Save Money on a Custom Home

Architect Steve Giannetti shares his tips on saving money on building your own home.

French doors - We used standard T.M. Cobb French doors, which are about half the cost of custom doors.

Pine floors - We used 10-inch pine shelving boards, nailed and glued to the plywood subfloor, for the look of old floors.

Eaves – There are 2 by 4s for the eaves’ overhangs. They are inexpensive and old-fashioned looking.

Interior doors - The interior doors are standard French doors with sandblasted glass in them for an inexpensive, unique look that lets the light in.

Patios - The front porch is concrete with some beach shells cast into the surface and lightly sandblasted for an Old World look.

Paving - All the paving and site walls around the home are broken concrete reused from the old driveway.

Insulation - Denim insulation was installed in all the walls and ceilings, and a foil liner under the roof to keep the attic cool.

Skylights - An operable skylight in the middle of the house provides natural light and, when open, natural ventilation that keeps the house cool all summer.

Tile - We used only one kind of white 3- by 6-inch tile in the house and Carrera marble to keep costs down and maintain consistency.

Tips for Owning a Cabin Home

Hilde Leiaghat shares her tips as the homeowner of a vacation cabin in the mountains.

• We kept the kitchen as it was but changed the cabinet hardware and painted the walls, which had been a faux-wood color, immediately. We painted them a historic green color that we bought at the hardware store.

• Make sure your home is insulated really well. We replaced the aluminum windows with weatherproof windows to keep the cold out.

• We threw out the furniture and redecorated. It had ugly brown carpeting and ugly reclining chairs from the 1980s. We built a new deck around the cabin; due to the amount of snow, the old one gave way.

• A cabin could be a good moneymaker if you rent it out when you know you won’t be using it.

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Recipe

Take the time to bake delicious cookies as a sweet gift for Valentine’s Day this year. They are quick and easy to make and, most importantly, from the heart!

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours. Roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Leave one inch of space between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool for one hour before frosting.

Icing Glaze

4 cups of powdered sugar
4-6 tablespoons of milk
Stir until smooth (the icing should not be too runny)
Add more powdered sugar if necessary to thicken the glaze
Tint with food coloring
Use a separate bowl for each color needed

Frost the cookie with the icing. Smooth the top with a spatula dipped in water. Use the edge of the spatula to scrape off any icing that has run over the edge of the cookie. 

The icing glaze hardens in a couple of hours.
Enjoy!

Written and photographed by Jacqueline deMontravel
Produced by Diane Sedo

How to: Kitchen Sink Christmas Potpourri

Andrea Drexelius shares with us her recipe for a fresh Christmas potpourri blend. Add the soothing scents to your holiday decorations for a intimate feel.

From the garden:

Dried rose petals
Dried hydrangea flowers
Ponderosa and Myers lemon peel
Pink grapefruit peel
Lime peel
Orange peel
Rosemary leaves
Juniper berries
California Pepper berries
Eucalyptus leaves and flowers
Bay leaf
Thyme leaves
Sage leaves

From the cupboard:

Vanilla bean pod
Whole cloves
Loose black tea
Mulling spices

Mix together, then add a few drops of jasmine oil.

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Drexelius
Photography by Mark Tanner

Shared by: Home Cottages

Top Ten: Sentimental Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Unlike assorted chocolates that are a gamble as to what you will get, these gift ideas remove the guesswork and will delight everyone.

1. A handwritten letter.

2. Flowers (but not the home-delivery kind).

3. A gift that we’ve slyly hinted at.

4. Dinner at home.

5. Something handmade.

6. A night out (anytime but Valentine’s Day!)

7. Photographs.

8. A beauty treat in the form of a trained professional fussing over us.

9. A weekend getaway (even if it is at the local hotel).

10. A book you think we’d enjoy.

White Christmas Décor

Try casting aside traditional holiday colors for a heavenly spell.

The holiday season is about revisiting memories and creating new ones. Here, we illustrate how to embrace your traditions and introduce new, simple twists that focus on a wintry palette.

It was the Victorians who, in the mid-19th century, popularized fanciful Christmas decorations. They styled their home with delicate bulbs, mistletoe and sparkling tree-toppers. Decorating with a white and silver palette is not only fitting for the season, but also a refreshing alternative from the expected red and green. Traditional Christmas bauble is also replaced with elements such as rosary beads, angel wings and religious statues.

How to Get the Look:

·         For your living room:

o   Paint an antique mantelpiece white. It will strike a serene pose that could soften Scrooge.

o   Pair an old arched window, found at a salvage yard or flea market, with white angel wings and a string of antique rosary beads.

o   Camouflage a wall with tattered scripted paper from antique books to hide the holes; add a touch of sparkle with mercury-glass candleholders.

·         For your bedroom:

o   Fragrant paper-white narcissus is an easy bulb to grow and adds a festive touch in like-colored pots on a windowsill or tabletop.

o   Dress up an antique French armoire with a fresh bouquet of Christmas roses.

o   For a dramatic look, adorn an antique silver bedside tray with candles, pink roses, juniper twigs and winter greens.

o   Embellish plain candles with rustic string, crystal beads and medallions. Overall, the setting is ideal for the true romantic.

·         For your kitchen:

o   Combine simple styling, shimmering candles and natural elements for a serene, wintry effect.

o   Add silver accents for sparkle and sophistication.

·         For your office:

o   Achieve a nostalgic, vintage look through the inclusion of old books and photographs, antique silver pieces and angel wings hung on a weathered window.

o   The silver and white color palette exudes a classic, understated elegance.

Halloween Candle

Halloween is a holiday that prompts so many people to decorate their homes, and nothing else provides a spookier glow than candles. Sit Halloween-inspired candles from Root Candles on top of your matnel to complement a roaring fire.

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock.com

With a fragrance reminiscent of crisp fall evenings, the luxurious IllumiNoir Warm Vanilla Hallow’s Eve candle comes in a black matte glass container and is housed in an elegant black box, perfect to give as a gift to fans of Halloween. Root Candles provide a modern twist to the traditional bottle light candle with their Spooky Tree, Autumn Leaves, Halloween’s Eve and Jack-O-Lantern candles scented with mulled cider fragrance. To find the retailer nearest you, visit www.rootcandles.com.

By Jennifer Myers