The sun’s heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways.
In my quest to discover what there is to know about solar power, I found all kinds of uses for the suns rays that can help us conserve energy. First off was my discovery of solar water heaters.

Also called solar domestic hot water systems, solar water heaters generate hot water for your home in any type of climate, fueled solely by sunshine.

Solar water heating
systems usually cost more to purchase and install than conventional
water heating systems. However, a solar water heater can usually save
you money in the long run. Check out the U.S. Department of Energy site on solar power for the economics of potential savings. Find out more about solar water heaters here; and if you’re feeling particularly DIY, check out how to build your own unit!

The next interesting thing I found was an article at News Scientist Tech about solar-power paint.

Scientists are developing a
way to paint solar cells with a photovoltaic paint onto the steel sheets of walls and roofs of
warehouses and other buildings to generate electricity from the sun.          
       

   
       
            
            
               
The
paint will be based on dye-sensitised solar cells. Instead of absorbing
sunlight using silicon like conventional solar panels, they use dye
molecules attached to particles of the titanium dioxide pigment used in
paints.            
       

   
       
            
            
               
Finally, the solar panel. Through the use of photvoltaic cells, solar panels make use of renewable energy
from the sun, and are a clean and environmentally sound means of
collecting solar energy.

If you are looking for information
on solar panels and don’t know where to start, check out CALFINDER’s blog on solar panels and going solar.

Not quite ready to tackle solar projects on your own???   Don’t forget the fact that searching for a qualified solar installer will never be a dilemma. CalFinder Solar does the FREE screening for you and only works with the best installers in the industry. Get a bid now!

Say hello to warmer colors, and goodbye to minimalism. It
appears that several interior designers and industry insiders are saying you
should be ready to introduce color into your decor. According to Sean
O’Driscoll of the Associated Press in an article Hot Trends Of Home Design for 2008 , Minimalism is out.

“Susan Gutfreund, who designs for some of the most
expensive apartments in the U.S and Europe, said that minimalist white and
beige are being pushed out in favor of color, textures and layers. Speaking
from Paris where she is redesigning an apartment, Gutfreund said there is a
move toward warmer colors and away from the shininess and flatness of interiors
over the last few years.

In 2008, red tones take on a decidedly soft, warm feel,
such as watermelon or a carrot orange. Black and white continues to be used,
but with unexpected combinations of yellow, lime orange and fresh green,"
she said.

Janice Simonsen of IKEA Designs said

“fruit colors such
as lime yellow, kiwi and tangerine will be very popular in 2008, especially
when used in the kitchen. But blue will continue to be the number one color
choice for homeowners. In 2008, blue will be combined with camel and tan, pale green
and yellow,” she said.

Think you’re ready to try out 2008 colors but not sure
what fits your style? CALFINDER (the source for certified remodeling contractors) has an excellent post about basic color
psychology. They say,

"All too often homeowners choose colors without
understanding basic color psychology. Color impacts our mood, appetite, and
energy level. Years of color response research have shown

that certain colors
elicit specific and often strong responses."

Check out their awesome post Color
Options-Painting for a guide to help you narrow the choices when choosing
colors for your home.

Also remember you can get FREE ESTIMATES from CALFINDER for pre-qualified
contractors in your area to do the work for you when you’re ready to add that
splash of color to your life! From painting to general remodeling, to complete home renovations, they have the expert for you.

What colors do you plan to decorate with this year? Leave us a comment, we’d love to know!

My kids love the Charlie Brown Christmas tree so much, they always make their own from whatever they happen to find in the yard. This year, it appears to be some sort of unidentifiable tall weed pulled from the creek behind my house. Well, it keeps them busy, anyway.

But I saw on Casa Sugar today that my kids can have their own real Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The joy I felt at the thought of owning that was nearly too much, I almost bought one. Then I remembered how broke I was. Even so, what a neat idea! Get your own Charlie Brown Christmas tree for $24 at Urban Outfitters.

According to the website that sells the black Christmas tree:

The Black Christmas Tree is a hot tree trend in 2007! The high gloss
needles on the downswept branches add elegance and drama to your
holiday decor. This tree was seen in the USA Today, the Wall Street
Journal and many more. Availability is limited.

Now, I’ve seen some white Christmas trees that I thought were well done, and I’ve even seen some pink Christmas trees that I thought were kitschy enough to be fun, but black? Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy, not "I’m so cool even my Christmas tree is black." And I say this from a perspective of a person whose wardrobe is at least half black. I love the color black. Just not for Christmas trees.

I don’t know why, but I find this nearly offensive. What say you?

HT: CasaSugar

Finding a good contractor for your remodeling project can be a dicey proposition. A friend of mine recently interviewed a contractor who got into a screaming match with his ex-wife on his cell phone while she was interviewing him. My parents hired contractors who left the state, leaving their job unfinished and with their money long gone. We’ve all heard the contractor horror stories before.

If only you knew who to call, to avoid getting ripped off. Well, now you do; our friends over at CALFINDER has started a network that has taken the worry out of the process. CALFINDER was developed by homeowners for homeowners.They do the screening of contractors for you as well as conduct ongoing monitoring and customer satisfaction surveys. All CALFINDER’s contractors are carefully pre-screened and monitored. Here’s just a few of the services you get when you partner with CALFINDER to find your next contractor;

"Before we certify a contractor we perform a variety of checks. Below are just a few of those checks:In-depth check of current license and insurance coverage   

• Personal interview with at least 10 previous clients ensuring customer satisfaction and business reliability
• Ongoing monitoring and customer satisfaction surveys
• Follow up with each homeowner we work with to ensure that our contractors are providing a great service

CALFINDER’s founders, who have a diverse background in construction,
computer technology and business management, realized that planning and
executing home improvement projects are incredibly time-consuming and
expensive and believed they could fill a void by developing a reliable
source to help local homeowners find high-quality contractors. CALFINDER was established in 2005 covering main home improvement
projects including home remodeling, painting and window installation. Working with a vast network of 200 top-notch,
professional contractors, CALFINDER handles more than 600 homeowner service
requests per month."

We at Shakhammer think this is a great solution to taking the worry out of finding a good general contractor who is good
enough to work on one of your most valuable assets- your home. Check out their home improvement and remodeling blog too for the most up-to-date information on home rejuvenation trends and remodeling projects.

Someone asked CasaSugar about having a home security system in an rental. They have great tips for anyone, homeowner or renter alike. I do have a security system in my home, but I probably would not have one again, unless I was seriously concerned about the neighborhood or if I had a lot of priceless items that would be hard or impossible to replace.

Why wouldn’t I have a security system? Here’s why we wouldn’t have a security system again:

1. We don’t use it. Half the time we forget to turn it on, other times we don’t have time to turn it on because we’re dashing out the door.

2. It slows us down. See above. With 3 kids, I’m almost always dashing out the door at the last minute.

3. False alarms. Now, we don’t have much problem with this, but one of our neighbors does. Every single time the power goes out, their alarm goes off. We’ve had a few times where we’ve accidentally set the alarm to "away" when we really meant to set it to "stay" and walking around in the house set off the alarm. That’s heart-attack inducing for sure.

4. It doesn’t really increase police response time. When your alarm goes off, the security company calls first to make sure it isn’t a false alarm. Eventually, they call the police, but it’s a lot faster just to skip the middle man and call the police ourselves.

Alarms have their place, but in our family, it doesn’t fit into our lifestyle. What say you?

My grandfather always said he could whittle literally anything you want. He would have been amazed by this house, because everything in it is made of wood! Talk about a focused design scheme!

What do you think, love it or hate it?

Man, geek chic. It’s everywhere, and it’s about darn time! No longer are we geeks forced to give up our lunch money, we’re taking yours, by making cool geeky toys and selling them to all you cool, hip people.

Case in point, this periodic table shower curtain by Simple Memory Art. Was it just me, or was it fun learning the periodic table? Okay, it was probably just me, but never fear. If you don’t dig the periodic table, there’s one for the weather nerds, one for the space nerds, one for the nature nerds, and one for the Jurassic nerds.

And if that isn’t enough, there is all kinds of other niftiness at the site. Go check it out for yourself. And can I request a shower curtain for word nerds, like me? Muchas gracias, in advance. 

There are so many times I have found that functional home items, like coat hooks, or cabinets, or faucets, are just plain ugly. Lately the trend has been to make these functional items beautiful as well. We’ve seen lots of beautiful cabinets and faucets lately, but here is a coat hook that is just gorgeous:

Its simplicity in design is what makes it so awesome. It can be matched to any color, as shown, or you can use the standard silver.

The Bach Coat Hook is reasonably priced at $12.99 for one, $29.99 for a 3 pack, $49.99 for a 6 pack, or for those of you that have a whole lotta hanging to do, a 9 pack for the incredible bargain price of $63.00.

This is a stylish addition for anyone’s home or office. To make the deal even sweeter, the fine folks at The Art Of Storage are offering a coupon deal: shak5 for $5 off a $29 purchase, or shak10 for $10 off a $49 purchase. Awesome deal!

Now is the time to be shopping to outfit your dorm room! Target and Bed Bath and Beyond both have entire college sections on their sites to help you get ready to outfit your dorm room.

The key to dorm living is to maximize space and minimize clutter. Storage is key. Also, keep in mind that you will usually be moving every semester, so it also needs to be easy to move.

One of my picks is the mirror set pictured here from Target, $29.99. Cute, and makes the room look larger. Just make sure you know the school’s policy about putting holes in the wall for hanging them.