Do you have indoor cats or dogs? Well if you do then you have some unique problems that only pet owners can understand. I have had indoor cats and have envisioned building them something special so that they can climb and exercise and still maintain a level of fitness that they would if they were outdoors too. My cats have stayed indoors more as they aged. A special ceiling design for cats was actually in the movie, The Princess Diaries, Directed by Gary Marshall that came out in 2001. I ran into this little story of an elderly couple who custom built walkways in their home at ceiling length. A fabulous idea if you have the time and talent to build something like that. Something like this can always be done by someone handy. Take a look at this: http://www.shine.yahoo.com/animal-nation/cats-house-couple-redesigns-home-cats-mind.202300439.html . There are a lot of great products on the market too. There are end tables that hide a cat litter box. You can buy two of these, one for food and one for the cat box. There is a neat rocking chair that your animal can fit into on the bottom with space for your furry friend to join you. I am not too sure if they will enjoy the rocking movement though, you can find it at www.paulKweton.com. If you are remodeling anyway, ask your designer, contractor, or architect to incorporate the animal into the design. An example of doing this would be to include your animals feeding area, sleeping area, and how your animal can use the rest room without too much fuss and away from your living space. One design company built a little nitch area within the kitchen’s island. That was clever, simple, and way better than bumping into the water or food container over and over again. You may ask them to build a private area for your animal in a custom cabinet. You can include a sleeping area, open lounging area, and an eating area within the same space. Also for convenience include a pet door so they can use the restroom outside. You can build a shelf at the window inside and outside and include a window door so they can come in and out as they please. You can train them to use the litter box that will be outside instead of inside. So while we are remodeling, let’s not forget to design with your pets in mind.

Everything we do and surround ourselves has an effect on us. Whether it is people, or substances, sometimes it is good to rethink our habits and replace them with healthier habits. I too have to take this advice. Today there is more and more talk about toxicity in the items we use. Many resources today such as TV, magazines, and blogs, speak to this. What we clean with can have lasting consequences on our health. The reason I am waking up to this knowledge is I wondered if somehow I contributed to my cat’s cancer. I recalled using Lysol and beach a lot to clean up after her. She stayed primarily in my room the last year of her life. I looked online to find that Lysol was very toxic to animals. Well yea, they are closest to the ground and their paws directly touch the surfaces we clean with these cleaners. For additional information regarding toxicity: http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/10/25/most-toxic-cleaning-products.html http://life.gaiam.com/article/8-household-cleaning-agents-avoid I have known for many years vinegar is used to clean windows and I know baking soda keeps odors away but I didn’t know of recipes I could use. With the internet all we have to do is a simple web search for natural household cleaning recipes. According to WebMD.com when shopping for household cleaning look for products that don’t contain chlorine, alcohols, triclosan, triclocarbon, lye, glycol ethers, or ammonia. It also says to choose items that say petroleum-free, 90% biodegradable in 3 days, or phosphate-free, VOC-free, and solvent-free. I am reposting recipes from their site: Household Cleaner All-Purpose Disinfecting Cleaner 2 cups water (preferably distilled water) 1 1/2 to 3 tsp. liquid castille soap 1 tsp. tea tree oil Mix ingredients above to store and keep. Add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil to give it a pleasing scent. Toilet Bowl Cleaner 1 cup borax Pour into toilet bowl before going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush. Rust Remover 1 lime Salt Sprinkle a little salt on the rust. Squeeze a lime over the salt until it is well soaked. Let the mixture set for two to three hours. Use the leftover rind to scrub the residue. Written by Janette A. Glass Cleaner 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar 1 quart warm water Mix ingredients above. Pour into a spray bottle or apply with a sponge. For lint-free results, wipe dry with crumpled newspaper instead of paper towels. Buff to a shine. For more information visit: http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/green-cleaning

Okay, you want to spruce up your living space. How are you supposed to know what colors to use without any experience? Sure, if your familiar with artistic expression and have been exposed to many different settings or have taken art classes then you have picked up some skills to help you. But what about the rest of us who want to have our home look spectacular and pleasing to not only our eyes, but our visitors as well? An Interior Designer once told me that one of the ways to pick colors for a room is to find a piece of art or fabric that has the colors that you want to use. Pick fabrics within that to use in your room. You don’t have to use all the colors represented. For a modern room you can choose to have white walls or use bold colors such as red, blue, yellow, or even orange mixed in with the white for accent. Space the use of these colors around the room, not just in one corner or one part of the room If you want really nice art on a small budget consider a poster replica of the piece. If you do a Google search for fine art poster replica’s you will find a host of sources. Simply find a glass frame to fit and you have a wonderful piece to design from. Type in modern art and you will see the colors used often in the design of modern interiors. The colors are bold, vibrant, and full of energy. Use the colors in the art to decorate your upholstery.

So you want to redecorate but you don’t know where to start? The first thing is to know what style you want. If you are not sure, browse through design magazines such as Elle Décor or Architectural Digest. What do you like? Do you like Modern, Contemporary, Eclectic, Traditional, or Shabby Chic? Put together a collage of pictures that peak your interest. Decide what specifically you like within these designs. Once you have an idea of what look you are going for head for the library to research the elements in the style you like or do a web search if you don’t have time to borrow books. Some books that I like include: Home Decorating for Dummies, 2nd Edition, written by Katharine Kay McMillan and Patricia Hart McMillan. (ISBN: 0-7645-4156-0) House Beautiful Colors For Your Home (ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2) Fabrics for Your Home (ISBN: 978-1-58816-741-5) Home Color Bible by David Willis published for Benjamin Moore Paints (ISBN: 978-0-09-182574-3) Overwhelmed and need help with your design project? Pick other people’s brains for free. There is limited free advice out there in the retail environments. You can get help at the home improvement stores with your paint projects and get help with picking fabrics and coordinating them at a retail home fabric store. Not everyone can afford to hire an experienced Interior Design professional. Why not consider a design student? Interior Design students are hungry for experience and would love to build up their design portfolio while they are in school or fresh out of school. You can hire someone on a contract basis or even list the work as intern work. Look to local art schools or community colleges by searching online, and then put in a call to the school to see if they have a job placement department. Another idea to find someone to help you without paying an arm and a leg for a design professional is to put in ads listing your requirements. Besides Craigslist, you can search on freelancer.com, simplyhired.com, taskfreelancer.com, project4hire.com, or gigtask.com.. Need someone to paint or shop for you then try taskrabbit.com, springwise.com, or domystuff.com. Hope this information was helpful. Written by Janette A.

The Getty Museum here in Los Angeles is presenting Pacific Standard Time: Modern Architecture in L.A from April – July 2013. They will be presenting at a number of locations throughout Southern California on the History of Architecture in Los Angeles. “HOW THE CITY WAS MADE MODERN Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. is a collaborative celebration of one of Southern California’s most lasting contributions to post-World War II cultural life: modern architecture. This year’s initiative continues the momentum of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. and features eleven exhibitions at nine venues along with accompanying programs and events from April through July.” For More Information visit: pacificstandardtimepresents.org Exhibition contributors are Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Hammer Museum, A + D Architecture and Design Museum, Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara, Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, and The Southern California Institute of Architecture. Other programming partners are The Center for Land Use Interpretation, Community Art Resources, Inc., The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, the Los Angeles Conservancy, Machine Project, Pasadena Heritage, and the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design.