GardeningTips to keep it green
PetsDr. Doolittler and more
Frugal DuchessMoney-saving advice
Home interiors are lightening up. It has less to do with spare spaces than the hues of wood furnishings that these days often are left unstained.
Steven Mellini sells ''furniture for the bath.'' His contemporary vanities are designed in Italy under the brand name Priele, crafted in hardwoods in Thailand, and topped with tempered glass sinks from Germany.
Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque has a simple goal: ``I want to be the Latin Ralph Lauren.'' Colombian by birth, American by savvy and ambition, the Miami Beach/New York interior designer loaded a truck with props and two photographers and traveled through South America for a month in a search for just the right houses to decorate. From that trip came his first book, Latin Style (Thomas Nelson, $24.95).
WASHINGTON REPORT
A major legal brawl is breaking out over how homes are appraised, at what cost, and by whom. The outcome could directly affect the price you pay for your next piece of real estate, and the amount of mortgage money you can obtain.
PAINT
It's warm, inviting and cheerful. What's not to love about yellow? Designers say -- somewhat surprisingly, considering how widely it is used -- that yellow can be a tricky color on a wall. ''Yellow is the hardest color to get right, without question,'' says New York designer Alexa Hampton. ``As mellow a yellow you think you select, it's always much louder than you think it will be.''
REAL ESTATE
Back during the boom years, when people would camp overnight to buy into a new community, the model home lost some of its impact as a selling tool. Some builders did not even decorate their models. Others used the models only to market their upgrades. Now that the pace of sales has slowed, however, builders and interior designers say the model home has become more important than ever in marketing an entire community.
DR. DOLITTLER
It's Mother's Day, and it's an excellent opportunity to discuss the maternity of our pets. Dogs and cats are often pressed into maternal service by their owners, either by neglect of their alteration (spaying) or because of the express intent to see these pets procreate.
FRUGAL DUCHESS
Haggling over prices is expected at flea markets, yard sales and auto lots. But my sister, Debra Patterson, negotiated a sweet deal for kitchen chairs at a department store.
PERSONAL FINANCE
So it's come to this: life in the excessively cheap, frugal, thrifty lane. Call it what you will, but many of us are downright broke, spending more than we can stomach on gas ($50 every four days to fill my Isuzu Rodeo), on groceries, on our ballooning mortgages, churning over our last nickel to those unforgiving bill collectors. Oy vey! I can't go on.
EVENTS
Art Deco Walking Tours: Join a 90-minute walking tour to learn about the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival and Miami Modern styles in the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District. Explore hotels, restaurants and other structures. Tours depart from Art Deco Welcome Center, 1001 Ocean Dr.; 10:30 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday; $20, $15 for seniors and students, free for members. 305-672-2014.
African Violet and Mother's Day Show and Sale: Free for moms with one paid admission; 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday; Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Rd., Davie; $12 for kids 12 and up and adults, $5.50 for kids 4-11, free for kids 3 and under. 954-555-1234 or
REAL ESTATE
Actress Andie MacDowell has bought land in an environmentally focused mountain community in western North Carolina and plans to build an eco-friendly house.
HOT PROPERTY: HOLLYWOOD
Tom Arnold has put his San Fernando Valley home of less than two years on the market for $2,275,000. Why? The actor says the 4,250-square-foot house is just ``too much house for one man.''
CONDO LINE
Q: We received a letter from our board of directors that it is approving a special assessment to provide for delinquent accounts that are in foreclosure and bankruptcy. Is this legal?
The South Florida Water Management District is considering making the twice-weekly limits placed on sprinkling your St. Augustine permanent. Workshops discussing the idea wind up at the end of the month.
Springtime brings out our best cleaning instincts. But in this high-tech world, there's a lot more to the job than getting out the old mop and pail.
BOLLYWOOD
After asking Bollywood actors not to smoke on screen, India's health minister has called on movie heroes to stop drinking alcohol on camera, while hinting that the booze could stay in villains' cups, a newspaper reported.
Most curious shoppers who wander into Ikenga in Fort Lauderdale to check out the unique African art collection marvel at the craftsmanship and historical significance of the pieces.
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