The last thing you want to worry about when you're on holidays is the safety of your home. There are many ways to ensure your house is secure for an extended period of time, so you can relax and enjoy your holiday.

Lock Away All Outdoor Valuables

Eddie Murphy’s former Californian Palace

Los Lagos in Granite Bay, California was previously owned by Eddie Murphy, one of the funniest actors Hollywood has seen in the past couple of decades. Aptly named the Crown Jewel of Los Lagos this residence is truly palatial and looks as if it could have belonged to a prince from an Arabian Nights movie. The main home alone is 12600 square foot while the guest house is a generous 5200 square foot. The first impression of the home is a wide paved area with a beautiful fountain at its center. Beyond this is a short, wide set of stairs leading to the entrance of the home with two tall palm trees on either side accompanied by several shorter palms decorated with a string of lights wrapped around their trunks.

The Greenwich Village, New York City Apartment

This is an elegantly refurbished home built in 1846 and is 6800 square feet of stylish, sophisticated elegance. It is a home anyone would be proud to own while still being comfortable to live in. At the last check it was on the market for a mere $22 million. Will it now become the home of another celebrity or a business man seeking a safe haven away from the hustle and bustle of New York City life? Only time will tell.

Lady Gaga Goes OTT

Yes we mere mortals do expect the super stars to go over the top and would probably be disappointed if they didn’t. Familiar as we are with her shock tactics on stage it really comes as a pleasant surprise that the home purchased by Lady Gaga and overlooking Zuma beach in Malibu is surprisingly tasteful and stylish. This is the complete opposite look to what Lady Gaga goes for her in her lavish concerts and is a soft dreamy palate in cream, white and mushroom shades. The outside is subdued and discreet and leads into a wood panelled reception area with a winding staircase protected by a wrought iron banister with an elegant crystal chandelier as a twinkling centerpiece that catches the eye.

Los Angeles and Celebrity Homes

Everyone knows that Hollywood is the home of many rich and famous actors and actresses.  Some come from a long line of famous families while others have achieved super stardom from more humble beginnings.  It hasn’t taken them long though to become accustomed to the limelight that goes with super star profiles.  Besides super-fast luxury sports cars, private jets and yachts, when these stars have their feet on mother earth and choose the homes they live in – they do it with epic style all around the world where the magic word is “location, location, location”.

If you have a computer and access to the Internet, you have the tools you need to start interior decorating. Whether you want to replace your carpet, paint your walls, or install wood flooring, there are places on the Internet you can go that will help you decide what will look best in your home.

Why Use the Internet to Do Virtual Decorating?

The sound of running water is one of the most relaxing sounds in nature. With an interior fountain, you can bring that sound into your home.Most interior fountains come in three kinds: wall-mounted fountains, free-standing fountains, or tabletop fountains.

Wall-Mounted Fountains

Fighting off the Aliens this Year

These movies draw inspiration from comic book characters of the same name and have proven to be great entertainment over the past fifteen years or so for all the sci-fi lovers out there. Who doesn’t remember Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith fighting off the myriad of crazy aliens in these movies that were interspersed with loads of dry humor? So the Men in Black (and women of course) will be an easy theme party this year. Send out your black and white invitations and add a few pink worms to the design or UFO’s requesting the pleasure of your friends company and encouraging them to dress as any of the characters from these movies. Black hats, black sunglasses, black tuxedos are the name of the game. Of course they can dress as the local postman or any one of the hilarious or terrifying alien characters in the movie or bring Frank the Pug with or dress up as Rosenberg, Edgar the Bug or K.

Photographic Installations in Black and White

Often we have a bunch of photographs of the family on special holidays, graduating or taking those first steps in life. Or there are those poignant photos of your grandparents sitting in boxes gathering dust at the top of a cupboard somewhere. You have always wanted to honor their memories and hang these around your home but never quite knew how to go about it. The first step then would be to haul them out and start sorting these out. 

Have you ever walked into a place where you just loved the lay-out, the kitchen design, the lounge, the bedrooms, and made allowances for things that you knew potentially might be a problem, but you’re sure you can look beyond them? If you’ve answered yes, you need to keep reading.

Will you be able to change the decor style?

Living in an age where a lot of focus is placed on “Out with the old, in with the new” it may be difficult for you to incorporate your porcelain doll collection handed down for generations, or your husband’s toy car collection. If this seems to be something of a bug bear for you, here are a few tips on keeping these collections manageable and stylish:

Have a focus area

Having a space to call your own is precious. Adding your personal flair and touches to it brings it to life. Frames are only for photos, right?

Wrong. A very nice way to add a focal wall with your own personal style is by having a frame collage. There are many ways to achieve a beautiful end result, and this is only limited by your imagination. A nice touch is to have only black and white photos on your feature wall, or only one color frames. Another is to have one style of frames in a variety of colors. How about swopping out the photos for love letters between you and your partner? If this is too personal, a nice add would be pictures drawn or painted by your children. Having them grouped together on a feature wall makes for an interesting eye diversion. Having frame boxes also opens a realm of possibilities. Boxes add that extra dimension, where you can include your child’s first toys, your wedding bouquet, souvenirs from trips or any item that was previously too small to display.

Dress for Success

Bring on the pomp and ceremony this year because it will be a royal occasion and you will be the monarch who leads the event to success. Many of us like a bit of dress up and a theme party that allows one to be a king, queen, prince or princess for the night just lends itself to a sense of luxury. The gorgeous robes of red and purple velvet bordered with gold and ermine are enough to make anyone feel special. Add to this a crown, tiara and lavish jewels and you will look and feel like the most important person in the room. Send out your velvet coated invitations and contact your local costume party store to see whether you are an Elizabeth II or Henry VIII, Tsar or Tsarina. Perhaps the title of lord and lady would be more your speed.   I’m sure that somewhere in history you will find royalty that has a touch of your personality in him or her to emulate for a night.

Christmas is a time with all sorts of family time, traditions, and of course, Christmas TV specials. Some of the most memorable Christmas themes can be derived from popular Christmas specials. Tonight we’ll focus on Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Each of these quintessential Christmas special is extremely popular with all age groups and there are many ways to bring the magic of these movies to the comfort of your home and make a truly magical holiday gathering that everyone will remember and talk about every holiday season.

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special

Christmas stockings are one of the most exciting parts of the holidays for everyone, because they can be filled with exciting extra little gifts and candies that don’t cost a lot of money, but really reflect the person you’re giving the gift to. Making each person a stocking that thoroughly suits their personality can be extra fun and exciting for the person making the stocking and the person unloading it. Here are several ideas for stocking stuffer themes that can be applied to any person in your family and are guaranteed to make their Christmas morning.

Hobby Stocking

In the past, bells were an integral part of decorating for Christmas. Songs like Jingle Bells and Carol of the Bells around during the season, but the decorations seems to have fallen by the wayside. Often, when people think of Christmas balls, they automatically picture the single cheap sleigh bell worn on a festively colored string by children. However, bells can be a classy and festive way to make your house feel ready for the holidays. Here are a few unique ideas for using bells in your holiday decor.

Napkin "Rings"

Aristocrats, actors and many modern artists are magnetically attracted to this exuberant, Italianate jewel many choose it as their retreat 

To give it its full title Nice la Belle (Nice The Beautiful) harbingers what visitors can expect in this, the capital of the Alpes Maritimes and the second largest city on the Côte d'Azur after Marseille (fifth largest in France). It is known for the Mediterranean lapping its pebbly beaches and its quietly delightful interior.Pines, pools, palms, portside posing, people ogling are the reasons why many come here. This is the birthplace of seaside glamour, where you can never be too brown or unashamedly ostentatious. And for families and individuals alike, once the fascination for Bulgari and boats wears thin, you can escape inland to mediaeval villages on the cypress-topped hills, with cobbled alleys, cafés and craggy ramparts, or just breathe in the Mediterranean's blue brilliance.

Food and travel are both about adventure: the quest for new foods and flavours; the discovery of new places, new friends. And an increasing number of holidaymakers are seeking to combine both. Their Horizons are broad, their tastes eclectic. To meet increasing demand wineries are developing restaurants, hotels and spas. Tasting and cooking schools are being opened up.There is a world of discovery out there. Learn to make the best pizza in the world in Rome, order a mojito and mejillones (Spanish mussels) in Palma, eat beach food in Goa, savour the numbulo ham found on Corfu's Kerkyra Island...

But where to start? Work your way along the Côte d'Azur in search of sumptuous seafood?

Crete feels like more than just another of the Greek islands. It gives the impression of being a little country in its own right. But it's really the largest of the Greek islands, and arguably its most diverse and fascinating, with a remarkable history and a dynamic capital that is the fifth largest city in the whole of Greece.It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.

Crete is a favorite Greek Island that hosts nearly a quarter of Greece’s tourists. It's interior has a rural charm and famous archaeological sites, while the coast offers towns with fabulous seafood and, caves of historic significance including the famous one where Zeus, the king of the gods, is said to have been born.There is no best time to visit Crete; it depends on what you seek. In January to March the weather can be cold and rainy, but it is also the time when flowers start to grow, with almond trees blossoming in January, anemones are plentiful and the citrus trees are full of fruit. April is the time of the Greek Easter, the most important feast of the Cretan year. In May and June the good weather is almost guaranteed. July and August is the high season when the weather is very hot. In September and October the sea is still really warm. November and December are quiet but the chances of good weather are high and it's still possible to swim.

The holidays often have a lot of time dedicated to family and home time; however, many people have to keep their regular working schedules for the majority of the time. If your office allows it, decorating your area or cubicle can be a great way to bring the holidays to work with you, and if you’re able, you can even bring some friendly competition to the office and have decorating contests, Secret Santa games, and a White Elephant gift exchange. This way, you still feel like you are celebrating the season even when surrounded by your work family instead of your actual family.

Cubicle/Area Decoration Contest