home exterior: July 2010

Show and Tell Friday!

I ran out of time this week so I don't have anything interesting for Show and Tell (other than the fuschias in my backyard) but I wanted to make sure I had this post up in time for all of you that want to join in! When this posts goes up on Thursday evening I will be on my 5th Internet date...hopefully having fun and not thinking that I could be home finding something better to share for show

Home Tour

Through the years I've shared different neighborhoods around my area with you. I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite homes all in one post! As many of you know, I live in the Silicon Valley area of California. Home of Apple, Ebay, HP, and the list goes on and on....
Lots of people! Lots of beautiful homes! The old neighborhoods are my favorites...

This one below is my

ENERGY STAR Home

Any home three stories or less can earn the ENERGY STAR label if it has been verified to meet EPA's guidelines.

Energy Star Homes are typically 20-30% more energy efficient than standard homes – why? Energy Star homes incorporate these eco friendly features:

1. Effective Insulation
2. High-Performance Windows
3. Tight Construction and Ducts
4. Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
5. Efficient Products
6. Third-Party Verification

The benefits of building an energy efficient home are plenty:

LOWER OWNERSHIP COST
Compared with standard homes, ENERGY STAR homes use substantially less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating-delivering $200 to $400 in annual savings.

Over the average 7 to 8 years you may live in your home, this adds up to thousands of dollars saved on utility bills. Additional savings on maintenance can also be substantial. Financing your home purchase using an energy efficient mortgage can also lead to savings.

BETTER PERFORMANCE
Properly installed energy-efficient improvements deliver better protection against cold, heat, drafts, moisture, pollution, and noise. An energy-efficient home helps ensure consistent temperatures between and across rooms, improved indoor air quality, and greater durability.

SMART INVESTMENT
To date, more than 8,500 home builders have partnered with EPA to construct more than 1 million ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The trend is clear. By choosing a home with the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that it will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Did you know that your home can be a greater source of pollution than your car? In fact, 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the energy used in houses nationwide.

Energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain, and global warming. Simply put, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate.

Source: energystar.gov

Vintage lovelies

I just added this adorable vintage children's play tea set to my etsy shop! I bought it awhile ago to sell but then didn't want to part with it so I kept it for awhile to enjoy. I also have some other beautiful vintage pieces for sale there too!

You can click on "Shop" at the top of my blog to see these and other items I have for sale!
************************Update on my online dating

Happy Saturday!

I have a giveaway on my Product Review Page. Click here to see!

Show and Tell Friday

It's time again for Show and Tell Friday! This week I'm sharing some crystal candlesticks and candle holders! This was an arrangement I put together about a year and half ago right after Christmas. I love the look of silver, crystal and white candles together!

If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden.

Let's visit an amazing lavender farm!

My friend Lia recently visited Mt. Shasta Lavender Farm in Northern California and she has allowed me to share her photos with you!
Isn't that view amazing! That's Mt. Shasta in the background.

From Lia:
The farm is about 15-20 minutes outside of the town of Weed. If you are heading towards Oregon it should be on your list of stops!The views are incredible but the smell will take your breath

Bouquets through the years...

My life lately seems to consist of working, working out, working at finding a good date and working at being a good friend and of course I try to be a good mom too! That has left little time for this blog! I promise you I have not given up on this big part of my life! I love blogging but I think my life was feeling a little unbalanced and feel like I need to take a little break now and then. I

Colorful Smart Interior Design for Futuristic Living Room Designs

I love very much this futuristic living room design, This is the “Smart-ologic Corian® Living” that design with colorful and sophisticated interior lighting installation, designed by Karim Rashid that released his design correlated with futuristic living room concept for our future, karim rashid shown us to to decorate and renovate new futuristic living room concept like a sample in photos. decorating living room today didn't concern on how to design our living room look modern but also we have to think about eco-friendly furniture we used to renovate our living room. via

A Busy Weekend

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Pink!, originally uploaded by Romantic Home.

I had such a great weekend! My apartment didn't get cleaned and I have laundry piled high but I'm finally learning that those things can wait...having fun is more important! You

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday! This week I'm sharing some vintage silver I've picked up over the years at flea markets. They are just so pretty and so hard to resist when I find them at a good price!I love the old monogrammed pieces...
If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and

Events: Things To Do

Don't miss the 3rd Annual Lakeside Living Expo this weekend at the Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire. Gilford is located on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, less than 90 minutes away from Boston and the seacoast!

This is the largest Lifestyle Show in New England with over 250 exhibitors in lodges and tents! Bonin Architects will be exhibiting in Booth #75 in the Lake Winnipesaukee Tent. Be sure to stop by to say hello!

Lakeside Living Expo

Gunstock Mountain Resort, Gilford, NH

July 16-18, 2010

Friday 11-7; Saturday 10-6; Sunday 10-4

Seminars: 1:00 PM each day

While you're there, be sure to sit in on a Seminar on Green Home Design Considerations by NH Architect Jeremy Bonin. Seminars will be presented all three days at 1:00 PM in the Seminar Room.

The Lakeside Living Expo celebrates lake homes, adirondack furniture & decor, boats and outdoor water sports adventure. There is something for everyone at this show!

If you are planning to build a new lakefront home or cottage, remodel your existing home on the lake, or add living space with a home addition, one of your first stops should be Bonin Architects' booth! Kimberly and Jeremy Bonin will answer your questions regarding the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act, building costs, renewable energy (solar and geothermal), and more!

See you there!

Happy Thursday

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Around my home, originally uploaded by Romantic Home.You probably wonder where I've been! I've been a little obsessed with saving the world from online scammers! The guy that tried to scam me is up on a bunch of other

Oh so pretty!

Another vintage linen tablecloth has found it's way to my home!
This one is cross stitched in soft romantic colors!
I got it from Pixie Dust Linens on etsy! My roses are blooming like crazy now...

Thank you all so much for your kind comments yesterday. I didn't mean to give the impression that I was really hurt over this. I'm fine now, I was upset for about a day but got over it quickly. I

Internet Dating Scams using Military Men!

Please excuse me but I'm going to use my blog today for getting the word out about an Internet scam that is happening a lot! Unfortunately I became a victim of this scam last week! Luckily for me I didn't lose any money but I did lose a lot of my precious time and had a little bit of heartbreak because of it!

I consider myself a very independent woman. I've been single for 11 years! I'm happier

Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday! This has become such a fun party every week! This week I'm sharing my Cambridge glass collection!
Most of my pieces are in the "Portia" pattern.Some were gifts and others were bought on eBay.I love how dainty and feminine they are!!!If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or

More on mirrors

Yesterday someone asked what color I paint my mirrors so I thought I would repost my process. I've used different shades of white spray paint as the base color because I didn't want them to look all the same. I wanted it to look like I collected different white mirrors over time, not like I bought gold mirrors and sprayed them all the same.
Most of my mirrors are gold plastic from the 60s and

Lake Sunapee Open House with Q&A July 10th

It's not too late to register to attend our Free Open House Tour at a custom home near Sunapee Harbor on Lake Sunapee, NH! Here are the particulars:

Saturday, July 10, 2010

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Custom Home near Lake Sunapee

Whether you're a local or are visiting and thinking of owning a summer home on the Lake, if you are building a new home, adding square footage with an addition, or remodeling a lakefront home or cottage, get answers to your specific questions at this unique Open House!

Q&A with Green Building Experts
Ask your questions to a local green architect, builder, and realtor!

NH Architect Jeremy Bonin, Custom Homebuilder Everett Pollard, and Local Realtor Dan O'Halloran answer your questions about the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act guidelines (CSPA) and how they may impact your anticipated home design, green building products and cost, reasonable time frames for designing and building a custom home, and more! Your questions direct the discussion.

Directions to the Custom Home are given to registrants only!

To register, call 603-504-6009

The heat wave will take a break just in time for the weekend! Sunapee weather for Saturday predicts a high of 79* and a 50% chance of a scattered thunderstorm or two - the perfect weather for being inside enjoying a home tour! You'll have plenty of time to catch the fireworks in Newbury at the town's Old Home Day after the Open House!

Freshly Painted Stairway

I had my staircase painted! It was painted the original beige color that my whole apartment was painted when I moved in. I had it painted white! It looks so fresh and clean now! The only room left with that original color is the upstairs bathroom, which hopefully will be changed soon...if I stop being so lazy! This year has been my year of having fun and getting out more with my girlfriends...

Shorter and blonder...

I'm now more blonde than a redhead and I cut my hair shorter! Better or worse?

(This was taken with my iPhone which is why it's not as clear as most of my photos.)

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

and Happy Birthday to Beau, who was born on the 4th of July, 6 years ago!

Show and Tell Friday

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I LOVE White!, originally uploaded by Romantic Home.
Welcome to Show and Tell Friday! I can't believe it's already July, this year is flying by so fast! I took vacation days today and tomorrow so I could stretch my 3-day

Sustainable Roofing

Sustainable roofing products have come a long way. EcoStar is a leading manufacturer of eco-friendly roofing products, including synthetic slate and synthetic wood shakes. EcoStar’s products fit virtually any steep-slope roofing application, and provide protection against fire, hail, wind and rain.

EcoStar manufactures roofing tiles that are composed of up to 80% recycled post-industrial rubber and plastic. These post-industrial materials consist of waste that includes car bumpers and baby diaper production remnants, preventing these materials from ending up in landfills. Their recycled content creates incredible strength and flexibility, as well as provide long-lasting performance.

EcoStar products come in a variety of colors such as some pictured here, and are also available with extended warranty protection, including a 100 mph warranty and a 50-year transferable Gold Star warranty.

Because of their eco-friendly efficiency, EcoStar products can also significantly contribute toward LEED® credit requirements for your new home.

Photos courtesy of EcoStar.