February 11, 2012

Ray Toombs, co-owner and co-commander of Maid Brigade, reported in to "My Beautiful Home" to let listeners know about the great green-cleaning methods used by his company, which was the first national cleaning company to go green. Maid Brigade focuses on customer service and customizing to your cleaning needs. Whether it's a one-time cleaning before a big event in your home or a weekly cleaning, Margie and Ray are available to help you. All the employees of Maid Brigade are bonded and have been background checked. Call 330.453.6000 for a free consultation. For more information: Maid Brigade

The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Summit & Portage Counties will present its 18th Annual Akron Home & Flower Show Feb 24-26 at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron. This year's show will feature the popular EcoLiving Experience, which keeps growing every year, as well as a Universal Design Living area, where you'll be able to see how to make changes to a living space to accommodate physical limitations due to aging, illness or injury. Headlining the show will be the Duct Tape Guys, offering creative uses of the "ultimate power tool." There also will be more gardens than ever at this year's show. HBA Akron Home & Flower Show

Julie Lewis from Wolff Bros. Supply Inc., which is one of the sponsors of the Universal Design Living exhibit, offers suggestions on what you can do to safeguard your home. Be proactive, by installing attractive and functional hand rails, grab bars and other safety features before you or a loved one needs them. Julie is a designer and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist. She can be reached at 330.786.4148. Visit Wolff Bros Supply Inc. 

The TLC Catering Open House is Sunday,  Feb. 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. at St. George's Fellowship Center and the new Family Center, 3204 Ridgewood Rd. The event will feature great food, from hot hors d'oeuvres to entrees, as well ice sculptures, a carving station and more.  

February 4, 2012

TLC Catering is the official caterer at St. George Fellowship Center and the new St. George Family Center, both at 3204 Ridgewood Rd., Akron. Joe Catalano, president of TLC, welcomes everyone next Sunday, Feb. 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. for an open house at both facilities. There will be plenty of great food, from hors d'oeuvres to entrees, as well as ice sculptures (made by Joe!), a carving station and more. TLC Catering specializes in accommodating anyone's culinary needs, from gluten free to vegan. TCL Catering 330.607.4360

The 18th Annual HBA Home & Flower Show will take place Feb. 24-26 at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron. We'll be talking about the event all month long, highlighting new and exciting aspects of this year's Home & Flower Show. Today's HBA guests were Rochelle Fisher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, and Jacob Grimm, president of the Brothers Grimm Landscape and Design Company and the garden committee chairman for the show. Check out the Home & Flower Show.

Habitat for Humanity, the Saturday sponsor for the Home & Flower Show, is teaming up with the Duck Tape guys to sponsor a model-home building contest for local middle-schoolers. Prizes will be awarded at the judging, which takes place Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25. Andy January, co-host of My Beautiful Home radio show every Saturday morning at 10, will be one of the judges.

Habitat for Humanity of Summit County not only builds homes but also has a retail outlet called ReStore that accepts donations and sells furniture, appliance, building materials and other necessities for the home. Every week, you can receive an entertaining e-newsletter that tells you what's new in stock. To get the update, go to Habitat for Humanity ReStore Sign-Up. For more general information about Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, to volunteer, or to just check things out, go to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity of Summit County and ReStore are located at 2301 Romig Road, Akron, Ohio, 44320; 330.745.7734. A home dedication will take place at 3 p.m. Feb. 15 at 461 Bell St., Barberton. Home dedications are a celebration of the completion of a Habitat home. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 330.745.7734, ext. 211. That's also the way for middle-school students to learn more about the duct tape competition and to sign up to participate.

Brothers Grimm Landscape and Design Company is a major sponsor of the HBA Home & Flower Show. These are the guys who will bring the sweet smell of spring indoors to the John S. Knight Center on Feb. 24-26. People who attend the Home & Flower Show will find more gardens than ever, which means more flowers!, and a lot of features like outdoor kitchens that could enhance your landscaping. If you've been thinking about creating an outdoor living space, putting in a swimming pool or just sprucing up your back yard, contact the Brothers Grimm, 6408 S. Main St, Clinton, Ohio 44216. 330.784.1121. Brothers Grimm also participates in a national program, GreenCare for Troops, which offers yard care and snow removal for the families of deployed troops.

Actors' Summit, Akron's professional theater company housed at the historic Greystone Hall, ends its Bully run this weekend (that's the one-man show about Teddy Roosevelt) and will open a world premiere comedy by Eric Coble on Feb. 23. Visit Actors' Summit for more information.

The 4th Annual Road to the Red Carpet, a Hollywood-inspired black-tie benefit for the Cleveland Film Commission, takes place Oscar night, Feb. 26, at Pickwick & Frolic in downtown Cleveland's East Fourth district.

January 28, 2012

Kim Lucak is an independent Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ chocolatier. Kim presents candy-making workshops, where she offers delectable samples. Kim will be having seminars at the following libraries: Highland on Feb. 7, Kenmore on Feb. 11 and Fairlawn/Bath on Feb. 13. Please call the libraries to register as space is limited. Kim lists her presentations and other events on her website along with recipes and tips. As most of us know, there is nothing better than chocolate to bring a smile to your face. 440.223.7073   http://www.dove-chocolate-discoveries.com/kimberlyluca

Today was Architects Saturday. Much of our show was devoted to the Home Builders Association Committee of Residential Architects. The  show explained how, ultimately, it saves a homeowner money to use an architect to design a project. This ensures that all facets of the project are aesthetically pleasing and functionally practical. Architects are licensed to have your health, safety and welfare in mind for every project of your home, whether it's large or small.

Marty Caruso of Caruso Architecture Inc., 3460 Ridgewood Rd., Akron, Ohio 44333. 330.665.3432 Caruso Architecture

Janet Rusanowsky of Npr Technical Services, 1675 East Main St., #205, Kent, Ohio 44240. 330.678.3513 Npr Technical Services

January 21, 2012

Debbie Weiner has an idea. Even if you live with a slob -- a husband, child or pet -- you still should be able to keep your home looking nice. Debbie is the owner and creator of Slobproof! Furniture and the Slobproof! Paint Pen. The pen makes it easy to repair wall damage that your resident slob has created. That means no more dings, dents or marks on your painted walls. Slobproof! Paint Pens are available by calling 888.444.5593 or visiting slobproof .com Soon, January Paint & Wallpaper will have them for sale as well.

Interiors by Lynn owner Lynn Koerner is an expert at home staging, which is more important than ever when you want to sell a home in a slow economy. One of her tips for homeowners who want to make a good impression is to reduce clutter by removing all items from view that are 8 inches or less in size. Lynn also has branched out into showroom windows for retail businesses.  Many retailers don't realize that their windows are a prime area to put their best foot forward.  330.626.1032 or 330.285.9066  Interiors by Lynn

Tom Fuller is executive director of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc., whose mission is to provide high-quality and affordable housing for seniors and others on limited incomes. He says his organization has a number of completely renovated apartments available for immediate occupancy in Williams Tower on Akron's south side. Call 330.434.4767 for information about how to apply for an apartment in Williams Tower. Alpha Phi Alpha's next project will be renovating Wesley Tower near Wallhaven on Akron's west side. For general information about Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, call 330.376.8787 or 800.376.8786 or visit Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc