Stifling heat can be extremely uncomfortable. It makes you grumpy. You can’t sleep or really relax after a long day. During the height of the summer, it may seem like the heat will never break. Running the air conditioner is helpful, but sometimes, it just isn’t enough. You need the room to feel fresh and not muggy or humid. Not to mention, running the air conditioning all the time can get very costly. You can give your wallet and air conditioner a break while making your home a little more comfortable with the installation of a new ceiling fan. A Pasadena electrician can get you all hooked up in just a few hours. All you need to do is call The Electric Connection.

Ceiling fans make a beautiful addition to any room. They are elegant and useful. Most fans include lights as well that make them a dual purpose fixture. You can skip the hanging cords and have a remote control installed on the fan. With the touch of a button you can turn on the lights and set the speed of the fan. Ceiling fans should always be installed by an electrician. Pasadena homeowners will feel better and safer knowing the fan was properly wired and secured to the ceiling.

Imagine laying in bed with a cool, gentle breeze washing over you. The whir of the fan is also soothing for many. It helps lull them to sleep and keep them sleeping comfortably without getting that feeling of stifling air in the room. Your electrician in Pasadena can get you set up with a fan in each bedroom as well as any living spaces that tend to get a little warm. Combining the effects of a ceiling fan with your air conditioner will keep your home cool this summer. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your installation before the summer heat rolls in.

The designer’s choice is Arteriors Home.  Experience the finest in home décor: chandeliers, lamps, wall décor, accessories and furniture from Arteriors Home.  The latest vendor to bring superbly crafted home lighting and accessories to 1800lighting.com.

Arteriors Home is one of the best lighting and home accessory resources in America.  Come see exquisite new lamps, chandeliers, wall décor and novel accent pieces and get acquainted with Arteriors at 1800lighting.com.

Arteriors Home offers a large selection of traditional, casual and modern lamps, as well as, original and trend worthy accent furniture.  All new product lines and designer collections incorporate original and artistic concepts developed from around the world. With a fashion forward and irresistible appeal, Arteriors at 1800lighting.com provides artistic lighting compostions for the most distinguished consumers.

Ceiling fixtures include jeweled items, substantial chromed and brass-plated finishing, and exquisite glass elements.  Chandeliers feature unique configurations and compositions highlighting natural elements intertwined with fine metalwork.  Be sure to check out innovative lamps and chandeliers featuring seashells, ornate chains and carved wood that are brilliantly crafted into the latest home lighting designs!

Matching families of ceiling light fixtures are available in a choice of five sizes, many of which have matching wall sconces for a complete fluid lighting design.

If you are planning on renovating or sprucing-up your kitchen, it’s probably a good idea to map out a detailed lighting plan as well. Most people find this a little strange as they feel that lighting in a kitchen isn’t something that needs too much of consideration or planning. It’s just a place where you cook and probably where you have an informal meal after all.

However, the fact is that it’s important to plan kitchen illumination well if you want to make optimal use of your kitchen spaces. Here, we would like to share some basic lighting ideas to create the right balance of functionality and aesthetics.

If you want to get a better idea about what type of lighting would work best for your kitchen, it’s vital to understand how your kitchen spaces relate to the different type of lighting. Let’s start off with understanding what type of bulbs you can use for the best effects:

These bulbs emit a yellowish light and you will now find many artistic versions of these on the market today.

These bulbs throw off a flat, cold light that has a bluish tinge, which lends a very harsh effect to the room.

These have a warm light that makes the place look very inviting and comfortable

These are the latest in light bulb technology and are available in a range of effects including white, cool daylight, warm light, yellow and a range of other colours and hues. Aside from this, LED bulbs are also 80% more energy-efficient than standard bulbs; and most property owners are now opting for these fixtures.

In addition to the types of bulbs used, the style of lighting or the lighting effects are what impact the ambience and appearance of a room. With this in view, here we discuss the different lighting effects that can be used in your kitchen:

This is one of the simplest ways to create the right lighting effect in your kitchen. This type of lighting is designed to help you move comfortably around the room. In most instances this type of lighting comes from grid-style can lighting, widely-spaced, wall and ceiling lamps, semi-translucent skylights or even the natural light that streams in through glass windows and doors. This is the base layer of any lighting plan.

In your kitchen, task lighting would be required to illuminate kitchen counters and food preparation spaces. Since you will be cooking in your kitchen every day, it’s important that the task lighting be planned and installed well. If you have only recessed lighting fixtures in your kitchen, you will feel the lack of focused light when you are cleaning, cooking or prepping in that space.

If you install one-dimensional lighting in the kitchen, it creates unsightly shadows in different areas of the room, while ceiling lighting is ineffective in illuminating spaces like sinks, under counter or cabinet areas etc. On the other hand, if you add special pendant lamps over the counters or even your kitchen island it can prove to be a more practical solution. Under-cabinet lighting can also help in illuminating the cabinets that are positioned there.

This effect doesn’t seem as necessary as ambient or task lighting does in a kitchen space, as the illumination it provides isn’t as functional as the first two. However, it can have a significant impact on the way your kitchen spaces look. If you want to enhance the appeal of your kitchen (regardless of whether you are getting it entirely renovated or are opting for a lighting upgrade), it’s important that you plan your accent lighting well.

August is here and that means the return to school for your young ones. Shorter autumn days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events and calendars fill with cryptic notes. The holiday stress will follow and a new schedule will interrupt your relaxing summer. Get organized now with these tips so you can have a great school year!

Ease the Family into a School Year Schedule

The first day of school is no time for a drastic adjustment of household sleep schedules. Instead, ease children back into a school year routine gradually. During the last two weeks of summer, re-introduce a school year bedtime. Begin waking late sleepers earlier and earlier, closer to the hour they’ll need to rise when school begins.

Don’t neglect mealtimes! Younger children, in particular, need to adapt to new meal routines before the school day demands it of them. Plan meals and snacks to accustom little ones to rituals of the school day before the school year begins.

Create a Calendar that Everyone Can Use

Each school year floats on a sea of schedules. School functions. Lunch menus. Scout meetings and music lessons. What do you do when you’re drowning in paper?

You’ll need a family event calendar to track after-school activities, school programs and volunteer work. Add specialized calendars and schedules, and you have it: a one-stop shop for family time management.

Form is less important than function. A paper calendar with large squares lets you enter information easily. Pre-printed white board calendars are easy to revise when necessary. Color-coding entries by family member helps keep busy lives straight.

Paper planner fans dedicate a planner section to serve as the main calendar, while tech-savvy people store the info in a smart phone or tablet and sync with multiple computers. Choose a calendar format that works for your family.

Post the family event calendar in a public place near an area that gets a lot of use (like the kitchen or living room). Use magnets to attach the calendar to the refrigerator, or tack it to a bulletin board. Add other branches to the calendar as well: school lunch menus, class assignment sheets, sports practice schedules. When the teacher calls for field trip volunteers, you’ll know at a glance whether you’re free to join the group on the bus that day.

Plan Before You Shop

August is the second-biggest sales month for clothing retailers. Back to school clothing sales begin as early as July! Are you prepared to run the school clothes gauntlet? An informed shopper is a savvy shopper, so prepare before you shop.

Take an afternoon and assess each child’s clothing needs. Empty drawers and closets of outgrown or worn-out clothing, and either store or donate the discards. Develop a wardrobe needs list for each child. Check for possible hand-me-downs from older siblings as you make your list. If you discuss the needs list and the family budget with your children before you shop, you’ll avoid in-the-store tantrums.

Similarly, ask the school for classroom supply lists before shopping for school supplies. Do shop early! With back-to-school sales beginning in mid-July, tardy shoppers have a tough time locating needed supplies among September’s Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations.

The school year always brings a large amount of stress with it. By utilizing these tips, you’ll be sure to ease into coming months without as many headaches as you’ve had last year. By planning ahead, you’ll make back-to-school time far more easier and you’ll enjoy it more too!