Paint Like A Pro!

           A few painting tips: Do not insert your brush more than a third of the way into the paint can. If you dip it in too far the paint can clog the bristles. Store paint cans upside down to create a seal. Make sure you store water-based paint where it can’t freeze.

          When you are deciding what color to use on your wall don’t make your color decision in store because that color can look completely different when you get it home. Instead, take the paint card home with you and stick it on the wall to see the color in your lighting. Also, don’t paint the whole room then decide you don’t like it. Paint a small foam board the color you want for your room, and then move the board around to a different area at different times of day to see what that color will look like at different times and places. To do this, instead of having to buy a whole quart of paint, www.farrow-ball.com offers customers a $5 pot of paint that will cover 10 square feet.

Matching any color is now available at any Ace Hardware, Home Depot or Lowes store. The sample fabric, carpeting, or wallpaper must be flat and a ½ inch square at minimum. At Home Depot they also offer software to virtually show you how a room will look with whatever color you can think of.

Next time you go to paint any room, you’ll be a pro!

Tiffany Hartman

Journalist—Gunghocity.com

Back to Top

Charleston Gardens

Online Outlet!

On December 6, 1994 Charleston Gardens opened its doors at 61 Queen Street. Their mail order business started as a 12-page holiday catalog in late 1995. Business was good, but with the launch of their web site in April 1998, business boomed. Most of the customers buying the welcoming southern home décor didn’t even live in the South.  At the end of January 2003, they relocated from their 61 Queen Street location where they had operated for over eight years. The Catalog Outlet store opened in early 2003 offers samples, overstocks and slightly flawed merchandise at a discounted rate. Due to these discounted rates, all sales are final.

The Outlet is 10 minutes from the Historic District with plenty of free parking at 650 King Street in downtown Charleston. Their offices and distribution center are adjacent to the Outlet Store.
Charleston Gardens just added over 200 new items to their website. The variety of home and garden décor offered is impressive. Bring your garden inside with the Brighton Orchid Planter (catalog #6168). This wrought iron planter finished in black with antique gold accents is exemplary for blossoming plants of all types.

Can’t find an artistic way to water you lawn? Give a Prism Sprinkler (catalog #1843) a try. A work of art all in itself, this cooper and glass sprinkler stands using a steel base and covers up to 12’ in diameter. It will give you a practical and eye-catching way to water your lawn.

If you are looking for a gift for under $20 take a look at the Hummingbird (catalog #1936) or Butterfly (catalog #1937) Garden box. Inside the hummingbird box you will find three 5' biodegradable, plantable seed ribbons of three different varieties (Lemon Mint, Annual Phlox, Sarlet Sage) with growing instructions included. Peek inside the Butterfly box and you’ll also find seed ribbons that will replicate the silk flowers on top of the gift box when planted. Both gift tags read: "Happiness held is a seed. Happiness shared is the flower."


With all it has to offer, Charleston Garden welcomes neighbors and visitors alike to check out their store. You’ll, most likely, find something you just have to take home with you.

Hours of operation: Mon-Sat   9am-5pm      Closed Sundays
Charleston Gardens .com

Tiffany Hartman—Journalist   
Gunghocity.com

Fall Furniture Trends For Your Home

What’s in store for Fall 2007? Environmentally aware collections that are contemporary and in neutral color, that’s what. Everyone is worried about global warming, but can your furniture really be hurting the environment? Furniture stores have kept this in mind when they were coming up with their fall line. Instead of using new materials, most stores have opted to use the recycled kind. Or, instead of using recycled materials, they use natural fabrics, such as wool, hemp and organically grown and processed cottons.
One store in particular, Green Culture uses only eco-friendly materials.

They also have Enlightened Products which may not be manufactured with 100% eco-friendly ingredients, but they are offered because they are much better for the planet than the products which are in the market currently. The primary goal of Eco-Furniture.com is to include fashion, style, great prices, and introduce the mainstream marketplace variety of high quality goods made from recycled materials, ecologically harvested timber, and other earth friendly ingredients.

When trying to decide what color is best, you can never go wrong choosing a neutral color, especially when it comes to expensive, and/or hard to change items. Also, just because you have a lot of neutrals doesn’t mean that color is nowhere to be found. Accent shades for fall are lime greens, pomegranate reds, pink and glamorous metallic. Fall is also the time to let your accessories shine (vases, candle sticks, containers and bowls) anything to compliment the room.

Michelle Spencer of Norwalk furniture in Pensacola Florida tells
me traditional style furniture is in this fall. The best selling furniture fabric at Norwalk is, believe it or not, brown leather. Many customers are accenting soft red, lime green, and brown to blend into beautiful autumn colors. Coming to Norwalk this fall is a line of metallic colored, shimmering leather furniture. You can visit Norwalk online at www.norwalkfurnitureideas.com

Canada's leading interior designer, Candice Olson, hosts Devine Design on HGTV. She uses only Norwalk furniture on her show. "Norwalk is a wonderful fit for what I think design can and should be...accessible, flexible, fun and fashionable."   - Candice Olson. She recently started her own line of Norwalk furniture. You can visit online at www.sofastyler.com

So while you’re kicking back enjoying the last month of summer, think about bringing some fall fashions home with new furniture and accents.

Tiffany Hartman—Journalist
Gunghocity.com

Back to Top

Summer Fun!

Pools and Enclosures

Everyone who loves swimming and sunshine would love to have their own personal pool.    Backyard BBQ’s, birthday parties, and romantic evenings are only a few of the wonderful moments you will now be able to share year-round. 

Funrooms offers a very unique product which gives you the sense of being outside without all of the headaches.  No bugs, No leaves, No sunburn, this sounds like a dream!  Well, Funrooms is able to offer you an entire room that’s outside but is protected as though it’s inside of your home.  Using the newest technology, Funrooms is offering SuperScreen, which is the highest quality and longest-lasting screen on the market.  It not only has a ten-year warranty, but it’s 18% heavier than competitor’s screens.  This 18% makes SuperScreen 300% stronger!  They definitely know a lot about screens.  Funrooms has been in business since 1983!

With hurricane season in full swing and temperatures reaching well into the nineties, beating the heat and protecting your pool and patio has never been easier.  Is your screen protected from winds of up to 150mph gusts?  Funrooms screens are!  They are now offering an $89.00 value of a free hurricane inspection on all screens.  This value includes a full on-site inspection and written report on your current screen.  Another great deal Funrooms is offering is $500 off a new enclosure and $200 off a re-screen with SuperScreen.  These excellent values should have you well on your way to a new and improved patio in just a matter of days.  There are more than seven different types of Funrooms you can choose from, starting as low as $1995.  You can check these wonderful rooms out at www.Pensacolafunrooms.com

As far as finding the perfect pool for your new sunroom, you can check out Family Pool, Spa and Billiards, for in-ground and above-ground pools.  Family Pool, Spa and Billiards carry a wide range of Sharkline above-ground pools and five different brands of spas. They also sell everything from hot tubs to tanning beds.  Any of these items would go great on any patio or deck, plus the entire family can enjoy them!  They can be found at www.familypoolandspa.com .

Amber Bumgarner – Journalist
Gungho City

Back to Top