Archive for February, 2009

Be Green & Thrifty

Friday, February 27th, 2009

 

Green Tip of the Month: Wash your clothes in phosphate free home made detergent. It’s easy, better for the environment, and it will save you money.

Recipe:

2 cups Borax

2 cups washing soda, such as Arm & Hammer

1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, grated

 

Fels Naptha can be found in the cleaning aisle of most major grocery stores.soap

 

There are many versions of this recipe available on the internet, but this one is the simplest and I find that it works quite well.

 

Mix to combine all ingredients. Put them in a food processor and pulse for an ultra-fine mix.

 

Use 1 tablespoon for a regular load, and use 2 tablespoons for a heavily soiled load.

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Kitchen Remodel – Recessed Lighting Fixture

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

This tip comes from Randy with R Squared Renovations, a General Contractor & Electrical Contractor in Dallas, TX

Problem: There is a ceiling joist where you want to place a 6″ recessed can light

Solution:  Consider installing two 4″ recessed can lights, one on each side of the joist

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Julia’s Favorite Quotes

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

“The door to opportunity is marked ‘Push’”

- Unknown
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5 Star Bathroom Vanities – 55” Double Sink Vanity

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Periodically, I will highlight our client’s favorite bathroom vanities and vessel sinks.  Here is a recent review of JY-0192-T-55 - A 55″ Small Double Sink Bathroom Vanity:

Positively stunning!

In person this vanity looks exactly like it’s pictured; It is gorgeous. I was so impressed with the quality and the level of service I wanted to order something else. The vanity is a beautiful cherry colored wood with an impressive travertine top and it came with the sinks too! I thought this price is too good to be true, but in fact the vanity is too good to be true. A vanity like this would cost $2,700.00 somewhere else, if you could even find it. If you are having any doubts stop right now and order this beautiful piece, you will be very happy you did.  Written by Bridget Ochoa on 2009-02-19 

For more 5 star vanities, visit us at UniqueVanities.com 

55" Small Double Sink Bathroom Vanity

55" Small Double Sink Bathroom Vanity $1699

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Stylish Outdoor Light Fixtures

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

When I was building my home, one of the things that I found really frustrating was that the outdoor lighting selection was very drab and boring. It seemed like everything was the same basic style and came in only two or three color choices.

I decided that I was going to find a few really great lines of outdoor light fixtures for UniqueLightFixtures.com so that my clients could have the best selection possible for their home projects. 

Here are a few of our favorite outdoor lanterns.

outdoor light fixtures

 

Hand Forged Dark Brown Lantern

LNT 004, $549

 

 

 

outdoor light fixtures

 

Grand Hacienda Outdoor Lantern

OD-HACNDA-R, $949

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Best Selling Bathroom Vanities, Light Fixtures, & Decorative Mirrors

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Sometimes when you are shopping for home decor items, it’s nice to know what is popular with other customers. Best selling items are often recommended from one customer to another, and you can be sure that the quality is excellent.

Here are our top sellers from each site:

www.UniqueVanities.com

Single sink bathroom vanity

This petite vanity is very popular among designers. At just 24 inches wide, it’s perfect for a small bathroom. It features a hand-carved door, with a solid Baltic Brown Granite top and is pre-drilled for a three-hole faucet.

HY-0135 Sale price: $849

 

 

www.UniqueMirrorsOnline.com

Round Mirror, Bathroom Vanity MirrorBathroom vanity mirrors are very popular. This is the Monmouth Antique. This beautiful and simple round mirror has an antique brown finish with black accenting. The mirror is 20 inches in diameter and the frame’s outer diameter is 26 inches.

2172 HE Sale price: $175

 

www.UniqueLightFixtures.com

rustic chandeliers

This hand-forged rustic chandelier is a Spanish colonial reproduction with 6 lights. The finish is a natural rust with hand-waxed top coat. Antique candle covers, 2′ of hanging chain, mounting hardware, and canopy are all included.
CH-CANT6-R Sale price: $675

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Installing a Bathroom Vanity

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Our pre-made bathroom vanities are very simple to install, even for the novice.  Our bathroom vanities come with a large cut out in the back to connect existing plumbing lines.  If you need to move your plumbing, this is much more complicated and requires the use of a licensed plumber.  But if you are just changing out vanities, then you simply disconnect your existing plumbing, pull the old vanity out, and move the new one in.  You reconnect the plumbing and install the new faucet.

One challenge you may face if you are installing a bathroom vanity against base board, is that you will need to have a carpenter cope the base board into the new vanity.  The definition of cope is to join (two molded wooden members) by undercutting the end of one of them to the profile of the other so that the joint produced resembles a miter joint.

If you do not cut the base and cope it into the leg of the vanity you will not be able to fit the vanity tight against the wall, resulting in a gap on the sides and more importantly between the countertop and the wall. Cutting and coping base can be done by a professional carpenter for about $75 to $100 depending on your area.

Another option is to install a tile backsplash behind the vanity top.

Bathroom Vanity

Bathroom Vanity

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Featured Chandelier at UniqueLightFixture.com

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Today I want to show you a really wonderful wrought iron chandelier from our light fixture site. 

hand-forged-chandelier

This beautiful 12-light chandelier has is 36 x 36 inches total size, and comes standard with resin wax bulb covers and a 3 foot chain. Sale price: $1199. Item number CHN030CG

Each chandelier is made to order to ensure the perfect amount of detail and attention is paid to the intricate filigree design in the center.

This chandelier is perfect for a dining room, living room, or even a bedroom with a tall ceiling. Get creative and select candle covers that coordinate with your color scheme and decor.

Be sure to browse our complete selection of rustic chandeliers.

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Ultimate Bathroom Makeover Ideas

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Are you remodeling or building a new home?  One idea we implemented in our new master bathroom was the addition of a flat screen TV.  If you have open walls and can run the cable, this is a great addition to  either your morning routine or evening wind down.  I enjoy watching the morning news when I get ready.  We purchased a small flat screen LCD TV for approximately $175.  This was a small price to pay for such a luxury! And it gets used every day!

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

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Decorating Your Bathroom

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Taking on a redecorating project can be a lot of fun and it can also be a challenge. We are here to help you along the way. There are many simple ways to update the look of your bathroom and stay on budget. By changing the vanity, adding a new mirror, and new light fixtures will increase the value of your home, while also giving you an opportunity express your personal style.

Start with the room style: traditional, contemporary, or possibly a mix of both. This is an important first step in developing your decorating plan.

The next step is to choose your vanity. The vanity is the centerpiece of the room, you can build your decor around it. You can have a custom cabinet maker build a piece unique to your needs. This is ideal, though this is the most expensive option. The current trend is furniture style vanities. These come prefabricated with hand carved moldings and solid stone tops, under mount ceramic sinks or vessel sinks, and are usually pre-drilled for a faucet. This is an ideal choice for the DIY personality. If you are replacing an existing vanity and do not need to make any adjustments to the plumbing, this type of vanity can be moved into the space, and you can attach the existing plumbing to the new faucet fixture.

Vanity size will determine the mirror size. The bathroom mirror, ideally should be the same width of your vanity or slightly narrower. If you have a double sink bath vanity and want a contemporary look, an unframed large single mirror will keep it simple and sleek. For a traditional look, use two single oval mirrors hung over each bowl. To add character, consider choosing two different mirrors to hang over the individual bowls.

Light fixture styles for bathrooms include over the mirror vanity fixtures and wall sconces, which are mounted on the sides of the mirror above a vanity. Recessed ceiling lights can also provide general lighting for a large room. Be sure to consider the amount of natural light in your space.

 

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