However, in the current environment of uncertainty in the real estate market, home projects and remodeling are getting increasingly popular.

I you are interested in remodeling of your presents home, instead of selling and buying a new one, you shall keep in mind the following dates: March 7, 8, 9 of 2008. Tucson Expo Center at 3750 E. Irvington Road, Tucson, AZ will held the Home Show presenting multitude of products and services for home and landscaping needs.

http://acshomeshow.com/

This year the showcase is comprised by more than 40 shows all over Tucson. Some of them are wholesale only, but many are open to public.

Here are a few places you’d not want to miss:

54th ANNUAL TUCSON GEM & MINERAL SHOW – February 14-17 – Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave (Granada Ave & Congress St.).

TUCSON WESTWARD LOOK MINERAL SHOW – February 8-11 – Westward Look Resort, 245 E. Ina Rd. (East of Oracle Rd.).

THE WHOLE BEAD SHOW – February 4-9 – The Windmill Inn, St. Phillip’s Plaza, 4250 N. Campbell Ave. (Campbell Ave. & River Rd.).

TUCSON SOUTHWEST JEWELRY, GEM AND BEAD SHOW – February 1-10 – 1702 S. Euclid Ave.

ARIZONA MINERAL & FOSSIL SHOW – February 2-16 – at 4 locations: Quality Inn Benson Hwy, I-10, exit 262; InnSuites Hotel Downtown 474 N. Granada Ave at St. Marys; Ramada Ltd Downtown 665 N. Freeway, at St. Marys; Mineral & Fossil Marketplace 1333 N. Oracle, at Drachman.

For more information, locations and schedule please visit http://www.visittucson.org/.

We must’ve seen 50 or more candidates made of everything from wood to stone to various metals…across the whole spectrum of designs. While the bench wouldn’t be directly exposed to rain (and beaming sunshine) because of a large overhead, it needed to withstand the monsoon season. So any bench of the purely indoor variety was out of the question.

Home Depot and Lowe’s — which many Catalina Foothills homeowners often find themselves in for the odd item — surprisingly offered a few possibilities but ultimately, they were on the Spartan side. We came close once or twice at the Fort Lowell Furniture District (Copenhagen Imports, California Design Center, Knock-on-Wood, Contents Interiors and Alexander’s Fine Furniture) but no cigar. We also found a few nice stone and granite benches at Tivoli Fountains — where our fountain hails from — but once again, it didn’t strike the right chord. However, just across the street, El Mesquite Handmade Furniture caught our eye. As soon as we walked through the door, it was clear we’d hit pay dirt. Beautiful, custom made dining tables, cabinets and lo and behold …an exquisite mesquite bench.

While spacious and comfortable for my six foot tall husband, my excitement was quickly dampened when I sat on it, since my feet were several inches off the ground. Not a problem though since this is a “custom” furniture store and run by the gracious Ramirez family. Ignacio Ramirez has been handcrafting furniture for over fifty years and is truly a master as evidenced by the perfectly sized and flush cabinet doors and hinges (among other telltales) you’ll encounter at the store. We placed an order for a scaled down version of the wonderful bench in their showroom and it was promptly delivered as promised within six weeks. It was the most rewarding (and modestly priced) purchase we’ve made in the last two years. When you visit, you’ll have to liaison through Ignacio’s son, Jesus, if you’re not a Spanish speaker.

El Mesquite 2563 E. Ft Lowell Tucson, AZ 85716 Jesus Ramirez (520) 320-5914

Copenhagen Imports played a star role in the process. Several of the standout pieces we found include an uber-contemporary Italian dinning table with cream leather chairs, a fire engine red, sectional micro-fiber sofa and a long, sleek, black leather sofa with a pullout bed for winter guests.

Copenhagen Imports’ in-house, interior designer, Maurice Brantley, offers top notch guidance for no additional fee. Copenhagen is the only game in Tucson for a wall-to-wall showroom of European contemporary furniture. Other stores in the Fort Lowell Furniture District have a smattering of contemporary such as: Contents Interiors, Alexander’s Fine Furniture, California Design Center and Knock-on-Wood.

But even with Copenhagen’s vast selection, we couldn’t find a bedroom set that struck just the right chord. A serendipitously scheduled conference in Dallas helped fill the void. Since our hotel was within walking distance of “furniture row,” we stumbled upon a contemporary furnishing lover’s dream: Cantoni. The massive showroom spans a football field with dozens of sub-rooms showcasing the finest (and what feels like the priciest) selection of European contemporary furnishings. We quickly honed in on the mahogany-speckled, black Manhattan set with eye-catching chrome trappings. With stores in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Irvine and Los Angeles, Cantoni is well worth a visit when you find yourself in one of these cities. Of course, you’ll have to factor the long distance delivery charges when you find yourself falling for that perfect piece.

Copenhagen Imports: 3660 E. Fort Lowell | Tucson, AZ, 85716 Phone: (520) 795-0316 and:

Copenhagen Imports: 3648 E. Ajo Way | Tucson, AZ, 85713 Phone: (520) 326-6491

Our 2006 tree was a beautiful 8-and-a-half foot tall noble fir which hailed from the woodlands of Oregon.

We bought our tree from a veritable “Foothills Institution”: Rick’s Christmas Trees.

2006 was Rick’s 17^th year on the southeast corner of River and Craycroft Roads. Each year from post-Thanksgiving to Christmas, Rick’s is a repository for thousands of beautiful tress which make the 1000-mile plus journey by semi from Oregon to Tucson.

But with the pace of commercial and residential real estate development in the Catalina Foothills, it‘s unclear whether Rick’s will be at the same location for next Christmas.

On October 11, 2006, Tiffany & Co. officially opened its doors in the La Encantada Shopping Center.

Coincidentally, Tiffany’s flagship store on 5^th Avenue and 57^th Street in New York is only a stone’s throw away thanks to Jet Blue’s daily direct service to JFK Airport which began on September 28^th.

Several weeks prior, I received a hefty cardboard, Tiffany blue invitation to the founding ceremony and breakfast. Though a proper “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” wasn’t feasible due to the crowd of 150 or so, hors d’ oeuvres and juices were served by white gloved waiters toting silver trays through the dense crowd. Undoubtedly, of Tiffany mint.

Mayor Walkup welcomed Tiffany’s arrival at the ceremony which got under way shortly past 8:00 am. He was joined by local community partners including the TMC Foundation, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and Tu Nidito.

Everything went smoothly. Just about.

Amid the hoopla, little details like deactivating the alarm system were overlooked.

The motion sensor was promptly tripped by a stampede which hurried through the front doors. A siren wailed for several minutes until a (presumable) call to New York yielded an alarm code to quiet things down.

The store is everything one would expect from Tiffany & Company. Though not of the dimensions of its sister stores on 5^th or Michigan Avenues, the store fits splendidly into its Southwestern surroundings.

And its inventory runs the continuum from understated yet elegant bracelets to a $510,000, 6.53 carrot diamond ring…which I happily tried on.

Though I didn’t get anywhere near the door with that stunner on my finger, I didn’t leave the store empty handed either.

Tiffany gave a gift to each invited guest in their trademarked Tiffany Blue box and shopping bag.

Inside was a lovely sterling silver keychain. This is typical of Tiffany class and cements the lifetime customer loyalty that defines the Tiffany brand.

What does Tiffany’s arrival mean for Tucson? Tucson, and especially The Foothills, are now firmly on the radar screen of the peddlers of panache. And there’s plenty of affluence here to keep them coming in droves.

Louis Vuitton will be opening next month and more high-end retailers will be sure to follow.