14, 1992 - North Shore News

NEWS phot Mike Wakefield

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Ranna Johnson and his grandmother Jo Johnson look over a chair from the doll
house Jo built into her living room wall. The house front opens revealing a store front and home

The Bay offering series of
home decorating workshops

QUESTIONS SUCH as ‘Where
do I start?”’ and ‘Is it OK to use
these colors together?’’ are com-
mon for most people who are try-
ing to decorate their homes.

Often the project presents prob-
lems that are frustrating and seem
impossible to solve. However,
with a little knowledge and a
tmethod, a way can be found out
of the decorating and design
maze.

That way comes in the form of
the Bay’s ‘‘Home Decorating
Workshop’? which has _ helped
hundreds of people over the last
decade come to terms with all the
factors that make a house a home.

The three sessions cover a broad
spectrum of information; you'll
learn about the elements and
principles of design; how to ob-
jectively analyze your lifestyle and
needs; planning, color schemes
and how to make them work;

what materials should be used for
what application; and finally, ac-
cessories — how to select the
lamps, art and objects that put the
finishing touches on your home.

Three series of home decorating
workshops are scheduled to run
this spring, starting as follows:

e@ Thursday, Feb. 13: 6 to 8:30
p.m.; or, Saturday, Feb. 15: 10
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
@ Thursday, April 16: 6 to 8:30
p.m.; or, Saturday, April 18: 10
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
@ Thursday, June 11: 6 to 8:30
p.m.; or, Saturday, June 13: 10
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Each series runs for three con-
secutive weeks. Space is limited,
so register early by calling the
Bay’s furniture floor at 682-6211,
local 2482. Fee for the workshop
is $85 plus GST.

For more information, contact

‘deNeen Baldwin at 689-2106.

above it. Jo belongs to the Miniature Club of B.C. which meets monthly. For information on the
group's activities phone 988-9537.

Use wood stoves with caution

WOOD STOVES and other
fuel-burning appliances re-
quire air for combustion
and for diluting and ex-
hausting the products of
combustion out of the
house. Well-sealed houses,
however, may not have suf-
ficient air infiltration to sat-
isfy the demand for air of
all the appliances exhausting
air from the house.

A problem with the perfor-
mance of a wood stove is most
likely to occur when exhaust fans,
tangetop barbecues, kitchen and
bathroom fans, etc. are in opera-
tion. This competition for air
leads to combustion spillage, a
situation in which a portion of the
smoke is drawn out of the appli-
ance into the room.

By far the best precaution
against combustion spillage is to
have a properly designed wood-
burning system. A well-designed
system consists of a chimney
enclosed inside the house (as op-
posed to an exterior chimney) and
a straight, short flue pipe.

Burn wood that has been split,
dried and seasoned for six to 12
months; dry wood is up to 25%
more efficient, ignites faster and
smokes less. Burning wet or green
wood produces more creosote, a
tarry substance that can cause
chimney fires.

A hot fire with lots of oxygen
will burn with almost no smoke or
creosote build-up. You should
therefore try to maintain the bur-
ning rate of the stove.

Avoid overdamping or smother-
ing a fire, as this reduces the
stove’s burning temperature too
much and dramatically increases
emissions. Long, slow, overnight
burns and smouldering fires are
not recommended.

Here are some specific firing
techniques to follow:

@ Use plenty of newspaper (about
six to 10 crumpled sheets) to light
a fire.

@ Use plenty of small pieces of
dry kindling.

@ When starting a fire, set the air
controls fully open.

@ Once kindling is charred and
flaming brightly, add a few pieces
of intermediate kindling — co not
smother the kindling fire.

@ Never add one piece of wood
ata time.

@ Never reload the appliance un-

til the room or house temperature
bas begun to fall.

@ Use the flash fire technique,
i.e., several smallish pieces criss-
crossed, to take the chill off the
house in spring and fall; this
reduces the heat given off while
avoiding a smouldering fire.

@ Fire each new load for between
20 and 45 minutes at full output,
until the wood is flaming brightly
and is well charred.

@® Before you buy, check with
your insurance agent to determine
whether your policy covers the
addition of a wood stove.

Garden courses cover wide range

WHETHER YOU'RE a cer-
tified green thumb or new to
the gardening game, the Uni-

versity of B.C.’s Botanical
Garden has a course for you.

Titles range from *‘A Winter
Garden’’ to ‘‘Botanical Art’’ to
‘*An Introduction to the Japa-
nese Tea Ceremony.’’ Most
courses run on a Saturday
morning or afternoon. For
more information, or to regis-
ter, call 822-4804.

The Friends of the Garden
are sponsoring a Feb. 19 lec-
ture by Adrian Bloom, chair of

the famous Blooms of Bress-
ingham Nursery in Norfolk,
England. The presentation will
begin at 8 p.m. at Crofton
House School, located at 3200
West 4ist Ave. Tickets are $7.
For more information, call
822-4529.

And the Shop-in-the-
Garden is open daily from 11!
a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6804
Southwest Marine Dr. The
shop features books, seeds,
tools and other gardening
items. For more information,
call 822-4529.

It’s Time to Renovate with an
Insta-Flame Gas Fireplace

‘lisa I$ mag
Se ae

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View the new HE 3O Gas Insert at the Home Show

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brass & black, antique brass, antique brass & black, chrome,
chrome & black

All units burning on display Mon.-Sat. 9-5
Licensed gas contractor

A & A GAS FIREPLACES

a990 Mountain Hwy., & Ross Road 986-7088