Stylish tikis add to any back yard
The tribe has spoken. New tiki torches and candles from Tiki Outdoor Natural Flame Lighting are unique, decorative and stylish additions to the backyard party. Forget Survivor. You can conduct your own tribal council with the attractive 60-inch-high Royal Polynesian Bamboo Tiki torch ($5.99) with attached snuffer cap, plastic fuel canister, and flame guard, or the 72-inch-high pre-filled Ready 2 Light Island Copper torch ($14.99) which comes with disposable fuel canisters. Other new ambient torches include the metal Amber Sun Tiki with glass canister and the Ocean Blue Gel Garden Candle with clear canister.
Set out the Luminary Mosaic Tabletop ($7.99), the Tiki Head Candle ($1.99), the Brushed Stainless Steel Patio Flare ($7.99) or the Stars and Stripes Bucket ($3.99) for a funky, yet cozy feel. Also, find new scented CitroMax candles, which contain bug-repellent citronella, and an array of other jar candles, party lights and lanterns. Tiki products are available at Target, Kmart, Michaels, Bed Bath & Beyond and Linens ‘n Things. Visit www.lamplightfarms.com or call (800) 328-7717.
EWU historic walking tour
Eastern Washington University Friends of the Library will host the fifth annual evening “A Walk Through the Past: A Walking Tour of the Historic District of EWU” on July 7.
The tour begins with a slide presentation at 6:30 p.m. in Monroe Hall in the second-floor lounge. The walking tour, with university archivist Charles Mutschler as guide, starts at 7 p.m. followed by a reception back at the lounge when the tour is completed.
Buildings to be toured include Monroe Hall, Hargreaves Hall, the President’s House, Senior Hall, Showalter Hall, Sutton Hall, Martin Hall and Cheney Normal School Heritage Center (EWU’s one-room schoolhouse which just had its grand opening recently). Many of the structures comprise Eastern’s Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, call 359-7988.
Caring for outdoor furniture
Some of us just don’t put forth the same effort into cleaning and preserving our outdoor furniture as we do with our indoor furniture. After all, we reason, it lives outside, endures the elements and may not live a long life. Nonsense, says Gary McCray of Laneventure, an outdoor furniture manufacturer. Outdoor furniture can and will live a long life with the right care and maintenance, McCray says. He offers these tips for prolonging the life of your outdoor furniture:
• For aluminum, apply a coat of liquid wax at the start of each season. And clean with water and liquid detergent twice a season.
• For steel and iron, apply liquid wax at least once a year. Clean occasionally. If rust appears, scrub with a wire brush and touch up the paint to prevent rust from spreading. In the winter, cover furniture or bring inside.
• For natural wicker, lightly spray with water every few weeks and bring inside in late fall. For synthetic wicker, hose off and clean with a mild detergent and water. It can be left outdoors all year.
• For wood, apply a linseed or hardwood oil finish to preserve color. For stained or painted wood, apply several new coats of stain or paint every year or two.
For more information, visit www.laneventure.com or call 800-235-3558.
‘Painting Secrets’ revealed
“Wall Wizard” Brian Santos has educated and entertained countless do-it-yourselfers through his painting seminars at home shows and his appearances on HGTV’s “Smart Solutions.”
Now Santos is sharing his tips with readers through his new book, “Painting Secrets.”
The book is arranged in easily digestible form — lots of quick tips, step-by-step instructions and brief descriptions. The ample use of photos and illustrations makes it even more user-friendly.
In addition to the usual how-to’s, you’ll find plenty of Santos’ own tricks, such as fashioning stilts from paint buckets, protecting doorknobs and other hardware with plastic wrap and using lip balm to create a sharp paint line between wall and ceiling.
“Smart Solutions” is published by Meredith Books and is priced at $19.95 in softcover.
Water plants while on vacation
Consider this a plant sitter in a tube.
The DriWater Gel Pac is a plastic tube filled with a polymer that will water a potted plant for up to 30 days. The polymer is 98 percent water and 2 percent food-grade ingredients, and it gradually breaks down into water when it’s in contact with soil.
To use the product, you water the plant thoroughly, slit the tube and place it on the soil. One to two tubes are required for a 6- to 8-inch-diameter pot, three to five tubes for a 10- to 12-inch pot.
The Gel Pacs are available at hardware stores and other outlets. They also can be ordered from Stokes Seeds at (800) 396-9238 or www.stokeseeds.com. Suggested retail price is $1.59.
Fool-proof ceiling paint
You’re exhausted. You’ve just finished painting the ceiling. And frankly, you’d like to never look at a paint roller again. Unfortunately, however, you’ve just noticed a few missed spots. You scream.
Glidden hears your pain. Its revolutionary new product — Glidden Ceiling Paint with EZ Track Technology — takes the guesswork out of painting the ceiling. Simple to apply, quick-drying and uncomplicated, the paint goes on pink and dries white. No more recoats or touch-ups. You see exactly where you’ve painted and where you need to paint.
Premixed, the formula features a colorant that temporarily appears pink at application and within 30 minutes turns bright white. No additives are needed, and the shelf life of the paint is nearly two years.
The paint sells for $16 to $18 at home, paint and hardware stores. Call (800) GLIDDEN or visit www.glidden.com.
Love gardening, hate the aches
As many of us well know, gardening can lead to a repetitive stress injury. Gardening-tool manufacturer Clean Air Gardening wants to ease hand and arm strain with its new line of ergonomic tools. Reducing the stress on your wrist and joints, the new Wrist-Easy Ergonomic Hand Rake, Wrist-Easy Ergonomic Trowel and Wrist-Easy Ergonomic Garden Hand Hoe ($18.95 each) keep your arm straight while you rake, dig or hoe. An arm pad provides support and leverage for your forearm. Tools are made of tough carbon steel and are powder coated to resist rust. Available at www.cleanairgardening.com or by calling (888) 439-9101.