Cheap Thrills

In the room next to the kitchen in her Syosset home, retired high school art teacher Alice Sprintzen keeps an acetylene torch.

She also keeps a drill press, a scroll saw, a flexible shaft, a belt sander and a rolling mill, as well as a rock-polisher, a bench shear and a small anvil.

A window fan ventilates when the torch is going.

Sprintzen is a jeweler, and what was once upon a time a typical suburban breakfast room became her studio 25 years ago when she and her husband, David, took out the wall separating the breakfast room from an adjoining mudroom to enlarge the space to 12 by 11 1/2 feet.

Continue reading this article by Dan Van Benthuysen.

They create their own spaces with artistic flair. Meet Long Island's designing kids and get inspiration for your own room. Continue reading this article by Newsday's Carol Polsky.

Old furniture, china, coins and estate jewelry ... some pieces are legitimate, valuable antiques while others are, well, just plain junk.

Learn to spot the difference at a four-session appraisal series on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. through May 1, as the Ward Melville Heritage Organization brings antique dealers and experts to the Education and Cultural Center at Stony Brook Village Center on Main Street. Sessions cost $7 each ($25 for all four), which includes a free appraisal of one item per session. Call 631-689-5888 to register; visit wmho.org for the full schedule of topics and speakers.

-- FRANK LOVECE

I recently learned about rugmaker Angela Adams after seeing her do a segment on the Martha Stewart Show showing off her fabulous patterned rugs. The designer is currently having a sale on her chic, yet functional handbags and bathroom decor items featuring the same cool patterns found in her popular rugs. Click here to get the deal!

Get your fill of quilts -- traditional, modern and art -- at the "Brooklyn All Stars" show sponsored by The Quilters Guild of Brooklyn. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Block Institute, 376 Bay 44th St. in Brooklyn. Call 646-884-1212 or visit www.quiltbrooklyn.org

Photo credit: ohjanna.etsy.com

What do you get when local artists, designers and crafters -- all of whom are sellers on the handmade marketplace Etsy -- put their heads together?

You get a one-day shopping bonanza called the Brooklyn Home Show. The event highlights artists not just from Brooklyn, but from the surrounding areas as well.

Pick up some great indie finds, including handmade invitations, cards, collage, all-natural soaps, intricately crocheted hats and scarves, photography, animal posters, jewelry, screen-printed apparel, hand bags and dresses.

When: March 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: 248 11th Street, corner of 11th St. and 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

For maps and directions and to reserve a gift bag with freebies and promotional items, visit their Web site: www.freewebs.com/bkhomeshow/

Want to get a head start on your shopping? Click here for a peek at the designers.

Come to the New York Design Center on Friday, February 8 from 1 to 5 p.m. for your chance to be discovered. BravoTV is seeking design talent for the second season of its series "Top Design." Go to bravotv.com/casting for details.

When Harry Wicks approaches a piece of wood, he says, it tells him what it "demands" to be. It could be a bowl or a platter or a rolling pin. Whatever the shape, though, Wicks considers his creation a work of art.

"It's no different from painting or doing sculpture in clay. It all comes from the same brain," says Wicks, 70, who graduated from the art and design school at New York's Pratt Institute. His art form - wood turning - wasn't in the curriculum, though.

"I'm self-taught. I always loved working with wood," says Wicks, who has been doing it full-time in his Cutchogue home-studio for the past 15 years. His work is currently being shown and sold at three spots, Blue Door Gallery in Riverhead, Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery in Cutchogue and Gallery North in Setauket, as well as at his own studio.

"Real Simple Cleaning: Your Room-by-Room Guide to a Beautiful House," (Real Simple Books, $$21.95): This book is crammed with ideas about cleaning virtually everything, from showers to a child's bedroom to home office. There's good advice on how to mix or not mix certain products, quick fixes for messy areas, floor waxes, cleaning the ceiling and a lot more, in a highly accessible format.

As the pop classic says, "You always hurt the one you love."

TLC sure loved "Trading Spaces," so much so that the cable network nearly loved the poor show to death.

By January of 2005, TLC had decided to revamp the franchise and give the boot to perky host Paige Davis, who joined the show in its second season in 2001.

"Trading Spaces" is still on the air, but with no host and after much tweaking of the format, the thrill is gone. When a new team came in to run TLC a few months ago, a top priority was to return the channel's onetime tent-pole show to its former glory.

On Saturday at 10 p.m., two days after the third-year anniversary of the announcement of her departure, Davis returns.

Continue reading this article...Paige Davis returns to host TLC's 'Trading Spaces'

Houses Inside and Out. By Mariette Himes Gomez, CollinsDesign, 244 pages, $39.95

PURPOSE: To help make a house a home.

AUTHOR'S CREDENTIALS: In 1975, interior designer, Mariette Himes Gomez, launched Gomez Associates in Manhattan. Her furniture line - the Mariette Himes Gomez Collection for the Hickory Chair Co. is available in stores throughout the country. Gomez, a resident of Manhattan and Long Island, is the author of "Rooms."

EXCERPT: "A house is an idea, a house is a thing, a house is you, a tangible embodiment of your dreams and desires and interests. Your house has its own personality and continuity and unity. Its parts come together as your home. My conviction that houses are wholes that express the spirit of the inhabitants forms the core of this book. It is the premise underlying my approach to designing a house."

Here's a book to help you renovate it yourself ...

The Pocket Renovator: An Illustrated Guide to the Language of Home Improvement and Renovation. By Leslie and Pamela Banker. Universe, $19.95

PURPOSE: To introduce first-time buyers and renovators to home improvement terminology so that they know how to speak to and hire contractors or do the work themselves.

AUTHORS' CREDENTIALS: The Bankers are a mother and daughter duo with design expertise. Pamela Banker has more than 30 years' experience in the decorating and design profession; Leslie Banker, her daughter, is a journalist whose work has appeared in Architectural Digest, House & Garden and Town & Country.

This week's crafter turned a love of handbags into a business. I saw her selling her lovely wares at a Shecky's shopping event during the summer and just had to learn more about her creative process. Let's meet Lesia!

Name: Lesia Chandra Griffin, 28
Hometown: Kew Gardens, NY
Occupation: Handbag and accessories designer
Craft: Handmade bags
Web site: www.144Collection.com

How did you get into making your own bags?

The 144 Collection began as a hobby for me. I started taking sewing lessons as a way for me to relax and have fun. As I continued with my lessons, I found I really enjoyed making my own patterns. I created a few pieces and tested them out with family and friends. They really liked the pieces and encouraged me to pursue it further. In February 2006, I started 144 Collection. The name is actually taken from my old apartment address where I began sewing.

What's your best tip when making something?

The best tip I can give when creating anything would be don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes. I have made patterns that are two small, big or the shape is totally off. You could not imagine the rejected pattern shapes I have in my sewing drawers. At the same time, there are patterns I see in my head and create them and they are spot on.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration everywhere. I like shapes so I'm looking at everything trying to find an interesting shape. I once designed a bag from looking at the columns on the New Jeresy Turnpike.

What would you like to make next?

Aprons, a customer who is a chef asked me about possibly doing an apron line. I'm trying to put something together and see if I like it.

Where do you get your supplies?

I'm what I would call a fabroholic. I just love fabric so I get it from various places like Equilter, Jcarolinecreative, Buyfabricsonline, Create for Less, Hancock's of Paducah, The Ragshop and Wal-Mart. I have been cutting back since my apartment can not hold anymore fabrics.

What's your biggest challenge?

It would have to be finding space for everything. I have a one bedroom apartment which is slowly being overtaken with fabric, supplies and handbags.

Any advice for beginners?

Research everything this includes pricing, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and other businesses that make the same kind of product that you offer. Try to attend seminars or classes that will help you learn more about the business you wish to pursue. I took a class on manufacturing accessories at the Learning Annex. I would also suggest getting a mentor. My mentor helps me with the business aspect which can sometimes be overwhelming. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It is really the only way to learn what not to do next time. Never forget to have fun with it!

Why do you love making your own bags?

I love designing because it gives me a chance to showcase another side of myself. I have always loved creative things like drawing, art, photography, music, etc. For a long time, I didn't know how to express that side of myself and creating my own bags gives me a chance to do that. I also love the idea of creating unique bags for customers that you will not see anyone else wearing.

For more information on Lesia's handbags, please visit her Web sites: www.144Collection.com and www.144Collection.etsy.com

Want to show off your creative side? Send me an e-mail with pictures showing off your favorite craft and you might be chosen as our next DIYer of the Week!

"Pretty in Punk: 25 Punk, Rock, and Goth Knitting Projects" (Chronicle Books, $19.95): Tired of knitting lackluster scarves? Alyce Benevides and Jaqueline Milles deliver an innovative dose of inspirational projects, all of which derive from the punk, ska and pin-up girl cultures. Whether you embark on the adorable aviator cap or the rockabilly clutch project, the authors provide you with detailed how-to's while encouraging knitters to "inject their own personalities."

"Design Idea Book: Learning From Designer Showhouses" (Sunset Books, $21.95): Karen Templer guides readers through 39 designer "idea" houses, highlighting the choices behind the decor of these stylish homes. With more than 400 vivid photographs, those looking for inspiration for a new home or a renovation have a tremendous armchair reference in this book. Templer leads readers through the decorating maze with helpful hints on the details that make the space: color, flooring, paint and wall treatments.

"DIY Creative Juice" (Sterling Publishing Co., $14.95): Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza of the DIY Network show "Creative Juice" have cobbled together a wealth of "re-crafting" projects in their first book. Although some of the suggestions lean a bit toward the gaudy, a handful of the craft ideas feel fresh and inventive. Take, for instance, the metal pipe candleholders or the mosaic button picture frames, which refashion extraneous household items into functional art. Divided into five realms (Adorn, Decorate, Give, Play and Remember), crafters of all experience levels will find fun projects peppered throughout this book.

"The Big Book of Weekend Beading" (Reader's Digest, $26.95): Whether it's one-of-a-kind jewelry or embellished accessories, this guide contains more than 30 projects that will stoke the imagination of novices and veterans alike. For those less familiar with beading, the book provides a comprehensive overview of types of beads as well as materials needed to complete the outlined projects. Arranged in order of difficulty, this book's vibrant photos and straightforward directions make it a welcome addition to the crafter's collection.

-- Kimberly Tarr

Purchase Corian, walnut, oak bamboo and lacquer furniture and accessories from the collection of interior designer Roseann Repetti and architect West Chin at 15 percent off at the FTF Design Studio "Holiday Sale" from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 13 and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at FTF Design Studio, 137 Fifth Avenue in Manhatttan. For more information, call 212-925-0847 or visit ftfdesignstudio.com

Need a little help deciding what to buy? Before you hit the mall, check out my guide to one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts by Long Island designers, artists and makers of all stripes.

Buying the wares of many of these Long Islanders is like investing in their hopes, dreams and creativity. That alone can make a gift extra-special.

So this year, avoid all those cookie-cutter gifts and forget about buying another impersonal gift card.

Here's a look at some of the most imaginative and unusual items around, all of which can be ordered online. Start shopping here!

Also, take a gander at our previous offerings for handmade holiday gifts that are local and not-so local too. You're sure to find something gift worthy!

Happy holidays!
Corris

Photo: Mistletoe by Zoo Loo Naturals

Each week this month, I'll introduce you to some great handmade arts and crafts -- many are made by New Yorkers -- that are perfect for giving as gifts. I hope you will find this shopping guide helpful. Please consider supporting handmade artists in our area.

This week: For the home

Jimmy Pickles Design -- Everyone has their bad habits...I'm always looking for my keys, but I think I've found a cure! The adorable key chain wristlets designed by Cherie Doherty at Jimmy Pickles Design would be perfect! They have coin purses too. I adore their fabrics as anything vintage or preppy is a must-have in my book. Pick up several of these useful, yet chic key chains for your friend who has everything. Made in Long Island. Visit online: jimmypickles.etsy.com



Minet -- I have an affinity for boats and the beach and recently fell in love with the artwork by James Minet from Nesconset, NY. This self-taught artist paints beautiful scenes using oils, acrylic and watercolors. His goal: "to create art that makes the viewer feel drawn in and comfortable." A gift of art is truly something special. Visit online: Minet.etsy.com




Elicias Creations - Summer is long gone, but you can reminisce with handmade signs by Elcias Creations. My favorite is the "Beach House" sign that is perfect for my dream home on Long Island. In addition, she offers signs inviting you to relax, come and sit down, and enjoy good wine and friends. If you're a wine lover, you'll want to take a look at her unique holiday wreath made of wine corks. Made in Long Island. Visit online: eliciascreations.etsy.com



Crafts by Joanne -- For your favorite cook, check out these "towel dresses" made for displaying on your towel rack or oven door handle by Joanne Leipold from Bay Shore. They can be used to dry your hands or simply look pretty in your kitchen or bathroom. If you wish to coordinate your decor, feel free to request a specific pattern or color scheme. Visit online: craftsbyjoanne.etsy.com

Photo of couture gift wrap, above, from ErinRuth.etsy.com.

This week's featured artist creates one-of-a-kind floral sculptures for weddings, sporting events, charity fund raisers, Sweet Sixteens and any other type of affair. She's currently working on new unique designs and enjoys creating custom pieces. Let's meet Felicia!

Name: Felicia Greenberg, 49
Hometown: Dix Hills, NY
Occupation: Event Designer/artist
Web site: www.tablearteventdesigns.com

How did you get into floral art?

As my children reached the Bar and Bat Mitzvah years I decided to try my hand at creating the centerpieces and room decor for their parties. The response was so overwhelming that I decided to open Table Art & Event Designs, a decor company for corporate and social gatherings. The event planners at Atlantis Marine World, in Riverhead, where we had my son's reception, saw my work and they were impressed with my unusual creations. They soon placed me on their recommended vendor list. Since then I have created pieces for events held at venues such as Oheka Castle, The New York Hall of Science, and various other venues throughout New York.

Loren Talbot & Jean Tanler, owners of a new store called Local Labels, has invited you to join them in celebrating the launch of their specialty foods & gifts Web site. Meet local artisans and manufacturers and raise a toast to all good things made within the five boroughs of New York City!

If you're going...

The party will be held on Wednesday, October 24th, from 6-8 p.m. at the Lower East Side Girls Club Gallery at 56 E. 1st Street between 1st & 2nd Ave in Manhattan.

Please RSVP: rsvp@locallabels.com

Visit their Web site: www.LocalLabels.com

It’s that house ... the one all the kids talk about. The one all the adults envy. The house that truly embodies Halloween. It has the décor, the music and, of course, the best candy. Every neighborhood has at least one. And this year, your home can be that house and you don’t need to channel the spirit of Martha Stewart either!

Made from dried apples, these shrunken heads can be used as place cards for a Halloween dinner, suspended over a doorway or skewered on dirty dowel rods in the front yard.

Ingredients:
Several Granny Smith apples
Whole cloves
Handful of dry rice
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
Snips of wig hair

Tools:
Small bowl
Large spoon
Small paring knife or potato peeler
Wire rack
Bamboo skewers

In a small bowl prepare a mixture of the lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of salt. Peel apples and coat with mixture to prevent browning. Use the peeler or the knife to carve out eye sockets, a nose, mouth and ears. You'll want to create large facial features as the apple will shrink in size.

To create the eyes, place whole cloves into each eye socket. Insert dry rice into mouth cavity to make teeth. To accelerate the drying process, place the apples in an oven at the lowest temperature for a few hours. Keep an eye on the apples as you don’t want to cook them. Remove apples from the oven and place on a wire rack in a warm, dry place for about 2-3 weeks.

After the apples are dry, add snips of wig hair. Wrap hair around the sharp tip of a bamboo skewer and insert tip into apple. The hair should stay in place, if it appears loose add a drop of glue and allow to dry.

-- by Steven James

Need more help or have a question about these projects? E-mail Steven James at create@macaroniandglitter.com. Visit his Web site at www.macaroniandglitter.com and his etsy store at macaroniandglitter.etsy.com.

Kim Myles, a hairdresser from Astoria, is the champion of HGTV's "Design Star." She clinched the competition when viewers voted for her colorful redecoration of a Hawaii hotel suite. Now she'll be getting her own decorating show.

Newsday's Carol Polsky caught up with Kim, who reveals her affection for Century 21, blue and yellow color schemes and Fire Island (among other things).

Click here for the full story.

For more on Kim, check out her blog at kimmyles.blogspot.com

Newsday photo by Bruce Gilbert

This week's featured artist is a very busy mom. When she's not caring for her children, she's taking care of patients as a registered nurse. And she still finds the time to make whimsical jar fairies and other types of mixed media art. Let's meet Danielle!

Name: Danielle Muller, 36
Hometown: Lake Grove, NY
Occupation: Wife, mother, registered nurse and mixed media artist
Web site: www.thevintagedragonfly.com

How did you get into mixed media?

I have always been surrounded by creative people my entire life, such as my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, my aunt. My mother is a wonderful artist and growing up I was encouraged to explore my own creativity. I was first introduced to the world of mixed media art a few years ago by a friend. I was instantly hooked! I love to do collage work as well as experiment with vintage materials creating jar fairies or assemblages.

What's your best tip?

My best tip is to try and don't be discouraged. We can be our own worst enemies at times. Believe in yourself, don't let fear stand in your way, and explore your creativity!

Name: Katharina Litchman
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Fiber artist
Craft: Quilting
Web sites: www.ArtQuiltsbyMietzi.com,
Katharina's online store via Buy Outside the Box

How did you get into making quilts?

While I was a commercial banker, a long, long time ago, a friend brought me a queen-size quilt she made at a class. Instantly, I fell in love with what effects one could create of the colors and patterns of fabric. I knew how to sew since I was a little girl (also a long time ago), I just went off and made one of my own. I started with traditional styles and patterns, and made so many large quilts that everyone in my family had one, and all the beds were covered. But there were still the walls, and I began to create small, decorative pieces.

Where do you find inspiration?

My quilts of tall buildings are inspired by the towering structures in Manhattan. Traditional Amish patterns are beautiful and lend themselves well to abstraction and reinventing. I've drawn inspiration from the modern and abstract art of Mondrian, Picasso, Klee, Kandinksky, and many more. And our cats are always assuming inspirational postures.

One of my favorite magazines, Domino, is hosting its first decorating contest for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree!! Every entry will get a free makeup sample. So, hurry up and start snapping photos of your fabulous decor!

Here's more details about Domino's contest:

Domino is asking the public (only amateurs -- no professionals, please!) to show us how good their decorating is and they could win a $10,000 shopping spree.

All people have to do is simple enter now on www.dominomag.com and upload one photo of their best decorated room in their home.

BONUS: Everyone is automatically entered in a drawing to win a free $3,000 spa trip—and every person who enters receives a free makeup sample.

Domino will choose five finalists by October 23rd and then the public votes for the winner on www.dominomag.com (from 10/23/07—11/30/07). The winner will be announced in January 2008 and will be featured in the February 2008 domino issue. See the Web site for the complete rules.

Good luck!

Here's Martha Stewart showing off the windows of Macy's Herald Square--all 36 windows have been artfully decorated with merchandise from Stewart's just-launched collection of dinnerware, bedding, bath accessories and kitchen items. The oh-so-Martha offerings are the classic goodies (think well-made bakeware, ceramic cake stands) that have been appearing on the set of her TV show and the pages of her magazine for years. Browse the full line at Macy's or here.

Sidenote: The Martha-obsessed can keep tabs on the domestic diva through her MySpace page (yes, MySpace)Martha Stewart's MySpace page and official blog.

Kitchen renovations are long, expensive and packed with lots of decision-making. From cabinets and countertops to floors and appliances...plus the details- light fixtures, faucets, backsplashes.

Figuring out what you want comes easier if you start collecting photos, magazine clippings and brochures of things you like.

Finished Kitchens is a blog that does double-duty as an impressive virtual showroom of ideas. Members not only post photo tours of their recently redone kitchens, but extensive source lists as well. So if you fall in love with a cabinet door style or ceramic tile pattern, you're not stuck in the perpetual hunt to figure out who makes it. What's more, the site's organizer has cataloged the 100+ kitchens into searchable categories--that means you can pull out photos of kitchens with say, black granite countertops or off-white cabinetry....or style (French, Old World, etc.)...or even layout (galley, L-shaped, center-island).

To say that Vincent Giffuni builds birdhouses is a little like saying Michelangelo painted buildings.

The Wantagh resident's stone-and-mortar bird villas, some with more than a dozen separate-entrance "apartments," are painstaking creations that are as much art as aerial residence. "No two are the same," he says.

A retired lawyer, Giffuni, 78, rediscovered his calling as birdhouse mason when his son Geoffrey happened upon his father's first creation at the home of the elder Giffuni's mother 20 years ago. Vincent Giffuni built the structure for his parents as a joke, of sorts, when he was 15.

"I made them a birdhouse out of stone," Giffuni says, thinking the quirky structure would be laughed at and dismissed. Instead, his father mounted it on a four-by-four post in the backyard, and for years his mother, Artemesia, watched and fed birds that took up residence in the structure.

Read the full Newsday article by Mark Harrington.

Martha Stewart recently launched her signature line of paint, available at Lowe's home improvement stores for about $25 a gallon.

The color palette, as expected, is beautiful. The 350 shades all bear fun Martha-esque names, such as Vintage Rickrack (a pleasing pink-red, pictured), Bread Dough (creamy off-white) and Garden Clog Green (no explanation necessary).

Perhaps best of all, each oversize paint chip displays the primary color and two coordinating shades for trim, accent and accessories. But don't expect to see no-brainer hues of white, beige and gray. These combinations are fresh, modern and just...right. With the chocolate brown Pumpernickel Loaf, for example, Martha suggests Tag Sale Yellow and Flower Bucket (very pale green).

As someone who's spent many frustrating hours staring at loose paint chips in endless pursuit of perfect color combination, I'll happily pass the buck to Martha's crew on my next project later this summer-- painting the walls after a total kitchen renovation. Now let's hope the paint itself performs well.

With all the shingled McMansions that require upkeep in the Hamptons, getting a carpenter to show up for a minor home improvement can be a major hurdle.

So we consulted Barbara K (for Kavovit), the East End's sexy poster gal for DIY. Her ergonomically correct, female-friendly tools are available at Amazon.com, at Target, at Home Depot, at Bloomingdale's and on QVC. She has worked on townhouses for supermodels Linda Evangelista and Amber Valletta. Courteney Cox and the Duchess of York both swear by her tools.

When we spoke to the upbeat fix-it guru, who built her own house, south of the highway in East Hampton, for an astonishingly low $150 per square foot, she wore a T-shirt, a sparkly skirt and flip-flops.

Read the full article by Jeffrey Slonim

To learn more about Barbara K, visit her Web site: www.barbarak.com.

The expert: Chayse Dacoda, interior designer and host of HGTV's new series, "Get It Together" (9 p.m. Fridays), which focuses on solving the design fiascos of couples who disagree on the style of a room in their house.

The product: Coffee table

What I want: I like good bones in a table and unexpected elements - wood and metal, for example, and an unusual height.

I must have: Large scale is always good. (Putting things down and having room for them is underrated almost always.) When there is room, it's nice to use multiple small tables to accomplish what a big table would do. This way the tables are mobile as well, which can be priceless if you entertain. Wood grain should be gorgeous and with a perfect finish. Finish is the key.

Read the full article and find out her picks for a great coffee table.

Pictured: Chayse Dacoda, interior designer

Summer entertaining often means firing up the grill for casual, no-f