Photo by Jessica Hibbard Cleopatra, one of the avian residents at Grasshopper Perennials.

A couple weeks ago, I paid a visit to Grasshopper Perennials, a small but delightful nursery in Knoxville (near Brunswick).

Annie Hall has been in the landscape business for 25 years, but only recently began welcoming shoppers to her nursery. Her foray into propagation and growing began as a supplement to her landscape business -- Turns out the unique plants she wanted to use for her installations were too hard to come by at area nurseries, and she needed a more steady supply.

As with most gardening-related endeavors, one thing led to another, and Annie soon had her own nursery. Today, she grows 90% of the nursery's stock herself, from seeds, cuttings, and plugs. Grasshopper Perennials is transitioning to become Certified Naturally Grown, so Annie's plants are grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

Interested in paying Annie (and her spunky brood of chickens) a visit? The nursery is open by appointment only, so call 301-432-5428 in advance. I took a few photos when I was there, so you can also visit virtually.

My boss went shopping at Tammy's Garden in Walkersville this past weekend, and discovered that the shop owners are planning to relocate to central Pennsylvania. What a bummer!

Meanwhile, my source reports that Tammy's Garden is still well-stocked but offering some discounts on merchandise. I didn't get any details on the timeline for their move north ... But it wouldn't hurt to visit this nice little nursery while you still have the chance.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard Inside Habitat for Humanity's ReStore in Frederick
	ReStore is located at 1109 E. Patrick St., Frederick (near the Fairgrounds). HOURS Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 6pm Saturday 9am to 4pm MORE INFO Email restore@frederickhabitat.org Call 301-662-2988 Web site

For a while now, I've been whining about the lack of architectural salvage places in Frederick. Ever since Edward & Edward closed up shop, there's been no place to go for a good selection of old doors and other interesting pieces. Our trip to check out the new ReStore this weekend has silenced some of my complaints.**

For those of you who are unfamiliar, local Habitat for Humanity chapters operate ReStore centers in communities throughout the U.S. Proceeds from the sale of new and used building materials help fund Habitat's housing projects. The ReStore in Frederick recently took over the space formerly occupied by the Re-Use Center, at 1109 E. Patrick St.

What did we find at ReStore? In our brief visit, we saw furniture, mirrors, doors, sinks, light fixtures, birdhouses, flooring, hardware, and much, much more. The prices were low (for example, $3 each for medium-sized secondhand mirrors with wood frames), and definitely make it worth it to check the stock at ReStore before buying new items elsewhere.

Of course, the shop also accepts tax-deductible donations from contractors, suppliers, businesses, and individuals. If you're finishing a project and have supplies to spare, consider contributing them to ReStore. Click here for a PDF list of guidelines to make sure your donation will be accepted.

** ReStore is a great source for many types of building supplies, and they have a wide selection of doors. But I'm still in need of a local source for more historic, ornamental salvage. Email to let me know if you find a shop nearby.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard Our rain barrels, made with repurposed containers from good ol' McCutcheon's.

The biz section is at it again, with an interesting story about eco-friendly ideas for the garden. This time, it's rain barrels.

Rain barrels are incredibly inexpensive to make yourself, and the project is not very difficult. For our own barrels, we purchased two containers from McCutcheon's that had originally been used for something apple-flavored. After cleaning them out, we found some instructions online, and purchased some hardware, silicone, and  mosquito screen. We also needed a couple of new gutter/drain pieces to redirect water into the barrel.

The whole project probably cost us less than $20 per barrel. Now, if we get more than a quarter of an inch of rain, both barrels are full. That's over 100 gallons of water that we can use for watering plants or filling bird baths. (Please note: It's not safe for drinking or cooking!)

During last year's water ban, the supply in our barrels really came in handy. Even when the city's water supply is at normal levels, we still enjoy knowing that we don't have to pay for our rain barrel water, which would have otherwise just washed into our lawn area ... Or worse, down a storm drain.

Of course, there are more attractive options than the blue plastic barrels that we made. Wooden barrels are available at many garden centers. Or you could cover yours with a screen or vine, like this barrel I spotted on Apartment Therapy yesterday.

	Photo by homedepot.com

This just in from Charles & Hudson (via an article in the NY Times):

Home Depot is now allowing its employees to engage in haggling. Yep, you heard me right. Apparently the weak housing market is making times tough enough that even the big box stores are willing to negotiate if it means winning a sale.

So that light fixture may not be $100 after all! If you want to get the best price, better brush up on your haggling skills. Of course, there's an entire how-to web site devoted to the topic: howtohaggle.com.

(P.S. -- According to the NYT, Circuit City and Best Buy are open to price negotiations, too. Maybe it's time for a big screen TV?)

	Photo by target.com

I was in Target this morning (yes, I'm one of the lucky ones with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off), and could barely resist most of the merchandise in the seasonal section.

In what's become an annual tradition at Target, the back corner of the store is filled with products inspired by far-away places. They call it Global Bazaar. I call it awesome! In the past, it's been organized by geographic region, but it seems this year's collection is organized by color. Either way, it's fun to shop these limited-time housewares.

There's one more week to browse Global Bazaar. If you need more temptation, print out this coupon, for $5 off a $50+ purchase, or $10 off a $75+ purchase.

P.S. -- Though the end of Global Bazaar is sort of sad, it does make space for seeds & other gardening merchandise ... Which means Spring is not that far away!

The weather outside is frightful, but this morning's grand opening at M.I.R. Flooring was delightful!

The store, new within the past year, is chock full of fantastic Persian rugs, as well as other flooring options (hardwood, laminate, and more). Mir Mozaffari, the store's owner, is also an accomplished painter, and his work is on display throughout the showroom.

 Above, left: Mir uses Persian rugs and textiles in a variety of ways, including window treatments and bench and pillow covers.

Above, top right: On a snowy day, there's nothing like standing in a room full of colorful rugs and paintings with a hot cup of tea. Mir's artwork is visible in the background.

Above, bottom right: I brought a beautiful, small Persian rug back for the sitting area in my office. It instantly made the space seem more warm and inviting.

M.I.R. Flooring is located at 317 S. Jefferson St., Frederick, and online at mirflooring.com. For more information, call 301-228-3388 or email mir@verizon.net.

A Give Me Shelter reader was kind enough to email me with some insider information about the Antique Cellar:

Unfortunately, the Antique Cellar has not moved. Jay closed the store. That store will be sorely missed by many of us who used to browse, shop, or just stop by to chat with Brenda.

What a bummer!

Thanks to everyone who emailed me about my original post -- It's great to hear your feedback. Please feel free to send me your suggestions for local sources and anything else remotely home & garden related.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard There are several aisles like this one at Discount Fabric USA’s warehouse-style outlet. If you’re looking for fabric with a specific project in mind, plan to spend some time.

Last month, I took a field trip to Discount Fabrics USA, in Thurmont. Their web site boasted wholesale prices on interior design fabrics, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I was just browsing, but of course, I managed to to find several fabrics in the $5/yard section that were perfect for some reupholstery and sewing projects I have in mind. (Stay tuned: I’ll be posting before & after photos of the reupholstery project in the not-too-distant future.)

For more information:

Discount Fabrics USA
108 N. Carroll St., Thurmont
301-271-2266 or 877-271-2266
Web site

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard Bonus: Cats love woodstoves

I spent almost the entire weekend at home on my couch, trying to get over a nasty cold. I went through an entire box of tissues and completely missed the pottery show.

There was one part of the whole ordeal that was actually enjoyable: Our woodstove was blazing the whole time. Last year, we closed off our drafty fireplace with a woodstove insert, and cold weather is much more bearable now.

There’s a huge selection of woodstoves out there, running the gamut in appearance, efficiency, price, and quality. After a significant amount of comparison shopping and contemplation, we chose a Harman model that protrudes less than a foot onto the hearth – A blessing in our small living room. (We were also charmed by several Vermont Castings models, but they really wouldn’t have worked very well in front of our fireplace.)

We purchased our stove at Bodmer’s Stoves & Pottery in Buckeystown, a really charming place owned by a spunky husband and wife team. Our installers, Frederick County Chimney Sweeps (another knowledgeable husband and wife duo), were also fantastic. I’m sure there are many other good sources for supplies and service in our area, but we had a great experience with this matchup.

The best part? Our heating gas bill was about half of what it was in a pre-woodstove winter.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard The retail space at 38 E. Patrick St. is empty.

Anybody know what happened to the Antique Cellar? I just noticed yesterday that the windows are papered and the space is for lease. I bought several pieces of furniture for my own home from this store ... It was one of my favorite spots to browse and shop downtown.

Here's hoping they moved to a new location elsewhere in Frederick. If you have information regarding the status of this great source for used furniture, please drop me a line.