Home & Garden

First of all, what is all this Green Stuff?  Basically being Green means taking care of our earth, or being a good ecological steward.
Saving our planet’s resources is everyone’s responsibility.  That means not wasting water, electricity, gas, or simply recycling our trash.  We all can be more aware and start if you haven’t already, contribute to the Green purpose.

There is nothing better than enjoying the backyard with good food and great friends.  In order to really enjoy the meal and company, you should have patio furniture that is both comfortable and a reflection of your personal style.  Until recently, indoor furniture was designed to be stylish and elegant, while outdoor furniture was rugged and unattractive.  These days it is hard to tell the difference between indoor and outdoor furniture. 

The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank has honored three non-profit organizations, including the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, for their outstanding commitment to helping the needy in Los Angeles County.  The SCV Food Pantry was presented the Community Spirit Award, which is given to an agency that demonstrates excellence in community service.

On Monday, May 17, 2010, the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association voted in Olga Kaczmar as president. Outgoing president Alice Nelson has moved out of state. “I’m still keeping my post as publicity chair to keep the community posted of all SCAA art events,” says Kaczmar, “to achieve SCAA’s mission statement of Making Visual Art Visible in the community.”

As a homeowner when looking for a company to do work on your home, you should look at any group or association that this company is a member of.  This offers you a second tier of scrutiny that is helpful in making the right decision for your home improvement.
There are thousands of associations, but when looking to have work done on your home, it’s best to examine the local groups as they are easier to access for information about their members.  You can either ask the group directly or simply examine its other members. 

“Going green,” it’s all the rage nowadays and so it should be.  There are many reasons why we should all be thinking in terms of going green and many ways that we can all do our part.  What the team of professionals at Brodie Electric would like to focus on are the ways in which we can help the environment and save you money in the process and there’s no better place to start than with the electricity usage in your home.

Any Pacific Island getaway would be my idea of a great vacation, but with my two daughters spending week after week, year in and year out at Waller’s Gym Jam Academy, going on vacation has been difficult to get away as much as we would like, so I decided to recreate a tropical environment in our home.
We bought this house new in 2000 and have been adding to it ever since.  Other than hiring sub-contractors to do what I couldn’t, I pretty much did everything myself.  As the picture shows, my favorite plant is anything with the word “Palm” in its description, and they do thrive in our climate in Santa Clarita. 

So often we look at the front of our home and wonder what we can do to spruce it up.  Maybe new flowers or a fresh coat of paint?  Why not ask yourself about a new front door?  An uplifting improvement that may not cost as much as you think.

Every year, about this time as the weather begins to creep up the thermometer, the phones start to ring with every pool builder’s favorite question, “How soon can you build a pool?”  As the temperature settles in the 90s and aims toward the 100 degree mark, desperation sets in on the other end of the phone line once the realization of another blazing summer is unfolding upon us.

With spring in the air and most of us deciding it is better to remodel than to move, our options are vast and timing is perfect.  The patterns and textures of the new tile, stone and wood collections for 2010 are better than ever!  The infinite combinations let designers and homeowners create spaces that add more than just pretty colors to look at, or a hard surface to walk on.  Gleaming metallic tiles, textured ceramics, and patterned porcelain add depth to walls, floors, back splashes, and any place that could use a little accent. 

Got too much stuff bulging out of your medicine cabinet, office and garage?  Is some of that clutter expired medications, electronic waste, or hazardous waste?  This article was inspired by an email blast I received about the Safe and Secure Community Collection event on May 1 at College of the Canyons.  As I read my email I wondered about those folks who don’t have a computer (like my parents) but who still have this specific clutter problem.  The following information will not be new to many, but I hope by making it easily accessible, it will inspire you to do something about your recyclable clutter here in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Warm temperatures are around the corner—and so is the potential to throw away money.  Consumers can’t afford to ignore their air conditioning equipment because inefficient equipment and potentially costly home cooling problems could equal wasted expenses.
“Proper care of cooling equipment can keep your unit running efficiently, which saves money and helps avoid costly repairs,” said Andre Chukhman, owner of Enertek Air Conditioning.  “Now is the time to make sure your cooling system will keep you cool without wasting your money.”

I am going to change gears from water filtration this month and address a question that has come up several times this year.  Although this issue affects only a small percentage of the SCV residents, I feel that it is important these questions be answered for all.

Expect to feel a tingle of excitement as you step into a Home Consignment Center showroom. Featuring home furnishings, accessories, and even fine jewelry on consignment, the Home Consignment Centers are a must visit for Bay Area treasure hunters, especially those looking to buy quality merchandise while saving a few dollars. With truckloads of new items arriving at the stores daily, they’re a shopper’s paradise.

Many tools are essential for gardening properly and achieving great results with plants, trees, fruit trees and vegetable.
Some of the tools that can be use is an efficient rake to pulverize the soil to make a seed bed and to make drills for seed sowing will be a necessity. It should have at least 12 teeth, preferably 14 or 16, to enable the work to be done more quickly. A series of hoes, including the Dutch type, a draw hoe and a scuffle hoe will also be an essential part of the equipment.

Spring is here and for the month of May we are offering our The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers a chance to obtain a free evaluation on their Air Conditioning and Heating Systems.
This evaluation will include the following:

The trend today for home remodeling has changed.  Many buyers are looking for much different improvements then those in the past.  Their attitude and approach is much different then before the economy hit the ground.
It used to be that if a homeowner wanted a new kitchen or new bathroom they simply asked for everything they could think of that they saw in a magazine. Now, homeowners are evaluating each fixture, cabinet, and appliance in terms of energy efficiency, brand name, warranty, consumer report, and finally cost.

Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sun; that’s all.  Keeping this in mind, you might find a whole new area of your yard that will be good for growing tomatoes.  
Amend, amend, amend!  For great tomatoes use a lot of organic matter in your soil.  Most of SCV has either clay (and alkaline) soil or decomposed granite (sandy) and both of them need organic matter.