Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-05-29, Page 22k 11 Page 8A—Crossroads—May 29, 1985 Country look from hodgepodge By Barbara 'Hartung Q. I'd like to move from just a hodgepodge of hand- me-down furniture to a country decorating scheme in my house. But. I can't change everything. Please give me some ideas for mov- ing in that direction.—A.V. A. You can create a country look with colors and fabrics as well as furniture and special accessories. If you could recover your hand- me-down furniture in country fabrics, that would be a great start. Choose small florals or floral stripes. in soft, informal designs. If your assorted wood fur- niture is not valuable, you might give it a coat of paint m to blend in with your country color scheme. Softly an- tiqued or painted furniture is appropriate to a country decorating scheme. Creative use of fabric, in- cluding laces, eyelets, and other delicate materials in a bedroom can offer an instant country feeling. Also, study country decorating to 'deter- mine what it is that you like and would be able to repeat in your own home. One source you might en- joy is the new "Laura Ashley Book of Home Decorating," published by Harmony Books of New York. This $24.95 volume not only is filled with color photographs of lovely country designs — elegant and informal — but it also contains about 50 pages of how -to -decorating hints with drawings illustrating the material "discussed. I have found the book inspir- ing to thumb through and motivating, as well. Q. I am moving to our first condo after renting all my life. I have a very limited budget but would like a decorator to help me choose paint colors to make the place light and to help in the placement of furniture. And I probably will need some ideas on window treat- ment.-S.R. A. You are embarking on a big project that I hope will be exciting for you. Since you have a limited budget, as most of us do, consider en- gaging a professional de- signer to work with you for a couple of hours. Either select someone from a store where you will buy some furnishings or call the .local chapter of the Na- tional Society. of Interior De - COUNTRY CHARM—A country corner is created with this rocker recliner covered in a mauve woven cotton mini -print with touches of blue and buff, the pine console and benches, and the wool print dhurrie rug. Recliner is by Barcalounger. signers (which should be listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book). Be candid with the design- ers suggested by tlhe chapter and tell them what your re- sources are. Choose someone you feel you can work with and who truly will try to help you. A professional can do in a few hours what it would take a non-professional days to do. With a professionalyou are not going to make expen- sive mistakes like choosing the wrong color' carpeting to create the effect you want. Don't rush, however. Perhaps it is better to live in the confusion of unfinished interiors for several weeks to give you the time you need to plan out what you really want. i Q. I have a one -room apartment that I willbe moving into soon. The space is large but rather unex- citing at the moment. Please give me some ideas on how I might incorporate a queen -size bed, a set of four wicker chairs and a glass - topped table for dining, and a sofa into a pleasing environ- ment. • I am rather good at do -it - your -self projects although I need good directions.—P.C. Communication Systems THAT WILL • CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT TELEPHONES Witiltbstait Ceisuitugicatian. CLIFFORD • ONTARIO • Privacy • Programmable Electronic Telephone • Computer Based • Hold .Recall • Intercom • Conferencing • Last Number Redial • On Hook Dialing • Memory Dialing Call, Collect 327-801, 2 Olp 410 ®0®? A. Some of the most func tional yet attractive studio apartments I have seen take full advantage of the walls as well as the floor space. In one corner of the room, place the queen -size bed on a •platform that you could build with storage underneath. Design a ledge, around the two walls of the bed to give you space for lamps, clocks and other items, eliminating the , need for nightstands. Then you can heap the bed with pillows on top of a tailored comforter to give lots of lounging space. Extend the design of the ledge above on the walls to create shelves for books and accessories. A wider ledge could provide facilities for a desk, which could double as a shelf for buffet dining or a bar. Arrange your chairs and table in another corner near- est your cooking facilities. And, finally, place your sofa adjacent to the dining area. Perhaps you will want to add a pair of chairs to your sofa or, if you are limited in space, use your dining chairs to supplement your sofa seating. THE COST OF MOTHERHOOD In spite off all the advances we. have made in. trying to equalize opportunities for women, serious problems re- main. They centre on the division of labor between men and women. Women are adversely affected by the career interruptions caused by motherhood, and the costs of that are very large indeed. Motherhood entails a widely recognized, very heavy cost to a family. There is, of course, the assumption that the man has the pri- Canada's Business by Bruce VVhitestone 'nary' obligation to work for pay while the wife must con- sider family commitments pre-eminent. It has been estimated that mothers with average earn- ings lose about seven years' • pay for each additional child. This is based on the premise that about half of all married women work full or part- time until the birth of their first child, and almost all re- turn to the work force after- wards. Employed mothers often work part-time, while child- less women are less likely to Meissen plates a find By James G. McCollam Member, Antique Appraisers Association of America Q. These 12 Meissen (with crossed swords mark) plates are in perfect condition. I have been told that this is the "Blue Onion" pattern. What can you tell me about their vintage and value? A. Assuming that these are authentic, they are the Meis- sen "Onion" pattern as it was made in the late 19th century. A set of, 12 is hard to find and should be worth about $500. Individually, they would bring about $30 or $40. Q. I have a beautiful chocolate pot with the en- closed mark on the bottom. It has ball ' feet and ' is decorated with pink flowers. Can you tell me who made it, where and its value? A. This was made by Rheinhold Schlegelmilch in Tillowitz, Germany, during the late 19th century. It prob- ably would sell for about $175 to $225. Q. I have started to collect old toothpick holders and' find that some of them are very high priced. Could you provide some realistic prices? A. If you happen to run across a Burmese Glass toothpick holder and the price is over $300, don't be surprisedoOtherwise, there 1 div many to choose from in the $10 to $25 range: Bisque, $20; Brass, $25; Slag Glass, $10; Carnival Glass, $12; Nippon china, $20; Silverplate, $25. 0 0 0 Send your inquiries about antiques with picture(s), a detailed description, stamp- ed; self-addressed envelope, and $2 per item to James G. McCollam, PO Box 720, Clif- ton Park, NY 12065. All ques- tions will be answered but published pictures cannot be returned.• f do so. Workers who follow an uninterrupted career pattern usually achieve higher pay - rates through experience and eventualy promotion. These opportunities often are foregone by women who have children. Mothers fre- quently must accept poorly paid, part-time jobs which do not fully utilize their skills or training in order to fit em- ployment into the family roles. There should be better ways to combine employ- ment with family responsib- ilities. Such measure -s would, in turn, reduce the "cost" of becoming a mother and would stop the wasteful under -utilization of skilled female resources in the labor market. It should be recog- nized that the steady rise of married women in the work force (up 41 per cent in a de- cade) helped to create our ' affluence. That led to the de- mand and production of ".mechanical servants" which liberated women from many of the chores of house- keeping. The addition of workers including, of course, mothers, extends and creates new wealth but with unforeseen consequences for the stability and importance of the family unit.. If our tax system reduced the after-tax cost of child care, one impediment to motherhood would be re- moved. This is an unfilled promise of the Conservatives' in Canada and it should be implemented in some form. Otherwise, we will have to consider other ways to pro- tect the pensions of those currently employed. The earnings of succeeding geii erations would be too small, because the decline in child bearing would mean that there are not enough work- ers to sustain pension out- lays. TRUCKLOAD OF FANS SALE May 28, 29, 30, 31 & June 1 No home, no hope for Paola (NC) — Paola lives with poverty. Her family must share a one -room mud -and- straw hut with another family. They daily face hunger, cold, poor health and worse. But there is a way for Pao - la's family to reachthe goals they hope for. What- ever the problem = educa- tion, clean water, job train- ing, medical care — Foster Parents Plan's fully inte- grated programs will help 'find a solution. For a free booklet on Fos- ter Parents'Plan, write Box 900, Dept. PS, Station Q, Toronto, Ont. MMI4T 2P1, or call toll-free 1-800-268-7174, (in B.C. 112-800-268-7174). Do lumpsum insurance payments give you a lump inthe throat, bring a tear tothe eye, andputadent in your pocketbook? Then read on. Because The Dominion has the ideal solution. The Ideal Monthly Payment' Plan. lt,allows you to pay for your insurance premium with 12 monthly instalments. With absolutely no carrying charges. Jtiit how ideal is the Plan? FUR EXAMPLE. IF YOUR ANNUAL PREMIUM'S. YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENT WOU LD BE $240 $20 $480 $40 $720 $60 the al Manthl Pa yat;' � Plan; The Dominion of Canada Group Mei/ INSUNANCE BROKERS LTD, W INC FIANI 357.2e36 GORRIF' 335.3525 • Assorted Fan Styles &. • Assorted Light Kits 436-17/E442-4 Reg. 177.60 SALE PRICE $115.9 5 All fans have 3 year warranty, 3 speed reversing motors, light kit adaptable. FANS LIGHT KITS 'BLUE ONION' MEISSEN A set of 12 is hard to,find von LIGHTING CENTRE 133 Regent Street STRATFORD 273-0650 priced as low as $ 8 9 . 9 5 priced from $ 1 5 . 9 5 & up an 4/4 company-- MARK TR/ESHARDER? CULLEN OFCOURSE because he's the new boy on the block in Listowel! K �lJ 1 L\C 1 /114 1-1InHIAIAV 7 N ONA! I ACF AVF) I ISTnWFI Phone (519)291 -3791-SALES HRS. 9 to 9 MONDAY to FRIDAY, SATURDAY 9 to 5-SERVICEHRS. 3105 MONDAY to FRIDAY MARK CULLEN, 4.4