Home and House: August 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Israel ♥ Anna

Iz and I met when I was a Swedish exchange student at his High School in Oregon. That was 12 years ago, today we live together in Boston and two weeks ago we got married at my family's summerhouse in Sweden. We had the time of our lives....it couldn't have turned out more perfect! Since more than half of our guest were traveling from the US and other countries we had three days of activities, including a visit to an island and boat tour of the Swedish Westcoast archipelago, mushroom picking in the woods, kayaking competitions, and lots of sauna time and dips in the ocean (with magical glowing plankton). Every moment was perfect and we are thrilled that our family and friends, especially from the US, were there to share all those Swedish summer experiences!

Photos by our amazing photographer .Mikaela Rudhner.

Our wedding day was a unique mix of Sweden meets America (with a hint of Brazil). It was full of classic Swedish snaps singing and drinking, Brazilian and Swedish-themed food and outstanding dancing.

Guests arrived to the summer house by boat captained by our good friend Erik, and we arrived last. The ceremony was held on the lawn looking out on the beautiful Swedish coastline. My very close and incredibly talented friend Tina did my hair and made my beautiful bouquet that morning. Tack Tina, du är bäst!

August is crayfish season in Sweden, so we decided to make our first course into a crayfish party with bibs, snaps and lots of singing. There was singing for sure......just as we had started eating we were surrounded by a singing men's choir serving the snaps!! It was a surprise from my parents and it instantly kickstarted the party. And the night continued on from there.....it was magical!

A huge thank you to our families and friends who made all this possible. WE LOVE YOU!!♥

Photographs by our amazing friend .Leonard Lee. (Invitation design: by me)

Snapshots from our photobooth.

We were also featured on these lovely wedding blogs:
.Frolic.
.GREY likes weddings.

Home Inspections are Important For Sellers Too

Home Inspections are Important For Sellers Too

By: House Detective Home Inspections and Appraisals

Most people are under the impression that a home inspection occurs only between making the offer and the closing of a property. However today, for a number of reasons, home inspections are occurring before the house even hits the market. House Detective Inc. offers a prelisting inspection package for home owners.

The most basic reason to have a prelisting inspection is to uncover any potential problems a home may have. Sellers can benefit from gaining this kind of information about their home, so they can choose to handle problems before the negotiation process is underway.

Many sellers report that buyers feel more comfortable when they receive the information from a prelisting inspection.

A prelisting inspection reduces the chance of surprises and helps speed up the closing process, which would otherwise have been delayed by scheduling repairs and have the buyers confirm they were completed properly.

Even if buying or selling a home at this time, a home inspection can be a valuable tool. A home inspection can provide homeowners with a thorough list for home maintenance.

For all your home inspection needs please contact House Detective.

Should I Pressure Wash My Deck? It Depends!

Should I Pressure Wash My Deck?

It Depends!

By: House Detective Home Inspections and Appraisals

In a recent post on Active Rain by Jay Markanich, you should "NEVER PRESSURE WASH A DECK". To say never is not fair. For there are many professionals that pressure wash decks. Never say never.

The wrong pressure may cause various types of damage tothe wood. For some woods problems may occur. However, by the time the deck "needs to be" pressure washed, mnay times damages have are already occured due to lack of regular maintenance. At that point, pressure washing merely exacerbates the problems; however, pressure washing in and of itself IS NOT the cause.

Primarily decks are made out of pine because it is cheap. However, pine is a softwood and has high moisture content. As pine wood dries, it splits, twists, and warps to a much greater degree than something like oak or cherry, which are hardwoods. Soft woods grow faster than hard woods, so they generally are less expensive than hard woods.

The best wood to use is redwood, followed closely by cedar, that is unless you can afford to use some woods that generally are not available commercially, such as mesquite or osage-orange.

So, for the general public, don't let just anyone pressure wash your deck. Always hire a professional.

Japanese Dining Room Design Inspiration

Modern Japanese dining room design is more about architectural structure and elements than the objects in a room. Strong composition begins with floors, walls, windows, and ceilings. Japanese dining set is a great example of contemporary furniture design and although strongly influenced by Oriental themes.

Modern Dining Room Design Ideas

Beautiful Dining Room Table Design Ideas

Cool Pink Girls Bedrooms Design Ideas

Pink color is timeless theme for girls bedrooms. For many people it is a symbol of tenderness and youth. This color is associated with fairy-tale princess or Barbie and almost every girl dreams about a charming pink bedroom. Pink color could perfectly fit as traditional bedrooms with classical furniture and amazing curves as contemporary, more severe ones. Combining this color with others you could get a various awesome designs.