WINTER HIATUS - NEW EPISODES RETURN MARCH 2011
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Recently I went out to get the mail in and on my walk to the mail box I noticed that we had the first signs of spring showing up. Early spring bulbs are poking through the ground and you can start to see the beginnings of the blooms waiting for warmer days to come to make their appearance. It also reminded me that spring projects are right around the corner.

In less than a month we will be returning with the 3rd season of the Fusion show on all 4 of our TV station partners. We hope to have a bunch of new stories for you to enjoy including recipes, tips and useful information about your home and décor.

When you are waiting for the return of the Fusion show, be sure to check out the special edition of our sister program, Garden Time, from the floor of the Yard, Garden and Patio Show. Check them out at 8:30 am on February 19th on KOIN-6.

While you wait for the return of the new season of Fusion, check out some of our favorite stories.

Parr Doors and Windows

With all the choices out there it is easy to become overwhelmed with picking out a new door or window. There is one place where you can see a large selection of doors and windows with the experts to help you make the right decision. Parr Lumber (503-645-7425) has opened a showroom filled with a wide variety of doors and windows from a number of manufacturers. They represent many different styles and price points. Chris Erskine took us around the showroom to show us how many different choices there are. We started with vinyl windows. Vinyl windows are not new to the market, but some of the features and styles are. Newer styles of vinyl windows can fit into any décor and they are a good basic replacement for old aluminum or single pane wood windows. You will notice a big difference in your energy bills if you replace with a vinyl window. Still, if you like the look of wood, you won’t be left out in the cold. There are some manufacturers that are now producing hybrid windows with wood interiors and vinyl exteriors. These are the best of both worlds, with the beauty of wood combined with the energy efficiency of vinyl. You can also choose the type of glass you want too. One manufacturer offers over 25 different styles of glass alone, so you don’t have to just get the regular clear glass.

Next we moved to doors. When you drive up to someone’s house one of the first things you see is the front door. Having a nice front door has become very important for ‘curb appeal’ and for resale, but also for the livability of your home. Style has become a very important factor for the homeowner. The main choices you have for a front door are wood, fiberglass or steel. We saw a cool door that was made of fiberglass but was textured like wood. It can be stained to match your home décor and it won’t dent, warp, fade or scratch. Chris called it the perfect door. If you would like to find your ‘perfect’ door or window, a stop at Parr is a must.

Mr. Mom’s Spinach Salad

In the past we visited with Mr. Mom and learned some tasty and easy recipes. Mr. Mom is Dave Lilja and he has put together a great cookbook; ‘Mr. Mom’s Favorite Family Meals’ (303-800-1603). Today he joined us at the NW Natural Appliance Center (503-220-2362) to show us a quick and easy salad. We started with a pre-washed package of spinach (or you could use any salad greens). Then we crumbled some goat cheese over the top. Any kind of cheese would work; feta is a good choice as well. We then added toasted walnuts which were toasted in an oven for 3-5 minutes until they were lightly browned. For the dressing we mixed about ½ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of balsamic vinegar (don’t use red wine vinegar) and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a squirt bottle and shook it up. The squirt bottle helps keep the dressing under control when you pour it on your salad. The salad is ready to serve! You can add more vegetables or other ingredients if you want, but this recipe is ready to stand on its own. If you would like to try this recipe with avocado, chicken and feta, click here.

Hot Accents – Scents and Books

Finding the right accents for your décor can make all the difference in the design of your home. There are lots of cool new items that are on the market and we stopped by Terra Casa (503-577-8242) to learn about a couple more items. You remember last week we talked to Kathii about globes and decorative tiles. This week we talked to Linda about 2 other accessories for the home. The first one was the decorative scent diffusers. These are ceramic containers that you can fill with scented oil and burn to release the fragrance around your home. There were so many different styles to choose from and they were easy to use. Just fill them with you favorite scented oil and light the stone on the top. After a couple of minutes you can blow out the flame and the stone will continue to release the scent. Put on the decorative cover and enjoy.

The other items we saw were the decorative books. These are not your ordinary books; these are hollow books that you can use to store things in as well. Linda recommends that you use them anywhere in your décor. You can use them as a spacer between other items, as a pedestal for display or even as a place to hide the remotes for the TV. There are so many cool things around the store you just have to stop by and see for yourself!

 
 

Website design and content ©2009-2011 Gustin Creative Group.  Please send website inquiries to gustingroup@comcast.net
This page last modified
March 04, 2011.