Newly designed container takes mess out of painting
Newly designed containertakes mess out of painting
When it comes to paint cans, who doesn't have a complaint?
Because paint drips into the rim around the can, cans seem impossible to seal tightly once opened. And when you pour from them, paint always seems to drip somewhere it shouldn't.
If only for the new, sleek container, KILZ Casual Colors one-coat interior and exterior latex paints from Masterchem Industries should be worth a try.
Masterchem has redesigned the traditional gallon and quart paint containers, making them easier to grip, handle and pour.
Wide, screw-on caps eliminate the need to clean messy rims and pound down lids.
The cap also doubles as a paint cup, and the easy-pour spout doubles as a brush wipe.
As for the paint, KILZ primer has an excellent reputation as a stain-hiding paint. Its parent company, Masterchem, also makes a variety of industrial paints.
Casual Colors is available exclusively at Wal-Mart in flat, satin, semigloss and high-gloss finishes. Depending on the finish, quarts cost $7 to $9, and gallons are priced between $14 and $18.
Enter your herb gardenin PBS show contest
Think you've got an impressive herb garden? If so, the PBS show "The Victory Garden" may be looking for you. The program is searching for "America's Most Beautiful Herb Garden."
All amateur gardeners with gardens located in the continental United States may enter the contest by sending in before-and-after photos and written descriptions of their gardens by July 25.
Gardens will be judged on creative use of space, selection of materials and how well gardeners overcame challenging conditions.
Six finalists and two winners will be selected by a panel of judges, including herbalist James Duke, horticulturist and garden writer Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Kip Anderson, head gardener of "The Victory Garden," and Holly Shimizu, executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden.
E-mail submissions to contest@victorygarden.org, or mail to The Victory Garden Contest, WGBH Interactive, 125 Western Ave., Boston, Mass. 02134.
For complete contest rules, visit www.pbs.org/victorygarden.
101 ideas to decoratefour rooms in your home
Sometimes all your next decorating project needs is a jolt of inspiration.
That's what you get with Hydra Publishing's new "101 Series," four little books, each with 101 suggestions for decorating schemes for a particular type of room.
The books -- "101 Bedrooms," "101 Living Rooms," "101 Kitchens" and "101 Bathrooms" -- give the reader a single photo for each scheme and a bit of information about the elements that went into creating the look.
The designs are divided into themes, such as "Classic," "Creative," "Budget" and "Around the World."
The books aren't heavy on the how-tos, but they point do-it-yourself decorators in the right direction and include sources for furniture, paint, wall coverings and the like.
The "101 Series" was written by Julie Savill.
Each of the paperback books sells for $9.95.
Eliminate week plants
Discard the weakest, most leafless and diseased tomato and basil plants, and start again with fresh plants now that the weather and garden soil are warming.
Don't pull your weaklings, though, until you know you can buy better seedlings.
Seed-grown tomatoes will fruit late but are still an option.
Remove saucers
Remove all saucers and the like from beneath outdoor containers. These basins prevent rainwater drainage and cause potted plants to rot.
You can turn the saucers upside down and use them as bases for pots to prevent standing water that would encourage mosquitoes.
Combined dispatches