Politico is reporting that the U.S. State Department has decided it needs to decorate for Christmas. Since Hillary Clinton isn't working out of the building she would have hoped for she's decided to take matters into her own hands. Why should the White House get all the fun?
The Harry S. Truman Building which houses the State Department is no beauty from the outside and is currently undergoing a 12 year plan to renovate and modernize. Hilary has decided to take over on the interior this holiday and with the help from various home decor magazines she should end up with an office unlike any other government official.
Better Homes and Gardens will decorate the Blair House's front and back rooms and the garden. Martha Stewart Living will focus on Blair House's dining rooms, entryway and Lee Drawing Room. Mother Earth News turns its sights on Blair House's Jackson Place Sitting Room and Jackson Place Dining Room. Mother Earth News will team up with Natural Home to work on the State Department's Adams Room. This Old House will tend to the Lincoln Room and Truman Study at Blair House. Traditional Home has been assigned the Blair House's Lee Dining Room and Lee Entrance Room.
Each magazine will fund the decorations themselves.
If President Obama wanted to really make a statement that he's progressive he'd ditch the old guard White House decorators and employ Young House Love to decorate the Roosevelt Room, Design*Sponge to the Green Room, Decor8 gets the East Room and Apartment Therapy puts it's holiday touches on the Oval Office.
How do we make this happen???
We absolutely love having a fireplace in the winter. Even though we're now in LA our fireplace gets put to good use. It doesn't give off much heat but it really makes the living room cozy and adds a pleasant element to the small space.
The fireplace has a gas burning element which we keep covered with faux tinder and logs (found on Craiglist) but we could burn logs if we wanted.
Here are some steps we need to take to make our fireplace more efficient and give off more heat.
1. Get rid of the screen and add doors - Fireplace doors reduce the amount of air that would otherwise be siphoned up the chimney. Depending on the type of glass in the doors, some heat still radiates through the doors into the house.
2. Replace the damper - The damper is located just above the fire and is a metal plate that regulates airflow through the chimney. Some dampers fit snug when they're new, but frequently warp within a year or two, producing a loose fit and allowing air to leak past them. Chimney cap dampers close the entire top of the chimney.
A mailbox is one of the first impressions a guest sees when they arrive at your home, so it is important to choose the perfect mailbox style that best reflects your style and needs, as well as the longevity of the mailbox.
Before you begin to consider the aesthetics, consider all the things a mailbox must do. It must be low-maintenance as well as sturdy enough to withstand various weather conditions and meet your mail-carrying needs.
Mailboxes come in a variety of shapes including curbside, mounted and recessed column.
Curbside mailboxes tend to be the most traditional when considering a mailbox. Curbside mailboxes come in traditional, novelty or decorative styles and can be selected according to your mailbox needs. Choose from locks, newspaper holders and dual access capability (to get your mail from either end).
Granite countertops are a beautiful and versatile material for kitchens and baths, but even stone surfaces will develop visible wear and damage over time.
Homeowners can perform preventative care for stone countertops, and, when an unsightly chip or scratch appears, even some repairs and patches. Hiring a professional isn't always necessary for these repairs, and with a little investment, the often greater expense of calling a granite repair service can be avoided all together for most issues.
First, sealing the stone regularly is a "must" to prevent stains and scratches. All kinds of options exist for sealing granite, but most homeowners simply purchase a common stone sealer like those found at a hardware store. Follow the application guidelines on the sealer bottle.
Small cracks and split seams can be filled and strengthened. This requires getting a hold of polyester and/or acrylic adhesive (each with activator). Use liquid acrylic for small cracks and knife grade polyester glue for wider seams. Polyester color kits are used to match the glue color to the stone.
As a temporary, cosmetic fix, one industry secret for covering up small chips and cracks is to use a good old permanent marker. Find one that matches the darker spots in the stone and use a finger to smudge the ink in, breaking up the pattern of the crack or chip. This can be covered with some clear nail polish or acrylic if available.
