Daggs brings love of marbling to Shore
Having grown up in Cambridge and later lived in Easton, Jennifer Daggs loves coming back to the Eastern Shore. Her next opportunity to do so will happen during this month’s Martin Luther King weekend, when she’ll be teaching marbling classes during the Delmarva Art...
Houseplants’ spotlight time is winter
Winter weather adversely affects growing conditions for houseplants. Proper care during the winter months can help insure the health of houseplants. Most houseplants grow well with daytime temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F and night temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees...
Refurbished sleighs, restored bells help ring in the season
It’s been more than a century since the heyday of elegant sleighs dashing through the snow, their bell bedecked equines jingling all the way. Yet in pictures and music and memories, they remain everlasting seasonal icons. Some of these bygone treasures, such as Albany...
Martinez has colors to dye for
If you went to Ocean City’s Delmarva Wool & Fiber Expo last February, then you probably noticed independent yarn and fiber dyer Melody Martinez and her colorful Haute Bohème Fibers booth. The expo marked the debut of Martinez’s new logo, a graphic rendition of her...
Konopelski: As seen on TV
As a former performer on the Broadway stage, it’s not that far-fetched for local chef Steve Konopelski to take a dramatic approach to his baking projects. Whether it’s in front of the camera for a Food Network special or in his Denton bed and breakfast, Turnbridge...
Pinecone creations naturally Christmas
Christmas can be overwhelming with choices — picking perfect presents, finding a tree that doesn’t scrape the ceiling but makes the room look full, and most importantly, deciding which cookies to make. (It’s easier to decide which cookies to eat. All of them!) One of...
Stockings a well-heeled tradition of American Christmas celebrations
Right along with the Christmas tree, Christmas stockings have long been an essential part of holiday traditions in homes across the world. Taking it back to 1823 when Clement Clarke Moore penned “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” presents the line that is permanently...
Mid-Shore Holiday Events Calendar 2018
For Scott, home bakery has been a piece of cake
When Jeanne Scott hits the kitchen for a day of baking, her focus is certainly getting the measurements right and the filling the orders but behind all that are the memories of hers and her children’s childhood that drive her. “For me it always begins with home — as a...
When decorating with photos, anything goes
When decorating with photos and works of art, anything goes. From collages to galleries, from family photos to a prized photo collection, mixing and matching memories is in vogue. We all remember the dreaded “wall of shame” in our parent’s home showcasing our...
Heavy rains increase pathogen risk for trees
Last month, the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Forest Pest Management program released an advisory to “landowners to keep an eye out for trees affected by heavy rainfall throughout the summer months. This extended wet period has created favorable growing...
Building sweet family memories
This holiday season parents will again ponder ways to create traditions appealing enough to lure youngsters away from the latest tech wizardry, and meaningful enough to last. Two families, in different regions of the country, discovered a secret which worked for them,...
Corn husk dolls harvest kids’ imagination, creativity
When I wrote this, Halloween hadn’t even passed and I’ve been asked quite a few times what I’ll get my kids for Christmas. Lucy is at the “baby doll” stage and every time I go to look at dolls, it’s overwhelming — some that spit up, some that wet their diapers, and...
There’s nothing dull about restoring dolls
Sharon Wilkerson has seen it so many times she’s lost count. Parents buy an American Girl doll for their young toddler daughter, and in a few years, when the child is at an age to better enjoy the toy, it’s unappealing or too damaged to play with. “Most of them, the...
The spice of fall life
Even before the first leaf considers falling and the nighttime temperatures dip below a mere 70 degrees, grocery stores and coffee shops make the transition to pumpkin-spiced everything. Your favorite bagels? Pumpkin-spiced. Coffee creamer? Pumpkin-spiced. Cereal?...
Pumpkins aren’t just for Jack O’ Lanterns anymore
Pumpkins are everywhere, and if you have a few extra from your garden or if your little ones just couldn’t decide which pumpkin to get at the pumpkin patch, there’s lots of things to do besides carving them. For all of these projects, you’ll only need a smaller...
Coming soon to a garden center near you
Every August, independent garden center retailers and vendors from all across the country and around the world gather for a huge trade show that includes order-writing specials, inspirational keynotes, continuing education, and peer-to-peer networking. At this year’s...
Doing his own zing
Having lived in Cambridge for nearly a quarter century now, I’ve come to know a thing or two about the distinctive local flavors one can savor here. But for the past few years, I’ve become intrigued at spotting a vehicle around town with the words Cambridge Spice...
Learning to return to our food roots
Shane Brill likes to begin each day by tasting something brand new. But instead of rummaging in the fridge, or frequenting the local bakery, he forages for novel flavors in and around his own backyard, or while biking to work as the assistant director of the Eastern...
Break the mold with a crayon refresh
As it’s back to school time, if you aren’t buying graphing calculators yet, you likely still have a pack of crayons on your back-to-school shopping list. Crayons can take a real beating and if you are anything like me, you might be a pinch of a hoarder and don’t want...
Festival’s two garden films promise to bud for pleasure
From Thursday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 14, the Chesapeake Film Festival will celebrate the burgeoning of film on screens all over Easton, St. Michaels and Cambridge, Md. With nearly 50 films flourishing in the area, two will thrill anyone who loves gardens and...
