eHow.com Video: How to Keep Warm Without Raising the Thermostat

It's still winter... and really cold in NYC.  Here are some tips to weatherize your home.  You know, these tips are not just for the winter. These adjustments are just as useful to keep hot air out in the summer. GO GREEN!  save some green... and it's for winter and summertime!

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Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Anjie Cho and this is how to keep warm without raising the thermostat.

Raising the thermostat not only adds to your utility bills, it uses precious resources. I'll show you some inexpensive and simple weatherization tips for keeping warm and also to keep cool in the summer.

First, be sure to have the air on only in the room that you're occupying. If you have central air, you can close or seal the vents in the room that are not in use.

Next, seal air leaks to increase the energy efficiency of both heating and cooling. You can use a variety of products to seal any gaps to the outside where air can come in. For instance, just painter's caulk will do; go for the lower or no VOC option. This rope caulk is less messy in it because it doesn't need to dry. Foam weather stripping also works; just cut, peel and stick. All of these options are for use with windows, ceiling cracks, filling holes, door perimeters, walls, siding openings and masonry cracks.

Next, let's look at the door. A lot of air gets infiltrated in through doors, even in a closed position. This is a self-stick door strip. It's quick and easy, easy to install, just cut to size and stick it into place.

Finally, let's look at your outlets and switches. Air can come in this way too. So, you can insulate and seal that drafts through a switch and outlet covers with these gaskets. Just unscrew the outlet cover, place the gasket in, screw back on. Keeping warm doesn't have to be expensive with some simple weatherization tips. This upgrades will pay for themselves very quickly because you'll immediately see savings on your utility bills.

by Anjie Cho

eHow.com Video: Decorating An Office With A Buddhist Motif

Decorating An Office with A Buddhist Motif

Decorating An Office with A Buddhist Motif

In case you wanted to set up your office with a Buddhist Feng Shui flair, check out my eHow.com video!

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Video Transcript:

Hello, I'm Anjie Cho, and today I will share with you some tips for decorating an office with a Buddhist motif.

In Buddhism and in Feng Shui, we employ the five elements which is a philosophy used to describe the cycles of nature, how they work together and seek to always be in balance. The five elements are Earth, water, fire, wood and metal. A great way to start incorporating a Buddhist motif into your office is to include something that represents each of these five elements so that you have a balanced space.

Let's begin with the Earth element. Some examples of Earth are objects with a square shape, orange, brown or yellow or made from the Earth such as a large stone sculpture. This Quan Yin statue is a great example of how you can add the Earth element. It's heavy and made to look like stone. Also a big heavy wood desk is Earth element. It's brown, Earthy in color, squarish and has weight to it. Earth can add stability to your office.

Next is the water element. Water is wavy shapes and the color of black or dark blue and of course anything with water. A water fountain or fish tank are both simple and beautiful ways to add water to your office. Water represents knowledge and can assist with positive cash flow for your business. Mirrors are also water element and can visually expand your space.

Next of the five elements is fire. Fire is red and triangular in shape. In this example I have a beautiful Mandala with firey colors. In Feng Shui, this adds passion and recognition.

The fourth element is wood. Wood is green or light blue, vertical and expansive and living plants. Wood furniture like this desk is not actually the wood element. It's dead wood so it's Earth because it's brown. And lighting a tree is a great addition to the office. It improves the indoor air quality and adds life energy. Wood also symbolizes growth.

Finally, we end with a metal element. Metal is associated with white, gray and metallic colors and also circular shapes and the physical element of metal. Metal assists in efficiency and attracting helpful people to your office. You can find metal Buddhas to complete your Buddhist motif in your office. 

by Anjie Cho

eHow.com video: Professional Interior Decorating Scaling Tools

Professional Interior Decorating Scaling Tools

Professional Interior Decorating Scaling Tools

Watch my eHow.com video about how to use Professional Interior Decorating Scaling Tools, such as graph paper, T-square and architect's scale.  These tools are indispensable to architects!

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Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Anjie Cho, and today I'd like to talk about the main professional tools typically used in interior design. Common scaling tools include graph paper, architect scale, T square and measuring tape.

When generating scaled drawings it's important that they're proportional to the actual space. Here's an example of a scale drawing and it's at quarter inch equals one foot. So for every quarter inch drawn, it represents one foot in the actual room. Graph paper with quarter inch by quarter inch spacing is often the easiest to work with for interior spaces. The graph paper makes it easy to lay out straight and diagonal lines and because it's already measured out, it can make things easier to draw a scaled drawing without the need for a straight edge. If I had an eight foot wall I would draw a line that was the length of eight squares because quarter inch or one square equals one foot. Graph paper is easy to find at art and office supply stores.

This is an architect scale. Which looks basically like a triangular ruler. Sometimes you might find flat ones like this that look like a regular ruler. Just like a standard ruler you can use architect scale to measure inches but it can also be used to measure in different increments such as quarter inch, half inch, three eighths, etc. These are great for drawing out a scaled room or to determine measurements from the scale drawing that you might get from your designer or architect.

Next is a T square. This is a technical drawing instrument that is used in drafting scale drawings. A T square makes your life a whole lot easier when drawing straight and orthagonal lines because it has this guide that's built in, and it aligns with the edge of your table or pad of paper. This way you can always draw rectangles and squares with 90 degree corners.

Finally the measuring tape. This is probably the most important tool because you need to be able to measure the space in question. Get as precise as possible at least to the quarter inch. There are a few different types of measuring tapes. I have a long 25 foot tape measure that's pretty versatile, it's good for most interior spaces. I also have a travel 12 footer. I never leave home without this. It's much lighter. You would do best with a 25 foot or 30 foot tape. It's much easier to use a tape measure with a metal tape that's curved. They're rigid and allow for more accurate measurements. Nowadays you can also find the pricier laser distance measures. They're precise and great for long distances. I use both the laser and the 25 foot together.

I'm Anjie Cho, interior architect with Anjie Cho architect and founder of Holistic Spaces and this has been professional interior decorating scaling tools. Happy measuring.

by Anjie Cho