Shells & Sauce
Wayne New for Council
Expert tips to make your new house feel like home
(BPT) – You know that moving into a new home can be one of life’s biggest stressors – the packing, the paperwork, the unpacking and of course finding the nearest coffee shop. Making your new house feel like your home can help alleviate some of this stress and provide a safe-haven for some much needed relaxation.
“Everyone has a different sense of what home is,” says Elizabeth Lindmier of The Art Institute of Colorado. So while the same aesthetic won’t work for everyone, she offers her top five tips to start you in the right direction.
1. Texture and textiles – Instead of having a bunch of hard surfaces, cozy up your home with something soft or textured. This could be a blanket, curtains or area rugs. These items will also provide some acoustical value so noises aren’t echoing in an empty space.
2. Comfort – Have some place in your home where you can relax, recharge and feel at ease. “Make a space where you would like to spend time,” Lindmier says.
3. Color – A monochromatic scheme with pops of colors can bring you into a place where you feel comfortable and happy. “Do your research on color theory before painting any space,” says Lindmier. “Different colors can spark different moods, emotions and even behavior. Discover what you’d like a given space to accomplish, and use colors as a tool to create such environment.”
4. Lighting – There should be aesthetically pleasing lighting. Look at the difference between warm and cool lighting colors to decide what helps achieve the look you want. Also consider task, ambient and accent lighting for your space. “Lighting plays a key role in any home,” Lindmier says. “Through lighting design you can highlight design and architectural features, create lighting which is more useful to the human eye, and work with natural light while keeping energy use to a minimum.”
5. Clutter/stuff – “Less is more, but make it more meaningful,” says Lindmier. Get rid of your clutter. When sitting in your space, make sure you can look around and adore the things you see.
“Mies van der Rohe’s old adage, ‘less is more,’ certainly holds true here,” says Jackie Barry, Interior Design instructor at The Art Institute of Houston – North. “Select significant pieces of furniture and art to move. You don’t need to have or show everything you have all in one room.”
Barry also advises incorporating a concept called biophilic design, which recognizes the inherent need of humans to interact and affiliate with nature to achieve and maintain optimum health and well-being. “Bring the outside in; don’t neglect good views to the outside, accentuate them,” she says. “Let your garden and landscaping work for you on the inside. Connecting with nature can also have a calming and a comforting effect.”
For more information about The Art Institutes, visit artinstitutes.edu.
Timely, budget-friendly solutions for getting your house ready for the holidays
Timely solutions for getting your house ready for the holidays
(BPT) – The fun chaos of the holidays is right around the corner. Family gatherings to plan, delicious meals to prepare, gifts to find and purchase, and a house to decorate … the list goes on!
With entertaining season approaching at warp speed, it’s time to get your home spruced up and looking like new. Your time is precious around the holiday season, so to help make the most of your days – and budget – try these easy solutions to prepare for the holidays while keeping your sanity.
* A fresh coat of paint is a quick and easy way to give your home a new look at an affordable price. Consider starting with the rooms most frequently used, but don’t forget the guest bedrooms and bathrooms. To make the most of your effort, use a paint that has the durability and color-lasting qualities you need. Valspar Reserve, available at Lowe’s, resists stains and fading and allows you to easily wipe away marks without taking off paint, even if your guests accidentally scuff walls with their suitcases.
* A simple way to decorate for the holidays year after year is with an artificial tree. Lowe’s offers four trees pre-lit with color-changing LED lights, meaning you can change the look – and color – of the tree with just a push of the pedal making your decorating process much easier. For a formal dinner event, glowing white light sets a perfect ambiance. Switch to the multi-color option to delight the kids.
* Use holiday decorations in unexpected ways to add festive cheer in every room of your home with minimal effort. Try hanging ornaments to decorate live plants, light fixtures, doorway overhangs, stairwells, mirrors and even the mantel. For this project, don’t use expensive or family heirloom ornaments – just purchase coordinating ones that work with the color pattern you already have in the room.
* Guests in the house mean more foot traffic and chance for a mess, but you don’t have to worry about those inevitable spills or stains. STAINMASTER carpets available at Lowe’s are 30 percent more resistant to stains than other brands, and with new carpets on the floor, you’ll have a fresh new look in your home that won’t cause you stress when everyone arrives for the holiday parties.
* Potted evergreen plants decorated with lights bring plenty of festive feelings into a room. The best news is that when spring arrives, you can plant them outside in your backyard, or donate them to a community project that needs evergreen trees. Using live plants infuses the room with light and good, clean oxygen, and it’s the subtle touches your guests will appreciate and remember.
With these timely tips, you – and your home – will be ready for a holiday season of celebrations.
Second Chance Sweet For Raptors
by Brent New
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Following a season where they gave up way too many second chances to their opponents — almost on a weekly basis — the Glendale Raptors got the best of its kind en route to their first Women’s Premier League national championship.
The Raptors beat the Twin Cities Amazons 16-15 in the women’s finals, two days after their loss in the semifinals was negated by a disqualification.
Hannah Stolba was named the MVP with 11 points in the finale; none bigger than her penalty boot that gave the Raptors their first lead of the match in the second half. And her team was able to hold off a furious attack from the WPL reigning champions down the stretch to preserve the win in Marietta, Ga.
None of it, however, would have been possible if the Atlanta Harlequins weren’t forced to forfeit after they knowingly used an ineligible player during their 13-7 win over the Raptors in the WPL semifinals.
“There were conflicting emotions within our team,” captain Laura Miller said. “There were people who were excited. There were people who felt we didn’t deserve it because we had lost.”
The Raptors would use it as motivation toward a goal that was now all the bigger and more important.
And as a sign of support and respect (and a sign of complete disregard for hygiene), they chose to wear the socks of Harlequins players in the championship game against the Amazons.
“It was tough for me personally because I was told before Friday’s kickoff that the Harlequins had forfeited, but they would appeal. It messed with my head,” said Michael Fealey, the first-year coach of the Raptors. “In any case, they outplayed us. They played their hearts out. And they deserved to be represented in the final, at least in that small way.”
Atlanta’s center Patty Jervey defended her team’s choice to play an ineligible player on her personal Facebook page.
“We were told going into today’s match that if we played the player, we would forfeit,” Jervey wrote. “I understand the rules, and for the most part, choose to abide. But I also understand that rules are usually created in response to something unfair or unjust or unbecoming.
“…Moreover, we believe that in CIPP’ing the player two days after the arbitrary deadline did not give us an unfair advantage over any team in the league.”
Compelling thought. Didn’t matter.
Stolba stepped over two defenders late in the championship game and dove in for the try to give the Raptors a 16-10 lead, before Kaelene Lundstrum scored on a try with two minutes remaining in regulation time to cut the deficit to 16-15.
The Raptors, who lost in the first round last season, and came up short in the finals the year before, stuffed the Amazons for the rest of regulation and held firm in more than six minutes of extra time to hoist the cup.
It ended a season of mostly good and some bad. A season where they started fast, stumbled late, and finished on top.
It ended a season where fortune favored the resilient.
“It feels like a massive weight off our shoulders, like we finally healed and came together after a turbulent season at times,” Fealey said.” I’m a very happy man right now to say the least.”
