Use that extra hour to get prepared for the holidays

That extra hour you'll get from turning back the clocks before you go to bed Saturday night is not an invitation to stay in bed longer, the way Anna Osborne sees it.
Precious time like that can be used to take care of jobs you've neglected, said Osborne, office manager for The Maids in Concord, which also serves north Charlotte.
“This is the time of year when we recommend deep cleaning,” Osborne said.
With the holidays right around the corner, you could get the hardwood floors polished, shampoo the carpet, or clean the oven and refrigerator. Better now than when guests are days away from arriving.
Some of the items on The Maids' semiannual cleaning checklist also might help you keep a healthier home. Wiping dust from heat registers and ceiling fans is among those jobs. See The Maids' list at www.maids.com/cleaningtips.
Design event
Hughes Kitchen & Bath Collection will host a Lunch and Learn event featuring Kallista products, as well as inspiration from designers sucUse that extra hour to do a little cleaningh as Barbara Barry and Michael S. Smith, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 6, 16235 Northcross Drive, Huntersville. RSVP by Nov. 4 to Cassie Abernethy, cassie.abernethy@hajoca.com or 704-309-0725.
Share your renovation story
Tell us in 500 words or less what problems you've had at home, how a building or renovation project addressed those problems, and what advice you have for others who may be considering a similar project. Send your story and pictures to home@charlotteobserver.com. We'll choose one of those stories and send the brave survivor a $25 gift card.
Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms

Your renovation story could help someone

Maybe you've seen home-construction crews in your neighborhood, building bigger homes where older, smaller ones once stood.
We know many of you are investing time and money to rebuild or renovate homes in our area, or to do smaller, meaningful upgrades. And we know you're often better off once the old tub is gone, the windows enlarged or the kitchen gutted and opened up to the surrounding rooms.
What did you learn along the way? Now that you’re wiser, share what you've learned with us. We want to publish your renovation story and pictures on our website under a banner called Problem Solved.
You made all sorts of checklists, found the right fixtures and finishes, negotiated with contractors and maybe even corrected a misstep or two along the way. How did you keep it moving and get through it?
Three-course dinners made with a toaster oven while your kitchen was out of order? Did you wade through an inch or two of water before the roof went on? And how did the pets make out? We’ve heard all sorts of stories, but not yours.
Tell us in 500 words or less what problems you had at home, how your building or renovation project addressed those problems and what advice you have for others who may be considering a similar project. Send your story and pictures to home@charlotteobserver.com.
We’ll choose one of those stories and send the brave survivor a $25 gift card.

Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms

Riverkeeper has tips for controlling soil erosion

Sam Perkins was driving along Park Road in south Charlotte when he spotted a stretch of red clay opened up in someone’s yard. It was a fall landscaping project, a common thing at this time of year.
Perkins, Riverkeeper for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, was concerned. The Riverkeeper’s job is to protect our waterways. Uncovering earth creates a vulnerability.
“If it rains, there is going to be an awful lot of sediment making its way to Little Sugar Creek,” he said of the unfinished project.
Sediment is tough on the fish, turtles and other wildlife living in creeks and streams. Nutrients and chemicals travel into waterways with soil, boosting algae growth and pollution.
Perkins understands the importance of tackling landscaping jobs while the temperatures are cooling. He’s thinking about what he can do to renew the landscape at his home in Madison Park, where plants have to compete with decades-old trees that gobble nutrients and moisture.
Here’s what he suggests if you’re planning a landscape overhaul this fall:

• Design your landscape so it keeps rainwater on the property as much as possible. Slopes, planting beds and other barriers on and at the edges of a property can accomplish that. A temporary sediment fence is also an option. The fence is made of fabric that is dug into the soil at the bottom end to filter out sediment as water passes through.
• Finish the job as quickly as possible once the soil is exposed, especially when rain is expected. Plants and mulch can help control erosion.

Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms

Eco-friendly home decor is trend to watch

I'm already getting a sense of what designers and others in the trade will see when they arrive for the fall furniture market in High Point next week.
A folder in my email account is stacked with announcements and images that are a preview for what's ahead.
It's so easy to focus on the visual brilliance in the home decor industry, but breathtaking design may come at a price to the environment.
I was reminded of that this week when talking with Fernanda Vergara at Tronk Design, a fairly new boutique furniture company that will bring its designs to the trade show for the first time.
Tronk uses solid walnut for many of its designs, which combine an industrial look with influences of midcentury modern style. But Tronk's new Williams dining table is not solid walnut. It’s made with walnut plywood, an alternative that has LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“Walnut is everywhere right now,” Vergara said, explaining that its popularity is causing Tronk’s suppliers to be concerned about availability in the future.
Meanwhile, some of Tronk's clients are asking for ecology-friendly furniture. The Williams dining table is a step toward answering both concerns.
So now I've got a better sense of what to look for next week when I visit showrooms to get a sense of trends that are coming for spring. Environmentally thoughtful design is on the list.

Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms

Earn rewards for donating old furniture to ReStores

If you're planning to make a donation of furniture to a Habitat ReStore in the Charlotte area, take time first to learn about a new donor rewards program.
On the second Saturday of each month, ReStore furniture donors can earn credits, called Positive Impact Points, for making sure their items did not go to a landfill.
The PIP Rewards program is open to ReStore customers through the Edenton-based Sustainable Furnishings Council's new Sustainable Saturdays program.
The council has a goal of diverting 10 tons of furniture from landfills in 2014. Those nearly 10 million tons of furniture are dumped at landfills each year, the council reports, citing EPA data.
Formed in High Point in 2006, the council is an education and marketing organization that promotes “green” practices and products in the furniture industry.
Donors can use PIP rewards points for “positive impact” goods and services.
This might include products that are considered healthy or responsibly produced. The points also can be used to support projects aimed at protecting the environment, fighting poverty or doing good in other areas.
The rewards program is the first of many Sustainable Saturday programs the council expects to launch, says executive director Susan Inglis.
Sign up for PIP rewards at https://pipsrewards.com. Get updates on Twitter using the hashtag #SustainableSaturdays.

Karen’s blog: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms