Crystal Helps Create New One-of-a-Kind "Smart" Fountain for Washington Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

See more on Crystalfountains.com

Opened in August, 2012, Washington Park in central Cincinnati preserved its history as an important civic space but also added new amenities to revitalize the neighborhood. As a start, the park expanded from 6 to 8 acres and added a state-of-the-art 7,000 sq. ft interactive fountain at its heart. The fountain is the first in the world to combine Smart Controls that let the Fountain lights and jets dance to any music.

Integrated into one zone of the park is "The Walk of Fame" experience combining classical music, arts education, urban redevelopment, a public park, cutting-edge technology, and the Smart Interactive fountain. Visitors to the park can view the paved stones engraved with the names of Hall of Fame inductees. They can also use their mobile devices to request short musical excerpts for listening to privately or to be heard on public speakers in eight zones throughout the park. And, they can opt to have the water in the park's large fountain "dance" to their choice of music.

Hot Tub Landscaping for the Beginner on a Budget

by swimuniversity.com

Every plant I've tried to grow died in a matter of days. I've attempted an indoor herb garden three times and couldn't produce a single basil leaf. I dubbed myself the "serial shrub strangler."

I wanted to write this post but I definitely needed an expert. That's where David Marciniak, owner and lead designer of Revolutionary Gardens came in. He had a way of explaining the art of landscaping that was easy for me to understand.

I would like to share what I learned from him and help you landscape around your hot tub whether you're a newbie, on a budget, or both!

Click here to see the post and some swimming pool and spa photos from Platinum Pools

Artistic Pavers for your inground swimming pool deck

Our friends at Artistic Pavers make durable, attractive, and cost-effective solutions for a unique swimming pool decking application.  Here is some information from their website:

Artistic Paver Mfg.® specializes in unusual sand-set pavers for a distinguished look on your deck and driveway. Our two factories on the East Coast and West Coast are strategically located providing quick delivery to the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Artistic Paver Mfg.® has been making interlocking concrete pavers since 2000. The company was born because we believed the market was lacking a product that was special, different, available for fast delivery and very functional.

Artistic Pavers' goal is to combine beauty and functionality to give our customers the peace of mind of having the product they want when they need it. We give you a unique product, with a range of options to meet the challenge of any project.

Created along with our pavers, we have coordinating coping and specialty pieces made with the same materials as the pavers. These products can be used in many details of a project, giving you a distinguished look that installs easily. We use only the best natural resources including shells, conchs, and glass, to create a variety of exciting colors and finishes.

We keep a large inventory of our standard pavers for fast delivery, so you won't have to wait! We have always enjoyed the reputation for manufacturing the highest quality products in a wide range of interlocking pavers and coping. We have recently upgraded our plant in North Miami Beach, FL and we have opened our new factory in Casa Grande, AZ. Artistic Pavers' two factories are strategically located providing quick delivery to the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

We have invested heavily in the latest technology to ensure we can offer our customers the best quality and colors. We are also happy to make custom finishes on orders of 10,000 sqft or more.

Our staff takes pride in their work. All our products go over a final inspection by our experienced and skilled sorters before being dispatched to our customers.

You can use our products with confidence in extremes of hot and cold weather in various parts of the country or any part of the world. Please see our Tech Specs page for details. We distribute our products to the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and Mexico and we're proud to say our products have been used in residential and commercial projects across the country.

artistic paver manufacturing

Up Close Look: Glow in the Dark Tiles

by AQUAmagazine

Kids are naturally attracted to things that glow in the dark. From the allure of summer fireflies to simple plastic stars stuck to a bedroom ceiling, the neon glow of such products carries a whimsy we don't often see in adulthood — until now.

Helping to bring a magical glow to the pool and spa industry is Vidrepur, a tile manufacturer based in Castellon, Spain. Its Luminiscentes line is a glow-in-the-dark tile made from 99 percent recycled material and available in two colors: a soft blue and sea foam green. By day, their glow-in-the-dark nature remains discreet and non-distracting with a soft, pearlescent appearance. But come nightfall, the landscape is transformed into a luminescent wonderland for six to eight hours.

Looking for a non-tile alternative? StoneGlo may be your answer. Available in deep sapphire, aqua and firefly colors, StoneGlo comes in crystal form (in three sizes) or as a powder. Scatter StoneGlo over wet concrete for a pool project that captures a celestial feel.

Slim in a Splash

Shed pounds in the pool without swimming laps (or sweating buckets). Our cool workout is a hot-day hit that gets results fast.

By Holly St. Lifer, self magazine

Dive right in!

Want to look better in a bathing suit? Use your (pool) noodle. Turns out, the ubiquitous foam toy (you've probably had backyard "sword" fights with one!) is also an ultra-effective tone-up tool. "Because the device is buoyant, you have to engage multiple muscle groups to counter its flotation, burning calories and firming in the process," says N. Travis Triplett, Ph.D., program director of exercise science at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

The trainer Mike Nicholson, a pro at The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York City, created this refreshing routine exclusively for SELF.

The plan Complete three sets of reps for each sculptor three times per week on nonconsecutive days. To supersize your calorie sizzle, see "Melt Fat Fast."

You'll need A pool and a noodle. We opted for a dense version ($11; HydroFit.com) that provides added resistance. (We're overachievers.)

click here to see the workouts