At Home: Party Like It's Mardi Gras; Decorating With Collections

[washingtonpost.com]

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	At Home  Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006 COLLECT IT Most of us collect something, whether it be antique silver spoons or seashells, botanical prints, old movie posters, photographs, perfume bottles or even fashionable shopping bags. Displaying your collections rather than hiding them can enliven even the drabbest of decors by adding a personal touch. In a clever use of her Chanel makeup and the shopping bags it came in, a friend transformed a closet into a glam dressing room in Georgetown. She layered an old card table with some vintage lace and topped it with a serving tray of silver plate. She uses the tray to hold her lipsticks, compacts and shadows encased in Chanel's signature glossy black and white packaging. Her costume pearls and necklaces are displayed on the edge of the larger shopping bags, while she neatly stashes her brushes and eye and lipstick pencils in smaller bags. Instead of being stuck in a drawer, her makeup and jewelry is now not only easy to see, the effect is eye-catching. – Janet Bennett • An Artist's Loft in Little Orange • Calming the Nursery • Bathing Beauties: Not Just Another Bathtub COOK IT Mardi Gras is a time for celebration and this year's festivities mark a big comeback for the struggling city. Cheer the end of gluttony with a fabulous nod to New Orleans. If you're more interested in the bites than the beads, consider creating an entire feast of signature New Orleans dishes. For a more low-key celebration, scoop out helpings of spicy jambalaya or a gumbo-bouillabaisse bowl to satisfy a crowd. Serve the hearty fare with sweet potato or buttermilk biscuits. Etouffes, greens and cajun popcorn make delectable sides. For a sweet ending, prepare a vibrant and fun king cake or a more traditional doberge cake. Finally, set out a dish of pecan pralines to nibble on with chicory coffee before the day of indulgence is over. – Erin Hartigan • Taste Test: The Oreo Cookie • Free Range: The Food Section Dishes • What's Cooking With Kim O'Donnel PAINT IT What color does a hopeless insomniac use to paint her bedroom? Our colleague, who admits to counting sheep to sleep, chose Sherwin Williams's Vintage Ornament. "It's a mellow, pale shade." It also goes with the flow of the rest of the house for which she picked SW's Rubbed Sage and Sea Sponge, pale, soft colors that make the public spaces of the small suburban Virginia house appear much larger. – Janet Bennett • Decorating Dilemmas? Ask Annie Groer and Jura Koncius GROW IT Tip of the Week: Remove last year's growth on lenten roses, which are now sprouting and blooming afresh. Prune off to the ground the old leaf stalks, which are larger and darker green than the new growth. Take care not to damage the fresh shoots. • Fertilizer: Chemical or Organic? • A Cook's Garden: Seeds Are a Bargain FIX IT As aging baby boomers concern themselves with finding homes they can grow old in rather than turn to nursing homes or the like, they're considering widening doorways and adding features like roll-in showers and elevators to maximize mobility. • Kevin O'Connor of "This Old House" Answers Home Improvement Questions • New Real Estate Valuation Technology on Shaky Foundation Note: At Home will not publish next Thursday, March 2. We're back again on March 9. Electronics Furniture Home Decorating & Improvement Sports & Leisure Bring Your Health Club Workout Home with Name-Brand Home Fitness Equipment from Leisure Fitness! Clothing & Apparel South Moon Under is your fall fashion destination to find clothing and accessories from Juicy Couture, UGG Australia, James, Seven for all Mankind, Kendra Scott, Original Penguin, Ben Sherman, and Citizens of Humanity.
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