This weekend we will celebrate the true meaning of Easter, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. His love is unstoppable and His forgiveness incomparable. Happy Resurrection Day to all!
April 5, 2012
Decorating Tip of the Week
Seating for the Holidays
Tip: A 36 inch wide rectangular table is perfect for conversation a round table with a 48 inch diameter seats six, a 60 inch round will handle eight standard dining chairs.
April 5, 2012
Easter Holiday Recipe
Remodeled French Toast
Frank mentioned to me the other day to keep the topics that we discuss on the blog relating to painting, decorating and remodeling. Of course! Well, today I am posting this absolutely delicious recipe for an Easter brunch and entitling it Remodeled French toast! There, just needed to stay within the guidelines 
This French Toast recipe is certainly changed from the usual French Toast recipe so I can get away with saying it’s remodeled. It is from Marcia Adams’ Heirloom Recipes.
This is the ultimate brunch dish and you make it the night before! How easy.
Baked French Toast Casserole serves 6-8
1 loaf of bread- you can use the plastic bagged Wegman’s Italian (no seeds) 1lb 4 oz loaf
8 large eggs
2 cups of half-and- half
1 cup milk
2 Tab granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Speck of salt
Praline Topping
1 cup (2 sticks)butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tab light corn syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Arrange the slices in a generously buttered 9×13 inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk egg mixture, spooning some of the mixture in between the slices too. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the praline topping ingredients in a medium bowl and spread it evenly over the bread with a small spatula. Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup or honey.
Do not cover when baking.
ENJOY!
April 3, 2012
Building Outdoors with AZEK
It is becoming more and more common that people are replacing their deck boards with a low maintenance product–AZEK.
Azek is a man-made product that mimics the look and feel of real wood. Unlike wood, AZEK is constructed of solid PVC and is just about maintenance free. Except for the occasional power washing, this product will stand the test of time. This means no sanding, no peeling, no fading, no rotting, and no hassle! Simply put, more time for you to spend enjoying the outdoors with your family and friends.
Whether you are replacing your deck boards, railing system or both, this man-made product is offered in a variety of different colors and styles to appeal to your specific taste. Also, if you are going for more of the “outdoor living space” look, AZEK carries a whole line of accessories such as expandable bench seating, planter boxes, gate hardware and in-deck hideaway storage to name a few.
Azek is not just for decks. Siding, trim and molding boards are also available for your home. Pictured below is an application where we installed Azek siding and trim boards on a home where troubled spots of deteriorating wood were occurring. The entire east side of the home was replaced with low maintenance Azek along with the two front decorative panels under the windows.
* The 1st image used on this post is from www.foxhomecenter.com and the 2nd image used was from www.homeelement.com
March 29, 2012
Congratulations to Josh and Kaily Kay!
They are proud parents of a baby girl, Rachel Faith. We are excited to share the great news with our customers. So many of you have grown to love Josh as we have over the years, and we wanted to keep you up to date.
March 29, 2012
The “WOW” of Wallpaper
Wallpapers come and go, but few continue to capture the “wow” of a wall like the designs of Ronald Redding. Redding is one of the most celebrated designers in the industry and is the lead designer of York Wallcoverings headquartered in York, PA. Redding, is also the creator of the Antonina Vella collection distributed by the Seabrook Company. These designs are manufactured in the U.S.A.
The Ronald Redding Designs and Antonina Vella collections stand alone. Of the collections of wallpapers in the Rochester area, these two are certainly my favorite. My home boasts of his designs because they are beautiful. He has developed collections for every décor style, this makes it is easy to find your style because each book is dedicated to a certain look.
The newest in wallpaper designs by Redding include:
- Sculpted surfaces- heavy amounts of ink on the paper creating dimension to the design
- Flock- updated Damask that look luxurious
- Recycled Glass and Sand- The patterns have actual glass and sand glued to the surface area. You would think they were tiny diamonds
- Embellishments-the use of Swarovski crystals, mother of pearl, or distressed metal within the pattern
- Metallic-Creating a shine in the pattern by incorporating metallic’s such as bronze, copper, and silver
Wallpaper is certainly making a comeback in the Rochester area. Our customers are seeing the benefit of wallpaper: its longevity, washability and new designs add décor that compliments any style. I can honestly say that just about every other project of ours now has wallpaper going up. Because wallpapers are not as trendy as paint colors, changing them often is not an issue. It actually is quite cost effective.
If you are steering away from wallpaper because you are dreading the thought of having to take it down some day, the problem only lies in the manner in which it was installed. Having our team install the paper properly makes for an easy take down. Let us walk you through some of Ronald Redding’s designs to enhance your home’s beauty.
These photos are from Ronald Redding Designs.
March 22, 2012
Who’s Got Spring Fever?
Spring is just around the corner! However, with our beloved spring comes the dreaded, “mud season”. As if staying clean and organized isn’t already challenging enough, add muddy sneakers to the equation and you’re left with one big mess. Since more and more customers are asking “what can we do with this “catch -all room” we decided to offer some ideas.
- Divide and Conquer: Sort through the winter items such as mittens, scarves, and hats and place them in bins or decorative baskets for the season. I have a bin just for mittens and another for hats and scarves.
- Personalization: Believe it or not children love structure. Making an area that is “theirs” to hang their coat, book bag, and a place for their sneakers not only teaches them responsibility but it also helps you keep the room more organized. Preparation for the school the next day can begin the night before. Setting out all that is needed for the next day in “their area” makes for a smoother morning out the door.
- Take a load off your feet: Add a bench of some sort to the area. I recently placed a bench by my front door and even though we do not have a mud room the bench helped to zone off the area making it feel as if we do in fact have a mudroom. Shoes are neatly lined up under the bench as they are removed and the kids tend to sit in that area with their muddy shoes instead of standing on the carpet.
We are here to help design and create the very objects you will need for completing a beautiful mudroom or any room for that matter!
Some of our services include:
- Custom benches: Benches built to your specifications, perhaps with a hinged lid for storage inside, made of either wood species that match your décor or paint grade materials to give your room some color.
- Upholstery: Upholstery on benches, chairs, you name it! Choose from a variety of patterns.
- Storage Walls: Walls divided up for each family member and is organized with shelving units, hooks, and cubbies for the sorted items. We can make it as simple or as decorative as you like.
- Portable Wall Units: Perhaps, you can’t devote a whole wall to storage, we can build a portable unit to fit the dimensions of the room.
Let Frank E. Page create a functional and practical mudroom for you!
March 9, 2012
Our Faithful Customers and Their Beautiful Backsplash
Our February Home of the Month belongs to long time customers of Frank E. Page. Our past projects for this home included interior painting of many rooms and faux striping in the foyer.
This time we would be re- installing a kitchen backsplash that was incorrectly installed by another contractor. With their previous contractor terminated, we were called to the “rescue.” Seizing the opportunity to give them the FEP experience once again, this time using the remodeling division of FEP, we began the process. The process began with the discussion of the tile layout. After the first day however, the homeowners decided that the arrangement of tiles needed to be changed. After a meeting with them, in which we reviewed all the options available to give them exactly what they were looking for, a new layout was chosen. We are happy to say that our customers were elated with the finished product. They responded by saying, “now, I know I only have to make one call and that’s to Frank E Page, to handle all of my homes needs.”
The mosaic pattern these home-owners chose are handmade 1×1 porcelain tiles that are purposely indented in the centers. The centers are filled with colored crackled glass. In this case, the colors chosen for the fill were ruby and silver. Offsetting the crackled ruby and silver glass tiles are 1×1 tiles of travertine (Light colored limestone). Outlining the 1×1 tiles at the top and the base is a ¾ inch x8 inch silver roping topped with 4×4 ruby porcelain tiles.
The tiles were then grouted and the grout sealed. Sealing the grout is important for the longevity of the backsplash. It is time consuming but it protects against staining from food sources and grease. It also aids in keeping the grout color from fading.
We are so thankful for the trust that our customers have put in us to service them in completing their gorgeous backsplash.
March 6, 2012
Great Strides Walk to Benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Frank E. Page Remodeling, Painting & Decorating is taking part in Cystic Fibrosis Walk in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the ongoing research to finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
GREAT STRIDES is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest and most successful national fundraising event. This year, we are walking in the GREAT STRIDES walk at the Genesee Valley walk on May 19, 2012 at 10am.
Please help us meet our fundraising goal of $1500 by sponsoring us. Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively, as nearly 90 cents of every dollar of revenue raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education.
Making a donation is easy and secure! To make a donation click here. Once your on Frank’s Great Strides Homepage, find the “Click to Donate” button on the bottom of the page to go to make a donation that will be credited to our team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated!
