New Type of Effusion Lamp wicks!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, I'm sure you must be thinking that I dropped off the face of the earth. Actually, I'm still here and working on a number of projects. I've spent most of the past month trying to get organized-a never ending project in itself. FYI-I'm still not organized and probably will never be, but I do try.

I've been writing this blog now for several years and the most common email I get is always about effusion lamps. I know why-they can be tricky. The wicks burn out, clog up or the scent doesn't smell up the house, etc, etc. I've done so much research on these lamps that I really feel I finally know what I'm talking about.

I was surprised to get an email from Carol a few weeks ago. She was having some problems with her effusion lamp and needed some advice. She surprised me by mentioning a new wick that she is using-which I had never heard of. I seriously don't even know how long the have been around. These wicks have no stone either...... hummmmmmmm......this is soooo interesting. It starts instantly, which saves on fuel, and eliminates the 5 minute (sometimes scary) lighting of the stone. Called the "Platinum Wick", it can't clog or flood. It fits all types of effusion lamps and retails for about $14.95, depending on where you look. My only question would be: how long will it last? I can't answer this yet, but I will let you know.

I ordered mine from here because the price was right and they offered free shipping. I've had it for two weeks and I burn it everyday, so we'll see how it goes. Below are some step by step photos and a good look at the wick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To start off: here is the wick, right out of the box.

Below is the lamp filled 1/2 up with fuel. Remember, don't fill over 1/2 way up-these lamps need oxygen to work. Pop in the wick and leave it for 10 minutes.

Above: the wick. Looks like something that goes over a chimney. Notice there is no stone with these new wicks. The stone is replaced with a metal grate that heats up during the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the wick being lit.

Here is the flame that is created. You keep the wick lit for 30-35 minutes, a little flame appears for a few seconds and then you blow it out! The metal grate gets hot and the smell starts almost immediately. It's a big difference from the old stone wicks. I still like them and use them, but this new one appears much safer to use.

So there you have it. A new type of wick for the effusion lamps.

Here is my original post on effusion lamps which includes history, information and the fuel recipe.

FYI-I have purchased so many nice and inexpensive effusion lamps at this store in the local mall. Check their site and see if there may be one by you.

Making a Mosaic Table

Mosaics are very easy to do, creative and fun. Few tools are necessary and for the most part the craft itself is pretty inexpensive. I warn you now.........it's addictive.

You can use:

• broken plates
• glass
• broken tiles
• beads
• pieces of metal, copper, silver or brass

You can make a completely random design or plan it out by drawing it out first. You basically need a surface to work on, usually something rigid and free of dirt or grime. Examples: clay pots, wood (seal it first), a cement slab, glass or even ceramic.
Tools and supplies:

• Welbond is a great adhesive that most professionals use. The craft stores also carry tile adhesive especially made for mosaics. I've also used Elmers white glue and that worked fine for me.
• Tile nippers. You can find these at Home Depot, Lowe's or craft stores like JoAnn's & Michael's.
• Your broken tile or glass. I'm lucky in that I have tons of glass at home that I cut myself into any shape. I checked on Ebay and many people sell little glass squares of glass by the pound. They seem to run about $10.00 and up for a pound or two. You can also get an old thrift store plate, a towel and a hammer. Place your towel over the plate and smash away. This technique can also be used with tiles.
• Grout- I buy in the home improvement store. It comes in many colors so take your pick.

The way that I create a mosaic is to place a drop of glue on my surface then place my glass or tile square onto it. When my entire piece is all dry I then grout my entire piece.


This piece I recently finished for my good friend for her birthday. I thought she would like this to put out on her porch. The design is totally random. I placed the flower pieces in the middle and just randomly placed the rest of the glass tile around until I came to the end where I placed a border.




I decided to make a table in this case so before applying any tile I sprayed the pine with a sealer first. I learned this lesson years ago after making a larger table mosaic. A few days after it was completed it warped like a potato chip. Apparently the water that was in the grout absorbed into the wood. You live and learn..............................

Remodeling Kitchen Decorting

Contemporary Kitchen Remodeling

Luxury Kitchen Remodeling

Old style vintage kitchen - Do you remember hanging out in your Grandmother's kitchen. Those were the good old days when a kitchen had character and it didn't have all sorts of high tech gadgets. If you want your own vintage kitchen, think about doing away with all the things that look modern and replacing them with old school ones instead. Simplicity should be the theme for this kind of kitchen.

Kitchen for chefs - If you like the clean white look of the kind of restaurant kitchen you see in the movies, you can try to model yours accordingly. This kind of kitchen accentuates the basics and when you walk in, it is clear this kitchen is for cooking! Usually there is a lot of stainless steel used for the cabinets, sinks, and stove tops and this is one of the more unique kitchen design ideas.


Comtemporary Kitchen Looks
Restaurant style kitchen - At some restaurants, you can get a glimpse of part of even all of the kitchen. This is because it is stylishly decorated and it serves as part of the atmosphere of the restaurant. If you have an open kitchen that blends in with your dining room or eating area, you can try to duplicate this look. Think more about what things look like than how well they work because style is the most important aspect of this kitchen.


luxury kitchen remodeling
More than any other room of the house, the kitchen is the most versatile. It is used to prepare meals, feed the family, store foods, and clean and stow service ware and other household items.


Modern Remodeling Kitchen Blue Color Interior
The kitchen is also the family gathering place, the centerpiece of the home. Therefore, it is important that every kitchen remodeling idea be taken into consideration. This is especially true when available space is limited, and kitchen remodeling cost a concern. Whether you design the kitchen yourself, work with a kitchen remodeling contractor or home center, formulating a plan will be the first step.

Modern Kitchen Remodeling Orange Design Ideas

How to Easily Make your Dining Room Formal and Casual

For many homes that have a formal and casual dining room, the flexibility of entertaining and dining in two separate spaces is a wonderful option. For those home owners who have one dining space and have to juggle between how to make the casual space look formal enough for a dinner party, or the formal space suitable for everyday dining, there are several challenges. Luckily, there are creative tips to help you transform your dining room between the two without any worries!

• Assess your family’s dining style: The biggest challenge for versatile dining rooms is to assess your family’s entertaining and dining lifestyle. If you are a family that enjoys having big formal Sunday dinners then opting for a grand dining room table with a center leaf that can be removed for weekday dining may suit your family. While if your family spends most of the time grabbing quick bites to eat, and formality isn’t your lifestyle, than simplicity may rule over complexity! Whichever is your family’s style, make it versatile for you.
• Look to your chairs for versatility: Believe it or not the difference between one set of chairs and another can make all the difference of the formality of the room. By leaving the same dining room table formal chairs that have a straight high back or upholstered varieties will bring formality instantly to your dining table. If you’d prefer to have the setting feel casual, consider lower profile chairs with shorter backs, and more playful materials such as metal, wood or even plastic.

• Alter the decor around your dining room: Without touching the seating or the table use playful decor in your place settings, candle holders, and table linen to bring about formality or casual aesthetics. If you are entertaining adults one evening, a linen table cloth with attractive candle holders and formal china and centerpiece can transform your casual breakfast table! For a casual dinner with the family use natural woven placemats, unbreakable dishes and fun decor on the table to make an adult-only dining room now feel comfortable and familiar.

• Choose dining room colors to fit your lifestyle: For casual dining opt for lighter and muted tones to convey relaxing and casual interiors. If you prefer formality, consider using deeper tones such as deep burgundy, rust or burnt orange. If you want to keep the room versatile, opt for neutral tones of beiges, coffee brown, gray, white and black to help you dress up or down the space with little energy or thought. The easier you make your dining room adaptable, the more likely you will be to entertain and truly enjoy your dining room.

A versatile dining room that can go from formal to casual is an ideal layout for any home owner. The ability to change your setting based on your entertaining lifestyle and family daily life is important to enjoy your home. For ideas on how to decorate your versatile dining room look to fine furnishings magazines and online designers. You will be surprised what inspiration you can get from surfing the web. If your kitchen is the heart of the home, your dining room celebrates your family’s togetherness. Enjoy it!

What do you get when you cross a city loft with a mountain house? A little bit of everything, apparently.

What do you get when you cross a city loft with a mountain house? A little bit of everything, apparently. For a family spending summers in the pine-covered foothills north of Madrid, the combination meant modern comforts in a wood-beamed aerie with views of historic landmarks. Moneo Brock Studio's married principals, Belén Moneo Feduchi and Jeff Brock-who moved to Moneo's native Spain after a decade or so in New York-conceived the house to nod only vaguely to the local vernacular.
Starting with the entry at the top and stepp­ing down to ultimately reach a patio shaded by a wide cantilever, the house hugs its sloped site. The 4,400-square-foot structure is built on a nine-square grid, the central segment being a glassed-in courtyard. It's surrounded by strikingly original interiors for an Iberian chalet, bearing witness to Moneo and Brock's experience designing artsy, metro-casual living environments.

As a counterpoint to the heftiness of the concrete elements, green-slate slabs, and oak planks that unite the house with the rugged landscape, the kitchen is bright, light, and minimal. Delicate counters of white solid-surfacing, with integral sinks, run above cab­inets faced with acid-etched mirror-backed glass and pulls of extruded aluminum. Of the six bathrooms, the open bathing area in the master suite exhibits the most experimental tendencies. The focal point here is the 6-foot-tall panel of translucent striated resin that separates the bed's headboard from the tub. The latter has a surround of the same resin, punctuated by integral shelves handy for books. Turn left, and mirrors flanking the window above the double-sink vanity bring the pines directly indoors.

These novel flourishes have not gone unnoticed. BD Madrid picked up the kitchen system and produces it under the name Glasé, and the bathroom has drawn interest from critics and clients alike. This success reflects Moneo and Brock's ample experience with New York lofts. "We use a lot of Plexiglas and other translucent materials. In fact, we've done several baths just in Plexi, with lights behind. So we're experts," Moneo says-with only a touch of irony. Brock adds, "New York was great training for the rigorous use of materials and finishes, with attention to texture and color."

In terms of the design lineage of the mountain house, one senses the influence of Moneo and Brock's past work at U.S. firms known for surprising juxtapositions and urbane details: Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects and Robert Marino Architects, respectively. Moneo and Brock have also worked on the experiential, expressive buildings of her father, Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Rafael Moneo. In 2009, Moneo Brock made a big splash with the Termas de Tiberio, an Interior Design Best of Year Award-winning spa in the Pyrenees. That project was rendered in freely curving alabaster and marble. As a counterpoint, the current house relies on a carefully controlled orthogonality that makes a strong reference to Andrea Palladio's Villa Rotonda outside Venice.

Still, despite the right angles and straight lines, the house feels fluid, roomy, and imaginative, a sensibility that brings Moneo­ and Brock back in touch with their urban heritage. Is this purely design influence? Or a perhaps a wistful look back at their formative years?

Shopping Decorative Accents for Your Home's Interior Design

In this time, I will introduce you the Wall Pops for your Home Interior Design. Its really easy, new way to wake up your walls! These colorful, peel-and-stick graphic elements are totally repositionable and removable, and won't leave sticky residue on the wall. Choose from a 5-pack of circles, a 5-pack of squares or a wall border to mix or match. Pssst, you can get it easily in shop.com.

About Wall Pops, you can easily cut them to the desired size and shape with scissors to fit the space or express your creativity. Its really perfect idea to make your interior design more modern and up to date!

• Vinyl on paper with adhesive backing.
• Available color/pattern: (35) Totally Orange, (52) Purple Perk, (73) Stylin' Green,
  (69) Rainy Day Navy, (42) Bubble Gum Pink, (04) Lots of Dots Pink, (06) Lots of Dots Blue,
  (05) Ribbon Candy Purple, (03) Go Retro Pink or (13) Go Retro Orange
• Wipe-clean
• USA

You can get easy the Wall Pops in this shop, not only that special edition of interior design, in shop.com, you can find about 272,490 matches of many decorative accents, waw...and its really easy, because you can shop online from your home directly.

When you shopping the decorative accents for your home interior design in shop.com, you'll find great deals on all the products they're famous for and thousands of items available for in-store pickup. It's easy to shop at shop.com.

With shopping the the decorative accents for your home interior design which online in this shop that offers lots of benefits that you won't find shopping in a store or by mail. The Internet is always open — seven days a week, 24 hours a day — and bargains can be numerous online. With a click of a mouse, you can buy anything to satisfy your hobby and your needs.You can buy anything to make your home more beautiful and luxurious, Its all available here, and it's really easy and fast. Wont waste your time.

In this shop you can buy not only Wall Pops for your home interior design, because shop.com offer products like clothing too ( women's, men's, boy's, girl's, and accessories ), shoes, electronic, home, beauty, and many more products, you will enjoy your time for shopping in shop.com. Trust me, its really satisfying.
And, in this chance, I will share about the precious information from shop.com,...Guess, whats that?! Yess, there is a big sale, especially in Home Interior Products...WOW

Harmonious Furniture

Exclusive, but simultaneously the functional modern furniture can transform any most modest dwelling into the luxury palace. Harmony and style — these two components dominate in any furniture collection. The modern furniture, magnificent, elite or deliberately vintage — any variant differs absolute quality.

The Characteristic of Modern Furniture

• The modern furniture is made of the newest materials, corresponds to actual style and new tendencies.
• In manufacturing of contemporary furniture are used such fashionable materials as: the polished wood, chrome, alloys of various metals.
• Elegance, magnificent and stylish kind it's the main characteristics of modern platform bed for happy life.

Constant progress and perfection of furniture manufacture have considerably accelerated process of manufacturing of furniture. However, the majority of furniture factories remain true to oldest traditions.

Many subjects of contemporary bedroom furniture are carried out with use of the technologies which have been checked up on years and even centuries. Only the natural tree, for example: pine, oak, a beech is used for luxury, elegant models of sofas and other magnificent furniture. Add to it other natural materials, such, as: a natural stone, precious metals, a genuine leather.

Why We Choose Modern Furniture?

• We choose the furniture corresponding to our way of life and aesthetic taste.
• The modern furniture can look quite very hospitable and comfortable and give to habitation a cosy kind.
• Subjects of contemporary furniture completely correspond to a modern interior, they take a place minimum, are easily transformed, without effort can be moved. They are entered in our style of life and become a fine element of a decor.
• By means of modern furniture it's possible to absolutely change an apartment kind if to use certain contours, colours and a material.

Using courageous design ideas, remember — the interior should be not only beautiful, but also convenient.

For any original interiors the general recommendation will be fair: do not arrange a room in too expressional style. Your home is, first of all, the house, and only after — «a style icon», thus original furniture fascinate, but also irritate. If rooms in your apartment are not numerous and functional, it is better to equip with their classical furniture of neutral tones.

How to Choose Contemporary Furniture?

• Simplicity, quality, exclusive style and modern kind become the main advantages of modern patio furniture.
• The contemporary furniture, as a rule, is colored in black, white or neutral colours.
• Special attention turn on quality and a choice of a fabric of an upholstery. Today dense silk, wool, a clap, flax are considered as the actual.
• Conclusive advantage of modern furniture is its ergonomics and convenience.

The Walker Residence

One of the greatest surprises during my California adventure was coming across a little known Frank Lloyd Wright house in Carmel directly across Monterey Bay from Pebble Beach.

While I agree with many other architects that Frank Lloyd Wright is overly regarded in general, one can't help but admit he was a tremdendously talented architect.The Walker Residence was designed in 1948 and completed in 1951 for Della Walker. It's a small house nestled into the beach rocks on the water side of Scenic Drive in Carmel. I loved the gates into the driveway / carport which almost feel like the backdoor as it has such a prominent face on the other side.As you can tell from these pictures, it's so perfectly sited that it blends into its surroundings. If you didn't know it was there, you might not notice it!It's small sizes gives it the nickname 'the cabin on the rocks' (Carmel is full of cottages or 'cabins') but it's definitely not small on design. Above you see a typical FLW element, the carport.Built originally for $125,000, FLW later added a master bedroom in 1956. He is known to have considered this amongst his favorite houses.

I would compare the siting of the house and its relationship to the water with Fallingwater. FLW took a beautiful piece of property and only improved it with his design.The one side of the house has stairs which go down onto a small secluded beach area, seen above.The design is based on a ship with a terrace off the liviing room becoming the prow, thrusting into Monterey Bay.

Such an elegant house and I love the stonework.The plantings on this side of the house look native to the area and really feel a part of the house itself. The house was featured in the 1959 movie "A Summer Place". Has anyone ever seen this? I'll have to add it to my netflix queue.

If you're ever in Carmel, make sure to pay special attention to the cabin on the rocks!

Bonsai Garden

A few of you asked for some pictures of actual plants from the National Bonsai museum at the National Arboretum rather than the architecture. I'm happy to oblige but I'm sorry to say I don't know much about them (other than they were pretty amazing)! The twisted and gnarled trunk of this tree caught my eye. I love the shiny leaves as well for their contrast.

This trunk seemed to be forming a Trojan hourse: doesn't it look like a statue? Amazing.One more sculptural tree trunk. Keep in mind these bonsai are generally around 12-24" tall.

A weeping coniferous bonsai.

My absolute favorites were the ones which formed miniature forests.

This grouping was the most successful: moss as grass and tiny pebbles as a path. You can just imagine a gnome walking through at any moment!
Not all of the plants were in miniature. At the entrance to the bonsai garden was this huge flowering vine. I think the bees were enjoying it as much as we were!