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It’s fun taking something apart and putting it back together again in a new creative way. I work in an office where we had a lot of old promotional type posters that were very expensively matted and framed. Now that we’re moving to a new office we wanted something new, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money decorating. We decided to disassemble the old frames and re-use the mats to frame new prints.

We made a visit to a local craft store and found an abundance of inexpensive artwork in all sizes, ranging in price from $1.49 to $40.00. Definitely within our budget. We picked out several beautiful floral prints and framed them with the old mats and frames. Disassembling the old prints included tearing off most of the prints that had previously been glued to the mats, but I just tore it all off and used scotch tape to tack down the new prints.

These vibrant collectibles are as charming today as they were when they were first introduced.

Origin

The company Carlton Ware was formed in 1890 due to a partnership between J.F. Wiltshaw and J.A. Robinson. The company changed ownership several times during its century-old life. Today it is well known all over the world. Carlton Ware introduced this earthenware line of floral embossed patterns in the 1930’s.

Patterns were produced in either a green or yellow background and featured a range of floral patterns including: Fox Glove, Apple Blossom, Water Lily, Buttercup and Poppy.

Appeal

The vivid colours and floral patterns make this line of Carlton Ware as appealing today as it was in the 1930’s. This sturdy earthenware is used today for display and serving. Teapots, cream and sugars, tea cups, saucers, salt and peppers, toast racks, jam pots and a variety of serving pieces can still be found.

Quirky Fact

One personal junk is another personal treasure. Never is that more true than when you are doing a spring clean up.

The good weather held out for Fred Dowling’s 25th anniversary junk day and treasure exchange. Each year for the past 25 years, co-op residents have gathered in the spirit of reducing, reusing, recycling of their possessions. Residents trade and dispose of unwanted items; it’s a win-win situation, all around. This year an Antiques Road Show was added to the day. I was on-hand as residents brought their prized possessions and family heirlooms to be appraised.

Some of the riches unearthed include: a 1953 Coronation toy carriage at $350; a Queen Victoria Jubilee milk pitcher at $175;a pearl brooch for $250; an antique desk for $275. The "piece de resistance" was a silver and diamond necklace valued at $750.

Here are some things to keep in mind when assessing the value of your items.

Condition

Chips, cracks and breaks on crystal, glass, porcelain and ceramics reduces the value of anything to a very minimal amount. Despite that fact, any item can have sentimental value even those with damage can have value to you.

Spotting Damage

You may need to replace dishwasher parts from time to time. Call or visit your local appliance parts outlet. There you will find a full selection of dishwasher parts you can buy to self-service your dishwasher. Some examples of commonly replaced parts are:

1) The drain hose. These are necessary for draining the machine back into the plumbing of your home. This hose can crack, tear, or become weak. You can replace it yourself for under $20.

2) Switches and latches. Door switches, selector switches, handle latches, knobs, and other switches can break off from time to time. These are usually available for under $20 each.

3) The air gap. This prevents waste from seeping back into the unit. It is located in the sink, near the faucet. If you’ve already tried unscrewing and cleaning the air gap, a new one can be had for under $15.

4) Dishwasher rack plastic repair material. If any parts of the two or three racks in your dishwasher break off, apply some of this glue-like material and stick the part back on. It costs around $20 or $30 a bottle. It’s powerful stuff.

Your dishwasher isn’t measuring up to the price you paid for it. The dishwasher might not even turn on, the dishes aren’t getting clean, or the machine won’t even drain. What do you do? Instead of calling the repairman, you can save a bundle and try servicing it yourself. Open up the kick panel in back and get to work, carefully following these dishwasher repair tips:

1) If your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be working at all, first check the plug and the circuit breaker. If these are working, check the door switch, timer, and selector switch. If any of these three items are broken, replace them. If all of these check out, the problem is internal and the wiring must be replaced. Call a technician.

Portable dishwashers are just the ticket for those with less than enough space for a more permanent and heavier dishwasher. They range in widths from a slim 18 inches to a maximum of about 24 inches for the "larger" portables. In general, they are also less expensive. They usually run anywhere from $200 to $500, rather than to $600 or more as with permanent units.

Portable dishwashers have wheels on them. You can roll your portable dishwasher to the storeroom if you don’t plan on using it for a while (and would rather opt for hand-washing). It’s also much easier to maneuver, for those who plan on moving to a new home in the near future.

They usually contain two rolling baskets for placing dishes into. They don’t usually boast the usual whistles and bells of large units, but they do have enough settings to choose from. For example, many units have a super-powerful cycle for pots and pans. Some also offer an option for boosting the water temperature when the house’s hot water supply is low.

Hard water causes an array of problems in home and industrial settings. Soap doesn’t lather or rinse well, clothing, skin, and hair feel stiff or sticky after washing, and dishes appear dirty after having been run through the dishwasher. Worst of all, plumbing can become clogged when scale builds up. All of this is caused by minerals in the water. The most common minerals that cause water hardness are magnesium and calcium.

Hard water, water with a high mineral content, is softened by flushing the water through a tank that contains negatively charged plastic beads. Typically, these beads are bonded with a salt, whose components have a weaker hydrogen bond than that of calcium or magnesium. When hard water is run through the unit, the sodium ions change place on the beads with the ions of the harder mineral.

Water softener salt consists of either sodium chloride or potassium chloride. The salt comes in several different forms. Which water softener salt is used depends on the type of water softener unit, household size and preference of the user. The use of sodium chloride raises the sodium content of the household water supply, however, only those with extreme sodium sensitivity or high blood pressure assume any health risk. It is also recommended that softened water not be used to water plants. Filtered or bottled water should be kept on hand for cooking, consumption, and the like. Potassium chloride is also an alternative choice, though it tends to be 3 to 4 times as expensive as sodium chloride.

With so many types and brands of water softeners to choose from, how does a consumer decide what is right for their needs? How does one compare water softeners and find the one that will work the best for them? When it comes to buying water softeners, being an educated consumer is the best policy. Explore different types and manufacturers. Compare prices. Other things to consider are what type of environment the water softener will be set up in, size, installation, construction of the unit, convenience, and water softener rating which indicates the amount of minerals that can be removed before the unit needs to be recharged.

Kinetico water softeners are favored for their convenience; however, they are expensive in terms of the unit’s cost as well as the price of upkeep. They recharge based on volume, eliminating the need for a schedule. Kinetico water softeners are also non-electric units.

Culligan services residential customers, offering purchase and rental options for their water softeners. They also offer a salt delivery service with the purchase of a water softener. Culligan is favored for its durability, but some have trouble with salt refills and strength of some of the components. Culligan is also said to be good at removing iron from the water supply.

It can be difficult to decide which method for softening hard water is best because there are a number of choices available. Cost of a water softener system ? from $400 to $1,200 — can be a factor, as well as how the water softener unit is set up, its size, and how much water it will soften before requiring maintenance.

Household water can be tested using a water test kit from a pool supplier or a water softener vendor. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (GPG), parts per million (PPM), or milligrams per liter (MG/L). Water that measures from 3.5 to 7 GPG is considered hard water.

Ionic exchange water softeners consist of a brine tank, a filtering unit, valves to direct the flow of the water and a meter or timer to indicate when the filter needs to be recharged. Recharge cycles can be set to occur at certain times, based on water demand for the household, or it can be done manually. There are also semi-automatic systems, which let the user know when the softener needs recharging.

With the array of choices we have for softening hard water, it can be difficult to decide which method will work best. Therefore, cost is one factor to consider as well as how the unit is set up, its size and its softening capacity.

Testing water hardness is as simple as getting a water test kit from a pool supplier or an establishment that sells water softener systems. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (GPG), parts per million (PPM), or milligrams per liter (MG/L). Water that measures 3.5 to 7 GPG is considered hard water.

Magnetic water softeners rely on the use of ordinary magnets. The magnets are mounted opposite one another, either outside or inside a water pipe. The water flows between these magnets, through the magnetic field, which affects the ions. A chemical reaction takes place, altering the molecular structure of hard water minerals.

This reaction will take one of two forms: Magnetic or electrostatic. During a magnetic process, the collision process of magnesium or calcium ions is sped up. This takes place in a cool environment, and as a result, lessens the buildup of scale. In contrast, during an electrostatic process, an electrical charge forces the ions to repel one another. The ions are not able to bond and form scale. The main functions of magnetic water softeners are applicable in heating and cooling.