Over the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot of practice backyarding. This is the act of doing indoor things — think dining, working, entertaining, exercising and even vacationing — outdoors, like in our own backyards. According to the TurfMutt Foundation, which advocates for the care and use of all green space, many Americans […]
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Posted inPeople & Places
An Architect’s Perspective on Bidding and Ensuring the Lowest Possible Construction Costs
During the design process, I am often asked how to ensure the lowest construction cost of a project. Whether the owner has set a maximum construction cost budget or not, it’s necessary during the preliminary design stages of the project to develop a construction cost estimate. We provide construction cost estimates based on local average […]
Posted inAt Home
Stay Sane While Moving: How to Find a Kid-Friendly Rental
Moving with kids can be stressful for all parties involved. While you’re coping with your own stress, trying to find a rental for the whole family, your kids may be worried about leaving their home or attending a new school. Before moving, you must ensure you find a kid-friendly neighborhood and a home with the […]
Posted inHome
Two Became One
For Stan and Jane Rein, the joining of their lives five years ago led to a second momentous union: that of the duplex Jane had called home for the previous seven years. The two-unit building at Bainbridge Island’s Yeomalt Point sat at the top of a ridge with a commanding view of Puget Sound, running […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Dream with Petals
When Carolyn Thompson worked in an office nearly a decade ago, doing data entry day after day was tedious. She yearned for something different — and found inspiration in a magazine article about two women who grew flowers in England. This inspired Thompson. Flowers were something she loved. “I’d always been a gardener,” she says. […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Pier Six Press — Creating a Community through Letterpress Cards
With the creation of new technology, many antique skills have disappeared. One of these is the art of letterpress. Karen Sawyer, the owner and operator of Pier Six Press, says that letterpress “is the old style of printing — that’s how all printing used to be.” Everything is manual. The printer sets out physical type […]
Posted inAt Home
4 Ways Traditions Help Us Stay Healthy and Happy
Health experts say that establishing and maintaining family traditions can boost overall wellbeing and vitality, especially as we age. “As children become adults and move out of the house or away, the family traditions that bind us can sometimes get lost in the process,” says Aparna Abburi, president of Medicare and CareAllies with Cigna, which […]
Posted inAround West Sound
Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour Marks 25 Years
The Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour (GHOST) will be celebrating more than 25 years of bringing artists and those who appreciate art together during a weekend celebration on Sept. 16, 17 and 18. This year’s tour features 23 local artists showing their work in 14 studios open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 […]
Posted inPeople & Places
A Successful Artist Inspires Others
Kate Larsson became a professional artist just two years after retiring from her career as a marketing executive for Xerox Corp. Supporting herself as an artist for the past 24 years, she has a lot to say about being successful in the art world. “It takes discipline, endurance and the willingness to think outside the […]