Wow Home Idea

"Despite the rise of digital media, it's a rare client who doesn't want bookshelves. Books have a unique way of keeping us company! I love the way they personalize a room. A whole case of them — especially interspersed with photos and other objects — says so much about who you are and where you've been. Just make sure your shelves aren't busy; if there are too many items in the mix, it looks cluttered and confused. You want your bookcases to represent you." — Interior designer   DD Allen   Fernando Bengoechea Underscore the architecture. "I designed a whole wall of built-ins to highlight the quirky charm of this attic study [ above ]. The books cozy up the room but also function as a dominant element. They give the wall purpose." Bring the spines forward. "Spines should always be flush with the edge of the shelf. Trust me, it just looks better!"  Go glam. "In this jewel box of a library [ below ], we lined the backs of booksh...

Courtesy of Curious Details It's easy for any bookshelf to carelessly accumulate piles full of books, papers, or other odds and ends. Yet, with just a little bit of thought and styling know-how, a bookshelf can go from disheveled to magazine-ready. This simple tutorial from Curious Details blogger Becki Griffin's shows how she gave some simple white kitchen shelves three different country-chic refreshes. 1. Feature Seasonal Picks Though you can easily decorate a bookshelf to match a specific holiday, your styling efforts will have more longevity if you choose to stick to a seasonal theme instead. The bookshelf above is Becki's fall bookshelf, which intersperses meaningful keepsakes with fun accents, like small white pumpkins, framed pressed leaves, and wheat tied neatly together with a ribbon. For a spring-themed bookshelf, consider placing hydrangeas on the shelves or making a cheery papier-mâché marquee letter. 2. Opt for Functional Pieces Rather than relegating your ...

The leaves may be falling, but your bank account balance doesn't have to do the same. Courtesy of Nest Go High-Tech to Keep Heating Bills Low Just turning your thermostat back by 2 to 3 degrees eight hours a day can help you cut back your annual heating bill. Remembering to switch can be tricky, so install a digital system — like the Nest Learning Thermostat — to help keep temps on track and could save 12% a year on heating. Some energy providers even offer deals that bundle the smart thermostat in for free. Also, check out any other options from your energy company. For example, Direct Energy's Direct Your Energy tool lets its Texas customers (and soon others) see, understand and manage exactly what they're using and when — to help even the busiest person make sense of charges and cut down bills. Get Rewarded for the Energy You Do Use Plenti is a rewards program that lets you earn points at one place and use them at another, all with a single card. Learn more at ...

Getty Professional florists all agree — skipping floral food is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to cut flowers. Even the most basic of grocery store bouquets come with the tiny packets. But when springtime rolls around and there's plenty of fresh blooms in the backyard, what's a recreational gardener to do? Making your own flower preservative is super easy, according to this recipe from the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It takes just four ingredients that you already probably own, and they each work their own magic to keep flowers looking better for longer. Check it out: Homemade Flower Food 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon bleach 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice 1 quart lukewarm water For a mini science lesson, carbs like sugar feed the plant, bleach fights bacteria, and the acidic citrus adjusts the pH. As for the water temperature, experts recommend always using lukewarm water to help the stems drink faster. The notable exception...

Getty We bet "grow an herb garden" has been on your "wanna-do-but-afraid-to-try" list for a while now. Well, luckily, there's no time like the present – even in winter! — too tackle this not-so-scary gardening task. Follow these steps for  an indoor herb garden that you'll love to have throughout the chilly months. 1. Choose from our list of ultimate indoor herbs: Oregano: Find a sunny spot for this light-lover and turn the plant for even growth. Basil: The key to growing basil indoors is helping it get as much sun as possible and keeping the soil moist, yet well-drained. During the dark winter months, place the plant in the sunniest spot in your house. Peppermint : Can thrive in minimal light, although some sun each day is best. Chives: One of the easiest herbs to grow indoors, chives are ready to be chopped when they reach 6 to 12 inches. Parsley: Set your parsley in a sun-drenched, south-facing window. Thyme: Thyme grows best when it gets 6 hours of ...

Eclectically Vintage 'Tis the season to drink, be merry and show off a little bit of your DIY skills.  With Christmas only two days away (yikes!), it's no doubt we're all still doing a little last-minute shuffle to get our gifts in order. And while it's not realistic to craft every inch of your wrapping paper, cards and ribbon, it  is  possible to DIY your own pretty envelope to accompany everyone's favorite holiday go-to: a gift card. Enter one of our favorite bloggers, Kelly from Eclectically Vintage, who's got a method that even crafters-in-training can easily follow. It works with any kind of paper, and — spoiler alert — there are no fancy tools required. In fact, the only materials you need are a store-bought envelope, a piece of paper (scrapbook paper will do), a pair of scissors and a glue stick — card stock or cardboard is optional.  Take a look: 1. Take apart an envelope so th...

For many families, it just wouldn't be Easter without tiny colored PAAS tablets fizzing into cups of vinegar, ready for egg-dying. This adorable decorating idea from Mom.me applies the same nostalgic dunk-and-color technique, but with a much more impressive result. Plus, we're sure you already have the materials you need to make them. Take whatever pretty nail polish colors are languishing in your makeup bin (neon coral seemed like such a good idea at the time), and swirl into cups of water to create the marble effect. Baby pink and mint green look better on Easter eggs than your fingers, anway. Watch the video to see exactly how it's done. From: Good Housekeeping US By Lauren Piro

Your regular ol' bedside table just got really boring. Courtesy Mimosas in the Morning Bar Cart Your bar cart's stacked shelves are handy for more than cocktail ingredients. The piece offers a vintage vibe (and a touch of glam in gold) while providing a place for your bedside necessities. Courtesy Refresh Restyle Vintage Suitcases This sneaky storage solution offers loads of charm. Stack them from large to small so they won't topple. Courtesy Passion Shake Wooden Crate With a little sandpaper and varnish, this piece earns its spot next to your bed, and the open storage means your reading material is always within reach. Courtesy The Thrifty Abode Painted Trunk For a modern take on the vintage trunk, coat it in a single shade of paint, and top it with playful accessories. Courtesy Magnolia Homes Swinging Trays Who said your table needs to touch the floor? These trays hang from the ceiling and add a playful element. Courtesy Funky Junk Vintage Ladder Crave some extra d...

A few simple mistakes could be behind those cracks and chips. Tetra Images Placing glasses over the dishwasher tines This doesn't support the glass, leaving it more likely to topple over and break. Instead, place glasses between tines, which steadies your cups. Datacraft Co Ltd Stacking dishes without a cushion A protective layer between plates keeps them from chipping and scratching. The solution is simple: Place a coffee filter between each dish. They're the perfect size for dinner plates. Neo Vision Pre-rinsing dishes A dishwasher detergent engineer (they do exist) told The New York Times that most detergent formulas are designed to "seek out" food. If the enzymes don't encounter any messes to feed off of, they'll go after the dishes and glassware, etching cloudy marks that could be permanent. Jonathan Kantor Storing stemware the wrong way According to Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab in the Good Housekeeping Institute, "The rim is the ...

CHRISTIE'S Americana Week, which runs the last two weeks of January, is in full swing.  For tips on how to approach this marathon of antiquing, we consulted Andrew Holter, Specialist and Head of Department in American Furniture & Decorative Arts at Christie's. Below, Holter's advice for what to look for at the flagship event of the week, the Winter Antiques Show, and what to consider when you're in the market for decorative arts. "When collecting antiques the first and most important rule is buy what you like," Holter says. "The key when buying pieces is to acquire objects that you want to live with and that you derive pleasure from looking at each day. However, if you want to hedge your investment there are a few golden rules that should apply when you evaluate an object.  Condition, proportion/design, rarity, surface, provenance and quality all contribute to both the success and monetary value of a piece." "This Friday, January 22,...

Getty Jorg Greuel So you know that wire hangers only lead to heartache when used for clothes, creating lumps and bumps in the worst places. But, you're likely to have a treasure trove of these puppies sitting around awaiting their fate at trash day. Instead, make use of your hoard with these helpful tips. 1. Declog a drain. Simply unwind the neck and fold the hook tighter to create a slim snake that gets the gunk out. 2. Support a feeble plant. Limp stems can lean on a "trellis" made by an unwound hanger inserted into the dirt. 3. Make a wreath. Shape the wire hanger into a circle, then get crafty. See Rustic Pig Design's tutorial for making this scrap fabric wreath. 4. Skim debris off pools. Keep bird baths, swimming pools, and other water features clean with a skimmer you make by shaping the hanger into a circle and stretching pantyhose over it. 5. Corral flip flops. Compress the ends of the hanger, then bend up in a hook shape. Or, follow Epbot's instruc...