Home Front magazine Fall 2017 by Leader Telegram

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HOME&GARDEN SOLUTIONS&PROJECTS

STAGING theSET Modern Kitchen

TRENDS ! n O s â&#x20AC;&#x2122; p u o S UP TO GARDEN TO SO

E N I H S N U S N E Z O FR Leader-Telegram Magazine Fall 2017

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HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

sweet ideas

HONEY CORNFLAKES

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat butter, sugar and honey in a small saucepan until frothy. Remove from heat.

INGREDIENTS 3 T. butter 1 cup of sugar 1 T. honey 4 cups of cornflakes

Add cornflakes and mix well. Spoon into cupcake cups and bake for 10 minutes.

Y E N HO please

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Leader- Telegram 3

Graphic Artist Angela Rediess

Minimalism, muted tones & other

Modern Kitchen Trends

Magazine Advertising & Distribution Coordinator Catie.Carlson@ecpc.com 715-830-5823 Next issue: November 2017 Published three times a year by the Leader-Telegram Advertising Department. P.O. Box 4001. Eau Claire, WI 54702.

Staging the Set

How to stage your home for the market

Available online at www.leadertelegram.com

Alyssa Van Duyse Staging the set PG 13

Dakota John Decorah 715-937-7538 Tristian Mitchell Decorah 715-937-2292 W5287 Chili Rd Neilsville, WI 54456 837377 • 8-12-17

Emily Vanda Minimalism, muted tones & modern kitchen trends PG 7

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HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

836417 • 8-12-17

Soup’s On!

From garden to soup to frozen sunshine, how to take advantage of nature’s bountiful harvest

Jay Gilbertson Garden to soup to frozen sunshine PG 20

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836374 8-12-17

Love Hurts? Alarming Rate of Teen

Dating Violence Persists

By Abby Hinz, RN, BSN Public Health Nurse

While dating violence can happen to anyone, teens and young adults experience it more than any other age group. Nationwide, one in three teens experience verbal, sexual, and/or emotional abuse from a dating partner. If this holds true in Eau Claire County, over 2,500 teenagers in the community could be current victims of teen dating violence. Only 33% of teens who are in an abusive relationship ever tell anyone about the abuse. Also, 81% of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it is one. Teens are influenced by their experiences. Healthy relationships can have a positive effect on a teen’s emotional growth. For teens that experience abuse there can be harmful short- and long-term effects. Abusive behaviors are any that are used to control the way someone thinks, feels, or acts. This includes isolation from friends and family, name calling, threatening, or physical harm. Youth who experience abuse are more likely to have depression and anxiety or have unhealthy behaviors and are at a higher risk of experiencing violence later in life.

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“Everyone in our community is affected by dating violence, and it will take a community effort to produce a lasting change,” says Abby Hinz, Public Health Nurse. Currently the Eau Claire City-County Health Department is working with community partners to teach Safe Dates, a program that educates teens about healthy relationships. Below are tips on how we, as a community, can prevent teen dating violence and promote a lifetime of healthy relationships: • Recognize the problem: Teen dating violence is common, but discomfort surrounding the issue often prevents open conversations within families and within the community. Reaching out to teens can set a strong foundation for health, wellness, and safety in their future relationships. • Use your voice: Talk with friends and family about sexual respect, consent, and healthy relationships to increase awareness and decrease stigma. • Define what you want in a healthy relationship: Equality, mutual respect, personal limits, and open communication are great starting points—choose values that speak to you. • Know the resources: If you or a loved one is in an abusive relationship, the National Dating Abuse Helpline provides free and anonymous support—call 1-866-331-9484 or text “loveis” to 22522. Visit www.LoveIsRespect.org for more information about teen dating violence. • Get involved in Eau Claire efforts: To join Eau Claire Healthy Communities Coalition efforts related to healthy relationship promotion or to learn more about Safe Dates, contact Abby Hinz at 715-839-2859 or visit http://eauclaire. wi.networkofcare.org/ph/

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HomeFront

Fall 2017

Leader- Telegram

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KITCHEN COUNTERTOP TRENDS

Is your kitchen feeling outdated? With major kitchen appliance brands constantly introducing new technology and innovation, it can be hard to keep up with the appliance trends. Here’s a way to update your kitchen without having to do a full remodel. If you’re building new, you may choose to incorporate some of the latest trends in kitchen islands and kitchen countertop appliances.

Induction Island Cooktops One of today’s trendiest cooking appliances is the induction cooktop. Induction cooktops can be placed on a kitchen island or standard countertop as a cooking unit, independent from an oven. This is a great cooktop option if you are opting for a single or double wall oven. Unlike gas cooktops, induction cooktops heat the smooth cooking surface evenly. These glass cooktops are easy to clean, and you are less likely to spill food when transferring cookware from burner to burner. Although induction cooktops appear similar to electric cooktops, induction cooktops heat faster and only heat when there is a pot on the surface.

Built-In Microwave Drawers If you’re concerned about space in your kitchen, a built-in microwave drawer might be perfect for you. If your kitchen has an island cooktop, then you don’t need a microwave ventilation hood for your kitchen range, but a stand-alone microwave takes up a lot of

counter space. A built-in microwave drawer can be installed below your kitchen island countertop or next to undercounter cabinetry, saving you space. Not only does a microwave drawer conserve space in your modern kitchen, but its sleek design offers all the practicalities of a regular microwave. Simply pull open your microwave drawer and place food and beverages into the drawer from the top, close the drawer, and heat items at the touch of a button! With its unique placement, you’ll never be worried about spilling when transferring food in and out of your microwave.

Downdraft Island Ventilation Worried about ventilation if your cooking elements are on an island? Not only does a downdraft ventilation unit pull smoke, odors, and steam out of your cooking area, but it is also a sleek and attractive addition to your kitchen appliance suite. Perfect for space conservation, downdraft ventilation units pair well with kitchen island induction cooktops. Article provided byAmundson’s Appliance. 836699 08-12-17

HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

home trends

Minimalism, Muted Tones & other Modern Kitchen Trends By Emily Vanda

Thinking about a kitchen upgrade? Have you dreamed of sleek, custom granite countertops or an island with a built-in butcher block? Well, dream no more because 2017 is the year of sleek industrial looks, 50 shades of grays for color (as the bright and bold pallets are out), quartz countertops and reclaimed wood.

Here are just a few trends in kitchen countertops and islands with a little information on the practicality and cost: For counters, there are quite a few exciting new trends to look out for. Where once bold, bright and colorful was the name of the game for kitchen décor, it looks like neutrals, muted tones and even gray scales are trending favorites. It’s perfect for quartz, granite and even custom concrete countertops. One material that isn’t going away anytime soon is engineered quartz. A very durable material that lends a polished and subtle sophistication to any kitchen, quartz also has a wide range of styles and colors, from bright candy colors to muted and neutral tones. Cont. on page 8

HomeFront

Fall 2017

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home trends Cont. from page 7

Colin O’Meara, owner of Precision Countertops, a custom design store in northwest Wisconsin, noted that he has seen simpler patterns in countertops these days. O’Meara primarily services lakefront homes and he’s noticed a trend of thicker countertops and more neutral tones. But he still sees plenty of browns, greens and darker colors. For materials, Precision Countertops offers 50 different varieties of stone handpicked from Brazil. And while the shop offers engineered quartz, the majority of the jobs he is contracted for use granite and natural stone. Although engineered quartz doesn’t require as much resealing and other maintenance as granite, Meara suggests choosing the aesthetic you are looking for first. On the topic of kitchen islands, O’Meara said that although current trends may call for sleek designs, thinner tops, and even transportable islands you can roll around the kitchen, he noticed that most people generally want bigger islands which can serve as the gathering hub for the family. In Southern Wisconsin, it seems quartz is the order of the day. Bob Houle of Precision Surface Industries in Madison said that quartz is known for being durable and strong, and doesn’t need the maintenance and upkeep of granite or marble. However, it can stain and show wear and tear. Each material is different and part of the mission of

Precision Surface Industries is to educate customers so they know exactly what they are getting. In Eau Claire, Gerhards offers new styles and current trends. Store manager Ronda Rindy is a Wisconsin registered interior designer who has seen plenty of changes in the industry. Rindy has noticed that lighter colors, whites and grays are popular. But she also has seen marble and black gain notoriety. And while she agrees that quartz is one of the strongest materials around today, selection really depends on the budget of each customer. If engineered quartz, which can run about $90 and $100 a square foot with installation, seems a little steep, Rindy suggests cheaper laminates. Although not nearly as durable as engineered quartz, Rindy has seen a huge change in laminates, including a large variety of colors, and styles meant to mimic quartz or granite. On the topic of kitchen island trends, Rindy said butcher block tops, two-tiered designs and twotoned kitchens are popular. Imagine no longer having to haul out the cutting board because your new kitchen island has its own built-in butcher block. An island top made of hard maple or teak gives a timeless, yet modern flair to any kitchen. And if you prefer something more durable like a quartz top, you can always have a reclaimed wood base, which both recycles and seals in a minimalist flair. The two-toned look Rindy talks about centers on keeping the island a different, contrasting color from Cont. on page 10

8 HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

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HomeFront

Fall 2017

Leader- Telegram

home trends

Cont. from page 8

the rest of the kitchen. With two-tiered islands, you might have a raised bar area or a lowered baking section. It’s all about maximizing the kitchen’s potential. Style is still in the eye of the beholder. Just because these are the popular styles and looks for 2017 doesn’t mean a candy apple green countertop is faux pas. In fact, because engineered quartz is so easily maintained and has such a wide variety of colors, styles and looks, you can really design the kitchen of your dreams without being limited to materials or a certain color. Vanda is a freelance writer based in Spooner, WI.

HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

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“The most effective way to clean roofing shingles is through the use of proper detergents.” Nick Gardow, owner of Sparkle Wash Eau Claire stated. “If the wash contractor has selected the right detergent, very little pressure is necessary to remove the loosened contaminants. A professional pressure washer has many tools in their arsenal to bring an old, dirty, discolored surface back to life. Interestingly enough, pressure is no longer the primary tool used. The most important factor in delivering a quality result is the detergent used as well as the proper dwell time. Dwell time is the amount of time that a detergent is in contact with the surface.” If you have black streaks on your roof and climbing up there doesn’t sound appealing, call the helpful folks at Sparkle Wash. Their pressure washing technicians know how to remove black algae quickly and safely; and will have your home looking beautiful once again - conveniently and without risk of an emergency room visit.

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HomeFront

Fall 2017

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Shopping for Replacement Windows

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efficiency, a replacement window must fit well in the opening. Choose replacement windows that are custom-built to precisely fit each window opening in your home.

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HomeFront

Fall 2017

Leader- Telegram

home sales TIPS TO STAGE A HOME Pull furniture away from walls. Float furniture away from walls to create conversation areas. Grouping furniture feels more inviting. The space between furniture and the wall actually makes the room feel larger.

Set aside specific items for showings. Wash and pre-fold nice hand towels so they’re ready at a moment’s notice. Ready extra pillows for the beds and dishes for the table so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.

Neutral doesn’t need to be boring. While every room shouldn’t be a different bold color, there is nothing wrong with accent walls or fun décor as long as they work within the space. Consider soft colors like sage green or blue grays that add color while still remaining neutral.

Lighting is key. Natural light is the best, but layering with overhead light, lamps and targeted light gives depth and interest to a room. It makes the home seem warm and inviting.

Source: Gray Area Interiors

HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

home sales Cont. from page 14

it sported a wooden garage door with no automatic opener. Eleven years later, we’ve made lots of im provements to our little slice of heaven. The dishwasher and garage door were immediate improvements. Now, if we wanted this home to appeal to someone else, what should be at the top of our to-do list?

PREPPING THE RIGHT WAY Sissy Knopps, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Brenizer Realtors in Eau Claire, said to think about what I like to see, or not see, when I walk through a home for the first time. “People preparing to sell a home already figure they might have to make some minor changes and repairs in order to have their home appeal to the masses,” Knopps said. But she takes it one step further — clean and declutter. “You can’t over-clean,” she said. “Also, the rule less is more applies here. Remove personal items and traces of pets. Keep things orga nized to show off storage spaces.” Most people wonder what they’re going to do with all of their stuff as they declutter. Knopps said to rent a storage unit. The money you pay out will save you money in the long run when your house sells quickly, she said. Having heard these words from Knopps a month ago, I dug right in. I asked Knopps to come to my house and to scour the roughly 1,800 square feet with a critical eye. Cont. on page 19

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Fall 2017

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When I looked at the cute little bungalow that was my first staging and real estate listing in Eau Claire, I knew I could do a fantastic job! I labored over every detail… Pier 1 sofas, expensive accessories, (very heavy) mirrors with a beautiful finish. It was all there. I was ecstatic. It was staged perfectly!

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If you have a cute little bungalow, don’t stage like its the Taj Mahal. You don’t have to go out and buy expensive, fancy items and change out every door knob. (However, you do have to clean the door knobs if you have a vintage home.) On the flip side, if you have a wonderful lake property, don’t think that Nana’s handmade doilies on “antique” furniture will get you top price. If you have a home that’s priced in the same range as new construction prices, then baby…that’s your competition.

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Remember the book “The Horse Whisperer”? It’s about a man who understood horses, mostly because he listened to them. He knew what they needed. The interplay between a person and a house is similar. Be like the House Whisperer when you ready your home for sale. Figure out (or ask your Realtor about) your home’s architecture, style, scale and location before making any changes.

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HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

836948 8-12-17

Price is what you pay, VALUE IS WHAT YOU GET!

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It looked like those expensive homes in magazines. So, with great anticipation we held the first Open House. There were a lot of people. They oohed and aahed in all the right places. Then I heard it...the words that taught me my first (secret) lesson. “I love everything about this place, but I just can’t see us living here.” Wait. What? So I asked... ”Well, it’s just too nice. I have a dog and two kids, and they would ruin everything.” Oh.

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837242 08-12-17

home sales Cont. from page 17

“Move your TV here,” she said, pointing at a different corner of the room. The move would allow for a cozy sitting area. “Store this shelving unit,” she said nodding at wooden cabinetry in the kitchen. Taking it out of the kitchen would make the room seem much larger with ample walking space. The hubby and I dove in head first. Our eyes were on the prize of a new home. We made an offer and ferociously began cleaning our own home in hopes of receiving an accepted offer and putting our Lake Hallie house on the market. In two days we had rented a storage unit, cleaned out the first floor and basement of everything unneces sary and took three trailer loads to the storage unit. A day later Knopps came with a professional photog rapher to take pictures. We were on our way to buying and selling. The process was going smoothly — maybe too smoothly.

Staging for the sell Once we cleared our house, it was time to clean and then stage. Alecia Plaetz, owner of Gray Area Interiors based in Eau Claire, said many times people are told to re move all personal items and to paint the walls white. That was the theory years ago, but not anymore. “The trick is to know where to draw the line,” she said. “People like seeing a potential home where they can raise kids, entertain friends and make memo ries.” Plaetz, who has owned her business since 2011, said people also need to be able to see themselves in the home. It’s an emotional connection.

“I recommend (keeping) subtle personal items that don’t distract from the overall qualities of the home, like a tastefully done photo gallery,” she said. “Other personal things such as … coloring pages on the fridge or paperwork on the dining room table should be removed.” Other tips include pulling furniture away from walls to create conversation areas, and using as much light as possible — natural and artificial — to set the stage. Unfortunately for us, our selling experience came to an end before it even began. After a week of counter offers we decided to let that house go and continue looking at other homes in the area. Our house will hit the market as soon as we find a house we like and receive an accepted offer. For now, we continue to keep the house void of un necessary items as we obsessively search online real estate sites looking for that forever home.

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Fall 2017

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savory eats

GARDEN TO SOUP TO

FROZEN SUNSHINE

By Jay Gilbertson

I grew up in Eau Claire and now live on an 80-acre, certified organic farm in northwest Wisconsin. Here in Prairie Farm, like many of you city folks reading this, we find ourselves with a little too much time on our hands while enduring the long winter months. What to do? Order seed catalogs, of course. Some of our favorites are www. johnnyseeds.com, www.burpee.com and www.rareseeds.com. All are online, but very difficult to circle and add Post-Its to, let alone page through over and over. You will certainly need their catalogs. Of course, once you order a few, they all come flying into your mailbox and the race is on. Around January, when the thought of more snow makes you reach for the wine box, we get out a yellow legal pad and diagram out our garden plots. This leads to much discussion about color — it’s wonderful to have some sunflowers towering above your watermelon patch — and height, timing and zones. Zones can knock you sideways as you sit by the living room window watching snow wrap around your asparagus — that you neglected to trim last fall — in hopes that maybe, just maybe, you could actually grow one avocado tree. We live in zone 3, (the edge of 4) and this limits our vegetable selections.

HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

Which, in the long run, is truly not the worst thing. Limits are good when it comes to this very serious level of decision-making on garden seed selections. So, on we plan and plot, hope and dream and — order. Keep in mind this kind of an addiction is far better than, say, needing to buy stacks of dark chocolate bars. Eventually, the seed packets begin to arrive, the ice starts to melt off the shovel you left in the garden, and soon all the mud settles and the ground begins to warm. You order one more packet of broccoli for fall harvesting and then organize those marvelous envelopes of hope in alphabetical order. Maybe, as the spring rains splash the living room window, you triple-check

savory eats your garden map and move a few rows this way and that. You’ll change your mind once you hit the dirt. We always do. In April, we get some of our little gems started in the greenhouse. This involves bashing the bags of dirt you bought on sale — now frozen solid in the shed — with a sledge hammer to loosen things up, but, you imagine all that good exercise and on you swing. If you play your cards right, you can bring a few seedling trays inside and, after carefully placing old newspapers on the countertop, plant them in the comfort of the kitchen with a mug of something hot nearby. Or you may wait until May when the threat of a frost is nearly over, the ground has warmed up and you can haul that tiller out or borrow or rent one and get the vegetable garden all ready. Make sure that you only plant items that can take a few zaps of cold because it’s not until the first week of June that we can all safely assume summer is finally here and the threat of a freeze is gone. If you aren’t in the mood to wait for things to sprout, you can head to your local greenhouse and bring home seedlings that are ready to transplant. It can save you an awful lot of time and you can always tell garden visitors that yes, of course, you personally grew them from seed, all those rows of broccoli, chard, spinach and squash. You can explain that in mid-May, or perhaps even earlier, you’re able to snap off fresh asparagus shoots and make some of those stalks of sunshine into soup. Which is what we have to do nearly every spring. Cont. on page 22

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savory eats Cont. from page 21

We don’t use a strict soup recipe and you can transfer this to just about anything that is soup material, but I caution that ordinary green beans do not make a tasty soup. Trust me. If you have too many green beans blasting off your vines, bag them up and share with your neighbors. One thing you should do during the winter months is eat your yogurt. Lots and lots of it. We enjoy a particular brand that comes in 32-ounce plastic tubs. They are perfect for freezing your homemade asparagus, broccoli, fall squash or red pepper soup. We are meat eaters and save all the bones for soup stock. But, if you aren’t a stock maker, zip on over to your local market and get any of the many different flavors to make a quick stock without all the fuss. To begin, place your largest covered pot on the stove at medium heat, half-filled with stock. Add the asparagus stalks until you are barely able to cover them with the liquid and bring to a boil, along with a dash of salt and pepper and any other spices you enjoy in

HomeFront Fall 2017 Leader- Telegram

soup and let it simmer until the vegetables are tender. For asparagus, that’s about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir once in a while, bringing up the bottom. Once the asparagus softens to the point a fork (since your goal is to create a puree) easily passes into it, remove from the heat. Place a damp dish towel in the bottom of your sink and plunk the pot down, fire up your immersion hand blender and whip that soup into a smooth and creamy consistency. Once it’s cooled enough, you can add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt to make it creamier and then ladle into your yogurt containers. Make sure to leave about an inch for expansion, slap a strip of masking tape on the top, label and date and off to the freezer. It’s that simple and that’s the key. By keeping the ingredients to mostly the single vegetable, stock and some seasonings, you’ll be able to enjoy their true flavor all winter long. Of course, you can use this as a base for more complex soups by adding noodles, barely, rice or meat. Use your imagination and should you have any questions, feel free to email me. jay@ jaygilbertson.com Soup’s on!

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