(ARA) – When Todd Imholte signed on with a Hopkins, MN. company that makes and sells wallpaper murals, he never guessed his job would have “global” impact for thousands of American school children. Yet once a year, Imholte, the president of Environmental Graphics, spearheads the updating of the company’s top-selling product of all time – its World Map mural.With input from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense, Imholte and his team update the map that is purchased as an educational aid by hundreds of schools, teachers and parents each year. (more…)

(ARA) - Interior designers once enjoyed almost mystical power. Even homeowners who understood the importance of good interior design weren’t really sure how interior designers did their jobs. Credit cable television with changing all that.

Today, thanks to a plethora of home design, improvement and renovation shows, getting great interior design ideas can be as easy as picking up the TV remote. Infused with confidence and enthusiasm by these shows, many homeowners are realizing they don’t necessarily need an interior designer to achieve a designer interior.

“Design shows have taught homeowners they can create their own interior design with a little research, common sense and courage,” says Lisa Jerlstrom, whose role as an art buyer for custom-mural Web site Murals Your Way includes tracking interior design trends. “By investing a little time researching styles and themes they like, homeowners can save money by handling their own interior design job.” (more…)

(ARA) – Rifle, shotgun or bow? Check. Ammo, sharp knife and binoculars? Check. Fluorescent orange vest, camouflage clothing, sturdy boots and hunting license? Check, check, check.

Gerald Forry has all the basics. An avid hunter and fisherman from Mechanicsburg, Pa., Gerald has bagged caribou, elk, bear, salmon and a variety of other fish and game over the past 66 years. What he’d really like is a hunting trip to Alaska.

“That’s really the last of the great hunting areas around.”

According to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ 2001 Economic Importance of Hunting in America report, hunting is big business, generating $25 billion in retail sales. More than 13 million Americans age 16 and older were classified as hunters, and they spent an average of $1,896 per year on their favorite pastime. (more…)

(ARA) - Imagine the soothing silver-green of prairie grassland. Or the deep shimmering blue of an ocean bay. Colors evoking calm and a sense of connection to nature will be on the leading edge of home design this year. (more…)

(ARA) – In some ways, decorating a baby’s room couldn’t be easier. The room’s primary occupant really doesn’t have much to say about the décor. Enter the teen years. Now, she hates the pink carpet and floral curtains you thought were precious beyond words. He’s into Japanese anime, and your clever pirate theme makes him want to walk the plank.

If your teen’s room is overdue for a makeover, there is some good news: Your child is probably old enough now to do a lot of the work him or herself. (more…)