Dog Sale! Bring in Your Dog and Get $5 OFF! (You Get to Keep Your Dog)

Last week was National Dog Week and you submitted some great dog photos!

Now it's time to vote for your favorite! You may vote once for each category:

1. Cutest Dog
2. Best Costume
3. Funniest Dog Photo

Click on the comments section at the top of this post where it lists the number of comments. Vote by entering your contestant's number in the comments.

[caption id="attachment_591" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #1 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_592" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #2 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_593" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant # - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_594" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #4 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_595" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #5 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_596" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #6 - Funniest Photo Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_597" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #7 - Best Costume Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_598" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #8 - Best Costume Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_600" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #9 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_603" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #10 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_604" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #11 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_606" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #12 - Cutest Dog Categor[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_613" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #13 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_614" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #14 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_615" align="alignnone" width="169"] Contestant #15 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_617" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #16 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_618" align="alignnone" width="284"] Contestant #17 - Best Costume Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_619" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #18 - Best Costume Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_620" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #19 - Best Costume Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_623" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #20 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_625" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #21 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_627" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #23 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_628" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #24 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_629" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #21 - Funniest Dog Photo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #26 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_631" align="alignnone" width="168"] Contestant #27 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_633" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #28 - Best Costume Category[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_634" align="alignnone" width="225"] Contestant #29 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_643" align="alignnone" width="300"] Contestant #30 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_645" align="alignnone" width="199"] Contestant #31 - Cutest Dog Category[/caption]

Voting is open until Wednesday, October 3. Winners will be announced on Friday, October 5.  (Sorry, entries are no longer being accepted. See contest rules below.)

Last week was National Dog Week and we gave your canines a chance to shine online with our doggie photo contest! Prize is a $15 store credit.

Entries are no longer being accepted.

See below for contest details.

In-Store Doggie Coupon: You do not have to enter the online contest in order to get the $5 coupon. All you have to do for that is bring your dog into any of our four locations: Half Moon Bay, Palo Alto, San Mateo or Willow Glen between September 24 and 30. We'll hand you a coupon and then you and your four-legged companion can get shopping and saving!

Online Doggie Photo Contest:

How To Enter:
1) Submit a photo of your fabulous mutt by email to our Director of Dog Adoration between September 24th and 30th, 2012.

2) In the subject line, enter one of three categories:

Owner look-alike
Best doggie costume (this can be any costume, for any event, or just a regular day, if that's how your pup rolls.)
Funniest dog photo
3) Vote for your favorite pup in the comments section on this post. We will add images as they come in! Voting will be open through Oct. 3, 2012. Winner will be announced Oct. 5, 2012.

Details and fine (paw) print:

Photo entries must be sent by email, with the entry category in the subject line. One entry per dog, please.
Must use valid email address. Emailing an entry automatically authorizes Palo Alto Hardware Inc. to contact you by that email address if you win.
Doggie images will be voted on by readers in the comment section of the blog. You may vote once for your own dog.
Winner will receive a $15 store credit to one of the four locations closest to them (Half Moon Bay, Palo Alto, San Mateo or Willow Glen).
One winner per category.
Palo Alto Hardware Inc. reserves the right to post all entries on Facebook and store websites.
Voting will be open through Wed, Oct 3. Winner will be announced Friday, Oct 5 by email, on the blog, in store and on facebook
Winner will be notified officially by email. Winners may also be posted on Facebook and store websites. Winning store credit will be mailed or can be picked up in store at winner's discretion.
Voting will be open through Oct. 3, 2012. Winner will be announced Oct. 5, 2012.
Some exclusions apply. Excludes gift cards, sale and clearance items and prior purchases. May not be combined with any other offers or promotions.
Our Contestants: Please vote for your favorite doggie in the comments! We're adding another category "Cutest Dog" since some of our canine contestants were entered without being in one of the three other categories: Funniest Dog Photo, Owner Look-Alike or Best Costume.

Escondido Elementary School Garage Sale!

Escondido Elementary is having a Garage Sale Fundraiser!

This Saturday, September 22, from 8am to 1pm.

Come out and grab some bargains and help raise funds for the school!

Faulty Toilet Valve Recall (or: Exploding Toilets)

[caption id="attachment_528" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image © Britt Selvitelle[/caption]

You may have a faulty toilet valve.

"Products with the bad flusher include toilets from Home Depot and Lowes, and those made from 1997-2008 by "American Standard, Crane, Kohler, Eljer, Mansfield, St. Thomas and Gerber." - By Claudine Zap | The Lookout – Fri, Aug 17, 2012 (as posted in Yahoo News)

If you bought your toilet at ACE, we didn't carry those models (and we don't currently) but we do have replacement valves that are not affected by this safety issue (see Shea at our San Mateo store for any plumbing details).

Check the Flushmate Recall site to see if your toilet is part of the recall.

Visit our blog, Popcorn And Dog Treats for more tips and information.

How to Clean the Inside of Your Desktop Computer

Many people do not realize the importance of dusting out the inside of their computer cabinets.  Dust accumulation can lead to early component failure from overheating.   At your friendly Willow Glen Ace Hardware you can get a can of Ace Dustbuster compressed air to make the job easy!  View the video below for a quick, but compelling, demonstration!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neVaWJCgOs8&w=420&h=315]

ACE Rewards Card

We haven't been participating in the Ace Rewards program for very long, but in the couple of years we've been doing it, customers have already earned over $6,800! It's free to join and points are accrued on anything you purchase in the store, from a five cent wood screw, to a gallon of Clark+Kensington Paint, to a $2000 custom made fireplace door. Every little bit adds up.

Finding that the ball-peen hammer you purchased over the weekend triggered your next $5 card can be a very rewarding experience

Homemade Fresh Mushroom Soup Recipe

Homemade Mushroom Soup by Season with Spice
Serves 2

Ingredients:
300g or 2 cups fresh mushrooms - cleaned and chopped finely (I used a mix of swiss brown and white button)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic - chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 - 2 bay leaf
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Dash of nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or thyme for garnish

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add butter and lightly sauté garlic on medium heat.
2. Add in mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the moisture from the mushrooms disappears.
3. Add in chicken broth. Stir occasionally until broth boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Add diluted flour in, and stir constantly (while simmering) until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Finally, add milk and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off.
6. Serve hot in your soup bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme if you have them on hand. And warm up this holiday season!

Notes:
- You can thicken the soup by adding in another tablespoon of flour or cut down on the broth, for use in pasta or your Christmas casserole dishes.

Read more at SeasonWithSpice.com

What Kind of Paintbrush to Use

Fall is here! That is, if you count the slanted sunlight and slightly cooler nights of the last few days, as opposed to the summer-like hot days. Or if you count Labor Day having come and gone and most everyone (except those on the quarter system) back in school.

This is the time of year I think about all those fun ways to use paint - on floors, with stencils on walls or ceilings, as accents on furniture, my list goes on and on.

One thing I've learned about painting (okay, two things) it's all in the preparation and the brushes.

Working for a group of hardware stores has it's advantages, but I actually learned about brushes from AceHardware.com and Lou Manfredini:

"Paintbrushes come in two major varieties and each has a place in your toolbox:

• Natural - fiber bristle brushes are made from animal hair. The most common is hog hair, which is labeled "China bristle." These are used for oil paint and solvent-thinned finishes only, since water-based paints will absorb into the bristles and leave them limp and mop like.


• Synthetic - fiber bristles are the choice for latex paint and water-based finishes. These contain fibers made of nylon or polyester. Generally, they are less expensive than natural fibers. The fibers are hollow, which is why after cleaning they continue to leak paint-tinged liquid."

Good brushes (and the right ones for the job) will help you create the look you want whether you're painting an entire room or just a small accent.