(This post is brought to you by Willard AC.)

We all want our homes to be a haven where we can relax and enjoy life. Part of that is creating a place that feels light and comfortable. Below are a few DIY project ideas that don’t require a huge budget but may boost your mood when you come home.

Paint With Cheerful Colors

If you like bright, airy spaces, you may want to repaint the walls using cheerful colors to add personality and light. You may also want to paint the floor. Try vertical stripes in one room and stencil patterns in another. You can create happy rooms with their own, distinct personalities using cans of paint and your imagination. Finish it off with decorative light switch covers.

Spending time in cheerful, optimistic, light-filled rooms is more relaxing than being cooped up in dark and dreary ones.

Go “Green”

A truly happy home is one with great insulation, working air conditioning, and heating, so you will want to make sure your HVAC equipment is well maintained. Once you’ve taken care of the basics, you can do a lot more to save money. Try installing a smart thermostat. It can save you a bundle and doesn’t cost much. You might also want to install motion-detecting light switches in the rooms you use most. These will save money because they’ll remember to turn off the lights even if you don’t.

Update Your Bathroom 

You can renew a bathroom by re-caulking or re-glazing the bath and removing shower doors to make the room look bigger. Or you can install a new faucet. You might be able to find a unique-looking one on Craigslist. You also can give your bathroom a distinctive look by using napkin rings to pretty up the shower curtain.

Don’t forget to install a ventilating fan in your bathroom. A bath vent fan prevents mold and mildew, two things that will definitely make your home unhappy.

Brighten Up Your Kitchen

Just replacing the cabinet knobs will give your kitchen a new look. If you want your kitchen to look trendy, get some popular brass tacks. Here, as elsewhere, you will want to add light because the more light there is, the happier we tend to be. Installing under-cabinet motion-sensing lights is practical and brightens up the place. The additional lighting will help you cook, read recipes, and might even prevent an unfortunate accident.

To give your kitchen its own look, try your hand at crafting silk flowers. They’ll look pretty in the windowsill. Or try re-purposing distinctive-looking cans into great-looking planters. For a more permanent statement, try a faux tile kitchen backsplash. It looks lovely and you don’t have to commit to the mess and price tag of a tile installation.

Bottom Line

We want a comfortable home. We don’t want a house where we feel like we are just one creak away from having to call service. We just want to relax in a space that looks and feels cheerful. Keeping that kind of home takes work, but having a home you can truly enjoy will be worth all the effort.

The post DIY Projects to Make Your Home a Happier Place appeared first on .

(This post is brought to you Del-Air.)

The right workspace can inspire you to do your best work. Here are some of the things every crafter needs to be able to create the ultimate craft room.

Set Up a Well-Built Work Table

A sturdy and spacious work table is essential for every craft room. Make sure it’s large enough to allow you to spread out your materials and tools. Also, make sure it’s at the right height. If you have ergonomic concerns, consider using an adjustable standing desk or using blocks to adjust the height of a sturdy table.

Install a Wash Sink

If your craft room isn’t close to a bathroom, consider installing a sink to help with cleanup—and to keep from having to haul messy projects through the house. If putting in a sink isn’t an option in your home, considering setting up a small table or portion of a counter with a portable jug with a tap and a wash bowl.

Use Creative Storage Options

Smart storage is essential to keep your expensive craft items organized and your workspace usable. Different types of crafts require different kinds of storage systems, however it’s almost always helpful to choose containers that will fit a small amount of supplies. Old cans, jars, and other creative storage containers can help keep paint brushes and other small tools organized. Cardboard can be used to keep small containers in place in a larger storage box.

Maintain the Quality of Indoor Air

Keep yourself and your entire family safe by making sure your craft room is properly ventilated. Many paints and other craft related chemicals contain toxic gases that can negatively affect your home’s air quality. Exposure to such chemicals can have short-term and long-term effects on your body and any family members also exposed to them. Ensure that there is a good supply of quality air in the room to avoid the adverse health effects that come along with certain solvents or other materials you may use. A good HVAC system provides you with some of the best air conditioning appliances that could make your workshop safer.

Consider a Proper Lighting System

Whether it serves the purpose of seeing what you are doing, illuminating mill marks in the surface of wood, or photographing your finished products, proper lighting is crucial. General and overhead lighting, spotlighting, and tool and task lighting are the three commonly featured types of illumination that every craft room should have. Design your room so that every workspace and machine have sufficient light.

The post 5 Tips for Creating the Ultimate Craft Room appeared first on .

I love how easy it is to take picures of my kids with my smartphone. Each year I end up with thousands of great snapshots– but actually organizing to share them with family members is a challenge. That’s why I’m in love with digital scrapbooking.

Quick, Fun, and Affordable

I use My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software. (Look for a coupon code below!)

You do have to invest a bit of time up front to get the software installed and figure out how to use it. But it’s not too bad– and after you get the basics down it’s loads of fun.

As a busy mom I love that this is a creative project that doesn’t take up any space– and my kids can’t scatter the pieces.

Now you could create something with the basic backgrounds provided with the software, but if you’re anything like me shopping for amazing crafting supplies is half the fun. And the My Memories website delivers when it comes to providing amazing digital goodies at amazing prices.

The scrapbook page above was created using the Rainy Day Clip Art kit that was on sale for just $1.09! (And I didn’t even come close to using all the embelishments included in the clip art bundle.)

Getting Started

Are you interested in crafting gorgeous digital pages while getting your photos organized? If so, the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software sells for $39.99, but you can get $10 off your order! Just copy this code: STMMMS59657 (remember to paste it into the promo code section when you checkout).

Then make sure you sign up for the  mymemories.com email list– I receive a fun digital freebie to download every Friday.

If you do jump into this, I’d love to see what you create!

(Note: I love this software so much that I joined the My Memories affiliate program and will be compensated if you make a purchase using my coupon code.)

The post Computerized Crafting: How to Create Fun Digital Scrapbooks appeared first on .

I’ve always dreamed of having a home decor shop! When I started Stagetecture in 2009 I wanted to sell home decor items but the thought of how to produce items and design them, and market them was way to daunting for my head! Over the years the thought has crossed my mind to offer home decor and dorm room decor items in an Etsy shop. Well, between my How To Make a Burlap Wreath site and I realized that I needed to keep this venture on the back burner.

New Home Decor Shop:  Burlap and Succulents Home & Dorm Decor

Monogram Throw Blanket

I was inspired by my readers who are always searching for burlap wreaths, succulent garden care and dorm room decor to create a shop that reflected products I use daily.

Burlap and Succulent Home Decor Shop is born:

I decided to use Zazzle.com to create my shop. If you’re not familiar with Zazzle they are a print on demand or POD company that allows you to customize your own products or shop Zazzler’s shops for uniquely designed items. The wonderful part about Zazzle is you can choose from my designs or you can customize them to make them uniquely yours.

–>Here’s a link to the Burlap and Succulents Zazzle Store or you can click on the Zazzle “Z” here  and shop through other Zazzle shops!

Since we are in August I decided to make this a seasonal launch. Meaning each month new products and new categories will be added to Burlap and Succulents shop. With it being back to school season I found it fitting to focus on dorm room decor and office/school supplies. Let’s face it, kids aren’t the only ones that get excited about school supplies right?

Dorm Bedding and Dorm Room Decor:

Dorm room decor has always been a passion of mine. When I went to college I decorated it like I was a true interior designer! Pretty duvet covers and throw blankets are always nice to cuddle up in, especially when you want to make your dorm room a haven for relaxation right?! Whether you have college students or you are looking to add more color into your apartment or home, take a look at the selection. Pretty coordinated collections also have shower curtains, accent pillows, and pillow cases for the perfect bed!

Back to School Supplies and Office Supplies are my favorite!

Back to school and office supplies are one of those categories that I love. When I was young just the idea of seeing pencils, binders and folders was exciting. Instead of just having colorful supplies I wanted to include floral wreaths, bold polka dots with custom monograms and more to get you excited about work and school again.

Office School Supplies – Bold Water Colors collection

Wall Art and Art Prints for your Home Office or Dorm Room:

I’m tired of looking up at bulletin boards in my home office! So I thought – I need inspiring artwork. Sayings and lovely designs that will inspire my home office and can brighten yours. Perfect for dorm rooms, home offices, bedrooms… or anywhere you need a lift to your day!

Shop Wall Art here.

Love Artwork – Poster Polka Dot

How to Search the Burlap and Succulents Decor Shop:

The site is organized into Collections and Categories. Collections will let you see all of the products that have a similar theme. For example in the Office/School products supplies you can click on the Bold Watercolors Office Supplies collection and see all of the binders, mouse pads, etc.. with that same colorful monogram. You can also search by Category. This will help you see all of the styles of Accent Pillows without going Collection by Collection.

I hope you enjoy shopping the Burlap and Succulents Shop as much as I enjoyed creating the products. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest to see all of the latest finds throughout the seasons and GRAB DISCOUNT CODES! 

Discount Codes for Burlap and Succulents Home Decor Shop:

Each week Zazzle offers new promotions and I will share discount codes on social media to save a little money on your purchase

Thanks for supporting my new shop and look out for new products each month at my Burlap and Succulents Home Decor Shop.

The post New Home Decor Shop: Burlap and Succulents Home & Dorm Decor appeared first on .

Kids home organization can often be a challenge, right? Parents are in a constant endeavor to find ways and means to get their kids organized. Home organization is as important as any other organization venture in a household and many parents would agree with me, if I said that,“ If kids are organized, a lot of other organization falls into place!” So try and set the ball rolling so that the kids are busy looking after their rooms, desks, play areas etc, leaving you both time and energy to deal with the rest of your house. Here are a few things that could help.

Simple Kids Home Organization Tips

Best Ways to Organize Toys with Home Organization Tips:

Why do kids not like organization chores? Probably because they find it boring. Try to create some interest around so that they like to work in their environments. For instance, colorful and interesting storage areas might encourage them to organize their toys and games. Working with elements like colors, shapes, and textures could motivate them to organize, in addition to being educative. Try these helpful kids home organization products in their rooms.

Declutter with Fun Organization

Kids organization sounds like a lot of hard work. Have you ever wondered why? Well, because there is so much stuff that it takes hours to set it in place. A simple solution to this could be compartmentalization. Take your child’s desk for instance. It has so much paraphernalia-pens, crayons, erasers, craft material, papers etc etc etc. Creating small fun spaces, with the help of the unlimited accessory alternatives available in the market can set the momentum. Brands like IKEA can solve most of the problem. And with so much interest in a child is likely to think of organization as a part of play rather than a set-aside chore.

Baskets Help A Lot With Kids Organization

Basket storage is the new rediscovery of this age. They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes and help you organize stuff, neatly and orderly in open shelves. More than anything they give such a colorful spurt into a kids area that kids find them very intriguing. Another plus that can’t be missed is the fact that they are so easy to use, safe and child-friendly. It’s really hard to go wrong here.

A Cozy Corner Kids Storage Area:

As children, we all dreamt of a cozy corner just for ourselves, far away from the adults, something that we could call our space. Well, give that to your kids. Something like a mini home tucked in one corner. Giving them a sense of ‘My Territory’ inculcates the values of responsibility, taking charge and caring. You will be amazed at how kids will love to organize and improvise such an area, were you to provide it to them.

Best Ways to Organize a Child’s Room

Take a look at these helpful organization ideas from Tidy Home:

Playroom Storage: Working With Organizational Themes Kids Love

Is there something that your kids absolutely love. Try doing up their areas with those elements as themes. You could work on themes like favorite colors, cartoon characters, toys and games. This would help extend their fantasies into realities and they would certainly love to be in and care for such environments.

Kids organization can become very easy and doable once we understand the thought process of our kids and involve them in the chores. Using elements they love, in certain areas can increase their intrigue and as a result their involvement. Moreover, if kids can take the responsibility of even half of their things and organize them, it’s so much easier and comforting for the parents. It teaches the kids good values and probably the parents could take up a long time missed hobby class in their newfound spare time. What do you have to say!

Click here for more Organization Ideas!

The post Simple Kids Home Organization Tips appeared first on .