We all know intellectually that color can have a significant impact on any room in the home. However, knowing and seeing the truth in action are two entirely different things. The true impact of color on the overall look and feel of a room is nothing short of phenomenal. If you have any doubt, try painting a room in a color you do not like and see how little time you are willing to spend in that room-even if it was a favorite room before it was painted.

For this reason you need to consider carefully the combinations of colors you wish to incorporate into each room of your home and how these colors will affect the rooms they will be ‘overflowing’ into. It is true that most people are attempting to trend away from the idea of having the same color in every room of the house. Instead more people are opting to have every room as a fresh palate whenever possible. This allows for maximum options when it comes to decorating a home and allows each room to be similar to some degree but maintain its very own unique personality if that is your wish.

Paint is an amazing instrument for home decorating when you think about it. In addition to the ability to change the color of a room, paint can actually do so much more when artfully or craftily applied. You can create beautiful murals on your walls that tell stories about your family or simply that express an emotion or sentiment of the moment. Paint can be used in order to write messages to occupants of the home or visitors on the wall as well, or to stencil borders that are sure to delight all who enter. All of this and so much more can be accomplished with the simple application of paint and a little bit of skill.

In addition to these things above there are faux finishes and textures that can be created with the use of paint. One that is a current favorite on the market is a faux plaster affect that is achieved with paint, a lot of hard work, and a rock solid set of instructions. The result of this labor can be nothing short of stunning as a design or home decorating affect. Taking the time to learn skills such as this can not only improve your enjoyment of the painting process but putting these skills in action can greatly improve your enjoyment of your home.

In addition to the faux finishes that can be achieved with paint there are other textured paint affects that many people are learning to their great joy and amazement. The results of many of these efforts is a beautiful and tastefully decorated home at significantly less than half the cost that hiring a professional to do the work would have cost. Many of these things can be achieved with paint and a few special brushes or rags alone further indicating the profound affect that a can or two of paint really can have on almost any room in your home.

If you are inclined to learn a little more about paint and the impact it can have on your home all together check with your local home improvement store and see if they are offering any painting workshops in the near future. These workshops provide excellent instruction and information that will prove useful many times over while you are making your home decorating decisions and improvements.

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An intruder broke into a Manitou Road home early Sunday, but fled after awakening the startled homeowner.

The incident took place shortly after 1:30 a.m., police said, when the flashlight-bearing intruder entered the home’s master bedroom where the residents were sleeping.

After the residents were jolted awake, the intruder fled on foot toward the Longshore Golf Course, which borders the home’s property.

The homeowner told police the suspect was about 6 feet, 3 inches tall and wearing a white or light polo-type shirt and dark pants. However, the homeowner was unable to determine the intruder’s gender or race during the fleeting encounter in the dark.

Police, assisted by a K-9 dog called to the scene from Monroe, searched the area for the suspect. The dog followed a scent through the golf course, but the track ended in a parking area near the Longshore Marina.

Westport police, who alerted police in area communities about the incident, continue to investigate the incident.

There are very few things you can add to your home décor that will have quite the versatility of baskets. Baskets are not only decorative touches, they also blend well with almost any décor and in most cases are quite willing to suit dual purposes as both decoration and much needed storage.

Below you will find some clever ways to use baskets. Enjoy!

1) Mail sorter. Try hanging a row of baskets near your entryway. As you are walking into your home while sorting the mail slip the appropriate piece of mail into the corresponding basket. Have one basket for each family member and drop the junk mail into the wastebasket you’ve placed just below the row of baskets on your wall. This way everyone has easy access to his or her mail and junk mail is handled as well.
2) Kitchen organizer. There are many jobs in the kitchen that baskets pull off beautifully. One such job is that of napkin holder. There are actually baskets by a famous brand that are the absolute perfect size for holding napkins for the dinner table. Additionally taller baskets make excellent holders for kitchen utensils that need to be within easy reach of the stove. There are even small baskets that make excellent holders for small jars of frequently used seasonings such as salt and pepper. Keep your eyes open the next time you’re in the kitchen and consider all the great ways baskets could help out.
3) Knitting supplies. Larger baskets are excellent tools for taming the beast that can easily become your supply of knitting tools and notions. Limit your collection to one large basket and eliminate the things that will not fit. This keeps you on top of your knitting supplies while keeping them out of site and protected from dirty baby paws.
4) Umbrella holder. This is an excellent use for a basket if you have one of the proper size. Place it on the floor next to your coat rack or closet or in your entryway and you will always have ready access to your umbrellas when bad weather comes your way.
5) Magazine holder. This is one very common use for baskets but one that should very well be mentioned.
6) Toy box. This is perhaps a favorite among parents who are fortunate enough to have an extra empty basket at any given time. Anytime unexpected company shows up this is an excellent tool for quickly gathering all stray toys and getting them out of sight.
7) Office supplies. There are many baskets that make excellent organizers and holders for office supplies. From pen and pencil holders to those that are ideal for paper clips, sticky notes, and liquid paper there are many baskets that are almost ideal for a home office.
Laundry hamper. This is yet another great use for a basket. They are able to breathe by the very nature of their design so that if for some reason a wet wash clothe or damp towel gets thrown in it doesn’t necessarily spell ruin for the whole batch of laundry.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the virtues of baskets but a good place to start the next time you are having an internal debate about whether or not to invest the money in a good quality basket for your home decorating needs.

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Luzerne County Controller Walter L. Griffith Jr. said Friday he will not pay bills unless funds are available in budget line items.

Griffith said various budget line items for special legal services are already more than $1 million overbudget, and he wants to avoid a budget deficit at the end of the year. Griffith said the county commissioners’ administration has to transfer funds in the budget when line items run out of money.

Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said a meeting is planned Monday with Solicitor Vito DeLuca to discuss Griffith’s stance on the budget. Urban said the county is not in jeopardy of running a deficit at year’s year end.

County commissioners in April agreed to sell delinquent tax liens to boost revenue in this year’s budget by about $3 million. The county needed additional revenue because it was not able to sell the former Valley Crest Nursing Home property in Plains Township.

This year’s budget included $4.4 million in revenue from selling that property.

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s housing market is “in transition” and resale and pricing will cool over the next year in a significant slowing from the boom years in the previous decade, Royal Bank of Canada said.

Robert Hogue, senior economist at Royal Bank, forecast in a report that resales in Canada would rise just 0.9 percent in 2011 to 451,200 homes, and remain unchanged in 2012.

“Flat resales trends would contrast starkly with average annual increases of 6.6 percent in the seven years that preceded the 2008 market downturn and recession,” the report said.

The national average home price is expected to increase by 4.4 percent to C$341,600 ($359,600), and then another 0.4 percent the year after, Hogue predicted.

“Going forward, we’re more likely to see very modest kind of growth in resales following an exceptional period between 2002 to just about 2007, 2008,” said Hogue.

“We’re more likely to see at least over the next couple of years, very flat activity and fairly subdued growth.”

Industry data showed second quarter overall sales fell 4.7 percent from the first quarter, partly because of a rush to buy in the first quarter ahead of tougher mortgage rules implemented in the spring.

Higher mortgage rates in April and May also pushed some homebuyers to the sidelines, while expectations of higher rates to come have also cooled the market.

TD Bank last week said resale activity and prices were poised for a “moderate correction” over the next two years, with prices and resales due to slow because of subdued household income growth and rising interest rates.

(Reporting by Ka Yan Ng; editing by Janet Guttsman)