Embellish

Vine-ripe tomatoes are not only delectable; they’re decorative. Author and Westchester, N.Y.-based lifestyle expert Colleen Mullaney shows you how to create a ripe and respected work of art for an intimate outdoor gathering this summer.

Materials:

40 cherry tomatoes

1 large green cabbage

12” topiary form

6” clay pot and saucer

green moss

raffia

hot-glue gun and glue sticks

How to:
1. Cut bottom of topiary form to fit pot. Glue to secure. Cover foam at top of pot with moss and glue in place. Start gluing tomatoes to form, placing them close together, alternating with top and bottoms showing. Continue until form is completely covered.

2. Using the points of a pair of scissors, fill in small gaps between tomatoes with moss. Glue in place.

3. Cut large cabbage leaves and place on sides of pot. Trim bottoms of leaves so tops just graze rim of clay pot. Fold bottoms under pot and glue leaves in place.

4. To finish, wrap several strands of raffia around pot and tie knot.

To make votives:

1. Cut smaller leaves from cabbage head.

2. Wrap around votive, trimming bottoms so that tops leaves graze rims of votives. Fold bottoms under votive and glue in place.

3. To finish, wrap several strands of raffia around votive and tie knot.

Tip: Other possible fruits and vegetables for topiary (all with the same round shape) are lemons, limes, small peaches and apples or any large berry.

Mullaney is the author of several crafts books, including Crafting On the Go: Shells, Crafting On the Go: Felt, Faux Fabulous Florals (Sixth&Spring Books) and One-of-a-Kind Weddings (Creative Publishing). Check out her blog!

-Taniesha Robinson

Photo by boliston on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Sure air conditioners get the job of cooling your home done, but it’s at the expensive price of carbon emission. Here are three energy-efficient home-cooling technologies you didn’t know about.

1. Absorption cooling
If you have a large residential home, absorption cooling may be for you. The cooling technique is essentially air conditioning driven by a heat source other than electricity i.e. natural gas, propane, solar-heated water, geothermal-heated water. Solar absorption cooling technologies can cut costs for cooling your home. However, most absorption cooling systems use natural gas and are more expensive to operate. Yet, the peace of mind you’ll receive from using renewable energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions may be worth it.

2. Evaporative Cooling
For homes located in low-humidity areas, evaporative coolers can provide cheaper and energy-efficient cooling. They cost about one-half as much as central air-conditioning units to install and use about one-quarter as much energy. Coolers pass outdoor air over water-saturated pads, cooling the air with evaporated water and providing a continual flow of fresh air in the home. Although, they’re more efficient than air conditioners, they require more maintenance. You’ll save yourself more work and money, however, by draining and cleaning the cooler regularly.

3. Whole House Fan
For homes in humid areas where temperatures aren’t reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day, whole house fans are a great substitute for air conditioning. The fans pull in air from open windows and exhaust it through the attic. They can be noisy when ran at high speeds. It is possible to use heating and air-conditioning ducts to ventilate your entire home, also. You should check with a professional to see if this is a good option for cooling your home.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

- Taniesha Robinson

Although the 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the year, I’m not always gun-ho for the traditional outdoor aspects of this holiday. Of course, I think fireworks, warm weather and grilled food are the necessities for a great 4th of July party. Still, I think there are some other must-haves to make sure everyone enjoys the festivities:

1. Insect repellent

As a kid, I hated getting sprayed down with this stuff before going off to play, but now I don’t step on picnic grounds without it. Nothing ruins holiday enjoyment faster than a mosquito bite on your shin or elbow.

2. Hand sanitizer

When you’re grilling in the park, sometimes the bathrooms are just too far away or too dirty when you finally get there.

3. Non-alcoholic beverages

For some, the buzz from the bees is enough.

4. Seating and Shade (preferably seating in the shade)

Fold-away chairs, benches or blankets all do the job of giving party goers a resting place, but the rest will easily be interrupted if they’re baking in the sun. If the festivities can’t be parked under a tree, invest in a canopy or table umbrellas.

5. Music for all

Spin the summer-themed oldies for mom and dad and more recent chart toppers for you and your friends. And don’t forget to throw in some Kidz Bop tunes for the little ones.

Learn how to twist a lemon peel or fire up an orange for the perfect summer drink garnish.

Photo by Divine in the Daily. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Visit http://how2heroes.com/videos/beverages/citrus-garnishes for a video how-to. It features a detailed guide to get a perfectly curled peel and an easy way to do multiple twists at once. Dress up all the drinks at a summer get-together or make yourself smile at home.

-Taniesha Robinson

Sun catchers make great summer window treatments and fun crafts for kids that you won’t mind displaying in your home. You can get elaborate with this craft using stain glass or adding chimes, but for an easier way to catch the sun, grab a few CDs and string. Use a few old CDs that skip on your favorite parts – it’s time to upgrade to digital MP3s anyway – or find some in your junk mail.

The sleek shine and circular design of CDs provide a luminous, modern finishing touch to your window. Also, because they’re reflective, they’ll complement any room’s color scheme. You can even add a little paint for accents to further match the space. Here’s a link to a step-by-step guide for making a CD sun catcher from eHow.com.

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur. Licensed under Creative Commons.

A recycled-CD sun catcher is a great green design idea for any window at home, but for methods on creating sun catchers visit http://crafts.kaboose.com/how-to-make-suncatchers.html and http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/stainedglasssu_saih.htm

- Taniesha Robinson