Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Staircase Railing Part Three: Wooden railing and handrail

Welcome! Are you ready to see more staircases?

If you are building your dream home, remodeling an existing home, adding on to an existing home, or just dreaming about your dream home, the photos provided in my staircase railing series will help you see the many design, materials, and styles that are available. These will serve as good talking points when you meet with your architect, interior designer and builder.

So far in my series on staircase railings, I have shown you photos of iron railings with an iron handrail and iron railings with a wooden handrail. Now you will see wooden railings with wooden handrails.

Wooden staircase railing with wooden handrails gives you the ability to paint them any color, use a faux paint finish, or stain the wood. The railing and the handrail can be of the same paint color or finish or it can be different. Whatever works with your interior design scheme can be applied.

Besides the paint or type finish used, you also have a wide range of choices for the shape of the spindles or balusters. Perhaps you like a simple round spindle as shown in photo 1, 5 & 13 or a square spindle in photos 7 & 9.   The spindles can also be placed on a lathe and turned creating a custom design as shown in photos 2, 4, 8 & 10.  Yet another choice is a custom cutout in photos 3, 6, 11 & 12.

As you can see there is a multitude of options for you to consider in creating the perfect look for your home.  Please enjoy yourself as you scroll down. 

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Beautiful Homes Winter 2005

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So, please tell me in a comment which of the photos shown in this post is your favorite using the number shown below each photo.  Also, if your taste runs toward an iron staircase railing with an iron handrail, an iron staircase railing with a wooden handrail, or a wooden staircase railing with a wooden handle.  I would love to hear from you! 

BTW: I hope you enjoyed the napa cabbage salad.  If you have tried it, let me know what you think!   Blessings.  …susan

The source of many of the photos shown above is unknown. If you know the source, please contact me and I will add it or delete the photo if necessary.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Everybody Loves This Salad

Hi! This is my very first recipe post. I love this salad sooo much, I wanted to share it with all of you and post it on the Tasty Tuesday blog party.

Years ago at a friend’s annual Kentucky Derby Party, she served this delicious salad. Everyone wanted the recipe which she happily provided. Let me tell you, since that day I have eaten obscene quantities of this salad. Not to worry, though it is cabbage, it has never given me gas. I thought I had better put that concern to rest. 

Since moving to Nashville, I have introduced this salad to many people. They always rave about it; including the former VP of the United States.  I am sure it will be a hit for you.

The INGREDIENTS:

Napa Cabbage  (this is tricky because a head of napa cabbage can vary tremendously in size. So if the heads are rather small, get two of them.  Let me let you in on a little secret…when you purchase the napa cabbage, pull off the outer leaf all around before you buy it. Napa cabbage is usually sold by the pound, so why pay for the pieces you will end up tossing?

Juice of lemon   How much depends on the size of the napa cabbage head and the size of the lemon.  If it is a very large head, two lemons. Also, if you love lemon, you can add more.

Package of Chicken flavored Ramon Noodles (you want the seasoning pack inside. )  If you have a large head of napa cabbage, you might need 1 1/2 packs of the seasoning.

LIGHT olive oil  (regular or extra virgin is too strong)

Sunflower seeds  (raw if you are very healthy and salted if not, see tips below for other options)

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The Ingredients + the napa cabbage

 

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Insert a knife into the cabbage length wise about 5-6 times as if you are cutting stripes.  You will not use the bottom 1/5 of the cabbage but you want to keep it connected.

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Now cut across the long slices with the goal of chopping up the cabbage. It does not have to be as small as cole slaw but you want it in bite size pieces^

 

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Place your cut up cabbage in a salad spinner to be washed.

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Fill the salad bowl halfway with napa cabbage then add the add lemon juice  followed by drizzling the light olive oil all over, next sprinkle the chicken flavor seasoning package all over, add some sunflower seeds then add the rest of the cabbage, more lemon juice, more olive oil, more seasoning and more sunflower seeds.  The amount of sunflower seeds can vary with your own preference.

Tips: Make sure it is napa cabbage, other cabbage does not taste the same.

I like a ratio of 3 to 1 lemon juice to olive oil.

The original recipe called for taking the uncooked ramon noodles and putting them in a zip lock and breaking them up with a rolling pin and adding those to the salad.  I have substituted the raw sunflower seeds since the ramon noodles are carbs without nutritional value.  It does taste good with the ramon noodles.  Additionally, I have used roasted and salted sunflower seeds. Again, tastes good, but not as healthy.  I, too, have thrown in walnuts instead of sunflower seeds.  I like the crunch all of the above gives to the recipe.

I like making the salad at least an hour ahead of time, adding everything and then chilling in the refrigerator.  Leftovers are great!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Staircase Railing Part Two: Iron with Wooden Handrails

Welcome back to part two of my staircase railing series! Are you ready to climb twenty sets of stairs with me? Ok, let’s get going!

The staircase we will be climbing have staircase railings made of iron but with a wooden handrail.  There are lots of great iron designs as well as interesting types of wood used on the handrail.  My personal preference between the two is iron with a wooden handrail over iron with iron or brass handrail. That’s just me. What do you like?  

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Southern Accents^

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House & Garden June 19??^

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Traditional Home November 2008^

 

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House Beautiful October 2000^

Thanks for stopping by.  Next time, let’s climb some stairs with wooden railings. Please come back and join me.

The source for many of the photos used in this post is unknown. If you know the source, please contact me and I will insert it or remove the photo.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Staircase Railing Part One: Iron

Hey there! I am joining Julia’s Hooked on Friday blog party because I am Hooked on Staircase Railing! Click here to join the party and see what other bloggers are hooked on!  She usually starts the party between 9:00-10:00 on Thursday night.  Thanks Julia!

Welcome to Staircase Railing Part One of a four or five part series! If you are in the process of designing your dream home and don’t know what type of staircase railing you want to use, then scroll on down and see if one of these tickles your fancy. If you don’t find it here, there will be several more posts in this series and perhaps the one you want will be in one of those.

This post is a collection of staircase railing (sometimes called balustrade) using iron for the newel, spindles or balusters, and handrail. The designs range from frilly to traditional as wells as simple or contemporary. Perhaps there is an element in one of the photos that appeals to you and that can be your starting place.  Enjoy the beauty of the staircase railing as well as the home in which it lives.  …susan

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More traditional

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Contemporary

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Traditional Home April 2008^

 

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House Beautiful May 1998^

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Veranda March 2008^

 

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Please check out Jamie’s post on Earth Day. She was kind enough to ask me to participate. http://jgkitchens.blogspot.com/2009/04/earth-day-is-april-22-designers.html 

Thanks for the kind comments regarding the death of my grand-dog. I am most appreciative.

Photos used in this post are from an unknown source. If you will contact me with the source, I will post it or remove the photo.