Home & Garden

Voice Over There, Inc. has announced the launch of Southern California’s first compact and completely mobile Voiceover Booth /Soundstage.

On Sunday December 2, 2007, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Soroptimist launched a project to create awareness about the heinous practice of Sexual Trafficking of Women and Girls.  That program launched in the United States on January 11, 2008, the first National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness.

It’s been a very good year for local auto dealers, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and generating a record $6 million in sales tax revenue for the city of Santa Clarita.  Participating dealers doing business in the Valencia Auto Center belong to the Santa Clarita Valley Auto Dealers Association, a non-profit organization comprised of 13 dealerships representing 17 franchises.

Despite our recent winter rainstorms, the Santa Clarita Valley is about to swing into spring.  Daffodil Days, one of American Cancer Society’s oldest and most beloved annual fundraising campaigns, begins this month and runs through March 18th.  During that time, community members may pre-purchase the early March-delivered daffodils for themselves, others, or as anonymous Gifts of Hope for people in the Santa Clarita Valley who are battling cancer.

When it comes to time we always seem to have less of it than we’d like.  Time to relax and enjoy a good book.  Time to spend playing with the kids instead of nagging them.  Time to go to the gym.  But making time for yourself to be mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy must be your top priority.  It’s the only way that you can better nurture the ones you love.

Learn More About Floor Fashions
This year “ready-to-wear” and home fashion are in-step and taking inspiration from the same sources.  Models on the runways wore bold styles in metallics, geometrics and dueling textures.  Others donned minimalistic get-ups with color flowing out in gradients everywhere! According to trend scouts at the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), this year’s Surfaces — one of the home market’s premier international trade shows – will reveal that the fashions underfoot are showing many of the same characteristics.

What is not yet done is what we have not attempted to do.  This is true and our new Mayor Bob Kellar who is an avid arts supporter wants more residents to attend local events at cultural spots like the Santa Clarita  Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons and the Canyon Theatre Guild and Repertory East Playhouse in downtown Newhall.

It’s tax time as well as home improvement time and an excellent time to add a Whole-House Water Purification System.  Let’s start with the rebates available from the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.  First, you will receive anywhere from $275 to $2000 dollars in rebates from the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County for removing your salt system and going to a non-salt system like ours. 

As summer approaches many people are planning to build a pool to enjoy the upcoming warm weather.  As a pool builder who has been creating backyard dreams for over 60 Years, Anthony & Sylvan Pools helps the customer focus on the three phases of the pool: design, construction and ownership.  What many people don’t realize is that the design of their pool affects not only the length of the construction phase but will also influence the cost of ownership in the future.  By making small changes in design and adding the latest technology, you can make you pool more economical to operate and more environmentally friendly. Here is a sample of what a good pool designer should discuss:

Have you been waking up in the middle of the night wondering if you’ll be able to find all those tax related documents you know are hidden in shoeboxes, paper bags, nooks and crannies all over the house?  Well, here comes tax time, also known as “the three month headache!”

There are a number of criteria regarding the preparation of plans and engineering when pulling a permit for a swimming pool, including width, length and depth of the pool, set-backs from property lines and structures, adjacent slopes, soil integrity, retaining walls near pool wall, footings from patio covers and weight surcharges for structures on or near the pool walls.

The arrival of the New Year signals the beginning of summer-flowering bulb planting season.  Gladiolus, dahlias, lilies, freesia, cannas, and many other summer blooming bulbs should be planted now.  A little time spent in the garden this month will ensure a wealth of color all summer long.

To help provide travelers with a convenient, reliable and inexpensive alternative to commuting to LAX, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has directed the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to investigate the feasibility of developing a dedicated bus service to connect LA/Palmdale Airport to the Santa Clarita Valley.

Out with the old, in with the new!  Now that 2008 is under way, it is time to check out the new color trends for your home.  It is no secret the trends and standards for home décor have long followed the fashions of the runway.  This year there are a handful of looks that are gaining popularity. 

Solar energy comes from the sun. A biology class will tell you that in addition to affecting climate and weather, sunlight provides the energy that sustains most life on earth. It also can be harnessed to provide heating, lighting and electricity. Solar power has become a hot topic lately, but this technology is nothing new – Native Americans, people in China and even the early Greeks have historically turned their buildings to the sun for heat.

Table refinishing is a great idea that almost everyone can benefit from, and there are many kinds and styles of tables as you can possibly think of. Many different kinds and materials to choose from too. There are end tables, dinette tables tilt top tables step tables wood ones metal ones wicker and rattan, Thomas Chippendale tables, Duncan Fife tables too, and Sheridan tables as well, just to name a few, and every one can be refinished several times. By far the most common table to refinish would be a type of classic wooden table.

Much has been made of the dangers of street racing, with young men particularly targeted.  Teenage boy plus adrenaline equals heavy on the gas pedal for many.  Street racing is a deadly serious form of lawbreaking.  Accidents happen and speed kills.  Drivers who engage in speed contests put themselves at risk and endanger innocent others, whether the races occur on freeways or on public streets.  The next crash may take the life of a driver, a passenger, a spectator or an innocent by-stander who has the misfortune of being there at the wrong moment.

Remember when the garage was supposed to be a home for your cars and tools but is now a storage disaster?  The garage can be a great functioning place with a little effective organizing.  And this is the year to do it.
The first order of business is to get rid of the things you don’t need or haven’t used in a couple of years.  You only want to categorize, sort and organize what’s left over.