Home & Garden

Every homeowner has aspirations and ideas to improve their home, bathroom, kitchen, yard, patio, etc. Ideas are everywhere! Magazines, neighbor’s homes, TV, the vacation you took; continuously building up in your mind. Eventually it all gets convoluted and you may find you’re more confused than when you started. What to do!? Here are three tips that will help you sort it all out, get you on your way, and potentially save you thousands in the end:

What is granite fabrication?  Natural stone has been used for thousands of years as a beautiful and durable building material once only available to royalty.  The process starts with a stone that is as unique as the region of the world it was mined from.  It can then be masterfully crafted to create a work of art for any surface requiring such high standards.
It all starts at the quarry where the large pieces of stones are cut into blocks. 

As an estimator for Allbright Painting for the last 11 years, I have had the opportunity to be in many, many homes and there is one mistake I see homeowner make time and time again when it comes to patching nail or other small wall hanger holes.  They use too much patching compound to fill a tiny hole.  They take the patching compound (spackle) and a putty knife and spread a large amount of spackle over the hole and create a “flat spot” on the textured wall that then stands out more than the small hole did.

The City of Santa Clarita and the Emergency Network of Los Angeles are conducting disaster plan training for faith based and non-profit organizations. The training will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church.
The training will assist organizations in developing or enhancing their disaster plans and emergency continuity of operations. Space is limited to 50 attendees.  The deadline to register is Friday, January 28, 2011.  Registration is available for up to two people per organization.

“Wow, what a beautiful garden!” How often have you expressed this view after observing the wonderful vista in front of you? Do you long to create the same magic in your own home garden so that you become the envy of your friends and neighbors? Well, here’s how:
The basic mistake made by self-gardeners is not finding out correct details about the plants they purchase for their home garden. By this, I do not mean going into the botanical details about each and every shrub or tree! What I mean is inquiring about their growing habits.

Tired of searching for your 2010 tax information?  Are you regretting not having a system for saving that information, like you promised you would do last March?  Do you want to sail through tax time next year?
There is hope, if you start now! 

Thousands of worn out pool covers, used chlorine drums, plastic drain covers and other plastics used in the maintenance of pools are simply thrown out every day.
However, many pool services and homeowners are finding ways to recycle these items.  For example if you have or want to plant a garden, you can cut a long slit for a row crop or cut out an opening for a plant like a tomato and eliminate weeding and conserve water.

Love seats are versatile and warm pieces of furniture, ideal for small spaces because they can fit everywhere and they are both attractive and practical. Today, as increasingly more people live in limited space, love seats for small spaces are becoming quite popular and common; they come in different designs that can work with almost every décor. They are usually smaller than typical sofas, but can accommodate two people comfortably. This is the meaning of love seat, anyway; to create an intimate and warm atmosphere.

Bringing birds to your garden is one of the great joys of any gardener.  Aside form providing food, providing water is must in creating a wildlife friendly garden. Here is a quick and easy birdbath that looks elegant and can be made from items you already own or can easily get from your local garden center. Supplies needed: Tall pot or urn, or even a piece of large pipe or chimney flue, a large sauce, silicone glue, if desired. 

As the year is starting it is time to re-think what your goals are for the New Year and begin a fresh start.  Why not add a little bit of beauty to the space that you live in.  Your home deserves the personal, creative, and artistic touch of art.
It can be done by changing your hard surfaces, such as a new counter, vanity, floor, shower, or entire room.  One way to do this is by using the versatility and dependability of hand painted tiles.  They can be created in “your” colors or selected from a predesigned palette. 

Are you planning something romantic with your beloved for Valentine’s Day?  Well, now is the time to survey your current bedroom design and follow my advice to create a boudoir with some sex appeal.  Depending on your budget, you can change a little or a lot, and reap the rewards with raised temperatures between your crisp new sheets!
Can The Can Lights

What should your earthquake preparedness kits contain?  If you live in a region of the world that is susceptible to these natural disasters, then being prepared is an unpleasant fact.
It is better to be prepared as it could be the difference between life and death.  Earthquake preparedness kits give you and your family time for the rescue crews to reach you.
Some of the basic staples for an emergency kit include medicine, batteries, and flashlights, matches, charged cell phone, first aid kits and plenty of non-perishable food.  In addition, as much water as you can provide is very important.

Home maintenance services benefit all homes.  Keeping your property in top shape will save you money in the long run.  A home maintenance professional can help you with time consuming home maintenance jobs, leaving you more time to enjoy your home and more time to enjoy life.
Indoor Home Maintenance – Some beneficial indoors-home maintenance services include cleaning services, carpet cleaning services, handyman and window repairs and cleaning services.  Cleaning services will come into your home and either do a deep cleaning once or will do scheduled weekly or biweekly cleaning. 

In recent years, energy efficient products have become more elegantly designed, as homeowners increasingly want to improve efficiency without sacrificing the look they want. Today a plethora of options exist for improving the efficiency of a bathroom, from installing low flow faucets to making those seemingly minor repairs that are often buried low on the priority list.
Reducing water consumption is a major way to boost the energy efficiency of a bathroom. Installing low flow showerheads and bathroom sink faucets will help reduce the amount of water used in everyday activities.

While often planted directly in the ground, herbs can be grown in containers, pots, window boxes or hanging baskets.  Growing herbs in pots allows the herb gardener the flexibility of growing herbs year-round and growing the herbs indoors, outdoors, or in a greenhouse.  The proper balance of sunlight, soil and water are essential to all plants.  Herbs grown in pots must be positioned correctly to get enough sun. 

Okay, it’s February 2011 and you can begin those projects on your long-planned list of home improvements!  With indications that our economic future is positive, allocate a portion of your finances, or obtain a home improvement loan, to accomplish those projects which you’ve delayed over the past few years.
Kitchen and Bath: Purchase modern countertops, upgrade the flooring, update fixtures, and install new appliances if needed.  The cabinets can be replaced or refinished, along with the latest knobs and handle styles.  Install a wine cooler or bar area.

Green, green and more green. The word has really become quite important today in the perspective of increasing danger of global warming.  We need to protect our resources and ensure that a minimum is wasted, and better if the wasted ones are recycled as well.  So the entire focus is on saving the natural resources, be it the construction of your bedroom or renovation of the bathroom. Government and some private organizations like green building association are working towards it and helping residential communities, Realtors, and individuals.

There are many different rose you can choose to grow in your garden. With so many different types to choose from, it might be difficult to pick the right one for you. To make this task a bit easier, I’ve added some crucial factors that you should consider, and some of the different types of roses to aid in your search.  Color may seem like a trivial matter, but it is usually a factor to those that want to grow roses. Usually it is simply a matter of personal preference.  The final growth height of a rose should be considered, as it would be unattractive to grow roses that are higher than the area of the garden that it grows in.