WINTER HIATUS - NEW EPISODES RETURN MARCH 2011
SATURDAY DECEMBER 18, 2010

The cold and wet weather have done it! They have chased us indoors! We are sitting cozy and warm and preparing for the holiday fun yet to come. We have finished most of our decorating but we have learned to be extra careful while doing it. Every year people get hurt just getting their homes ready for the celebrations. Remember to take precautions while decorating or even celebrating! Your holidays will be more joyful because of it!

This week we are featuring...

Easy Gift Wrap

I know, for some people wrapping a gift is easy, but for others it is a chore and something that needs to be avoided. To help those of us that fear gift wrapping, we stopped by The Container Store to learn how to make it simple with Paige. For the experts at The Container Store, they believe that a well wrapped and beautiful gift should be as special as the gift inside. Paige gave us some great tips for wrapping. Tip number 1, cut your paper to be inches longer and 2 inches wider than the gift you are wrapping. She also showed us how to keep the seam on the edge of the package so it looks nice and clean with double sided tape. Also, you should select your style of wrap to match the size of the box. Large patterns can be used on larger boxes and smaller prints on smaller gifts. The same is true for bows and other decorations. Don’t forget to coordinate your bow color to the paper color as well. As for bows, if you are creating your own bow you will need 3 yards of ribbon that can be looped into a 5 inch circle, you then notch it, tie it with a wire and then twist it to make your own great bows. Now if this seems like it would be hard for you to do, then you can stop by the Container Store on the weekends at 1 and 3 and learn all these tips and many more. Plus you can register for a $25 gift card drawing that will be held with every class.

HD TVs

The conversion from analog to high definition has finally happened and for most people it has been great, in fact it has some people looking for new TV’s so they can get the most out of the programs they watch. To find out what is available and new on the market we stopped by Standard TV and Appliance (503-619-0500) to talk with Tony in the TV department. First of all if you are on cable or dish network, or you have a newer HD TV you should have no problems getting an HD signal. It should be ready to go. However, if you have an older set or you are using an antenna or ‘rabbit ears’ you will need an HD converter. If you want to get a new set to enjoy the great picture and sound of HD then you will have to choose between plasma, LCD, LED, or even laser (the newest version of HD). LED is very thin, very bright and very energy efficient. LCD is just like your computer screens and is the most popular way of viewing HD signals. Plasma is the choice for a very large and flat screen. Tony also told us about DPI or ‘Dots per Inch’. The more dots the better the picture. The standard right now is a 1080p. If you have that you are in great shape. Any questions about which is best for you or any concerns about HD TV’s can be answered by the experts at Standard!

Terra Casa Candles

Nothing gives off the warm and cozy ambiance of the holidays like candles. We heard about a place called Terra Casa where you can find the coolest candles. Kathii from Terra Casa (503-577-8242) put together a display that showed us some of the combinations that you can use to display and use your candles. She recommends that you look around your home and try to incorporate design elements that you may already have to spice up your candles. She had used blocks and even other candlestick holders to place the candles at different heights. You can also mix your candlesticks with glass, iron and wood displays to create different moods. There are also containers that can be used to burn candles and protect your kids and pets from getting burned. There are also fragrant candles in glass jars that sit flat and can be covered when they are done burning that are very safe. Now if you are looking for completely safe candle they have 2 options. The first is a electric ‘candle’ which is actually a light that has a candle-like wrap around it. Then there is the battery, remote-controlled candle. This is one that you can put up high and it turns on with just a click of the remote! If you are looking for ideas about incorporating candles in your holiday décor, stop by Terra Casa and check them out. They are only 6 minutes away from I-205 and Clackamas Town Center in the town of Damascus. They also wanted us to remind you that you should always be safe with candles and never let them burn unattended.