High school sweethearts Mark and Gail Westin enjoy the views of both the snow-capped Olympics and the waters of Hood Canal from the oversized windows of their forever home. Having recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary, they describe the contentment they feel in the design and setting of their single-story, “age-in-place,” contemporary Craftsman-style house. “We […]
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Posted inAt Home
Are Your Home Furnishings Good for the Planet and Your Family?
Are you trying to select products that are good for the planet and your family at the same time? While it may be easy to understand what organic food is, confusion still exists when it comes to home furnishings. Yet what you bring into your home directly impacts the health and welfare of your family […]
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Tips for Organizing for Major Life Changes
Organizing for uproot and upheaval is a different story from organizing for settling into a space. Preparing for big changes in your household — which can be a happy, planned event such as a child’s graduation from high school or unplanned, such as a divorce or death — is another situation where being organized can […]
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Festive Easter Brunch Recipes
Easter is a time meant to be spent creating memories with loved ones. Even when hosting duties fall on your plate, creating the perfect brunch spread doesn’t have to be a daunting task. If you take advantage of quality ingredients and recipes that feature simple preparation, your spread can impress even the pickiest of guests. […]
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Usher in Springtime with 5 Simple Spring-Cleaning Tips
Welcome to springtime! The official first day of spring is March 20, but in my mind, there are two signs the season has changed. One, the first daffodil has poked its head up. Two, I have an urge to open my doors to let the sun in and the old air out. With the desire […]
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Tile Basics — Selecting the Right Tile for You and Your Project
Tile, in all its many forms and installation options, is a great way to put your personal stamp on a residential project. To ensure your tile installation is done properly and provides the aesthetic return on investment you are looking for, it important to understand the basics of this beautiful, versatile material. Know how a […]
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5 Tips to Keep Allergy Sufferers from Dreading Spring
From flowers poking through the ground to ditching winter parkas, it’s easy to look forward to spring. Unless, of course, you have allergies. Then, the path to warmer weather and additional daylight could be marked with watery eyes, sneezing and a runny nose. Makes it hard to be excited, right? It doesn’t have to. While […]
Posted inGarden
Art is for the Birds
At the end of March, birds hunt for suitable nesting sites to raise their brood. It is the time of year to clean out the birdhouses and make them livable, or erect new ones for the next bird couple. Until humans decided to provide homes for fowls, cavity-nesting birds mainly depended on the pileated woodpecker […]
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Add Beauty to Your Home with the Japanese Art of Kokedama
Editor’s note: This excerpt is adapted from the newly released book, “Hanging Kokedama: Creating Potless Plants for the Home” by Coraleigh Parker. A variant of bonsai, kokedama is the Japanese art of creating potless plants using a unique soil mixture, moss and string. There is something intrinsically inviting and soothing about the form of kokedama, […]