Living (and loving) Life

Having your home burglarized is one of the worst nightmares of any homeowner. It can be a very devastating occurrence, and it’s one we’re never fully prepared for. If your home has been burglarized, here are eight essential steps you need to take to deal with it:

1 – Do Not Enter

If you notice that your home may have been broken into upon arriving, do not enter your home. You may see a broken window or an open door, but do not go inside to investigate. The robbers could still be inside, and if you catch them it could be a very dangerous situation. Do not enter until police have checked the property and deemed it safe to re-enter. [Read more…]

Bathroom blinds require a careful balance of practicality and style. Needing to stand up to moisture and splashbacks, roller blinds are particularly useful for providing durability without sacrificing on color schemes and other materials.

Moreover, roller blinds are flexible enough to be decorated around specific themes, as well as being easily cleaned and adjusted to take advantage of different weather conditions and levels of privacy. When considering the right kind of blinds for the bathroom, it is worth thinking about some basic tips and things to remember:

1 – Choosing the Right Roller Blinds

The best roller blinds for bathrooms require fabric that resists water and can be easily cleaned. Many manufacturers produce treated fabrics and synthetic mixes that can be easily wiped clean. Other blinds can be made from UPVC fabrics that can be sprayed clean, and will resist a build up of moisture. [Read more…]

Energy efficiency is increasingly important these days. There are many ways you can upgrade your existing home but if you are about to build a new home, you have a lot more options. Making your new home energy efficient from the start will drastically reduce your energy bills and lower your home’s environmental footprint.

Design Features

One of the most effective ways to make your new home energy efficient is to use passive solar design to situate your house to take advantage of the sun’s ability to warm it. This means the house will face south and have lots of windows on the south side. [Read more…]

We all know how important it is to grow plants, both indoors and outdoors – you get extra oxygen, they clean the air of bugs and reduce dust levels. You help out the local wildlife, look after the bees a bit, and have a great space to relax outdoors.

Who wouldn’t want something that looks great, helps you chill out, and means you don’t have to vaccum as much?

However, plants can be a bit of a chore to look after, which is why there are plenty of devices on the market to make it simpler and way more fun for us technogeeks.

Here are five awesome gadgets for geeky gardeners everywhere: [Read more…]

There are fewer things in life more beautiful to see and hear than windchimes. These items can be made out of virtually anything, and are fastened to porches, trees, poles, and trellises.

In past centuries, windchimes were hung in trees and the noise was thought to drive away evil spirits. Today, these accessories are for purely aesthetic purposes, as well as for the music that they make in the wind.

If you wish to make your own chimes at home, you can construct them out of bamboo or strands of crystal beads. Typically, you will need a base, string, the chimes, and any decorative items, such as beads, bells or charms.

You can either create a base from scratch, or re-purpose other items to use as a support for the chimes. To make your own base, you will need a circle, square or even an octagonal shape that is cut out of wood. The wood is generally about ½ inch thick. To make a set of windchimes, use these simple directions: [Read more…]