Home Decoration

Are those nasty oil stains bothering you in doing your work? Most of the times these stains appear in the garage all thanks to the car oil leakage. And not only oil, grease and other hydrocarbon blots spare no efforts to aggravate your tension levels. Removing oil off concrete floor or cement driveways is the most pathetic situation one can land into. Luckily, there are several commercial products in the markets that are designed to clean the concrete floors, driveways, and sidewalks. Nearly all of these products unluckily contain acid, giving a sufficient reason to the consumers not to use commercial degreaser as they might cause harm. So, if you have those oil stains on your concrete floor, check out this safe home remedy to clean them up.

Things Required

• Ready-to-mix Cements
• Sawdust or Kitty Litters 

Directions

• To start with, take fresh sawdust or kitty litter and spread a thick layer of it over the stain as this will suck up excess grease or oil on the surface.
• Have patience and let the sawdust or kitty litter to rest there for one or two days.  
• After the due time, sweep away the sawdust or kitty litter from the surface.
• Now, pour dry cement over the dried oil spot and cover it completely. 
• Once again, let the cement to rest there for one or two days.
• Next, sweep away the cement.
• At last, collectthe cement in a bag and throw it in the garbage bin. Do not let the cement go down the sewer as it can choke it. 

Tips

• To get best results, degrease the stains as and when they come into sight.
• The grease on the surface is sucked up by the kitty litter or sawdust, whereas the stain is absorbed by the dry cement.
• To avoid further stains, use large automotive drip pans for leaking vehicles.

Create an instant antique with this decoupage-under-glass technique.For our project, we copied pages from an old book. (Any book more than 75 years old makes a good source for material because the copyright has expired.) But consider other sources as well: old family photographs, children’s artwork, and special letters.

Cost: 30-inch-diameter glass tabletop, about $20

Time: About a day

Skill Level: Beginner

What You Need:

• Glass table round
• Items to photocopy
• Acrylic paints
• PVA adhesive (available at art supply stores)
• White spray paint
• Polyurethane
• Grease pencil
• Crafts knife
• Paintbrush
• Access to a photocopier

Instructions:

1. Make photocopies. Enlarge and reduce to vary the size.2. Plan the layout. Cut and position the photocopies on a work surface. Play around with the shapes until you’re happy with the layout. Then, lay your glass table round on top of the layout. Using a grease pencil, sketch the location of each piece on the front of the glass.

3. Add color. Tint the trimmed black-and-white photocopies as desired with a wash of water-thinned acrylic paint. Experiment with combinations of colors and the opacity of the wash. Let dry. Or, consider using color photocopies.

4. Position and secure. Glue photocopies in place on the underside of the glass using a PVA adhesive. Use your grease pencil marks as placement guides. Brush glue on the front of the photocopies, place on glass, and secure by rubbing with a smooth, round object such as a spoon. Allow the outer edges of the photocopies to extend over the edge of the glass; you’ll trim the excess later. Complete the tabletop, then let glue dry.

5. Trim. After all photocopies are in place, turn glass over. Trim excess pieces of photocopies along the glass edge using a crafts knife.

6. Finish coats. Secure masking tape to the edge of the glass table. Spray the back of the glass with white spray paint. Let dry. Brush on a coat of polyurethane. Remove masking tape. Let dry for several days before using.

If your house predates the Depression, your kitchen probably looks something like this: It’s cut up by multiple doorways, has a freestanding range pushed against one wall, no real place for the fridge, and a wee patch of counter on each side of the sink.

But don’t blame the architect for these shortcomings. When these kitchens were designed, cooktops, wall ovens and dishwashers—let alone Cuisinarts and yogurt makers—were still years in the future. All an architect really had to accommodate was a freestanding range, a sink with a few feet of drainboard, an icebox and a dishwasher—the two-legged kind.

Planning ideals were also different back then, and kitchen functions were often segregated into several small rooms. A kitchen of the era might be adjoined by a tiny laundry, scullery, mud porch, or breakfast room, or any combination of these. The resulting clutter of walls and doorways usually left very little space for long stretches of countertop.

Today, with the need to include all the foregoing appliances and then some, many of these old kitchens have just about reached their functional limits. But how can they be made more efficient without drastic reconstruction?

The key to making an old kitchen more functional lies in eliminating cross traffic from the “work triangle”—the area bounded by the sink, stove and refrigerator. Take a close look at your kitchen’s traffic pattern. Often, you’ll find a door leading to the dining room, another into the laundry or other ancillary room and yet another opening onto the hall, all creating a hopelessly crisscrossed traffic path. Often, at least one of these doors is redundant and can be filled in to eliminate one source of cross traffic while allowing for longer stretches of uninterrupted countertop.

Removing walls between the kitchen and other ancillary rooms can also help simplify circulation and free up space for uninterrupted counters. Better yet, if those rooms are at the rear of the house, annexing them to the kitchen may allow you to open up a dramatic view of the back garden—a subtle but effective way to visually expand the room. Space for laundry machines, cabinets or other items displaced by this change can usually be found in a less obtrusive spot.

Once you’ve eliminated unnecessary traffic routes through the kitchen, you can usually reconfigure the counters in a more practical continuous U- or L-shape. If the remaining doors are unavoidably located at opposite ends of the room, two separate counters can face each other in Pullman fashion.

The sink is usually a good starting point for your layout, since it will almost invariably go along an outside wall, either in front of the existing window or a relocated one. Once the sink’s location is fixed, place the refrigerator at one end of the counter or the other. Lastly, you can put the stove anywhere that suits your preferences and the space available. However, always bear in mind the cardinal rule for tuning up cranky old kitchens: Keep cross traffic out of the work triangle.

Create a themed bridal shower that the bride will love.
From the magazine, Simply Creative Weddings

By the Book…
Being a bridesmaid is an honor — and a lot of work. One of the biggest jobs is hosting a prewedding party that your friend, the bride, will love.

The best bridal showers take their cue from the personal taste of the bride. Is she the outdoorsy type or a bookworm? Would she prefer a mountain of lingerie or a library of special edition books?

If she’s the latter, you can take a novel approach by incorporating a book theme into your pretty-in-pink party.

Find more pink party ideas in this article. And, check out our Bridal Shower Tips article as well, using the link below.DecorationsPretty in Pink
Pink and green set the scene for the oh-so-important prewedding party. Cover utilitarian tables with easy-to-make linen tablecloths.

Circles and rings cut from decorative card stock shower the room in polka dots. (For hanging, fishing wire is sandwiched and glued between the circles.)

The no-sew chair covers mimic an elegant wedding veil and are fashioned from two yards of white tulle caught up in a pink tulle bow.

Avoid the expense of professional floral arrangements by using a creative container. For centerpieces, we filled the bottoms of large glass bubble vases with candied almonds, then placed a cylinder vase toting a small bundled bouquet inside.

Take Your Seat
Simple paper and vellum circles tucked inside dahlia petals reveal guests’ names, above. Ribbon markers tucked inside purchased journals display each guest’s initials — another clue to seat designations and a thoughtful guest favor.

The napkin at each setting displays the bride’s monogram and becomes a sweet gift just launder after the shower and present the set to her.

Menu IdeasTasty Treats

Make-ahead appetizers make shower day more relaxed. Serving food buffet-style establishes a casual atmosphere, encouraging guests to chat. You’ll save time and money, and partygoers will appreciate the variety.

With loads of fresh produce nestled in a pesto cream cheese spread, Open-Face Sandwiches add big bursts of color to the buffet.

Antipasto Kabobs
Serve up meats, cheeses, and vegetables kabob-style, and you’re sure to please even the most finicky eater. These no-cook Antipasto Kabobs are easy to make, easy to serve, and easy to eat.

To serve, cut plastic foam to fit inside a dish, stick in the kabobs, and cover the foam with candy. Keep the kabobs refrigerated until it’s time to serve.

Punch
Strawberry-Lime Punch

To maximize table space, use a pedestal to give refreshments a lift. Our punch bowl also can serve as a platter when turned upside down.

Our punch bowl is decorating with an ice ring of strawberries and limes and pairs nicely with appetizers as well as dessert.

Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts
A simple white serving dish makes a striking presentation when topped with Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts.

Floral place mats keep tabletops interesting. Use purchased mats that coordinate, or make your own from decorative papers you’ve laminated at a copy shop.

After the demolition phase, there is usually some preparatory work to be done before you can install your new kitchen. If extensive structural, electrical, plumbing, drywall or paneling work is included in your plans it should take place at this time as well.

Walls
Gouges or holes in the walls must be repaired with wall board compound, spackle, or patching plaster. Stuff larger holes with newspaper or fine wire mesh to hold the compound. If you have gaping holes or many gouges it may be necessary to replace the surface with dry wall.

Usually, installing new cabinets will call or some changes in the position of the cabinets, requiring that the walls be painted. If drywall or large patches of filler are being used to prepare the walls, a coat of sealer or primer should be applied before the color coat.

Locate and mark the wall studs on the floor and ceiling as a reference for attaching the new cabinetry.

Floors
If you plan to replace your floor, the time to prepare for it is Before installing the cabinets and permanent appliances. Ceramic tile floors are usually placed before the installation of cabinets while vinyl flooring can be laid either before or after the cabinets are in place. If the new floor will go directly on top of the existing one, it is very important to fill any areas that may have dipped, buckled or bulged, as well as any holes or gouges, and nail down protruding boards. Remove glue or paint that may have spilled. Countersink nail and screw heads that are sticking up above the surface. If the old floor is embossed or has dips and/or hollows in it, these should be filled in with cement filler using a 5 to 10-inch wide putty knife.

Water damaged floors must be repaired before laying down a new floor. You will need to remove the existing flooring to expose the damaged subfloor. Damaged portions of sub-flooring must be replaced. Should you find the entire sub floor to be too badly damaged for salvage, it will be best to lay new one. This can be laid directly on top of the existing floor.

The Order of Installation
These instructions are to be used as a guide but you should always follow the specific manufacturer’s instructions where there are deviations. Putting the kitchen together should occur in a logical sequence.

1. Primer and paint
2. Ceramic tile, vinyl or hardwood flooring
3. Wall cabinets
4. Base cabinets and islands
5. Cabinet doors, drawers and hardware
6. Plywood base for tile countertops
7. Recessed sink
8. Counter tops - wood, marble, tile
9. Surface mounted sink & fittings
10. Disposal
11. Dishwasher
12. Ice-maker connection
13. Over the range hood/vent
14. Cook top
15. Wall oven and microwave
16. Vinyl Flooring
17. Range
18. Refrigerator, freezer, trash compactor & icemaker
19. Lighting fixtures
20. Finishing touches - trim

    Note: Hardwood flooring and ceramic tile are always laid before cabinets are installed while vinyl flooring can be placed after the cabinetry is in place.