Sunday, October 18, 2009
Safety tips
Are you among the 83 percent of parents that, according to the Home Safety Council, has left their toddler unattended for a few minutes?
HomeSafetyCouncil.org/startsafe is helping parents stay one step ahead of their toddlers by offering interactive quizzes, forums and a personalized safety checklist, all specifically for parents of babies and toddlers.
One clever idea is to put tape on the floor to delineate the “no-kid-zone.”
Framing guide
For a comprehensive guide on framing those photos of yourself, paintings, needlework or 3-D art, consider “The Picture Framing Handbook: Matting, Mounting, and Framing Techniques for Professional Results” by Andy Parks (Watson-Guptill; $24.95).
It outlines tools, workspace and materials needed, along with essential framing and hanging techniques.
Advanced framers can try using multiple-aperture or oval mats, framing on canvas or painting frames.
Protecting the pool
North Canton resident Sharon Lemon quickly discovered her new above-ground pool attracted more than her grandchildren. It also attracted flying insects from a nearby nature preserve.
Lemon responded by inventing a pool cover that would keep out the marauders but still let her grandkids enjoy the pool. Now she’s marketing it as the AquaSpider.
The cover, a PVC frame covered in netting, comes in sizes designed to fit 15-, 18- and 24-foot Intex pools as well as Jacuzzis. The company will also custom-make covers for other above-ground pools, Lemon said.
Besides protecting the pool from bugs, it keeps out leaves and other debris. It can also be lifted off the pool and set on the ground to create a screened sitting area.
The AquaSpider can be ordered online at www.aquaspider.net, or by calling (330) 605-3482 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Prices range from $385 to $850, including shipping.
Delightful details
In home decorating, the delight is in the details.
House Beautiful magazine inspires readers to pay attention to those special touches and incorporate them into their own homes in its book “The Finishing Touch: Details That Make a Room Beautiful.”
This isn’t an interior-design primer. Rather, it’s a series of photos of room settings, accompanied by bits of information about the small elements that make the rooms special. The text draws your attention to components you might otherwise overlook.
“The Finishing Touch” is published by Sterling Publishing Co. and sells for $24.95 in softcover.
Combined dispatches