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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 16, 2012 · 20 Spring Home & Garden (NC)--Is your home feeling warm and inviting--or giving you a case of cabin fever? If it's the latter, don't you fret. There are many simple and inexpensive updates you can complete to give your home a quick pick-me-up, like these: Terrific Table and Chairs The kitchen table is the hub of the home-- where we dine as a family, do crafts and work, or play cards and board games. So it's important to make this everyday staple a welcoming area for you, your family and friends. But is your wood tabletop looking drab or stained? Or is the metal surface chipped? No matter what wear and tear you may have inflicted on your table, you can easily update it with a quick coat of spray paint. Directions: Remove any seat cushions and thoroughly clean all table and chair surfaces. Once dry, spray paint the surfaces with your favourite colour. Choose a product with a paint and a primer in one, like Krylon Dual Paint + Primer. This formulation allows you to complete the project in one simple step, and in half the time. Once you've sprayed all areas and the surfaces are dry, you can re-attach your seat cushions (or create a new look with updated fabric) and enjoy your refreshed kitchen activity center. Focal Point Finishes Lighting fixtures can increase the ambiance to Turn a blah into an ooh-and-ahh any room, but replacing them can cost hundreds of dollars. With a little elbow grease, $20 and less than two hours, you can update your existing ones with a more attractive--and popular--finish. Directions: Cover your work area with newspaper and disassemble the fixture. Clean the pieces and tape off areas that don't need to be painted. Following the instructions on the label, apply aerosol Indoor/Outdoor primer followed by the new paint in your favourite color and finish. Once dry, remove the tape and reassemble your impressively updated focal point. Cover the Smallest Details Are you sick of staring at dull, dirty or chipped register covers or light switch plates around your home? A simple paint update can give any room an instant pick-me-up. Directions: Remove register covers or light switch plates and place them on newspaper. Sand the surface lightly and wipe clean. Clean all pieces to remove any built up dust and grime. Following instructions on the label and apply a number of light coats of aerosol primer, followed by a few coats of gloss or metallic spray paint. Reinstall once dry. With just a few simple home projects, your space can feel fresh and new in no time at all. The Bronze Frog Gallery was conceived through a very strong vision. For Kathy Thomas and her management team at Green Thumb Landscaping Limited that vision is "To share our passion for beautiful, comfortable, pleasurable outdoor living." To offer incredible garden art, furniture and accessories to her expanding list of landscaping customers, was Kathy's goal. "Our landscape customers would spend a considerable budget on landscaping. But when it came to decorating and accessorizing, I just hated the plastic furniture and the concrete Buddha's and gnomes!" she says. Gloster furniture, hand crafted steel pine cones, outdoor cushions and gorgeous stainless steel lanterns of all sizes are only a small part of the offering. "I chose Gloster because it is the best there is, and for me, life is just too short for problems. Lifetime furniture. Gloster is sold internationally and lives in top resorts all over the world. If it can work in resorts in Bora Bora, it will definitely work for my customers." 'Think Spring' at downtown's The Bronze Frog Gallery with beautiful outdoor furniture and accessories Advertorial Kathy added beautiful works of art, glass, her famous bronze frogs by artist Tim Cotterill and much more, primarily to offset the winter season. They have become such a hit that artists now regularly exhibit in the gallery year round, even in the midst of the outdoor furniture. The idea of a gallery where unique sculptures, top of the line furniture, accessories you just can't find at a garden centre, grew from the vision. Locating in beautiful downtown Oakville with the charm befitting a gorgeous garden was the icing on the cake. "I wanted to be here," says Kathy. "It's really very simple to please my customers," says Kathy. "I buy the best so they can buy the best and they can always trust that it will be the best. So many of them are now my friends and this is just what you do for friends, isn't it?" The Bronze Frog Gallery is located at 162 Lakeshore Road E. between Navy and Thomas Street. The gallery can also be found on-line at bronzefroggallery.com. You can buy on-line but frankly, Kathy and her team would be delighted if you would drop in for a personal visit! Buy itonce.Love it forlife. (at 35% off!) At the Bronze Frog Gallery we carry only the best of the best, and our Gloster outdoor furniture is no exception. Outstanding quality and design. Teak, woven, aluminum, stainless steel. Whatever you choose, we know you'll love it for life. And the best part is, if you place your order by April 9th, you will save up to 35%! The Bronze Frog Gallery | 162 Lakeshore Road East in beautiful Downtown Oakville | 905.849.6338 | www.bronzefroggallery.com