Home & Garden

Removing wallpaper is probably last on your list of favorite things to do, but if you don’t want to stare at those dingy, floral walls anymore it’s a job that has to be done.  Luckily, the task isn’t quite as abominable as you might expect.  

Immediately

As soon as your cabinets are installed, wipe all surfaces with a soft, damp cloth and dry immediately.
Never use kitchen cloths or sponges that might have detergent or grease on them.

Part 1:  Understanding what you want creates an accurate sense of expectation and preparation between the homeowner and the contractor, leading to a satisfying pool construction process.

The retailers and shoppers at Gateway Village Shopping Center are jumping for joy at the early opening of a critical link in the Cross Valley Connector. 

There are two letter to the designer in the read more!

Your ideas can change the world.  And creative ideas can take an approach that no one else has thought about.  The Getty Museum is using some new ideas in their current lobby exhibition.  In fact the Getty has gone contemporary. 

Santa Clarita fashion mavens will have a rare opportunity to indulge their shopping fantasies, while also supporting a good cause at the Designer Purse and Shopping Gala on Thursday, May 3, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Excite your garden with luscious botanical florals.  This spring offers an array of splendid colors ready to attract and excite your garden.  Both you and your backyard guests will delight from the glorious sight.  So, stop dreaming and start color splashing for this new spring season.

One of the most critical decisions to be made when constructing a swimming pool is choosing the right edging, or coping to surround the pool.  Different coping materials lend themselves to certain shapes and styles; in general, one uses flagstone on more curvy free-form shapes. 

It’s time to emerge from winter hibernation and prepare to greet the spring season.  Along with the usual change in weather comes a change in daily activities and, often, a desire to clean-out or clean-up and move our focus of activities outside the home.  Here are some suggestions to help:

Let’s face it, as wonderful as it is to own your own home, you dread all those maintenance projects.  Warm weather means that honey-do list is already growing, exponentially. 

A lot of questions have been asked about water softeners in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Let’s start with why new installations have been banned in our valley. 

"Appliances" through "Window Treatment"!

One of our faithful readers was looking over the January issue of The Magazine of Santa Clarita and caught the article about cleaning candle wax from candleholders and carpeting.  The article stated that as a last resort, cut the damaged carpeting out.  Debbie Lopez, Canyon Country, says she has a less drastic full-proof method.  She recommends placing a hot iron over a paper bag and then over the carpet where the melted wax has hardened.  As you press the iron to the bag, keep moving it around the area as to absorb the wax and not burn the bag or carpeting.

Wouldn’t a beautiful set of candle holders holding bright red candles for Valentines Day be a lovely addition to your dining room table? A beautiful red-and-white table cloth and napkins with hearts would certainly cheer up the room for the upcoming holiday. If you can’t find one, you can certainly purchase the material to make one with matching napkins. Wouldn’t that be a lovely craft project? It’s easy. You really don’t even need a pattern.

If you have just bought or are considering buying a new home, then you will also need to plan the process of moving.  While there are many things that you have to remember, planning them in advance will make the whole move easier and less traumatic.  So it is a good idea that, as soon as you know the completion date for your move, that you start planning. 

Every year thousands of homeowners do major renovations on their house in order to improve the value as well as enjoy their improvements.  Some home improvements are very costly and many do not have a good return for the money spent.  If you want to improve your home and up the value at the same time there are three areas you can focus on that make the most difference. These projects can add value to your home, make it more enjoyable and don’t cost a lot of money either!

Solar panel systems have always been criticized as bulky and unattractive.  New solar technology is beginning to make such criticisms a thing of the past. While everyone agrees solar energy is a clean, cost-effective energy source, there has always been one problem.  The solar panel systems tended to be large and rather bulky.  Frankly, they don’t add to the beauty of a home.  While solar panel designs have improved over the years, a new development involving shingles is getting a lot of attention.