Visit the Shaks

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.

Leaving the home when you have got kids is hard enough, but imagine getting to your destination and finding that you have forgotten something, shopping lists, keys, phone, money, your decorating list etc. What a nightmare.

This is where the Doorganizer comes in very handy indeed, lucky for us that Coochicoos found this for us to look at.

These simple little pouches can be placed on the door handles on your kids doors, then one for yourself on the handle of your front door, with everything that you and the kids are going to need when going out, then you will never be in that situation again.

Priced at $15

Ornamental metalwork can be really stylish if used in the right environment, over done it can look too much, while a little would probably be lost in any room, so the mix just has to be right.

So what sort of products are we looking at? Well the Wrought Iron Depot has a few answers:

Bedroom furniture and decor - beds (canopy, wood and iron, sleigh, post, daybeds, bunk beds, pet beds), night stands, quilt racks.
Kitchen furniture and decor - dining tables and chairs, bar stools, pot racks, bakers racks, wine racks and cabinets, plate racks, risers, paper towel holders.
Bathroom furnishings - accessories, towel bars, towel rings, towel racks, bath hooks, mirrors, shelves, vanities, pedestal lavatories, soaker tubs, toilet paper holders, towel stands, vanity lighting.
Tables and Chairs - accent, bistro, coffee, console, dining, folding, occasional, patio, pub, sofa.   
Lighting - chandeliers, table lamps, floor lamps, ceiling fans, candelabras, outdoor lighting.
Wall Decor - wall art, wall plaques and medallions, valances, friezes, pediments, wall clocks, wall shelves, candle sconces, wall fountains, mirrors.
Home Decor - candle holders, curtain rods, curtain tie backs, plant stands, coat racks, pot rings, umbrella stands, baskets, CD holders, globes, magazine racks, book ends, shelves, hardware, pedestals, sculptures, bird cages, coasters, table clocks.
Fireplace accessories - fireplace screens, fenders, fire backs, fire tool sets, log racks and holders, andirons.
Railings and spindles for stairs and balconies
Patio furniture - tables, chairs, benches, gliders, chaises, and patio sets.
Outdoor Decor - plant stands, garden benches, weather vanes, bird baths and feeders, door mats, doorbell knockers, edging, water hose holders, garden statues, garden gates, fountains, stakes, fire pits, window boxes, arbors, planters (wall and hanging), gazebos, pavilions, outdoor lighting, lanterns, mailboxes, trellises, outdoor thermometers and clocks.
Fence - pool fences, yard fences.
Gates
Other Great Items - holiday and seasonal items, and much more!

As you can see there are so many options and it is essential to work things correctly and make sure that the product is right for you, this is where the Wrought Iron Depot can help.

Every Do It Yourselfer needs a tie like this!

It's a blueprint of a tie on a tie. How cool is that?

Designed by Constantine Boym for Acme Studios; this 100% Silk this tie is clever without being cute.

via Delight.com

Once you have finished your kitchen off, this Know Where Clock by Artecnica, will make a great addition to our life, because the You and Me clock has addition two additional hands which can be set to the correct time zone where your partner is. Obviously from time to time we all have travel somewhere on our own, and this while remind who is back at home what the time is there as not to ring up in the middle of the night.

The other clock Comos has a city land mark from famous cities like New York and Rio, so you know what the time is there.

These clocks are great, and are a good find by LA Apartment Therapy, the clock will give you an instant idea of your family, friends or loved ones are, without having to think about it too hard.

Source  [LA Apartment Therapy]

Charles and Hudson have put together this great list of home improvement related movies, now that has got you thinking hasn’t it? They had a hard time thinking up number ten, my suggestion is Wall Street, there was a lot of design and redecoration, in the film as well as crooked deals!

What would be your number 10?

Let us know, and see how many we can all come with.

The Charles and Hudson Top 10 of Home Improvements and Movies.

10. Made ~ This film is a reach for this list - in fact it shouldn't really be on this list but we were having a hard time coming up with 10. But the movie starts with one of our all-time favorite scenes as Favre and Vaughn work as part of a construction crew and negotiate taking "breaks" and take lip from an snooty interior designer. If you like these two you'll love this scene.

9. Poltergeist ~ I only moved once as a child and after watching this film I never wanted to move again.

Head on over to the site to read the rest.

This really classy French style soap dispenser will put a touch of class into your bathroom. Your visitors will be amazed to see this piece of history in your bathroom.

Originally these would have been seen inside the public school washrooms of France, but though a great piece of research The Apartment Therapy Store have managed to source a distributor of these soap dispensers here in the US, well done guys!

The dispensers, which were originally designed by Pro Ven Di, they feature brilliantly shiny chrome bracket onto which the soap is fixed to. The vegetable based soap is in the form of a solid 300 gram block with a hole through the center where the bar fits through.

This amazing bathroom fixture is available from The Apartment Therapy Store for only $40.

Product Page  [The Apartment Therapy Store]

After reading a post on Random Encounter of We, regarding the Pergo laminate flooring system, it seemed an appropriate subject to look into.

But it would appear that the camps are divided between those who like it and those who don’t, which as you would expect throws up all sorts of problems for our couple.

Now at the moment for just five US dollars, you can get a sample of the Pergo laminate, which you can place in the room where you are considering it for and see how it goes from there, if your decision is to go ahead and order the product then in the sample pack comes a $25 voucher, so you get your five back, plus another twenty, it is looking better all the time!

As with any product for the home, it is a matter of choice, not what other people say or think.

Source  [Random Encounters of We]

So what is the comparison between a cardboard box and your home office? Well if you work full time from home then you will spend most of your time in your home office that stands to reason. But normally the space that you allow yourself is limited, and can be a corner in another room, so it is essential that your space is in some sort of order, otherwise you will never get anything done at all.

So hear is the card board box treatment for your office.

The box is great for placing all that paper that builds up, printouts of emails and faxes etc that you do not really need straight away but may need at some date later on. You will be surprised as to how much paper can be stored in old card board box, they may not be in order, but at least you do know exactly where they are when you need that fax, email or letter.

Talking about letters, do you get mail, I mean real mail delivered by the postman, a strange concept I know! But business mail can be very important, but it does stack up very quickly indeed and you do need it, so mark up the box and store your mail in the box for a later date.

Finally the most important of all files, running your own business requires you to keep records, these must be kept in files in order to have some sort of order, your files can be stored in the box, where you know where they are for future. It is essential that these records are kept up to date and in a safe place.

So you can see how a simple and free object can help you to organize your office into a really great space that is neat, tidy and best of all nice to work in.

Source  [Associated Content]

When choosing what sort of flooring to put down on your newly decorated home, it nice to be able to consider an eco friendly alternative, but what are the choices?

Cork - The only occasions when most people come across cork is normally in frame on the wall with all the notices pinned to it or the most popular has to be out of the top of a wine bottle. Yet cork can be a very sophisticated and different type of floor covering.

Because cork is a natural product you may be wary of using it, yet cork is only harvested from sustainable sources, as it is the bark of an oak tree and harvesting will not do anything to the tree itself. But being a natural product the colors and lines are going to be varied which makes this flooring so exciting.

Reclaimed floorboards - These of course are eco friendly because they have already been used so they are eco friendly as no trees were cut down just so you could have a lovely floor. The floor boards would have come from another property that has been demolished or totally rebuilt. There are many places to get these from like reclamation yards and possibly even if you see some work being done on a building it may be possible to do a deal with the owners and take the floor boards off their hands.

Bamboo - Now this is unusal and yet is catching very fast, and because the bamboo plant is a fast growing plant or grass, this is eco friendly because the wood can be easily replenished within no time at all. Bamboo is not like any other standard wooden flooring product, it comes in many different forms and will also have different shades, colors and styles. This flooring is probably more eco friendly than the others, but will not be to everyone’s liking, as there are many different options available.

These floor coverings are very good for keeping the he house clean, all you need is a broom to quickly sweep through and your done, even with pets and kids, unlike carpet the flooring is easy to quickly lightly mop through.

Source  [Link Snoop]

Decorating is one of those things that you either like or hate, the simple reason for people disliking it has a lot to do with the expense and time used up, if it takes a long time and costs a lot of money, then that is enough to drive anyone crazy, so lets see if we can make it easier and fun, just a bit though!

1. A coat of paint - One easy and simple way to brighten and freshen up any room, is just to quickly give it a coat of paint, even if it is the same color, it makes no difference, and you will soon see the difference between the new and the old. Besides you get that new paint smell, which always goes down well with visitors.

2. Make it - By reading content on decorating websites and within magazines, you can always find some very simple and effective ideas for accessories, you may surprise yourself on how easy, quickly and cheaply that you can make something up, and best of all you probably have the materials lying around anyhow.

3. DeClutter - There is nothing worse than living in and around a load of clutter, this may be clothes, books, toys and old furniture, this just takes up room and makes the whole house feel untidy and really makes it difficult to keep clean, which if it goes on, will just get out of hand, with more and more clutter building up.

4. Great deals - Don’t pay the full price for anything, if you decide that you are going to buy a new sofa, then just shop around, there are always so many deals to be had, and if you are unlucky to find one, then there is always the internet, where you can search for the best deals.

5. Hand crafted products - With more and more craft fairs and farmers markets appearing around the country this is just to good to miss, go t you local one and see what is there on offer, hand crafted products, means that there has been care and attention to detail which can make something original and very desirable.

These are just five simple tips, which will not cost a fortune, but will make a lot of difference to your home, by freshening up and making good.

Source  [Gifts and Décor]

The Maker Faire 2007, is a dream event for anyone interested in DIY projects, these items can include anything and everything from computers to homes. The events have two locations the in May will be held at San Mateo Fairgrounds on the 19th and 20th and the second will be held in Oct and will be located at the Travis County Fairgrounds on the 20th and 21st.

There will be a live interview with Steve “The Woz” Wozniak of Apple fame, as well as so many other ideas and innovations that are set to make your life so much better, the moonshine motor, as car that is powered entirely by alcohol produced from corn and enzymes. Other incredible highlights include: The "King of Fling" catapult competition, The Puppy Mover Monorail, Survival Research Labs (SRL), Five Foot Russian Submarine, Junkyard Jet, Bazaar Bizarre, Silicon Death Valley, RoboGames' Combat Robots, Power Tool Drag Races, Life-size Mousetrap, Walking Robotic Chariot, Build Your Own Blinkybug, The Electric Giraffe, The Disgusting Spectacle, Tomato-basket Dragons and Whales, Internet Crane Game, The Art of Motion Control, Model Rocket Video Camera, Chris Benton's Kite Aerial Photography, Electric Super cars, Roobma Hacking, Winners of the Most Spectacular Failures contest, and acres more.

The events will cover over 200,000 sq ft; so make sure you take those comfy shoes! And the event is expected to see over 40,000 visitors and will hopefully have over 400 makers of these products, showing what they have to offer, with demos and exhibits. Sponsors for this year's event include: Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google, Adobe, Carlo Rossi, Chronicle Books, Lion Brand Yarn, Sun, ShopBot, TechShop and Texterity.

Source  [Internet Video Mag]

Well known for its Swedish style and stores that offer more than just furniture, Ikea have now entered the affordable homes market in the UK, the idea behind this is to bring a concept developed in Scandinavia several years ago.

The first site if planning consent is given will be built in Gateshead, right up in the north of England, this will replace existing social housing being managed by the local authorities.

First time buyer are finding it increasingly harder to get a foot onto the property ladder in most parts of the UK nowadays, with the average house being around £100,000 ($200,000) what with charges and other fee, new home buyers are unable to scrape a large deposit and are therefore being forced into taking out higher home loans, which is risk should interest rates go up.

In this scheme, it is shared ownership aimed at people on lower salaries, they will buy a small percentage of the home and then pay rent on the other part, then as their circumstances improve they will be able to buy more of the home until they own the whole property or decided to sell up and move on.

These particular apartments are designed to offer a lot of space and light, which gives the sense of living in a larger property; they are designed to the highest standards with an open plan layout, high ceilings and big windows.

The plan is set to get the go ahead very soon and should make way for many more developments like this.

Source  [GizMag]

These days it is just not good enough to tear up a bill or any other document that has any sort of personal details, such as bank accounts, work and home phone numbers, because in some case these details are all the criminals who trade in personal information need, so what can you do about it.

It is a sad fact that many of us start off by shredding our documents but eventually we get a complacent, this maybe because the shredder is in another room or has been put away, or we are just getting too lazy and feel that nobody is really going to steal my identity are they?

Amazon stock a neat little gadget that can be stored near the bin and does not require any power apart from a little bit of hand power, this scissor type shredder is ideal for destroying anything that a criminal may think is useful, even old credit cards, you simply use like a pair of scissors, but in this case there are several blades, which all cut simultaneously rendering the document or card total worthless and can be safely thrown away.

Why take your home and personal security for granted when there are products like this around, remember it only takes one simple mistake and you could find that your credit rating has been severely damaged or in the worst case, your bank accounts have been emptied, and I can tell you by experience this is not a very nice experience. These hand held shredders cost a mere $15 not much to pay for peace of mind.

Source  [Luxury Housing Trends]

I don't know about you but I think litter boxes stink. I know they make litter now with all kinds of odor control elements but still they just put a damper in the lovely smells I want in my home.

The Green Head has found that the Cat Genie is an innovative way to alleviate the smell, the mess and the cleanup that a normal litter box requires.....

"The innovative CatGenie Self Washing/Self Flushing Cat Box revolutionizes cat sanitation by eliminating the need to scoop, clean, and dispose of messy litter. Waste removal is dust, germ, odor, and hassle-free! Uses permanent, washable granules that are automatically washed and dried after each use. Liquids drain through the granules and solid waste is scooped, liquefied, and deposited into the hopper where both are flushed with fresh water down any toilet or sink drain. The CatGenie then dispenses a special SaniSolution to wash and disinfect the bowl and granules, while the GenieHand scoop aerates and the built-in hot air blower dries the sanitized granules."

The Green Head actually has a video on their site that shows how this contraption works. Amazing! This would make a great wedding gift for the animal loving bride and groom.

via cribcandy

Bamboo floors are becoming all the rage and to tell the truth, I'm right in there with the rest of the fanatics. This might just be our next big home improvement project.

It's gorgeous, durable, and can be much less expensive than traditional hardwood floors. Plus, it's cheaper than those hideous composite floor systems. Lots of different colors, patterns, finishes, and installation methods are available--virtually anything you might want or need.

With prices as low as $2.00 a square foot on Ebay, bamboo's popularity is growing nearly as fast as the quickly renewed resource grows in the real world. You can install it as a floating floor, nailed down, or glued as your situation demands, and it's available in colors that run the gamut from the lightest blonde to a striking black.

Solid bamboo flooring is durable enough to be sanded and refinished 3 or 4 times. It's a bit harder than White Oak and slightly softer than Maple, but grows to maturity in 6 years, compared to 20-30 years for traditional hardwoods; so it's a much Greener option.

As long as we're doing something beautiful for our home, why not have it be eco-friendly and inexpensive as well? Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it, too.