Security in Todays World
December 31, 2007
There are many things in life that are worth protecting. Our children, our valuables, our resources and of course, ourselves. Only twenty years ago, if security was mentioned, you were speaking of protecting your home. And you were most likely discussing a security system, monitoring, watchdogs, firearms and cameras.
With the explosion of the personal computer, and the internet’s ease of access to information, security has now taken on additional roles. With over 605 million people online at any given moment worldwide, criminals are no longer bound by geographic location. Today’s cyber criminal can hack from the comfort of his home just by getting online.
There are software programs that do nothing but scan the internet for un-secure ports and open networks so that they can enter into those unprotected machines to access critical information. There are many users who know little about internet security and rely on their ISP to provide it for them.
Five Easy Ways to Give Your Kitchen Designer Wow!
December 31, 2007
A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of us who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time spent together in the kitchen can bring a family closer together and make wonderful memories (although my own memories of doing dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant - something about dishwater being *disgusting!*) Turning your plain kitchen into something special isn*t as hard as you might think. Here are a few simple ideas which can make your kitchen a designer showcase.
1. To give your cabinets a special flair, use three different stains. Use one lighter stain on the upper cabinets, one slightly darker on the drawers and an even darker one on the bottom cabinets. Add a little pigment in a primary color (red, blue or yellow) to add an additional dimension and a little *pop.*
2. To add a little flair, take out a few drawers and insert low baskets in their place. You will probably have to remove the middle drawer slide or side slides, but that is easily done with a screwdriver.
3. Want to update your backsplash? Use beadboard! Have your local home improvement store cut it to length and attach with nails or adhesive.
Crafty Country Decorating Style Ideas
December 30, 2007
If you’ve ever seen Frank’s decorations on TLC’s Trading Spaces, then you know all about the country style of design. From stenciled drawings to wooden cows to ruffled curtains, country design has all the frills you might expect from our dear friend, Frank. When I was a little girl, my grandparents sold woodwork at the flea markets all over Tennessee and Kentucky. We had wooden calendars with dolls or bears painted on them. We had quilt racks with hearts. We had every crafty country decoration imaginable. Although I thought at one time that you could just toss all these things into a room and have style, I’ve learned since that there are very definite ways to create crafty country rooms that men are still willing to enter.
Crafty country is great, but if you are not careful, your husband may be ready to kick you out of the house. Country design tends to be frilly and a bit girly, and your husband may not approve. One way to create a home that is comfortable for everyone is to use wooden flea market items and ruffled curtains sparingly. Not every room in your home needs to have a cow or duck in it. You can create a beautiful country sitting room with a comfortable plaid couch, slightly ruffled curtains, and a couple of stencils on the wall; the room is still definitely country, but at the same time your wooden coffee tables may have somewhat modern lines so that the males in your home enjoy the room too.
Whats Underfoot? A Quick Guide to Patio Surfaces
December 29, 2007
Patios and terraces have always been popular outdoor spaces. Whether a Parisian courtyard or a rooftop alcove, only porches and sunrooms beat out these paved (or semi-paved) retreats in a recent survey of my readers as the most ideal outside living space. Let’s examine some of the wide variety of patio surfaces.
Patio Stones
Somteimes called flags or slabs, patio stones are flat square or rectangular blocks of pressed concrete. Standard sizes generally include 2′ x 2′, 2′ x 2½’ and 2′ x 3′ (60 x 60 cm; 60 x 75 cm; 60 x 90 cm), with a 2″ (5 cm) thickness. They are a very well-known and popular choice for both homeowners and home builders and are favored both for their ease of installation and low price.
Once only grey or greyer, patio stones are now available in a range of colors. Choose a color that blends with your garden or house, or make a patterned floor with two different colors. Patio stones are especially attractive when combined with an edging of a contrasting material. On my web site, I have some suggested patterns combining them with bricks, but you can use a rot-resistant wood such as cedar, landscape rocks, or even aluminum.
Tips and Suggestions To Help You Plan and Build Your Own Log Home
December 28, 2007
Log Cabin Homes: They have come a long way. Here are some tips and suggestions to help you plan and build your own. Plus be sure to consider the floor plans and not overlook anything.
Typically, log cabin homes are small structures that have little or no wasted space and are built from all natural materials. However, new trends have surfaced, making log cabin homes appear as luxurious, rustic, and cozy houses. At the same time, many of these luxury log cabin homes still use all natural materials, but there are new building techniques and systems used for drying the logs effectively at proper rates.
Log cabin homes are useful for you as a main house or as a vacation home. In fact, any design and style can be created with log cabin homes. No matter what design you decide upon, log cabin homes will surround you in nature always have a comfortable yet rough feel.
Maintenance problems from log homes are often unavoidable. However, new knowledge and technology can help prevent many of the problems from happening. Many of the new techniques can also stop some maintenance problems from happening, and if they do occur, they will not be as extreme.
Painting and Decorating Tile
December 27, 2007
Ceramic tile can be beautiful and elegant. But it can also be bland and uninspired. If you want to add a little color or creativity to your tile, here’s how!
Remember to clean your tile and let it dry before you begin any project.
1. Seal both tile and surrounding grout with a water-based floor varnish.
Ask your home improvement retailer for suggestions about a good water-based floor varnish for your area.
2. Brush paint primer on both tile and grout.
Let it dry for at least 12 hours before you begin painting.
3. With an artist’s brush, paint your pattern with latex paint.
Simple designs are best. You can use stencils or, if you are brave, try painting your own original design directly on the tile. Let the tile dry before sealing.
4. Seal the tiles with two coats of water-based varnish.
Let the tile dry between coats.
Decorating your old tile can be easy and fun. Now, anyone have a great idea for rescuing an old bathtub? (Without making it a backyard planter, that is!)
About The Author
Four Decorative Painting Techniques
December 26, 2007
Tired of plain, boring walls? Faux finishes are a great way to jazz up your space with little cost or effort. Here are a few of the most popular finishes.
Sponging: Of all faux finish techniques, sponging is the easiest, even children can do a somewhat messy reproduction of this technique. In order to sponge, you must first paint the entire area one base color. After this coat dries, then you can take a sponge or even a plastic bag, dip it in paint, and apply the paint randomly to the walls. Although this is a random process, you want to be careful not to get any one area of the wall extremely dark or leave it extremely light or your eye will be drawn to that spot immediately. Sponging is very easy, and for all supplies usually costs between $50-$100, which may also include classes if you want to learn from the professionals.
Combing: Combing is a little more difficult. When combing, you use a squeegee with teeth to comb through the top layer of paint. As with sponging, you want to have a bottom layer so that when you comb there will be a matching layer beneath it. Using a combing technique is also very inexpensive, and you can use the squeegee to make wavy, zigzags, and other designs on the wall.
Poster, Print or Painting - Where Are You Going To Put It?
December 26, 2007
If you are redesigning or decorating a room, or house, care has to be taken where your piece of art is to be displayed. Even if you have bought a picture on impulse there are a few tips that will not only enhance the picture but its surroundings.
As a good rule of thumb it is good to hang a picture so that its centre is roughly at eye level. If you have a grouping of pictures then also the centre of the group should be at approximate eye level.
Wall size.
- For a narrow wall go for a smaller picture, or group of small pictures.
- For large walls go for the larger pictures.
- For walls that link to a low ceiling go for pictures that are vertically longer as this will help give the illusion that the ceiling is higher and open the room up.
Picture framing.
- As a guide neutral coloured, plain or soft /delicate paintings will suit a more basic plain frame.
- Dramatic pictures may deserve a much bolder frame.
- Will the frames go together if pictures are hung in a group?
Picture grouping.
Door Hardware - the Focal Point of the Home
December 25, 2007
The door is the focal point of the home which is why door hardware is so important, creating a striking first impression as well as securing your property against intruders.
The right door fittings and locks will enhance your property both by adding to its value, keeping it secure and improving its appearance There is a huge range of door hardware available that has been made to suit all types of home.
Brassart produces a range of door and window furniture suitable for castles,palaces and other such gand buildings.As you can see from their name they mostly produce solid brass hardware, however they will supply ironmongery in gold plated brass. They also produce door hardware specially to suit the period of the building.
For those with smaller homes Kirkpatricks produce ranges of antique black iron and flat black iron which look perfect in a log house or country cottage.This company were established in 1855, still making much of their ironmongery using the same moulds and methods that were used then. Giving a really authentic feel to their products.
All You Need To Know About The Feng Shui Bagua Map
December 24, 2007
The feng shui bagua map is an octagonal shaped map which allows you to evaluate in feng shui terms any living or working space. The feng shui bagua is a very important feng shui tool and indispensable when we wish to harmonize a place and the elements in it.
According to the feng shui bagua map, each part of your house corresponds to a different life aspect. The life aspects are nine and each one of them has its own characteristics and elements. By properly harmonizing each of the bagua areas within your home or working place, you will be harmonizing each area of your life.
The nine life areas symbolized in the feng shui bagua are: prosperity, fame and reputation, relationships and love, family, health, creativity and children, skills and knowledge, helpful people and travel, and career. Prosperity is the area which you should pay attention to when you are having money related problems, its color is purple and the elements you should use in it are wood and water.
