by Mr. Rooter

The tree’s up and decorations are out …but what about those holiday preparation and cleanup tips that aren’t on your to-do list? It’s a busy time of year for Mr. Appliance^®, Mr. Electric^® and Mr. Rooter^® Plumbing. In celebration of the holiday season, they came up with their version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my service professional fixed for me:

• Twelve tangled lights
• Eleven frozen pipes
• Ten dishwashers spraying
• Nine power cords fraying
• Eight drips a leaking
• Seven ovens overheating
• Six breakers blowing
• Five toilets overflowing
• Four fridges not cooling
• Three light bulbs bursting
• Two drains clogging
• And one service call to fix it all.

To keep the oven, garbage disposal and kitchen sink drain in good working condition this holiday season, cooks need to take some precautions before and after the holiday celebration.

“Oven problems usually go unnoticed until the big meal is already inside the oven,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance^® Corp. “A few minutes spent checking your kitchen appliances could save your holiday season.”

The same goes for your decorating your home for the holidays. “The holidays can be a joyous time, but we also need to be aware of the potential for electrical accidents and keep our families safe,” said Mr. Electric Corporation President Jeff Meyers.

Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric and Mr. Rooter have the Top 5 Holiday Tips You Haven’t Thought Of:

1. Avoid running the self-cleaning cycle before a big holiday dinner.
2. Replace gaskets at the first sign of a leak or if moisture appears on outside of oven.
3. Avoid pouring grease down the drain.
4. Throw leftovers in the trash or compost pile instead of putting down the garbage disposal.
5. Ensure there is enough space around appliances to allow heat to escape.

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About Mr. Appliance®:

Mr. Appliance is North America’s leading appliance repair franchise system. Established in 1996, its franchises provide full-service residential and light commercial appliance repair. Mr. Appliance has more than 150 locations throughout the United States and Canada and is consistently ranked among the top home service franchises by Entrepreneur magazine and other industry experts. Mr. Appliance is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information, visit www.mrappliance.com.

About Mr. Electric®:

Established in 1994, Mr. Electric is a global franchise organization providing electrical installation and repair services. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its “Franchise 500,” Mr. Electric franchisees provide these services to both residential and commercial customers at almost 200 locations worldwide. Mr. Electric is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For further information or to find the location nearest you, visit www.mrelectric.com. © 2011 Mr. Electric Corp.

About Mr. Rooter^®:

Established in 1970, Mr. Rooter is an all-franchised, full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company with approximately 300 franchises worldwide. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its “Franchise 500” and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com or www.mrrrooter.ca.

by Lorena Benchis

The modern passion for interior decorating and contemporary design means that it has never been easier to find items for your home to create the look you want.

Contemporary interior design has changed the way we decorate our homes and allowed us to express ourselves through interior design in a way that reflects style and class, without spending a fortune.

For our grandparents’ generation, it was the case that the more ‘stuff’ we had, the better! Living rooms cluttered with a million and one items, and bedrooms decorated with chintz and flowers galore were the norm.

Thank goodness times have changed! Nowadays, the minimalist look is favoured, and homes reflect a more pared back approach to design.

To create a contemporary and modern look in your bedroom, choose the right key pieces of furniture and don’t over-clutter. Double beds in sleek and sharp designs make the ideal central focal point for the bedroom and you can find a wide range of fabulous modern designs at Bensons. Take your time to choose the right bed for you and this can be your springboard for the rest of the room.

Once you have found the right bed, consider the rest of the bedroom, and in particular the bedroom furniture. Choose wardrobes, dressers, chests of drawers and bedside tables in clean, modern shapes and styles. If you’re going for a contemporary look you obviously don’t want to go for anything vintage or with an antique feel.

The colours you choose to decorate your bedroom with once you have found your furniture will really finish off the look of your room. For a contemporary look, think blocks of colour as opposed to lots of patterns. Simple is the key, so flowery or chintzy wallpaper is out! Finish off the look with a well chosen piece of modern art hanging on the wall.

by Mr. Rooter

10 Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes

If homeowners don’t winterize their homes before Old Man Winter arrives, he could bring a flurry of high repair bills as well.

“Frozen pipes can be a costly problem if proper precautions are not taken,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “Often times, homeowners are unprepared when the winter weather hits.”

The best way to prevent frozen pipes is to take the necessary precautions now. It can save homeowners time and money later.

Mr. Rooter Plumbing has 10 simple tips that will help homeowners keep their pipes from bursting when temperatures plummet this winter:

1. Insulate pipes

• Cover faucets and exposed pipes with insulation or wrap thick towels around them.

2. Secure basement doors, windows and crawl space openings

• Caulk, seal and weather-strip.

3. Drain outside water lines

• Remove garden hoses from outdoor faucets, close interior valves that lead to outside hose taps and then open outside hose taps to drain.

4. Apply electrically-powered heat tape to pipes

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions or call a plumber to do this.

5. Wrap water heater with an approved manufacturer’s blanket

• Use the appropriate type of blanket for your water heater

6. Open cabinet doors

• Allows heat to circulate and keeps interior pipes warm.

7. Keep faucets running

• Either a small trickle of water or constant drip is recommended when temperatures drop below freezing for more than 24 hours.

8. Do not set thermostat lower than 55 degrees when travelling

• Have a neighbor check during below freezing temperatures

9. Locate the main water shut-off valve

• Learn how to use it in case pipes freeze and burst.

10. Have a hair dryer handy if pipes freeze

• Heat pipe’s exterior with a hair dryer by applying heat slowly and moving constantly.

The first step to safely thawing frozen pipes is turning off water at the main water shut-off valve. Next, open the nearest faucet to allow water to drain as the ice melts. Now it’s time to use the hair dryer to heat the pipes, or you can wrap a hot, wet rag around pipes. Do not attempt to thaw exposed frozen pipes with an open flame, such as an acetylene torch. If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer or your pipes burst, call a qualified plumber.

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About Mr. Rooter^®:

“We’ll be available 24/7 to help those having a plumbing emergency. This can be a stressful time for homeowners, and we understand the urgency they feel.”

Established in 1970, Mr. Rooter is an all-franchised, full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company with approximately 300 franchises worldwide. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its “Franchise 500” and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com.

Tips from Designers: Jim Connelly and Peter De Sousa

Next time you see a lonely old chair on the street waiting for the garbage truck or when you are in a junk store shopping think “Don’t Junk it Funk it!”.

With a little imagination and a lot of love you can create your own little treasure! At Masterpiece studios we are all about re-use and recycling to inject a new purpose into a discarded yet still functional piece of furniture.

That sad little chair now shimmers with a new life. Follow these easy steps to make that garbage discard into a gorgeous delight!

Try this project out for yourself this holiday season to make a statement in your front room, next to your tree or on your front porch – you’ll dazzle your guest with your creativity!

Supplies

• Goodwill Chair (old chair from your basement or curb-side!)
• White Bonder Primer Sealer Paint
• Size/Glue
• Silver Leaf Squares/Foil
• Water base Silver Paint
• Silver Glitter
• High Gloss Exterior Varnish

Directions

• Wash the chair with warm soapy water to remove any grease, dirt or fingerprints dry completely.
• Cover table top with newspaper to create a good clean work surface.
• Remove the seat from the chair frame.
• Paint the chair frame with a White Bonder Primer and let dry completely.
• Paint the chair with a water base Size / Glue and let Dry Completely, the size when dry will remain sticky to the touch.
• Apply the Silver Leaf Squares or transfer Foil to cover the entire Chair.
• Seal chair with Exterior High Gloss Varnish let dry completely.
• Paint the old fabric seat with water base silver paint using a small paint roller and tray, apply the silver paint heavy to cover any pattern on the old fabric and sprinkle silver glitter over the chair seat let dry completely.

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About Jim and Peter from Masterpiece Studios

Jim and Peter are famously known for their regular appearances on Debbie Travis’ Painted House and Facelift. They are painter’s and designers and their mantra is “funk it don’t junk it” – they can take a shabby wreck and turn it into a goldmine! They have worked on Celine Dion’s Canadian offices, the home of Rush’s lead guitarist Alex Lifesman, Elton John, Bare Naked Ladies and may more to just name a few. For more tips and to learn more visit: http://www.masterpiecesstudio.com/

by Vicky Sanderson

The holiday countdown in on, and for many, that means the stress meter is starting to approach the danger zone. That’s why it’s so important to remember that Christmas is a state of mind, not a competitive sport. So here are a few tips for ensuring that the holiday season is fun, festive and full of meaning.

Holiday baking and cooking can be relaxing and enjoyable, but not everything has to be made-from-scratch.  So stock the freezer with good-quality prepared foods. Try M& M Meat Shops, www.mmmeatshops.com , where you’ll find everything from hors d’ouvres and dips to delish desserts. You can also buy fully prepared meals, including pot roast in gravy (perfect for the slow cooker or Dutch oven) and a whole Atlantic cod, topped with shredded potato, cheddar cheese and chives. The desserts are also fab — and we can personally recommend the raspberry macaroon tarts, especially when they’re paired with a dollop of whipped cream and a few fresh raspberries.  To make things even easier, you can order online and pick up at your nearest store.

Pencil family time into your schedule and treat it like an appointment that you can’t break.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Instead of making your way in the car to an over-crowded, over-heated theatre, why not plan a long walk on a local trail before heading home for a game or a family movie night?

HMV www.hmv.ca has great options, including a boxed set of Cars, the 50th anniversary edition of West Side Story, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows collectible box and the complete collection of Home Alone.  Give one of these as a gift and you’ll be guaranteeing some quality downtime.

Music is a great gift for teenagers, and can be a real conversation starter. Families can share musical tastes easily with a small but mighty iHome speaker — for just $20 — that connects to an iPhone, iPad or MP3 players and lets the user take music wherever — from the family room to the backyard to the cottage dock. This is a can’t-miss gift. There’s also a funny Rubik’s cube speaker for $30.

Too much sharing, of course, can be a bad thing. So consider offering up noise-cancelling headphones. Toxix headphones’ extra-large speaker drivers deliver smooth, undistorted highs, clear vocals and are comfy and compact. And at about $25, they’re also very affordable.

If you’ve got a Star Wars fan in the house, pick up a string of Yoda and R2D2 holiday lights ($20) or a Star Wars USB key ($20) just for fun.

This time of year is about loving and giving. So remember that despite the hectic pace, the stress — and even the squabbles — you’re blessed with family and friends and a warm, safe place to live. In lots of places though, that’s just not the case. So think about sharing your good fortune by making a donation to your favourite charity.

One that touches my heart is World Vision www.worldvision.ca/gifts , which partners with local communities in developing countries to improve lives. (They also do good work right here at home.) Make a donation of $30 and a family receives five fruit trees, enough to start on the road to self-sufficiency. Fifty dollars buys two hens and a rooster to help a family hatch a business. There are also options for warm clothing for kids, medical supplies and even sports equipment and books.  You can get special gift cards to share your message and it’s so, so easy to pick gifts online.

These gifts are perfect for the person who has everything, and are a wonderful way to model the true spirit of the season to your kids.

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About the Contributor

Vicky Sanderson writes Hot Home Products, a widely-read weekly column on home improvement, décor and housewares that appears every Saturday in the Toronto Star. She also keeps readers up to date on new products through her blog, On the House, which can be found on www.yourhome.ca.  She frequently shares tips, tricks and trends on such media outlets as Canada AM, Breakfast Television, CHCH Morning Live, and CBC Radio. Follow her on Twitter @vickysanderson

Today, trends in interior design are less about adhering rigidly to a single decorating style and more about expressing personal tastes. When it comes to trending home décor gifts, whether it’s from property auctions or not, for Christmas, items that reflect the recipient’s personality will be most appreciated. Combining personality with functionality elevates the Christmas gift into something special. Here are some trending home décor gifts that a friend or family member can display and use throughout the year.

Decorative Containers

Every room in the home needs more storage, and decorative storage solutions are always welcome. A broad selection of canisters, boxes and baskets are available in a wide variety of colors, materials and styles. From a hand-woven ethic basket, to a ceramic trinket box embellished with flowers, storage containers enhance a room’s décor while hiding clutter.

A gift of decorative storage containers can be enhanced by including a surprise gift inside them. Filling canisters for the kitchen with home-baked cookies, miniature trinket boxes with fashionable hair combs, or baskets with coordinated hand towels and soaps, is an affordable way to personalize the gift.

When not familiar with the recipient’s home decorating style, personal fashion tastes can offer clues. A person who follows the latest trends in fashion is more likely to be receptive to a trendy trinket box than one who dresses more conservatively.

The Gift of Comfort and Convenience

Gifts that add to the convenience or comfort of a home show care and consideration. A throw pillow or blanket is sure to be appreciated during the holiday season. When a hearth is in the home, a decorative holder for firewood, a fireplace screen or fireplace tool set is a thoughtful option.

Homes can always use more light, and a lamp not only expands lighting possibilities, but adds decoration, too. Whether it’s a diminutive lamp to tuck into a darkened corner, or an elegant floor lamp that makes a strong design statement, lamps offer a sculptural element to a home’s décor.

In today’s interiors, the trend is no longer to create a room where everything looks brand new, but rather to appoint the room with furnishings that look as if they have been collected over time. Choosing a gift based on the recipient’s personality is an easy way to ensure the present will be welcomed, and that the gift will be proudly displayed in the home for years to come.

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About the Contributor

My name is Nisha Sharma, I am the Editor for Unmodernised.com. I love to write about home and design. Feel free to visit our site for more information on property auction.

by MeCC Interiors

Are you looking to enliven your home or office with a fresh new colour palette this fall?  Pantone recently released its Fall fashion colours, conveniently breaking the chosen hues into feminine and masculine categories and, of course, highlighting the colour of the year, Honeysuckle.

Trends from the fashion runways always influence what is seen in the home.  The Fall shows paid “close attention to texture, contrast and colour… pairing warm prints with cool metals, incorporating both old and new influences, and creating an intriguing balance between colours.”

Pantone’s Fall 2011 Fashion Colours

The overall trend?  Mixing staple neutrals with bright, bold bursts of colour, even moreso on the masculine side than the feminine.

A rundown of some of the colours, as described by Pantone:

Bamboo, a surprising fall hue, brings a warm, exotic flavor to the season.  Like a filtered sunset on the waning days of fall, Bamboo is a standout yellow with a subtle green undertone.  This dappled shade pairs dramatically with several of the top 10, including Phlox, Teal, and Honeysuckle.

Radiant Emberglow, a traditional autumnal tone, emanates the warmth of a glowing fire – the perfect panacea to the crisp air of fall.  Combine Emberglow with Coffee Liqueúr for a classic look, or with Honeysuckle for something a bit more retro.

Offering a sense of continuity from spring, dynamic Honeysuckle adds a bold punctuation point.  This playful, reddish pink works with any other colour in the palette, especially fall staples like Coffee Liqueúr and Nougat.  To add some intensity, pair it with complementary Bamboo.

Phlox, a magical, deep purple with a hint of mystery, is an outstanding statement on its own.  Add Phlox to this season’s neutrals to create a bit of drama, or combine it with Cedar, Deep Teal or Coffee Liqueúr for something extraordinary.  To add even more excitement, pair Phlox with Honeysuckle or Bamboo against a Cedar background – a combination inspired by Mother Nature.

Evoking the freshness of a cool mist in a dark forest, Cedar is a versatile, mid-tone neutral green.  It is a natural with Deep Teal, and sophisticated and timeless with Phlox or Orchid Hush. Deep Teal, a strong, blue-toned green, suggests ocean depths and the colour of the sky as daylight descends into darkness.  A great standard when used with Cedar, its colour-wheel neighbor, Deep Teal, is also a unique counterpoint to Honeysuckle.

Rich, decadent Coffee Liqueúr brings a sense of elegance to fall, and is a savory alternative to basic black.  A deliciously warm camel tan, Nougat is tastefully embellished by Phlox, Emberglow or Honeysuckle. Orchid Hush, a unique tone of gray with complex orchid undertones, blends well with any other colour in the palette. Quarry, a reliable medium gray, remains, as always, a practical, dependable staple.

by Nisha Sharma

Home improvements are a great way to bring up the property value of your house. However, there are some hazards that you should avoid when you are making improvements to your home. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are renovating their homes is over-expanding. When a homeowner over-expands their house, they tend to add more features than is necessary for basic living. Over-expanding and ensuring fire safety of a home not only costs a lot of money to complete, it can bring up the utility costs as well. Avoid over-expanding your home unless you plan on living there for a very long time.

Another hazard that people should avoid when making home improvements is changing the general architecture. If you have a stylized home –a rancher for instance- you should not be implementing modernized aspects such as doors or windows. When you go to sell the house, potential buyers could be turned off by this strange transformation. In the same vein as this, people should also avoid changing the function of a room in their home. Sure, turning a spare bedroom into a game room is fine, but leave your bathroom as a bathroom.

There is a major difference between a “do-it-yourselfer” and a contractor. If you have a leaky faucet or a spot on your floor, feel free to fix the issue. However, a professional should always do home improvements. If you are looking to expand a room, install a bathroom or rewire any part of your house, you should always have a professional complete the task. There are a lot of codes in residential living that you should be aware of. If not, you could be setting a fire hazard or breaking residential code.

If you do decide to make home improvements yourself or through a contractor it’s best to over budget than to under budget. One of the most frequent hazards of home improvements is under budgeting for a renovation. And under budgeting doesn’t just refer to money. Knowing the amount of time that your home is going to be in disarray is essential to keeping a schedule for your home improvement. This is why it’s best to go through a contractor. Contractors know how to keep schedules and will get your improvements done within that time frame.

Once the home improvements are done on your home, it is important to maintain them. Making sure that you are cleaning the gutters and checking for any termites in your improvement is essential to keeping your improvement in good standing. If you aren’t keeping up with your improvements, the work will be for nothing.

Home improvements are great for any home. They can expand the functionality of the house while giving you more of a return if you are thinking about selling the property. But if you are going to make improvements to your home, there are hazards you should avoid. Follow this guideline before you start your home improvements and you should see a great return on your initial investment.

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About the Contributor

My name is Nisha Sharma, I am the Editor for FireSafetyStore.co.uk. If you would like to find out more information about fire safety products, such as fire blankets, fire extinguisher, or for safety items around the home feel free to visit my site.

by Lorena Benchis

Often considered to be the most unfriendly area of a house, attics are making a permanent comeback. Forget the dusty air and the scary spider webs, the ghosts behind the old wardrobe and the dark gloomy vibe you expect when going in. Nowadays, attics have been turned into the newest and trendiest ‘addition’ to the house.

So if you’re thinking of attempting to do an attic makeover yourself here are a few starting points:

Deep Clean

Before you attempt any redecorating you need to clean the room to the t. No dust or dirt, everything must be spotless so you can get the best results in return. If you feel like it’s not a one man job, then get your family to work with you, and you can turn a boring chore into a fun family activity.

A lick of paint

All right, so this might sound obvious, but the truth is, paint can make or break a room and if your attic is anything like mine, then it’s probably never seen paint in its life. So what you’re best of doing is making a list of colours you’d like for your new room and then matching them to the floors you want.

Hit the floor

So now think about floors. Do you want carpet? Or maybe you want hardwood flooring or even engineered wood flooring? Once you’ve weighed all the pros and cons you will be in the right position to make a decision about which option to go with and maybe you should look at Flooring And Doors to get an idea about what’s available.

Let the light in

Once you’ve done all the floors and walls, it’s time to think about windows. And considering we’re talking attics, this is once of the most important topics, because most attics don’t have a window. So you will probably want and need a skylight or even two depending on how big the room is. One of the best places to fit a skylight would be just above your bed. Imagine how beautiful and romantic it would be to lie in bed with your loved one and watch the stars. I can’t think of anything I’d like better.

Now all that’s left is picking the right furniture. Depending on whether you want a bedroom or maybe a home office or study area, maybe even a game room for your kids, you can decorate it accordingly and make it truly homely. And when you put a smile on the face of your partner or children or even yourself, you will know your work is done!

by MeCC Interiors

Based on a new report from the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), houses are getting smaller, living rooms are disappearing altogether, and dining rooms are seeing a renaissance.

One dominant trend, which is already being observed in some areas, are houses — and rooms — of smaller scale.  This is attributable to many things, including an ageing population that is increasingly ready to downsize,  economic uncertainty, and, to a lessor extent, the desire to minimize our eco-footprints.

To complement these smaller spaces, modular furnishings will become increasingly popular and will, in fact, become a necessity to maximize function and comfort.

The use of outdoor rooms and spaces will also become more important, making up for the lack of interior square footage.

Though homes will be smaller, the majority will feature a home office.  In fact, many will contain multiple office spaces, perhaps as a reflection of increasing incidences of telecommuting and home-based businesses.
By 2020, our homes will be “smarter;” more functions will be controlled by electronic devices, including computers and voice activation.

image provided by CinéConsulte