April 14, 2012

Margie and Ray Toombs, owners of Northeast Ohio Maid Brigade, want to help you find a special gift for your mom. A gift certificate for a cleaning by Maid Brigade is a great Mother's Day gift. It's also a great gift for Father's Day, because a lot of men are the ones in charge of keeping their homes clean. You can feel safe bringing in the Maid Brigade green cleaning team, because all of Maid Brigade's employees are throughly screened and background checked. Call 330.453.6000 or for more information, Maid Brigade

Jack Carroll of South Akron Awning suggests giving him a call if you're looking for beautiful and energy-efficient awnings for your home. Also, if you're planning a party, Jack -- who's something of a jack of all trades -- can connect you with South Akron Awning's sister company, Celebrations Unlimited, which he operates as well. Celebrations Unlimited can help you make any party an easy success. Speaking of celebrations, South Akron Awning, which has been in business since 1913, is coming up on its 100th anniversary.  That kind of longevity isn't possible without excellent customer service. Call for a free design consultation and quote on awnings or for planning your party needs. South Akron Awning: 763 Kenmore Blvd.; 330.848.7611. Celebrations Unlimited: 910 Kenmore Blvd.; 330.745.1117. Visit South Akron Awning for both.

Julie Lewis, the new Design Director for Legacy Builders & Remodelers of Hudson, Ohio, will present classes on "Defining Your Decorating Style" April 25 at Highland Library in Medina County and May 17 at the Nordonia Library. Google the libraries for times and other information. For more about Legacy Builders, visit the website.

April 7, 2012

Tallmadge Asphalt operates its own asphalt plant, which gives the company tighter quality control of the asphalt mix. Tallmadge Asphalt, which has been in business 65 years, also installs concrete. The concrete calendar, while not set in cement, fills up fast. Call for a highly trained expert to come to your home to inspect your proposed project and give you a price for both concrete and asphalt so that you can choose what's best for you. To demystify the process, Mike Sekulich, president of the company, has made an instructional  video, which is available on the Tallmadge Asphalt website. For more information, you can call 330.677.0000.

Joyce Pelz, owner of the Summit County NaturaLawn of America, can give you lots of tips on keeping your lawn healthy without using harsh chemicals, which are bad for nature and your health. Check out her company's Facebook page. This year is the 25th anniversary of NaturaLawn of America, the first organic-based lawn care company in the United States. Joyce says there's still time to treat your lawn for crab grass. Call her at 330.920.9182 or visit NaturaLawn of America.

Mary Beth Breckenridge, home writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, is also a Master Gardener intern. A longtime journalist, she has been writing about home and garden topics for 16 years. In the April 7 issue of the Beacon, Mary Beth wrote about an eco-friendly way to cut your grass -- using sheep to trim the lawn! Also, she wrote about a retrorenovation blog that extols '50s style appliances and furnishings. Read Mary Beth's stories every Saturday in the Beacon or visit Mary Beth's Lifestyle Blog.

March 31, 2012

The United States Council of Mayors has challenged its membership to go green by recycling aluminun cans. The can collections will be judged on a pounds-per-capita basis. This allows cities of varied populations to compete evenly. The city with the most cans per citizen can win a $25,000 prize. Runner-up cities will recieve $15,000 and $5,000. If Akron is a winner, the  prize money will go to the Akron PeaceMakers. The PeaceMakers are Akron area high school students who are involved in the organization to promote leadership and eliminate bullying, among other noble pursuits. All Akron fire stations are drop-off locations. There also are business and community drop-off locations, including January Paint & Wallpaper, 394 W. Exchange, Akron. For more information about the can collection, visit Akron PeaceMakers or call Billy Soule at 330.375.2660.

Speaker, baker and all-around amazing person Evelyna Nightengale, owner of the Avocado Tree specialty baking company, will be

at the Hower House, 60 Fir Hill on the University of Akron campus, April 13 and 14 for Hower House's Artisan Fair 2012. Evelyna will have some of her beautiful and tasty baked goods made from vintage recipes. She brought a delicious Nun Cake, made from scratch from a recipe in a 1940s cookbook, when she was on "My Beautiful Home" this week. She also gave away a cake shaped like an Easter bonnet. Evelyna makes gluten-free, vegan and whole-grain baked goods to order. Give her a call at 440.884.2165. For more information about Hower House, call 330.972.6909 or visit the website.

Debbie Weiner,creator of  Slobproof Furniture, believes it's time to let your college-age son and oversized dog back into the family room and onto the couch. The Slobproof secret is a specially engineered fabric system with a moisture barrier that creates a permanent stain barrier with fabric that is soft and pleasant to sit on. The Slobproof line of furniture is stylish and is American made to last. Debbie also is the author of Slob Proof! Real-Life Design Solutions, which offers all kinds of tips for keeping your home neat and livable. For instance, Debbie suggests making color your friend. "If you've got kids or a black lab, white upholstery is not an option -- and beige carpeting is on the endangered list, too." The book is available on her website and wherever books are sold. For more information: Slobproof Furniture

March 24, 2012

Chris Stranahan, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited on Howe Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls, says hummingbirds are arriving earlier than usual this year, and they're pretty hungry. Feed them with their favorite mixture of sugar and water, and decorate their feeder with brightly colored artificial flowers to make sure they are attracted to it. Wild Birds Unlimited is located at 597 Howe Ave., Cuyahoga  Falls, 330.922.4990 Wild Birds Unlimited

When you buy a new car it comes with a warranty. Any problems outside of routine maintenance are taken care of by the auto manufacturer. What if you could have a preventive maintenance program for your home, too? You can, thanks to George Ford and his son, Jeff Ford, who created Home Keepers, LLC, a unique program that provides complete home maintenance services in Northeast Ohio. Visit their showroom at 365 Towpath Ave. NW, Canal Fulton, OH;  330.970.0041. The Home Keepers website is under construction and should be accessible soon.

Jeremiah Mock, owner of Mock Property Services, is a man who wears lots of  hats. Mock Property Services includes landscape design, pond installation and maintenance, critter control and the planting of "monster trees." To learn more, visit the Mock Retail Design Center & Pond Store, located at 37 S. Cleveland Ave., Mogadore; 330.630.POND or 330.628.6100 Mock Property Services