to enjoy them is to cut the blooms and float them in a bowl of water.  This way the blooms are facing upwards and, because they are in water, you can enjoy their beauty for a week or two.  You can also use them in a cut flower bouquet.  Just singe the cut end of the flower to seal the bottom and then place them in water.  They will last longer with the burned end and you can enjoy them for up to a week!

Citrus Tools

Looking to add a little zest to your recipes?  It is easy to do with some great kitchen tools from Pampered Chef.  Nancy Chinn (503-679-6922) joined David in the kitchen to show him 3 different tools that you can use to spice things up!  First was the Microplane zester.  This zester will not scrap your knuckles when you use it.  It lies flat for use. It also has a handle to stand up and even has a guide so you can do smaller pieces of cheese and spices.  Another tip for the zester; put a piece of plastic wrap on the back of your zester and you will be able to save every little piece of peel for your recipe.  The Citrus Press was the next tool we looked at.  You can use this one to get the most juice out of your lemons and limes with just a squeeze.  A tip for preparing a lime or lemon to get the most juice; roll it on the counter to soften it up or microwave it for about 15 seconds to help the juice flow.  Finally, we checked out the kitchen shears.  Nancy showed us how to use the shears to cut up cilantro in a bowl so you don’t make a mess when you are cutting it up.  Nancy then showed us an extra little tool for the kitchen, a lemonade pitcher.  Actually this pitcher is quite unique.  It has a plunger that allows you to mix the fresh lemon slices so you get the most juice out of your fruit and into your lemonade.  For more information on these and other great kitchen tools give Nancy a call.

Mardi Gras Pancakes

Pancakes for Mardi Gras is not a new idea.  Pancakes used to be made to empty your pantry of food as early Christians entered Lent.  The 40 days of Lent are devoted to fasting and prayer and you were not supposed to have some of the ingredients during this time.  David found an old recipe so you can start to enjoy this annual ritual with your family.  These pancakes were pretty easy to make and the kids can even get involved.  If you would like to enjoy your own ‘Fat Tuesday-Pancake Day’ check out the recipe here!!

Space Saving Kitchen Shelves

If you live in an older home you may be running out of kitchen space.  We have a friend of the show that came up with an idea to make the most out of the space he had.  Al loves to cook and he had counters full of appliances, crock-pots, toaster ovens, and microwaves included.  He also had a small area of wall space next to his kitchen.  His idea was to mount shelves on the wall for all these cooking ‘machines’.  The shelves allow him access to the appliances and it freed up some valuable counter space for prep work.  The things he recommended for the homeowner was to mount the shelves to a stud in the wall if possible.  If that isn’t going to work, use a molly bolt or some kind of anchoring system so your shelves are secure.  He also recommended that you attach the shelves to the brackets to keep them from sliding as well.  The top shelf was left for a basket to hold cookbooks and other notes.  The brackets are available at all of the local hardware stores and can be easily assembled in just a few minutes!  It was a great space saving idea.

Remodeled Homes Tour

If you are thinking of remodeling your home there is a tour coming up that will help you get a handle on the project and will even give you some ideas for improving your plans.  Robin met up with Scott Gregor of Master Plan Remodeling (503-297-1281) to tour one of the homes on the 2011 Tour of Remodeled Homes.  Scott had done the work on a fabulous kitchen remodel and he gave us some tips that will help any homeowner get started.  Remodeling can do many things.  It can increase the functionality of an area, improve the energy efficiency and make a room more ‘livable’ for the people using it.  The tour features all types of home including historic homes, bungalows and even a 60’s styled ranch house.  The tour takes place on the weekend of March 12-13^th and tickets are $17.50.  For more information check out their website.