Archive for January, 2010

When was the last time your home had an electrical checkup?

The wonderful weather of Summer presents the easy opportunity to request that an electrician visit and have your home’s electrical system thoroughly checked. Similar to the way we as people go to the doctor for a physical, a home’s electrical system should receive annual or semi-annual inspections. The main reasons we would do this are to protect the longevity of the house, protect the inhabitant’s well being and maintain the best efficiency – which can save you money on your energy bill.

Throughout the year as electrical devices in the home wear and tear, make a list and store it in an accessible place. The more work that can be done in one visit by an electrician, the more you will save versus paying for several visits. Most electrical problems should only be handled by a professional. This is mainly due to the safety risk involved as well as any job not done correctly can cost time and money in the future if not up to code. Once you have enough items on your list to take action, review the home for any other electrical problems that may have been overlooked.

This is also a great time to do an evaluation of your electrical usage needs. Do you or your family need more power in the home? If so, include that on the list and ask the electrician if an upgrade is available. Finally, in preparing for your checkup, it may also be appropriate to determine if your home could use money saving electrical fixture upgrades. For example, you may want to upgrade frequently used rooms from common incandescent lights to fluorescent ones. This will reduce the electrical consumption and lower your energy bill.
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Many of us have done vegetable gardening at some time in our lives and some have carried this pastime hobby indoors. One plant which can spread beauty throughout ones home or apartment is the Coleus, the most popular, known as Coleus Hybridus (painted nettle). A much more vibrant Coleus plant, simply called “Rainbow Mixed Colors” on the seed package is unbeatable in color variations. Easy to keep alive through even lenghty unattendance and very simple propagation techniques, it can bring much joy to the plant enthusiast.

Because of the high level of regeneration of the Coleus plant, you could easily propagate a single nursery bought plant or one started from seed into several totally new plants. It’s simple ! Once the plant has blossomed to a beautiful foliage, cuttings can then be taken. Begin cutting near the bottom. Trim each to about 6″ in length, then trimming 4 to 6 of the lower leaves.

Place cuttings in a jar or glass, about 1/3 filled with simple tap water. Several plant cuttings can be placed in the same jar, but the water level will have to be monitored more closely.

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Antler Lamps have no equal. Animal lovers and outdoorsmen alike love natural antlers. Antler lamps and chandeliers are prized possessions for southwest lighting and western décor. Antler sheds as they are know are the antlers that the animal “sheds” naturally each spring. Each year in places like Jackson Hole, WY antler sheds are gathered to be used for what has come to be called antler art, lamps, furniture etc.

Some of the most common antler lamps are made with white tail deer sheds. Another very popular and beautiful antler lamp is made with mule deer sheds which are slightly larger and darker in tone. The forks and tines or points of the antlers are used to give each lamp its own unique look. As each antler is slightly different, so the lamp made from the antlers is a one-of-a-kind treasure. The best quality antler lamps are made using techniques of drilling and patching that show no visible hardware or wiring.

Antler lighting is absolutely fabulous for rustic lighting and a must for log homes, cabins and ranches. And if you enjoy southwestern lamps or western furniture, antler chandeliers will create the perfect focal point for your décor. And the crowning affects for any antler lamp, sconce or chandelier is genuine rawhide lamp shades. With their hand lacing and warm glow they perfectly match the antlers and can transform the ambiance of your room to a southwestern/western hide away wherever you are located.
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Solid wood countertops are natural products made of wood from trees approximately 120 years old. Wood is a living material and the more moisture receives, the more the wood countertop will expand. The wood we used in solid wood worktops has been previously kiln dried to a humidity level of 6%, and it is therefore important that the worktop is not exposed to a constantly high level of humidity. Normally the humidity level in kitchens is approximately 50-70%.

The solid wood top must be attached to the cabinet box using only wood screws and washers. It is not recommended at all to glue the top on the cabinet box; the top and the box expand and contract at different rates, therefore cracks might eventually appear, most probably on the cabinets’ surface.

The proper way of installing a solid wood top is using metal fixings along the cabinet box (see our web page).
The metal fixings must be uniformly distributed throughout the length of the top, spaced at a 1′ – 1.5′ distance from each other. Across the width, the top is usually fixed to each metal support with three screws, one in the middle, one toward the front edge and one toward the rear edge. The supports must be perfectly leveled; otherwise tensions can develop in the wood, leading to warping, cupping, or cracks.
We recommend pre-drilling the screw holes into the wood countertop, in order to avoid cracks and splits. For the same reason, it is a good idea not to over tighten the screws. The finishing will considerably diminish the extent of such movements, but will not eliminate them altogether. Due to the panel’s laminated structure, the lengthwise movements are insignificant, so the installer should pay attention to the movements occurring across the panel’s width.
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There are an extremely large number of rose varieties available at this time, most of these varieties are suitable to raise in your home garden. With so many different types to choose from deciding which roses to grow can seem more like a difficult task than a part of the fun of growing roses. By keeping just a few important factors in mind you can simplify this task and put the fun back into selecting your roses.

Color

How will a particular color of rose look in your garden, be sure to look at other peoples gardens and in magazines to see how different color arrangements work together. For some people the color of the roses will not be a very important consideration for others it will be one of the most important. Either way you will need to be sure that the color will complement the other colors in your garden and not clash with what you already have in place.

Size

Size will also be an important factor, how will the roses look in your garden once they have grown to their full height. Can your garden aesthetically support twenty-foot roses or will you need to stick with a species that only grows to about eight feet high. You will need to measure your garden before you start looking for roses. You will need to know the width and height of your garden to aid in selecting the proper roses. Your roses will need adequate room to grow and will need enough exposure to sunlight and air to thrive. If you have limited space you might want to consider growing miniature roses instead. Miniature roses require much less space and our easy to care for and maintain.

Climate

While characteristics that deal with the visual appeal of roses like the height and color are important the most important considerations are the ones that deal with how well the roses will be able to thrive. The climate that the rose needs for proper growth is one of these, if the climate the rose needs does not match with your local climate these roses will never grow very well. For example if you live in an area that has long cold winters you will need to select varieties of roses that can tolerate cold weather.
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These days, the number of baby room decorating ideas are practically limitless due to the many different items available to expecting parents. Therefore, decorating a baby room has more to do with narrowing down your options than coming up with them in the first place. Among the best ways to come up with the right baby room ideas for decorating is to begin with a theme, and then expand from there.

To choose a theme for baby room decorating, start by brainstorming those ideas for decorating baby room that you find most pleasing. Remember that you’ll want it to be something that your baby will find enjoying to first learn and recognize. It should be interesting and fun to look at for the baby, to provide the right amount of stimulation.

Decorating a baby room can be as simple as choosing a teddy bear theme and then going from there. For example, your steps for the teddy bear theme when decorating a baby room may be as follows:

* Furniture – among the most appealing baby room furniture is that made out of solid wood because of its classic elegance and reliable quality. The furniture may include a crib, dresser, changing table, and rocking chair, depending on your budget and the amount of space you have in the nursery.

* Walls – baby room decorating with teddy bears can mean the standard classic brown bears, or bears of different colors. You can either stencil them, paint a mural, or add some wallpaper.
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Toilets are an essential part of our everyday lives. We tend to take the toilet very much for granted and not really like to think about it too much until we find that we desperately need a toilet and none can be found. We forget that modern toilets are a luxury in a lot of under developed countries and find it a huge inconvenience if our toilet doesn’t work.

Toilets that we are used to using are a relatively recent invention, and used to be only affordable by the very wealthy. Even now the evolution of the toilet is still in progress with technological advances including automatic flushing controlled by sensors and economy settings to allow less water to be used when the toilet fills up. The issue of hygiene is a constant one and, along with all the different types of toilet cleaners and fragranced deodorizers there are even public toilets that clean
themselves after each visit.

The prevalence of indoor plumbing has been the main factor in the availability of toilets inside our homes. It is this plumbing that ensures the toilet keeps functioning correctly and we don’t have to do anything more than pull the chain or press the handle. Before this all toilets were separate from the main house in small outhouses. The water supply that these outhouses were connected to was totally detached from the ones used inside the house.
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Summer flowers and bedding plants are a great way to instantly add color to your lawn. Summer flowers start appearing in garden centers in the early spring, but you should be careful to plant only after the danger of freezing weather has passed. Summer flowers produce the best results when purchased ready to plant rather than trying to grow them yourself from seeds. Selecting the right summer flowers for your area can be quite a task, especially if you are planting your first flower garden. Here are some suggestions as to which flowering plants may be right for your situation:

If your flowerbed is in direct sunlight for the majority of the day, you will want to choose a hardy, heat-resistant plant. Some of the better choices for full sun are marigolds, zinnias, petunias, and zinnia. Be careful to choose a variety of heat-resistant plants, as some of these full-sun varieties are prone to diseases, especially marigolds. You will want several types of flowers in your flowerbed not only for contrast and interest, but in the event that one variety does poorly or becomes diseased, you can simply pull the plants (roots and all) and cultivate your remaining varieties. Keep in mind that if any of your plants are diseased, you should pull them immediately to avoid spreading the disease to your other plants.
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