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Mold your own stepping stones

You can pave your garden path with whimsy, artistry or memories — and you don't have to spend a fortune doing it.

Artist and author Catherine Failor makes molds that let you turn out concrete stepping stones for about $1 per stone, not counting the cost of the mold. They're available in a range of designs, including Celtic knots, celestial motifs, animals or plants and styles that can incorporate a hand or paw print.

The polystyrene molds produce stones that are 2 inches thick and 15 to 16 inches in diameter.

The molds can be ordered at www.gardenmolds.com. Most styles cost $24.95.

Got a spare weekend? Whip up a project

Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, the duo from HGTV's show "Room by Room," recently compiled some of their easier home-decorating ideas into their second book, "Matt & Shari Great Weekend Projects" (Dynamic Resource Group, $19.95).

The book includes ideas and instructions for projects gathered from more than a decade's worth of "Room By Room" episodes, now out of production but still in reruns. The projects include furniture, window treatments, painting techniques and decorative accessories, all with that homey, Midwestern Matt-and-Shari stamp.

The book is a followup to their home decorating guide, "Matt & Shari Real Decorating for Real People."

Put your name under their feet

Decorator doormats include one with the look of an Oriental rug, $38; cast-aluminum with pinecone, pineapple or filigree cutouts, $55 and up; natural cedar, $39 and up; silk-screened florals or solids, $29 and up; and nonslip rubber in assorted sizes and shapes, $49 and up.

Available through Personalized Doormats. Visit www.personalizeddoormats.com or call 800-899-0620.

Compiled from the Akron Beacon Journal and Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)