Halloween Recipe Fun: 2 Variations on "Dirt and Worms"

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's not too terribly early to begin thinking of fun things to make in order to turn your kitchen into a ghoulish Halloween laboratory for young children! It's fun to make your fall holiday decorations, decor, and treats at home, and we'll start bringing you some Halloween DIY ideas to get you in the festive party spirit. Today's featured video is from Modernist Cuisine, and it's a simple way to make dirt and olive oil gummy earthworms - gross fun for young and old alike. Click here for the complete recipe and preparation tips.

Bonus

For a completely different take on Worms in Dirt, click on the top photo for Martha Stewart's creation using, of all things, hotdogs and black beans.

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Video: Triathlete Helps Us Plan Ahead with Fall Garden Design

Irwin Weiner ASID - I admit that I'm an interiors kind of guy, but I love a beautiful garden. It's more than curb appeal - those lush outdoor rooms add so much charm and extended living and entertaining space to a home. Now that autumn is officially here, it's time to start planning your fall garden design process, using these optimum weeks to plant new specimens, flesh out beds, and make those key transplants. My gardening goals are always to have a "swath" of color and texture and to try to have plants that add color and interest throughout the growing season - not just a burst of springtime hues and then washed-out greens throughout the rest of the summer and early fall. This video features an interview with Tracy DiSabato-Aust, triathlete/gardener and author of the book The Well-Designed Mixed Garden, and her tips for how to best plan your garden around this time of year.

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Tips for Haggling and Navigating Local Flea Markets

Irwin Weiner ASID - Flea markets are irresistible to me. The concept of finding home decorating treasures amidst trash is compelling. It's even better if you can find a great deal - "the steal" - and drive home with something absolutely amazing that you purchased for a song. While visiting my new grandson Oliver James Joyce in Minneapolis, I found some great tips for flea markets in the inflight magazine (an excellent one, at that, with a focus on design: for a free subscription, go to Complimentary Cambria Style Magazine); here were some of my favorite tips from their Navigating the Flea Market article.

1. Bring some helpful supplies with you whenever you "flea." Cash is an essential, naturally. But bring a measuring tape or retractable steel tape so you can size up potential purchases. I oftentimes know that a client will need a specific size console, dresser, sofa, or painting to accommodate a certain dimension within their decorated space; without measuring, there's always an element of doubt (so eliminate it!). Also bring a cell phone. I snap photos of an object and email them with a description to my clients; they're usually eager to okay a purchase on the spot. Courtesy tip: Always ask a vendor if it's alright to take a photo before you take it.
2. It's a worthy goal to practice civility and friendliness at your local flea market. Create a dialogue with a vendor if you're truly interested in a certain piece. Ask questions about how they found a certain object, how they started out in business, and the like. The Cambria Style article quoted Manhattan vintage shopper Lauren Linton: "Ideally, you both want to leave a transaction feeling like something positive happened." And isn't that great advice for the workplace, your family life, and living in general?
3. No price on an item? Ask for the vendor's "best price," then be quiet and let them do all the talking. Many times the price will surprise you because it will be lower than you expected, so never be the first one to offer a dollar amount. 

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Gardening Video - Tips for Gardening in Small Spaces

Irwin Weiner ASID - We bought metal planters from Portugal at a Bucks County archetectural salvage store, filled them up with potting soil, and have been planting herbs and veggies on our patio for the past few years. Every so often we'll throw in handfuls of Dr. Earth organic fertilizer to keep nutrients chugging along in each planter (these closed eco systems need boosts on a regular basis). And the results have been rewarding. Last year we planted rainbow chard and purple basil along with other herbs - chives to Italian parsley.

This year we're planting green zebra and cherokee heirloom tomatoes, lemon thyme, nasturtium, rosemary, basil, parsley, and tarragon ... sticking to a great salad theme. Today's featured video will help bring out the gardener in you. Even if you don't have a large yard, e.g., you live in a small urban apartment, you can still garden in a small space and have a manageable time of it. We're all busy adults, so let's follow tips for making life and leisure time easier and more productive. Extra features: click on each of the two photos in this article to get some great container gardening tips and inspiration. 

Bonus

Click here to read our friend Linda Grasso's gardening quest - How Can I Find Perfect Heirloom Tomatoes? Find the best varieties for taste, growing ability, and yield!

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