Making over a Patio is Easy and Fun

•    Cover old cushions with bright new tea towels that match your colour scheme.
•    Give an old wall unit a fresh coat of paint and install a couple of glass shelves making it perfect for showcasing patio necessities for brilliant outdoor entertaining.
•    For wall décor paint a portion of a wall with blackboard paint and write an inspirational message or two to lift the spirits.
•    Otherwise make use of an old zinc cement mixing plate for that instant piece of art.
•    For a coffee table use two wooden palates, back to back. Fill the gaps of the top pallet with wooden planks which have been cut to size to create a solid surface. Add casters on it for mobility and leave a space in the inside for storing outdoor items like towels for swimming and pool toys.
•    For a lovely day bed create a comfortable day bed by using a single bed cleverly with non drip enamel paint in off-white or a colour of your choice.
•    Cover the bed with big, comfortable cushions and couple of lovely throws and guard the mattress with a water-proof protective cover.
•    Create a movable storage unit that can be wheeled underneath your day bed by attaching castors to an old toy box and removing the lid. This will quite easily become a practical solution for storage where you can keep outdoor essentials such as sun screen, pool noodles, swimming costumes, and extra towels for easy access.
  
With a little bit of imagination, you will be able to revive your patio making it into a little spot of paradise for you and your family.

Garden like a professional and create that designer garden you have always dreamed about.

We all know what a lovely garden should look like and we know what is pleasing to the eye, but sometimes it is difficult to recreate that marvel in our own gardens. Really stunning gardens grab your attention, entice you in and delight the senses with colour, scent and textures.

Here are a few basic rules that the professionals swear by

Make a plan

•    All landscapers agree that the secret to an impressive garden is in careful planning.
•    Make a plan of your garden on paper before you begin. It is far simpler to change things on paper than having to redo something in the garden, and a lot cheaper, too.
•    Read all about plants, soil and climatic conditions so that you don’t pay for costly mistakes.
•    Concentrate on doing ONE thing well, especially if the entire garden needs revamping.
•    Concentrate on focal areas and points first such as the front entrance or entertaining section.
•    Planning is everything when designing even if it is just a few ideas scribbled down on a piece of paper, as this could make a huge impact on the end result and overall look.
•    Assess all your needs and all your wants prior to using up all the space available.
•    Choose a style and a theme and stick to that.
•    Pay attention to aspects such as if your garden is North facing or South-facing.
•    Does your garden slope or is your garden level?
•    What existing garden elements do you want to keep in your new design?
•    Always select plants that suit your climate.

Create the Framework
•    Assess your garden and decide what hard landscaping elements and focal points, such as a water features that you would like to include.
•    Before any planting is done, many of these would need to be reconstructed.
•    Retaining walls are perfect for dealing with slopes and for creating varying levels and sections to break up your garden into different spaces or “rooms”.
•    Clad walls with decking or natural stone, which adds a bit of interest to the garden by introducing different textures.
•    Leaving walls in their natural state is a good idea as painted walls tend to dominate the garden.

Garden like a pro and get the results you want.

Mezzanine Floors Solve Spatial Problems

It is a known fact that the economy is going through tough times. People are losing jobs, companies are closing their doors, and jobs are very, very hard to come by. Many businesses, both large and small are looking at many ways to save costs, and are cutting back without having to lay off staff. After all when times improve, staff have to be re-employed which makes this a tough decision to make. Instead of cutting back on valuable staff that have served you faithfully for many years and who know their jobs well, there are many practical solutions that you can implement to save money. If you need more space, and building on is simply out of the question, take a long and hard look at the space you already have. Mezzanine floors are one of those practical solutions in life that will save you and your business insurmountable amounts of money.

•    If you need to cut back, a mezzanine floor will save money in that you need not get approval of plans for the installation of these practical life-savers.

•    Having a mezzanine floor installed will also save on down-time as there is no disruption of work when the floors are installed.

•    Saving time means saving money, as losing production hours is costly.

•    If you need to disassemble the mezzanine floor in the future, then this can be easily done, and reassembled as easily in a new environment.

•    Mezzanine floors also means that you can make use of all that space that has been wasted – look up at the roof of your warehouse, factory or retail outlet and see just how much space is wasted.

•    Saving on buildings, moving or renovations is no longer required should you install a mezzanine floor.

There are other ways to save on money, too. If your company uses an outsourced printing company for all printing needs, this can also be done in-house. Save on water, electricity, space and more and this way you will be able to keep your valuable staff until times improve. Mezzanine floors are indeed one of life’s little miracles.

If you are into woodwork or are a DIY fundi, why not make your hobby pay for itself? Venturing out on your own could be an exciting step in the right direction. If you have found yourself on short time at your place of work or you could find yourself being retrenched due to the tightening of belts at your company, then there is no time like the present to get out there and become your own boss.

Here are a couple brilliant ideas everyone should know when starting their own business

•    To be successful time-management is imperative.
•    Courses for SME’s are available; therefore doing courses will put you in good stead.
•    Someone who is book savvy to do your books is important, especially if you are not familiar with doing your own books.
•    This will ensure that your business is run professionally.
•    Focusing on the task on hand is important therefore employing professionals to do the other bits it a great idea.
•    Remember to market yourself correctly. Bulk emailing and bulk SMSing need not cost you a fortune.
•    Connect with social networking sites such as LinkedIn because it is free and you will be able to connect with other entrepreneurs.
•    Have your own blog so that you can get known.
•    Facebook is another useful tool to use for your business.

Begin  planning for your future and turn your woodwork or DIY hobby into a paying business. Others have done this so why can’t you?

Creating a French look is simple using a blend of mix and match, combining old and new. Look through second-hand shops, antique shops and browse the markets for furniture and fittings as well as other exciting pieces for that  perfect bit of ooh la la!
Antiques add character and charm as well as a sense of tradition to any space. Remember that less is more so keep it simple.

Here are a couple of ideas to transform your bedroom into a boudoir

* If you are redoing your room and would like it to look more like a boudoir than an ordinary room, use one or two large objects such as a bed and armoire as the main and focal points.
* Use furniture with curves, panels and carvings with detail to die for.
* A romantic display is easy to achieve. Fill a stunning vase with rose petals and a couple of candles to make a statement.
* A chandelier will reflect the light exquisitely and glass candlesticks with white candles on a shelf will add a warm glow to any room.
* Group objects together for a striking display.
* Add mock crystal doorknobs to furniture to update a look and to add that extra bit of sparkle.
* Attach wooden molds to the doors of plain cupboards and wardrobes for that instantaneous French feel.
* Adding lace and other delicate accessories such as woven baskets, blankets, porcelain figurines and mirrors will ensure the look stays “French”.

French décor is opulent, decorative and elegant. With a couple of instant makeover ideas your room will go from drab to fab in seconds. Trés Bien!

The user-friendly range of Enerpac products enjoys a healthy and positive reputation amongst experts and DIY enthusiasts alike, and is the tool of choice for many industries and workshops.

Enerpac’s deal with qualified Enerpac distributors, as well as their repair centers and products makes for ease of distribution to the whole of the African continent and also globally.

Enerpac enjoys superior competence and presentation of all their power tools and hydraulics whilst taking into account the safety aspect of all working situations and environments.

Enerpac tools are applied to many different applications and are wholly responsible for the construction of numerous bridges, mines, bridge lifts and buildings, and the construction of water craft,  to mention only a few of the vast range of jobs that can be done using these excellent tools.

Although Enerpac tools are available locally in SA, the various outlets in other countries offers advanced after-sales assistance should the need arise, resulting in excellent service.

The cost of materials is always kept uppermost in mind in the development of Enerpac products, with excellence of product always taken into consideration.

Kiloton stocks a wide range of accessories and parts for the Enerpac range of tools, and plays an important role in the lifting, launching and transformation of ships and bridges, and also covering a vast array of applications. Products that bear the brand name Enerpac go hand-in-glove with excellence.

So maybe it’s just as well for a member of your household to understand the mechanics of refrigeration in the event of this dreaded day arriving out of the blue and also in terms of a little maintenance to keep it ticking over nicely. Refrigerators are made up of two basic components: a condenser coil and an evaporator coil. A compressor circulates a liquid coolant through the coils and a motor which is in turn cooled in the condenser. It then flows to  an evaporator at which point the air in the unit is cooled by coming into contact with the liquid-filled coil. The condenser is the coil on the outside of the unit; the evaporator is the coil on the inside.

These days most refrigerators are frost-free – made possible by a heater which is automatically turned on by a timer.  When the frost has completely melted, the thermostat automatically kicks in to a cooling cycle which will maintain the freezing temperature.

In turn, the refrigeration‘s compressor system is driven by a capacitor-type motor and a few of the other components are the cooling/defrosting system which includes switches, thermostats, heaters, condensers, and fans. If you are a DIY handy man, you can test and replace most of these components but there are exceptions that are best left to a professional repair person.

A Limpopo farmer is assisting her community by growing the world’s most nourishing tree. This tree provides poor children with more vitamin C than oranges, more vitamin A than carrots and more iron than a roast. We are referring to the Moringa Tree, otherwise known as the Miracle Tree.
The leaves of this tree are beneficial and can largely improve the health of children. The leaves are either powdered or are eaten fresh.

Here are three steps to transforming the Moringa leaves into powder

•    Women living in Tooseng, Limpopo strip leaves from the branches that are pruned from the Moringa Tree.
•    The leaves are crushed into powder by hand.
•    The powder is then sifted and can then be used as a nutritional supplement.

Here are some interesting facts to take into account

•    Did you know that 1.6 billion female farmers grow more than half the world’s food?
•    Only 2% of women own their own land.
•    Few of the women that cultivate land have little or no access to resources such as credit and education.

Other hard and fast facts about the Moringa Tree

•    The proper name for the Moringa Tree is Moringa Oleifera.
•    The Moringa Tree can is cultivated from its extremely nutritious pods, leaves and flowers.
•    The Moringa can survive both drought and poor soil.
•    The oil of the Moringa is used for lighting for cooking.
•    The Moringa is used for fertiliser.
•    The seeds and the pods of the Moringa Tree are used for purifying water.
•    The Moringa Tree is grown for teas and used in beauty treatments.

It is small wonder that the Moringa Tree is known as the world’s miracle tree.

There Are Different Types of Treatments and Applications for Wood

Hardwoods

•    These are broad-leafed trees and produce timber that is hard and otherwise known as hardwoods.
•    Hardwood trees have bark that has a closed grain.
•    Certain hardwoods are used for furniture.
•    Other woods are used for manufacturing.
•    Some examples of hardwoods are kiaat, maple, teak as well as hundreds of other varieties.
•    Hardwoods are known to be sturdy and weighty.
•    Special focus  is important when applying any  coating to hardwoods so that the coating sticks properly to the surface.

Softwoods

•    Softwoods come from evergreen trees.
•    Softwoods also come from coniferous trees.
Types of applications to use on hardwoods and softwoods
•    With varnish ,recoating will only be essential every couple of years if used for outside and external applications. You might need to strip the wood before varnishing can take place as you need to apply this to raw wood. Varnishing wood gives a nice finish without ruining the look of the item and also offers excellent protection making the timber long-lasting.
•    Oils , on the other hand, offer a completely natural look to your wood. These are thinned down with turps and then brushed onto the wooden article, finishing off with a soft wooden cloth wiped over your timber article.
•    Sealers often need to be redone every two years, but this depends on the wear and tear of your wooden item. The advantage of sealers is that the end result is natural-looking.

Wood Treat Wood Seal is a general all-purpose sealer which penetrates the timber and feeds it at the same time. The sealer improves the natural loveliness of the timber and increases the duration of the life of the wood. Painting over a problem is not a good idea. Treat your wood with care and it will last a lifetime.