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The Internet’s Best DIY Photo Album Sites

April 16, 2015 by

Nothing can give a space a personal touch quite like framed photos of friends and family. Whether you're looking to spruce up your home or give a personalized gift to that special someone, these two photo service websites are for you.

Shutterfly
Arguably the internet's most popular photo service site, Shutterfly makes it easy to create custom photo albums, collages, stationery, calendars, and much more. Simply upload your favorite photos from your computer and start designing. The gift portion of the site allows you to design mugs, canvas prints, totes, tees, smart phone cases, magnets, mousepads—even blankets!—using your favorite photos. Better still, the website's prices are affordable, and frequent online coupon codes promise even more bang for you buck.

Snapfish
Whatever the occasion, Snapfish likely has a commemorative gift with which to remember it by. Create a wedding photo album, design graduation announcements, or put a personal touch on greeting cards and stationery. Like Shutterfly, Snapfish also offers a wide variety of photo gifts, from mugs and calendars to blankets and jewelry. Or you can just keep it simple and order standard prints!

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5 Steps Toward a Cleaner, Clutter-Free Apartment

April 2, 2015 by

So you’re not exactly the world's tidiest person — no problem! You can still create a clean, stylish apartment without spending hours cleaning. Use these smart and savvy tips for creating a clutter-free home.

  1. Purge your closet. One of the easiest ways to limit your amount of clutter is by simply owning fewer thing. Start with your clothing: Donate unused items to a local charity or toss stained or torn items.
  2. Make your closets work. Instead of thinking of closets as places to hide away all of your lesser-used items, make them neat and functional. Add more shelving or extra clothing racks, depending on what you use them for, and organize the contents based on what you reach for most often.
  3. Streamline your kitchen. Donate all coffee mugs and glasses that aren’t a part of a set, pare down your cookware to only the essentials, and only keep the number of storage containers that actually fit in your cabinets.
  4. Get rid of unused furniture. You may not realize it, but having too much furniture in a room can make it feel more cluttered. Take a look around and eliminate small items that don’t serve a purpose in your home.
  5. Add a landing pad. If you frequently dump your coat, keys, and bag right in front of the door, add a hall tree or other storage unit for housing those everyday items.

How to Get Rid of Clutter [WikiHow]
Clutter-Busting Secrets of the Pros [Real Simple]
18 Things You Can Get Rid Of Today [Family Circle]

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Kick Back This Weekend With These HGTV Shows

February 19, 2015 by

Love watching home shows? Check out these two home renovation programs.

Fixer Upper
Fixer Upper is a fairly new HGTV show that follows married couple Chip and Joanna Gaines as they pair wary homebuyers with run-down, older houses in the Waco-Dallas area. The couple sees the potential in these older homes and helps the buyers to renovate them back to their former glory, from the intricate crown molding to the gleaming hardwood floors. All of the Gaines’s renovations feature a rustic charm that’s very unique to Texas, and once you see Joanna’s storage shed filled with potential design elements that she purchased from junk shops around town, you might become a fan of the show.

House Hunters Renovation
The most DIY-heavy of the House Hunters shows, House Hunters Renovation focuses on homebuyers who don’t mind getting their hands dirty when purchasing a new home. The hour-long show follows the usual formula of a buyer choosing between three potential homes, but the last half of the program is dedicated entirely to the renovation process after they've purchased the property.

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Have Some Spare Time? Check Out These Popular Shows on HGTV

October 16, 2014 by

If the phrases “hardwood floors” and “granite countertops” get your heart racing, you’re sure to love HGTV’s endless list of incredibly entertaining home design programs. Here are two of the network’s most beloved shows that make for hours of weekend binge watching.

House Hunters International
Have you always wondered what it would be like it live in a villa in Barcelona or a centuries-old apartment in Paris? House Hunters International follows equally adventurous house hunters as they give into their wanderlust and move thousands of miles away from home. The show explores all corners of the world and gives you a taste of the local culture, as well as the local real estate market.

Love It or List It, Too
This remake of the popular Love It or List It features the same competitive edge with a duo of newer, younger hosts. Love It or List It, Too follows a family who is tired of their current home as they decide whether to renovate what they already have or move somewhere entirely new. Realtor Todd competes with designer Jillian as he attempts to find the couple a new house, and Jillian attempts to re-work their current one.

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Three Interior Design Rules Everyone Should Know

July 24, 2014 by

While you may not be an interior designer yourself, there’s no reason why your home shouldn’t look like you are. Even if you live in a rental, there are a few simple things you can do that will completely transform the look of your home. Here are three interior design rules that everyone should know.

  1. Move slowly. It’s very tempting to buy furniture all at once when you move into a new space, but that’s actually one of the most common interior design mistakes. Be thoughtful about the things that you incorporate into your home to ensure that you like them a few months (or years) down the line. Even if this means living with a bare living room for a while, it’s almost always worth it.
  2. Avoid buying sets or furniture all in one place. If you purchase furniture in a set or buy an entire room’s decor from one store, it’s always very easy to tell. To avoid creating a monochromatic room that looks like a child’s bedroom, mix and match materials, colors, and textures from a few different sources.
  3. Don’t fight against the quirks. Many spaces, especially rentals, have built-in architectural details that you simply can’t change. Rather than trying to hide them or “fix” them, purchase furniture that works with your home’s little quirks. For example, add a window seat against a bay window to maximize the views rather than covering it with a large sofa.

6 Basic Interior Design Rules [Suite]
The 3 Principles of Interior Design [HGTV]
The 7 Rules of Interior Design [Zillow Blog]
5 Rookie Mistakes You’ll Never Make Again [Apartment Therapy]

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