While having houseplants definitely adds beauty to your home, they are also a big responsibility. It is imperative to remember to water them but not over-water them and make sure they get ample sunlight without burning them in the sun. To many people, this just sounds like too much work and although they add beauty, they are not always worth the hassle.

If you want to take on the responsibility of having live plants in your house then do it; but for those of you with perhaps a “brown thumb,”, here are some suggestions to add some green without adding more responsibility.

Fake, or plastic, plants look much more realistic than in the past. In fact, it is often hard to tell whether a plant is live or artificial. Artificial plants can add real beauty to your home without adding more responsibility to your life. The only problem associated with artificial plants is the initial expense in acquiring them and these plants can carry hefty price tags.

If the initial expense is not an issue for you, you can purchase artificial plants at many department stores or craft stores. You can choose from artificial trees, individual stems or small plants in baskets. However, if the cost is an issue, you can still find beautiful artificial plants without spending money a lot of money.

The first place to begin your search is your local second hand store. Many people donate these items when they purchase newer ones or switch to live plants. You can often pick these up for a fraction of the cost to buy them new and they look just as good. If your local second hand store doesn’t have any artificial plants, start checking rummage sales and flea markets or anywhere else you can think of where people may be selling used items they no longer need or want.

After trying all of these resources, if you are still having little luck, try joining your local Freecycle group and placing a wanted notice. People are always looking to help each other out in these groups and may just have some artificial plants sitting in storage somewhere or updating their decor. You can also check online free classifieds or classifieds in your local newspaper for giveaways or items for sale.

Once you find the plants you are looking for, make sure you clean them before placing them in your house. You can hose the plants down outside and let them dry before bringing them into the house (this will be the only time you have to water your artificial plants!). Once you have them in your home, they will be virtually maintenance free-no watering or remembering to place them in the sun. Just dust them once in a while and enjoy the beauty added with the greenery in your home.

You may have heard of kid-proofing your home, but pet-proofing is just as important and some of the tools designed for kid-proofing can also work for pets.
Cats in particular have a curious nature and tendency to get into things that could either be harmful to them or annoying to you. Sometimes it seems they want to get into things just to prove they can.

For example, your pet may bang on a closet door, bedroom door or kitchen cabinet in the middle of the night until they manage to get it open. By installing a device meant to keep children from opening doors or drawers, you can get a good night’s rest.

Keep the garbage located in a place they cannot get into because they will rummage through the garbage and may ingest something harmful to them. When it comes to chicken bones and other obvious dangers, wrap them in a plastic bag and put them in the trash in the garage where there’s no chance they will get into them.

Keep the toilet lid closed. If you leave the lid open, pets will drink the toilet water and could possible ingest something dangerous to them such as hair or dye. Besides, open toilets really are an unattractive decorative item and should be closed anyway. Your pet is training you to have good taste in home décor.

Don’t leave dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and remember to rinse the sink afterwards. Cats jump in the sink and lick the bits of food left after rinsing dinner dishes.

Use pest control that isn’t harmful to pets. If you must use toxic cleaners or formulas, keep the pets away from the scent and/or open the windows for proper ventilation.

Keep medications and cleaning supplies under lock and key. The best place for medicines is the medicine cabinet and you should not keep your cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink unless you put a child-proof latch on them.

Make sure screens are in and doors are latched. If a handyman or somebody who may be going in and out of your house frequently, keep the pets in a safe room where they cannot accidentally get out. Also, when entertaining, you may want to keep the pets away from the guests because people sometimes stress pets by giving them too much attention—especially if they are strangers.

If you have overnight guests, you may want to instruct them on being careful not to let the pets out. You can set your home security alarm to “ding” whenever a door or window is open so that everybody can be aware of somebody going outside.

Be careful when you cook with foodstuffs that are deadly for pets. For example, you may not even want to cook with mushrooms and other ingredients that would harm your pets if swallowed.

It’s important to take extra care to keep your pet safe and healthy by preventing careless accidents.

During the seller’s market, many sellers thought they could sell their house no matter what shape it is in. But even in a hot market, it’s difficult to sell a broken, rundown, messy house and it doesn’t take much to make your house look presentable.

You often hear that it’s better to sell an occupied house than an empty one, but that depends. If you’re going to try to sell your house while it’s occupied, you need to “stage” it. This means you decorate and present your house as if it was a model home. That means clearing out the clutter, getting rid of furniture that doesn’t make the most of each room, and cleaning it from top to bottom, including underneath the sinks and the shower stall.

So if all repairs have been made and you’ve hired a professional cleaner, what then? Is your house ready to show? Probably not. If you haven’t put away your personal items that tell the potential buyer that this house belongs to somebody else, then you should move out of it. An empty house is more attractive than a house that looks like it’s lived in. Potential buyers want to imagine their furniture and their belongings in the house.

Here are some tips that professional designers use when decorating a model home:

• Check the curb appeal. The potential buyer may not even get out of the car if the yard and front of the house don’t look appealing. Get rid of the lawn chair on the front porch.
• Display fewer pieces of furniture than you normally would use to live in. Less furniture makes the rooms look larger. Never mind that there’s no TV in the living room. Add mirrors and display knick knacks and pictures in groups of one, three, or five.
• Put away those countertop appliances. The counters should be free of everything but an attractive basket with fruit, a bottle of wine with wine glasses, or kitchen décor such as an artificial plant.
• Replace your king-sized bed with a queen-sized or double-bed if the room is small. You can pack up the king-sized bed and put the guest bed in the master bedroom. Decorate the guest bedroom as an office. Each room should have an obvious purpose.
• Get rid of that back cushion in the bath tub. There’s nothing worse than seeing evidence that somebody before you has ever used the tub that you plan to soak in. And put the toilet lid down. If a potential buyer wants to inspect the toilet, they can lift it up themselves. In the meantime, the bathroom looks much more attractive and welcoming.
• Add spa accessories to the bathroom. Towels tied with ribbons, scented soaps, lotions and other decorative jars and/or candle add to the bathroom spa-like experience.
• Don’t forget the backyard. Add potted plants and/or flowers to the patio or set the picnic table with festive-looking settings.

Lighting and scents are also important. Decorate as if you were setting a stage. A potential buyer will be drawn to your house and will be soon dreaming of buying your house and living there.

It may seem like stating the obvious to say that you might want to consider desert landscaping if you live in the desert. But many people who relocate to the desert from non-desert areas want to see the traditional green grass outside. For one thing, a patch of green breaks up the unending brown desert and offers the eye some colorful relief. But landscaping in the traditional way when you’re living in the desert can be expensive and impractical.

So what exactly is desert landscaping? These are plants that thrive in the desert with very little water, need no fertilizer and can withstand the intensity of the sun. You can also save an appreciable amount of money on your monthly water bill with desert landscaping because the water company will give you a big break on the rate you pay. And when you check with your water company and find out how much you’ll save, you’ll be motivated to landscape with desert plants only and not traditional grass. Even if you already have grass, they may offer you a bargain to replace it with something more desert-friendly.

Many people think desert landscaping consists of cacti and gravel. But you can actually have a lush and colorful landscape with beautiful plants, flowers and trees, while still being very water-efficient. You can even include a small pond, which is ideal and water efficient in this particular climate. And it offers enormous visual relief from the monotony of barren desert.

Things to keep in mind when designing your desert landscape:

• Group plants that need similar amounts of water together.
• Use real or engineered slopes in order to provide a runoff area for rain and those plants that need the highest concentration of water.
• Choose trees, bushes, shrubs, plants, and flowers that are hardy and resilient and if not native to the area at the very least native to similar climates.
• Check with your local water company for recommendations. The Las Vegas Valley Water District, for example, offers a variety of free, professionally-developed sample designs to help you plan your new landscape. They range from a child-friendly backyard design to a low maintenance front yard, and provide great examples of colorful and exciting, yet water smart landscapes.

Besides saving money, desert landscaping is also considered “green,” which is all the rage now and considered the right thing to do. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to add a covered patio so you can find a cool place in the shade to enjoy your landscaping.

There are many choices of flooring these days, but the four major choices are wood, tile, carpet, and vinyl. Perhaps you admired beautiful bamboo or pine or mahogany floors in a model home or some other kind of flooring on display by a manufacturer. And while appearance seems to be the number one factor in choosing a flooring, maintenance must also be considered.

So before you run out to have new floors installed, you may want to consider the pros and cons of each type of material because there’s more to choosing flooring than what looks good. Here are some questions to ask yourself.

Which room is this? You may choose different flooring for an entryway, living room, kitchen, stairs or the bedroom. What about cost? How long will it last? What about maintenance?

Wood
Wood floors are very popular today and there are so many choices. Wood floors are durable and, when properly sealed and finished, can be cleaned with a wet mop. Woods, such as oak, cherry or fir don’t dent as easily as pine and can be repaired easily. Supposedly, they don’t attract dust, bacteria or dust mites the way that carpet can. However, you must consider the traffic area. If located in the front of the house, they can catch dirt and dust easily. But to be in vogue by choosing “green” materials, you may want to consider bamboo or cork. A less-expensive, durable, and easy to maintain choice would be a laminate wood floor.

Tile
Ceramic tile is rugged and hard, functional and beautiful. Because it is non-porous, ceramic tile withstands moisture, and is well suited for bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens. Its beauty makes it an elegant choice for living areas, as well, although it doesn’t provide a warmth and cozy atmosphere, which may be important in colder climates. Tile is an excellent choices in warmer states with indoor-outdoor living year round, such as California, Arizona, and Florida. If you live in a cold-weather state and you are set on installing tile, you can also choose tile with radiant heat.

Vinyl
Vinyl is the least expensive and the most durable. And with some of the latest applications, they can mimic tile or even wood. While not the most attractive in highly-visible areas, they are a good choice in kitchens and bathrooms for maintenance and durability.

Carpet
Carpet is not in vogue these days because of known allergies for some people and for the difficulty in cleaning up after pets. But in some locations and climates, you may want carpet for comfort, coziness, and warmth.

For details, check with your flooring professional.

It’s never been easy designing a room around the television set and now that flat screens are popular, that chore either got easier or more difficult, depending on the type of room you have. Here are three solutions.

Over the Fireplace

The whole point of a flat screen TV is to place it on a wall, some people say. And many newly-built homes are designed with a space in mind for that purpose. Just the right-sized niche may be located above the fireplace with the electrical/cable outlet at just the right height. Where to put the TV is a no-brainer, although you may have to figure out where to put your TiVO/DVD/Receiver out-of-sight to avoid visual clutter. Some would suggest burying the wires in the wall while others would discourage that due to maintenance difficulty. You may want to place the TV paraphernalia in a cabinet located near the TV.

If you don’t like the idea of a TV above the fireplace because it may take away from the ambiance, you can creative a decorative façade, such as a mirror or piece of art. There are other issues to consider, though, such as the smoke from the wood-burning fireplace and eye- and ear-level issues if installing your TV above the fireplace would be too high for optimal viewing. But it does save on floor space so it’s worth considering.

Stand-Alone

If you don’t like the idea of the TV over the fireplace for whatever reason—maybe it makes the TV too prominent or too high, you don’t have a fireplace or your niche is too narrow for a flat-screen TV–you may want to purchase a TV stand and place it against a wall. That’s assuming you have an appropriate wall to place it up against for viewing.

Built-In Cabinet

If your room is large enough, another choice is to build a cabinet with a center piece for the TV with bookshelves on either side. If you are not the handy kind, you can hire a contractor or handyman to do the work for you. The TV show This Old House featured a panel where the TV disappeared after viewing. But too much cabinetry in the living room or family room can be just as overwhelming as too many cabinet-covered appliances in the kitchen—a little goes a long way.

Fireplace Cabinet

If you don’t have a fireplace but would enjoy having the look of one and you’d like a place to hide the flat screen TV then a fireplace cabinet may be for you. One company, PictureHouse Cabinets makes these and other TV hideaways. Brookstone offers a cabinet with a life for the TV, which hides it when not in use.

All you have to do is get creative and you’ll soon be enjoying your new flat screen TV.

A home office is a necessity for many people today. But often we settle for a counter in the kitchen, the dining room table or a nook tucked behind the back door. And even if you have a dedicated space for your home office, it often becomes a dumping ground and not the organized haven it should be.

So here are some tips in organizing a home office:

First of all, you really do need to dedicate a space for your home office, even if it means screening in the backyard patio or claiming a piece of the garage. This will do two things for you: (1) give you a private place to work, and (2) separate your work from your home. So now that you have your space, what next? Here are some things to consider:

1. Put your personal stamp on your office. Decorate according to your taste, favorite colors, and include some “fun” items such as playful figurines, toys, or stuffed animals. Don’t forget pictures of your favorite people and/or places.
2. Use a real desk and not an old kitchen table. The desk will be at the right height and if you include drawers for storage, it’ll be all that much easier to organize your space.
3. Get a good office chair and not an old dining room chair. You can go to a local office discount store and buy one for a reasonable price. Don’t forget the plastic mat underneath for ease of moving and to protect your floor.
4. Position a small table near your desk. This is where you can place items you need within reach.
5. Include a ceiling fan even if you have air-conditioning. This will help keep the air moving and you will be more comfortable working in the room.
6. Add a comfortable chair or couch for guests or to take a break from sitting at the computer. This is a good place to brainstorm.
7. Hang a white board on the wall for impromptu notes and reminders.
8. Install strong shelving and/or place bookcases near the desk.
9. File your papers in a filing cabinet.
10. Designate a place for the printer and phone.

You may also want to add a stereo or some form of music if it relaxes you while you are working. Some also add a mini-refrigerator or snack shelf to complete your office oasis for those times when you need to lock yourself inside your office and work without interruption.

So you’ve decided you want some sort of water immersion system for your backyard only you can’t decide between a pool or a spa. But besides the money factor, there’s a lot to consider before choosing either one. And it may not be as straightforward as you first thought because there are several choices in each category. Take a look at the following choices:

1. In-Ground Pool
2. In-Ground Pool and Spa
3. Above-Ground Pool
4. Above-Ground Spa
5. In-Ground Spa
6. Above-Ground Swim Spa

Is your head spinning yet? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each one.

Choices #1 and #2: In-Ground Pool With or Without Spa

This is what most people imagine when they think about cooling off in the backyard. But it is also one of the most expensive choices, especially if you include an in-ground spa and other features such as a fountain. For the serious swimmer or if you have kids, this choice may be worth it to you. Building a pool is also the most time-consuming and what many people think of as frustrating process, dealing with the sub-contractors. But it probably has the biggest payoff. If you choose to build a pool, you must be prepared for the maintenance costs and effort on your part, unless you hire a pool man and that’s also a more expensive choice.

Choice #3: Above-Ground Pool

Not as popular as it once was due to many communities restricting its use. And you may agree that it really isn’t that attractive in your backyard.

Choice #4: Above-Ground Spa

An above-ground jetted spa is a great choice if you want to keep your purchase and maintenance expenses and effort on the lower end. It’s also a great choice if you have a smaller backyard or want or need the water therapy. Older people especially may want to consider this choice.

Choice #5: In-Ground Spa

If you like the look of an in-ground pool but don’t want to spend that amount of money and you’d like to have jets and hot water to soak in year-round, you may choose to build an in-ground spa. But it has some of the problems that building a pool does—dealing with subcontractors, digging, and building permit issues. And maintenance can be tricky with the jets built in the ground.

Choice #6: Above-Ground Swim Spa

But if you have your heart on swimming, don’t want to have a digger dig up your backyard, and you’d like warm water and year-round soaking, the swim spa may be for you. But it is about as expensive as building an in-ground pool and maybe even more so if you choose to have it installed partly underground for a more attractive look.

It can be a daunting decision so you may want to visit your local pool and spa dealer to talk it over with them and maybe even sample a few of the choices.

With modern life being so fast-paced and noisy, it’s important to create a sanctuary in your home. This can mean different things for different people, but designing a room or space for a peaceful respite is the goal. You may want to consider some of the following ideas.

A Personal Retreat–Designing a bedroom with relaxing fabrics and colors is a must have retreat for anyone. But if you have a sitting room attached to your bedroom, you can decorate it with a chaise lounge with small table and lamp and it makes an instant perfect place to relax and read a book. Whatever it is you like to do, the important thing is to make time for you. Another place to create a retreat is decorating a loft, although it’s not as private as a room with a closed door.

The Spa Bathroom–Converting the everyday bathroom into a spa retreat-like atmosphere is a very popular thing to do today. Lush towels, fragrances, candles that are infused with aromatherapy essences are a must, and/or a dimmer switch on your bathroom light. Add a pillow specially-designed for soaking in the tub, your favorite relaxing music, and perhaps a refreshing beverage or glass of champagne and you will feel like you’re in a five-star spa.

Religious Altar–For some people, having a religious altar gives them the sanctuary they need. They place candles and/or incense on the fireplace mantle, play soft music, read, pray or chant alone or to share with others. Choosing a room with dark drapes can also create a sanctuary-like feeling even during the day.

Wine Cellar–Not everybody has a cellar in their house that they can devote to a wine cellar. But you may be able to carve a wine cellar out of other areas in your house. Some have converted a closet into a wine cellar, but you want to choose a closet that doesn’t face an outside wall for temperature issues. Wine refrigerators are important to keep the temperature at a steady range, but at the very least, you will need a wine rack. There’s nothing more relaxing than having a sitting area as part of your wine cellar, but if that is not possible, you can create a peaceful sitting around where you can enjoy sipping your wine.

Backyard–Relaxing outdoors is the only place to gain peace for some people—they must be outside of the house. A garden, pool, patio, fountain, or spa can all help to give a feeling of sanctuary. Sitting around an outside fire also contributes to a sense of peace. There’s something about an element as basic as fire to soothe the human soul.

Whatever way you choose to relax, take time to enjoy those peaceful moments that will rejuvenate you and make you even more productive than if you had taken that time to continue working.

Have you always dreamed of having a garden—either plant or vegetable or both—but had no idea how to get started? There are several things you might want to do before you begin.

• Research online garden sites
• Read home and garden magazines
• Watch home and garden television shows
• Order videos on gardening
• Visit a nursery or landscaper and ask questions
• Get a computerized program to plot out your garden ahead-of-time

Now that you’ve gathered some information you need to decide what kind of garden you’d like. Do you want to grow herbs or vegetables to add your own fresh food to your recipes? Do you want to admire your favorite flowers and perhaps cut fresh flowers to add as a centerpiece to your dining room table? Or do you just want a landscaper’s garden, offering a view out your kitchen window and/or a place to relax outside?

Once you decide this, sketch your design or use a computer program to plot it for you to see how it will look once you get started creating it. One thing you’ll have to keep in mind is the size of each item. Remember that they will grow to a certain height beyond what you start with. For example, one person thought they were buying miniature palm trees only to discover they grew to full height, overwhelming their front yard in the process.

Beyond size, what about sunlight and water needs? If you live in the desert, you will want to choose plants that don’t need much water and that can withstand bright, direct sunlight for most of the year. But if you live in a cold or wet climate, you will need to make other choices. Also, does the plant need morning or evening shade, morning or evening sun?

Perhaps you will like some movement in the garden, such as water cascading into a fountain or a pool, for example. Would you like to attract visitors, such as butterflies and hummingbirds? Do you want to add a bird bath or feeder?

Think about fragrance, too. You may also want to include plants that move well with the breeze. Special scents and breezes can add to the enjoyment in the garden—they make it come alive.

You may want to landscape most of your backyard, but allow a small patch for a vegetable and/or herb garden. Just be sure you allow enough space for vegetables that require it, such as cucumbers. You may want to make use of vertical space by training vines to grow on a trellis. You can also use a trellis for certain flowers such as a bougainvillea. Or perhaps you’d like a small piece set aside for a rose garden.

There are a lot of decisions to be made but designing your own garden is half the fun. Enjoy!