Diane Edwards Realtor

Diane Edwards brings Real Solutions to the table for any buyer or seller!

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New Post has been published on http://dianeedwardsblog.com/2015/05/27/decorating-rules/

Decorating Rules

Those Decorating Rules . . .

Are you on Pinterest?  If so, have you found some great boards that you love to follow?  I am going to share with you some pictures and information on “The Best Decorating Rules To Break” – from “The Budget Decorator!”

Summer is just around the corner – it is a time that we clean things up, we paint a room, we spruce up our garden – and we may just clean out a few closets to make room for those things that you just have to have!  Kathy Woodard goes on to explain some of the myths behind decorating rules.

Myth #1 – White walls make a space look larger. 

Truth: Ummm, I am not so sure!  There isn’t any personality to the walls.  All white?  Boring!  Heres a little rundown:

Pale to medium cool colors such as blues and greens seem to recede from the eye, and are used very effectively in small rooms.   Just because a room is small – doesn’t mean you need to make it look larger.

I love her idea about going with the nature of the room, creating a warm, comforting space that wraps you in rich color.  How about a deep red, sapphire blue or a grand gold?

Here is another benefit to using rich, deep colors – in the evening hours, the walls seem to fade away, and actually make the room look larger and cozy at the same time.

Myth #2 – Furniture looks best lining the walls 

Spend some time with your furniture placement.  I don’t know about you, but I get tired of the way a room looks – and simply rearranging the furniture not only refreshes the look – but you get some extra cleaning in (that you may not have counted on!)  Here are a couple of suggestions by Kathy:

Try pulling the furniture away from the walls in conversational groupings. A loveseat set on the diagonal adds movement to a room, and frees up space behind the piece.

Swap pieces with other rooms to find a new look, and don’t be afraid to use unusual combinations of furniture if they work for your home.

Myth #3 – Everything in my room should match

Did you realize that matching furniture sets, fabrics and even color schemes are thankfully no longer the “in” thing. Get a bit creative here, combine different styles and feelings in a room – keep to a common thread – but know that you are adding your personality or inner image to your room!  Don’t be afraid to combine different styles and feelings in a room – consider keeping a common thread running throughout the room.

Myth #4 – Don’t display personal or family photos in public spaces.  What?  Your kidding right?

People live in the home!  If your home is decorated without personal touches such as photos lack warmth and feel sterile – so get out those family pictures – create a great little gallery showcasing your great family photos!  When the grand children visit it is always fun to have pictures of their parents from a long ago time displayed!

Myth #5 – To have an attractively decorated home, you must follow rules!

Some people feel they have to follow some rules about home decorating.  And others just shrug that idea off!  Explore your creativity!  Express yourself through your room colors and room pictures.  Enjoy exploring and trying new things – and remember “whatever you move, change or paint – it can all be changed back!  Decorating guidelines are great tools, but use them like that!  They just give you something to think about – but a guideline that you like may create something spontaneous as well!

Don’t be afraid to break those decorating rules!  Remember, they are really meant to be guidelines!  Visit “The Budget Decorator“ to learn additional great idea’s and suggestions for “Breaking those Mythical Decorating Rules.

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New Post has been published on http://dianeedwardsblog.com/2015/05/20/remembrance/

Moment of Remembrance

Join me in remembering . . .  National Moment of Remembrance – 3:00 p.m. 

Why “A Moment Of Remembrance?”

In 1996, a humanitarian organization based in Washington, D.C., known as ‘No Greater Love’ conducted a survey on children and asked them why do they think there is a holiday on Memorial Day. It was agonizing to hear their remarks that were all associated with barbecues and extended weekend parties and celebration, while they hadn’t the vaguest idea about the sacrifices of the soldiers in whose honor it is celebrated. One of the children was even quoted as saying that this was the day when swimming pools open!

Thus, the organization came up with the idea of ‘National Moment of Remembrance’ to remind and especially, let the future generations know about the real meaning of the holiday. The idea clicked with the President and Congress and since 1997, it became a standard American tradition.

National Moment of Remembrance requires everybody to keep silent for a minute, exactly at 3.00 pm (local time) when ‘Taps’ is played and reflect on the glory of those who have shed blood for us. The federal government hopes to raise public awareness about the heroes and their valor by introducing this moment.

“Freedom Is Not Free!”  by Kelly Strong:

I watched the flag pass by one day.  It fluttered in the breeze. A young Marine saluted it, and then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform So young, so tall, so proud, He’d stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him Had fallen through the years. How many died on foreign soil? How many mothers’ tears?

How many pilots’ planes shot down? How many died at sea? How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves? No, freedom isn’t free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night, When everything was still I listened to the bugler play And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times That TAPS had meant “Amen,” When a flag had draped a coffin Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children, Of the mothers and the wives, Of fathers, sons and husbands With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard At the bottom of the sea Of unmarked graves in Arlington. No, freedom isn’t free.

This poem “No, Freedom Isn’t Free” by Kelly Strong, says it all.  Have a safe and wonderful weekend and remember, Monday at 3:00 p.m. take your moment of silence and acknowledge all who have lost their lives to keep our country free.

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New Post has been published on http://dianeedwardsblog.com/2015/05/06/vacation-time-5-great-tips/

Vacation Time! 5 Great Tips

Summer is upon us! Vacation time awaits! Here are “5 Great Vacation Tips” just for you!

  Don’t go on vacation without reading these 5 tips:

Tip #1 – A Little Planning is In Order . . .

If you want a stress free vacation research your destination!  You might find that some activities only happen on certain days or in specific seasons. Maybe there are even days when activities are free.  Lonely Planet – the largest guide book publisher in the world!  You will receive location history, historical weather, deals and safety information. You often get insights from frequent travelers and locals on hidden gems.

For a “Free” lightweight printable compact city guide – Visit  Hostel World – you can take your print outs with you!   Have a road trip planned?  Visit “Roadside America” – your online guide to off beat tourist attractions!  Planning an over seas trip?  Brush up on that country’s etiquette by visiting: The Ultimate Guide to World Wide Etiquette.

Tip #2 – Find the “Cheapest” Tickets or Fuel Stops . . .

Save a little money where you can!  How are you traveling?  Flying?  Renting a Car?  Driving?  If you are flying you want to start looking for tickets 8 weeks in advance – that is when you will see some reasonable prices.  They say that Tuesday’s are the best day to buy – why?  Because airlines often announce deals on Monday evenings – and by Tuesday at noon the other airlines are scrambling to catch up!  Check out Google Flights – it is a great website to help you find the best deals.  Need a hotel room?  Well check out Back Bid – this let’s hotels with empty rooms bid for your business! Roomer!  A great App that will let you book a hotel room from people that can’t use theirs.

Tip #3 – Prepare Your Gadgets . . .

It used to be that when you went on vacation you were cut off from family back home.  Now however, there are plenty of gadgets that keep you connected!  There are travel apps for your smartphones – let me name a few; “Tripit” a “free” app that organizes your trip for you! Just forward any confirmation emails to your “Tripit” app – this app gathers all the information you need all in one place.  How about “Ping4alerts” this “Free” app works wherever you go.  You can stay alert on bad weather and traffic advisories.

Tip #4 – Know How To Get WiFi . . .  

Before you leave home, know a few good Wi-Fi hotspots in the areas you’ll be traveling, even if it’s just verifying you get free Wi-Fi in your hotel. You can also take along an app that shows you nearby Wi-Fi hotspots.

Check out the “Free WiFi Hotspots Directory”   – note – some hotels charge for their Wifi – it doesn’t cost them any more money to have you use their Wifi – but it is another way to charge a fee – so look up where you are going and note where the “Free WiFi spots are.”  

Look for JiWire – the iPhone / Android app – The app will tap into your phone’s GPS to find you and the closest free or paid hot spot. You can even navigate to it once you’ve picked it. If you find a location that isn’t listed, you can submit it to JiWire’s database right from the app.

Tip #5 – Make Sure Your Home Is Safe . . .

Be careful what you post on social media.  Location Sharing Services –

Checking in at the airport or your hotel is a fun way to let friends and family know you’re on vacation, but burglars are also combing through social media looking for easy targets. These criminals only need a rough idea of where you live – and access to Google Street View – to start casing your home.

If you use apps that include location-sharing features, like Facebook, get to know the privacy features and use them. Make sure they aren’t syncing up with other social networks that aren’t as private. If they do, you might be broadcasting your location to people you don’t even know.

Beware of apps that use your GPS automatically. Not only is this bad for your privacy, it quickly drains your smartphone’s battery.  How about Hidden Picture Data?  Every picture you upload online is loaded with valuable information. This includes where and when the photo was taken, and what kind of camera or smartphone was used to take it.

Exif Data – what is it?  How do you remove it?  

EXIF contains a ton of information about your camera, and potentially where the picture was taken (GPS coordinates). That means, if you’re sharing images, there’s a lot of details others can glean from them.

EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format.  Every time you take a picture with your digital camera or phone, a file (typically a JPEG) is written to your device’s storage. In addition to all the bits dedicated to the actual picture, it records a considerable amount of supplemental metadata as well. This can include date, time, camera settings, and possible copyright information.  Check out the link for step by step instructions on how to remove this information.

There is so much more out there, but this will give you a great start – and a much safer and cheaper vacation!

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New Post has been published on http://dianeedwardsblog.com/2015/04/29/drought-landscaping-ideas/

Drought Landscaping Idea's

After three consecutive years of below normal rainfall, we here in California face our most severe drought emergency!  Conserving water is crucial right now – and many people are changing their landscaping to reflect the drought conditions.

Some tips for water conservation in the yard and garden:

Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants.  This will slow the evaporation of moisture around your plants while discouraging weed growth!

Deep soak your lawn.  When watering the lawn, do it long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most good.  A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly – put an empty tuna can on your lawn – when it is full, you’ve watered the right amount.

Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets and couplings.

Here are a few plant idea’s to give you a head start!

Drain the fountain and let it rain succulents!  Billy Goodneck from Pinterest has a great board showing you some great ideas – what a great idea this is!  I love this look!

How about some Muhly Grass.  It is a tough, native, ornamental grass that is topped in late summer and fall with fluffy plumes of cotton-candy pink. It is airy and beautiful.

It grows to about 3 feet high and wide. Pink Muhly makes a great border or edge plant.

It combines well with pink-flowering Echinacea, Sedum ‘Autimn Joy,’ and other ornamental grasses.

It prefers full sun (6-8 hours), but can tolerate part-sun. It grows best in well-drained soils, so place on a slope and amend clay soil well with compost for best results.

This grass can tolerate drought conditions, high heat, humidity, and poor-in-nutrient soils.

Pink Muhly plants are disease and pest resistant. The only maintenance needed is to prune it back to about one foot high in late winter/very early spring.

  Shade Succulents for your drought tolerant garden . . . by Katie Dillon – these Succulents can tolerate bright to complete shade.  Visit the website to view a video demonstrating how to care for and plant any succulent in a container.

This is a Aloe Grandidentata

This aloe is much smaller than the above Soap Aloe, but they are often mistaken for each other.  Aloe Grandidentata grows a cluster of rosettes about 5″ tall by 12″ wide and makes an excellent ground cover or plant to use at the base of tree trunks where shallow roots are required.  Gardeners believe that this aloe is more shade-tolerant than Aloe Maculata.

Here are some tips to help you conserve water in the household:

Check your faucets and pipes for leaks – A small drip from a worn faucet washer can waste 20 gallons of water per day.  Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons.

Don’t use the toilet as an ashtray or waste basket!  Every time you flush that cigarette butt or tissue – 5 – 7 gallons of water is wasted!

Check your toilet for leaks!  Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank.  If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak!  Replacement parts are inexpensive and most are easy to install.

Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush!  (for me, I never gave it a thought until our drought conditions escalated!)

Showers!  One way to help conserve – turn off the shower while soaping up!  Then turn it back on to rinse!  A 4 minute shower uses approximately 20 – 40 gallons of water!  Also, put a bucket in your shower to catch the extra – use that water to water your indoor or patio plants.

For optimum water conservation, use your dishwasher and clothes washer for full loads only!  Most makers of dishwashing soap recommend “NOT” pre-rinsing dishes (a huge water savings).  With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, this uses an added 20 liters (5 gallons) for the extra rinse.  Have a partial load you have to do?  Adjust the water levels to match the size of the load.

Minimize the use of your kitchen garbage disposals – you could start a “compost pile” as an alternate method of disposing food waste.

Let me know what water saving measures you are doing?  Have a great tip or two to share?

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I just love the many different styles - but what do you think of this bath?  

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Tulips In A Vase - Diane Edwards Realtor Blog

Tulips in a Vase - Spring has sprung and there are so many great idea's to brighten up a window area and or a room - Tulips are so beautiful