05/08/2008

Heirloom rose garden sprouting on historic Collin farm

NATALIE CAUDILL/Staff

The garden, north of McKinney, is displaying heirloom roses, which get special gardening care from North Texas rose societies.

Chambersville Heritage Rose Garden provides a spot for visitors to see collections of heritage roses in a pastoral setting. The garden, on a historic Collin County Farm, is open on spring and fall weekends to the public.
Photos: See the roses

05/09/2008

Think quilting is a woman's hobby? These guys say to think again
When he was a child, Richard Larson's mother gave him a needle, thread and buttons to keep him busy. By the time he was in high school, he sewed so well he earned spending money by making prom dresses. Then he went to fashion school and designed women's eveningwear.

05/10/2008

Memory helpers for your overloaded mind
Who couldn’t use a friendly reminder every now and then?

Marinade Moroccan-style chicken while you're at work
When it's grilling season, it's easier to avoid the takeout trap.Spending a few minutes in the morning creating a marinade for a healthy protein such as chicken or fish can ensure that a tasty entree is ready for quick cooking on the grill when the workday's done.

05/09/2008

Don't forget about mower maintenance
Eco-friendly landscapes bring to mind organic practices and water conservation, but they also require something less commonly thought about: proper maintenance of lawn-care equipment. Here's where to tune-up your mower for the season.

Philippe Starck takes on a medieval legend
Leave it to Philippe Starck to reinvent the Robin Hood tale. Instead of stealing the rich man's money, he's stolen the rich style of the high life – all to help your poor patio.

Scotts recalls 4 gardening products
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has recalled four lawn and garden products at the behest of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Two of the products have not been registered with the EPA and two products were registered but not properly labeled.

Calendar: Local plant sales continue

A different tack for 'Not So Big' author? Not really
Architect Sarah Susanka has built a second career on her "Not So Big" series of books, which began with 1998's The Not So Big House and led to five subsequent tomes and a Web site, www .thenotsobighouse.com, all with connected themes.

05/08/2008

Greenville church's garden reflects biblical flora
In 2000, when the Kavanaugh United Methodist Church asked member and master gardener Pud Kearns to design a new garden, she used only one reference book: the Bible.

Container gardening: One-pot vegetable plots
Growing vegetables in containers is a great way for people without yards to have fresh produce. Putting containers on the patio also is a way to extend a garden. Here's a plan for doing it right.

05/07/2008

Artist draws ideas from Swiss Avenue home tour

Artist Randy Bacon's drawings of the houses on the Swiss Avenue home tour are a tradition. See his drawings of this LaVista home and others on the tour, scheduled this weekend.

Fort Worth artist Randy Bacon remembers walking in the Swiss Avenue area with his grandparents, who told him, "This is where the rich people used to live." These days, the revival of those beautiful homes is celebrated annually at the Swiss Avenue home tour, and Mr. Bacon is part of that tradition, each year sketching the original home drawings.

05/02/2008

Tackle tree problems before storms hit

File/Staff

It's too late when a storm hits to protect your tree. But there are clues to look for beforehand that could tell you whether your tree has an Achilles limb. Here's what to look for.
Planting: List of trees, shrubs and other plants that thrive in Texas

05/01/2008

Home tour: Decorating a traditional Highland Park West home in a modern style

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Joshua and Melinda Stone designed their home with funky artwork and furniture finds in Highland Park West. It's colonial outside, modern inside and retrofitted with an open floor plan.
Photos: See the home

05/06/2008

Time to prune evergreen shrubs

If your evergreen shrubs need pruning, now is a good time for it. But don't bring out the hedge clippers. We're talking about strategic pruning that enhances the health of a shrub.

8 ways to keep cool without going broke

You don't have to pay through the nose to keep cool this summer. Here are some steps you can take to lower your bill, improve comfort and help save the planet.

05/02/2008

Gifts mom will love for Mother's Day

Wall Marker makes hanging pictures easier
There's not much to hanging art on the walls: Just eyeball it, hammer in your nail, place the picture, realize it's all wrong, take it down, eyeball it again (this time about an inch to the right), hammer the nail, hang the picture, realize it's still a touch off, take it down, repeat as necessary.

For Fiesta tableware, diamond anniversary means marigold
To celebrate Fiesta tableware's success as well as the brand's 75th anniversary in 2011, the Homer Laughlin China Co. has unveiled three nesting mixing bowls in a special anniversary color: marigold.

Grow better tomatoes with this gardening gear
Anyone who's started spring with a tomato plant and high hopes knows how hard it is to finish with a bountiful harvest. Hungry insects and birds, cages that topple and difficult growing conditions often stand in the way of the perfect tomato.

Calendar: Local plant sales continue

04/24/2008

Choose perfect outdoor lighting

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Landscape lighting, with an increasing range of options to add utility and drama, can help create a magical nighttime setting. Here's what to do.

04/30/2008

Amazing midcentury-modern home's future is in question

STEPHEN KARLISCH /Special to DMN

Architect Harold Prinz's Maple Springs Boulevard dream home was deemed too radical in the late '40s for traditional financing. He found a way to build it anyway. Today, it's on the market and its fate is in question.
House photos: Today | 1952

04/25/2008

Some edible plants have a dark side
Perennial vegetables are an enduring lot. Many are capable of surviving drought, recurring cold, deep shade and short periods of flooding.

What to do if you find a fallen chick
Discovering a young bird that has fallen from its nest can tug at the heartstrings, but your options are very limited and really boil down to three courses of action.

Dallas says low-flow is the way to go
Dallas Water Utilities is offering an incentive of up to $90 per toilet for customers who replace old, high-flow toilets with lower-flow models. To qualify, the customer's home must have been built before 1992. The program limits the incentive to two replacements per household.

Calendar: Local plant sales continue

04/24/2008

Renovation was a labor of love--and loss-- for couple
John Council and his wife, Karen Greene, renovated this 1929 French eclectic house on Gaston Avenue before her death. Learn the story behind this labor of love.
Video: House of Memories
Photos: See the home

Cool gifts for graduates from Dallas retailers and online

The Evolve wireless sound system for iPod with detachable speakers.

Chuck the gift-card idea and opt for something special.

Home Tours show off Munger Place, Turtle Creek and Swiss Avenue

This home at 4947 Tremont will be part of the Munger Place Home Tour.

From historic homesteads to sleek, new high-rises, there's an abode for every bent on display in May home tours.

04/17/2008

Smaller home brought freedom and a greener lifestyle for Dallas artist

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Mosaic artist Connie Chantilis changed homes, and changed her life. Her new, smaller place is more ecologically friendly, calming and easier to "lock and leave." Tour the house and find out how she pared down her life.
Video: Tour the house

04/18/2008

46 simple ways to help the environment
Whether it's using water more efficiently or finding a better way to organize your clutter, there are lots of things you can do to help cut down on your environmental impact. See how many of these you can add to your routine.

04/17/2008

Awareness building of inefficient plastic recycling

As more communities and retailers consider phasing out the use of plastic bags, more people are understanding how hard they are to dispose of. A look at the problem and how to fight it.
Photos: Chic shopping totes
Recycling: Resources for difficult items

Paper or plastic? These bags make the question obsolete
'I am not a plastic bag" will be remembered as the battle cry in the skirmish between the eco-conscious and the style-conscious jet set. As the problems related to recycling plastic bags become more well-known, consider one of these chic tote bags as an alternative.

How stores reacted when we brought our own bags
Whole Foods Market is banning plastic bags forever starting on Earth Day, but not all stores are following its lead. Here's what some of our staffers have experienced:

Eco-books help readers put green intentions into action
With Earth Day fast approaching, books on "living green" are covering bookstore shelves like kudzu – everything from the encyclopedic Green Living for Dummies to tips on doing the right environmental thing from actor Ed Begley Jr.

Area recycling: How to get rid of hard-to-recycle goods
After the aluminum, plastic and glass have been sorted and placed in the appropriate recycling bin, what do you do about bulky or odd items such as paint, those annoying packing peanuts or that dead computer taking up precious garage space?

How it works: Earth-friendly paint labeling
As manufacturers are required by the government to cut down on additional solvents by either reformulating or discontinuing their paint, more low- and no-VOC paint is popping up on hardware store shelves, putting it on the average consumer's radar. Here's how to find the right paint for your home.

Maid service stresses Earth-friendly cleaning
One of the more unusual characteristics of Nature Maids owner Olga Douglas is her background: She grew up in northern Siberia, and she says that was part of the inspiration for starting her Richardson-based eco-friendly cleaning service.

LED bulb is friendlier all around
The government says that if every American home replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, we could save enough energy to prevent greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. Certainly great news, yet recycling burned-out CFL light bulbs poses a quandary for homeowners.

01/17/2008

How to get into the 'Antiques Roadshow' Dallas taping

Your large piece of furniture could be chosen. Find out how.

The highest-rated PBS series, Antiques Roadshow , is taping a segment in Dallas for its 2009 season. This is your best chance to get a ruling on that family heirloom you've always wondered about or that treasure in disguise you spotted at a flea market.

11/08/2007

How to make room at the table for all those Thanksgiving guests

In a world where everyone from Martha Stewart to the "Queer Eye" guys to Target insists style now must be had at every turn, that old metal card table just isn't going to cut it for your extra Thanksgiving guests.

10/25/2007

DIY: Customize a sofa slipcover with fabric paint

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

To add spice to the all-white faux-fur Kottla slipcover from Ikea (from $19 for a loveseat to $89 for our furry four-seater model), designer Laura Ford used Folk Art Fabric Paint ($1.59 each at Michaels) to make polka dots. And, she says, the process was so easy, anyone can do it.
Photos: Step-by-step instructions

09/20/2007

Renovation journal: A couple remakes a historic Plano home

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Melissa O'Neal had never wanted to remodel. Yet somehow she and her husband plunged headfirst into restoring a condemned Victorian house in Plano's Historic District –. She recorded the transformation with insight and a sense of humor.
Photos: See the house and listen to Ms. O'Neal

08/03/2007

Craft books for all skill sets

NATALIE CAUDILL/Staff Photographer

In our road test of DIY crafts books, for crafters of all skill levels, we'll teach you how to etch glass, cover a lampshade and make recipe cardholders.
Videos: Liven up glass with this etching project, and see other projects