Home & Design

Gallery: Linda and Andy Simpson's home
Discovered: Cape May show house

Kiss the Earth: Tree adventures

HOME & DESIGN COLUMNISTS

Karla Klein Albertson | Antiques

Karla Klein Albertson has covered Antiques for the Inquirer's Home and Design section since 1996.

Al Heavens | Home repair, real estate

Al Heavens covers real estate and home improvement techniques.

» Read her blog, "Skyline Online"

Your Place: Getting that deck cleaned, better late than never - 07/03/2009: Question: I know you've written many times about cleaning decks, but mine is looking kind of dingy and, because it sits on the north side of our house, is coated in mildew. The deck is gray, but the color is more greenish-black. Can you dig into your files and see if you can find your advice? I would have liked to have gotten it done for July 4. Maybe I'll get it done in time for Labor Day. Thanks.
LifeStyle - 07/03/2009: Coax out your inner kid over the long holiday weekend with these playful pieces. - Caroline Tiger
Discovered: Cape May show house - 07/03/2009: From the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, it's "Extreme Makeover: Carpenter Gothic Edition." Today marks the unveiling of the fifth annual Cape May Designer Show House, with 13 area interior designers combining to revamp the cottage at 511 Franklin St.
Stop stressing, start entertaining - 07/03/2009: A writer who cooked dinner for charity learned the house and food needn't be perfect.

For the second year in a row, I was for sale. Well, not me exactly, but dinner with me. And not just dinner with me, worse - a dinner for eight (six plus my husband, Dan, and me) that I would cook.
Auctions: Americana aptly stars in a Fourth of July sale - 07/03/2009: Fourth of July auctions are not as popular as they once were, but there is at least one tomorrow out in central Pennsylvania that tops its predecessors, thanks to its theme: Patriotism and Americana.
Antiques/Art/Crafts - 07/03/2009: Antiques/Art/Crafts *FREE* 36th Annual Members' Craft Exhibition Glassware, jewelry, pottery, metal, wood, fiber art & more. Closes 7/19. Rehoboth Art League, 12 Dodds Ln., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; 302-227-8408. www.rehobothartleague.org.
Time to ... - 07/03/2009: Cut back perennials and annuals before going on vacation. They will branch and bud up while you're gone and, with luck, will be blooming on your return. Cut perennial salvia back after the first flush of blooms is over. You'll get a repeat performance in a few weeks. Likewise lavender, actually a subshrub.
Garden Calendar - 07/03/2009: Today through Sunday, July 5 Guided Wildflower Walk 2 p.m. Free with admission: $5; $3 seniors, full-time students; $2 ages 4-14. Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope; 215-862-2924; www.bhwp.org.
Check for proper drainage - 07/03/2009: WASHINGTON - This rainy spring will be remembered as the season that gardens didn't need irrigation. Grass was lush; shrubs and trees stayed wet; ponds and outdoor planters didn't require topping off.