http://naplesnews.com/news/stageyourplace/?partner=RSSnaplesnews.com Stories: Stage Your Placeen-usstageyourplacehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/wood-and-lots-work-vermont-trained-furniture-maker/?partner=RSSBrian Brace’s wooden drawers don’t rattle along metal tracks; they glide with a whisper along a smooth, sanded and polished interior. That’s a reflection of the hours of craftsmanship in each piece, but also of the years Brace has spent as a craftsman. ewendt@comcast.net (ELIZABETH KELLAR)Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:05:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/wood-and-lots-work-vermont-trained-furniture-maker/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/smart-money-does-kids-concern-about-florida-lot-re/?partner=RSSDEAR BRUCE: I own a modular home in a park in central Florida, where we pay rent on the lot. The park is well maintained, and it is restrictive in what we can and cannot do with our homes. Because of this, it always looks nice and the value is greater than in other parks. However, the lot rent increases 6 percent annually, which my son believes is outrageous. The park owners insist it is necessary, owing to rising costs of all services. The park is roughly 11 years old, so the original owners now pay almost double the lot rent they started with, not that there are many original residents left, of course. Do you believe such an increase is reasonable? Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/smart-money-does-kids-concern-about-florida-lot-re/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/upcoming-home-workshops-oct-4-2008/?partner=RSS  Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/upcoming-home-workshops-oct-4-2008/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/you-can-grow-your-own-salad-year-round/?partner=RSSEvery day is a salad day for Charles Dowding, a commercial gardener and author who prides himself on growing dozens of leaf lettuce varieties organically in his vegetable boxes throughout the year. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/you-can-grow-your-own-salad-year-round/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/happy-gardening-take-it-easy/?partner=RSSMy friend and fellow gardening author, Felder Rushing, coined a term not too long ago: “slow gardening.” According to Felder, “slow gardening isn’t lazy or passive — it actually involves doing more stuff, but carefully selected to be productive without senseless, repetitive chores. By focusing on seasonal rhythms and local conditions, it helps the gardener get more from the garden while better appreciating how time and energy — and leisure time — are spent.” Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/happy-gardening-take-it-easy/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/add-some-glow-colored-gravel-glass-make-your-garde/?partner=RSSNecessity is the mother of invention. When every penny counts, making gardens on the cheap yields some of the most inventive solutions. These are the times when thinking outside the box can turn your garden from an ordinary one into something truly interesting. It’s all about how you look at materials, how creatively you recycle, reuse and reclaim. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/add-some-glow-colored-gravel-glass-make-your-garde/?partner=RSSat_homehttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/interiors-get-blind-eye-and-add-some-elegance/?partner=RSSCovering windows with blinds is not a new concept by any means. And if you think you know when they originated, you might be off by a few hundred years. We remember blinds being popular in the ’30s and ’40s when they were called Venetian blinds with two-inch, wooden, painted slats that were hard to clean. After that, there was a wave of popularity with blinds of the mini variety in the ’80s. These were aluminum, baked-enamel painted, one-inch slats. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/03/interiors-get-blind-eye-and-add-some-elegance/?partner=RSSat_home