How to Disguise Unsightly Cables, Cords and Wires

Nobody likes the sight of tangled, messy cords and wires, but these long cords are essential for operating electronics. If you want to tuck away unsightly cords to preserve your decor at The Marquis at Canyon Ridge, these smart steps will show you how.

  1. Mark each cord. First, begin by wrapping a piece of matte tape around the cord and leaving a bit of extra at the end. Label each cord with a marker to keep things organized.
  2. Clip the cords together. Next, clip the cords together in a smooth strip using a binder clip. For longer cords, you may want to add additional clips.
  3. Tuck cords away. Now that the cords are all clipped together, you’ll want to hide them as best as you can behind their corresponding piece of furniture. Try winding the cords into a loop if you have a larger piece of furniture. For desks and other items with slender legs, you may want to line the cords up behind one leg.
  4. Secure the cords in place. Once you decide where to place the cords, secure them using sturdy tape or Velcro strips. This will ensure that the cords stay hidden through daily use.

How To Hide Home Wires [Apartment Therapy]
36 Genius Ways To Hide The Eyesores In Your Home [Buzzfeed]
Hiding Cables [Pinterest]

Fun DIYs to Give New Life to Unwanted Household Items

Instead of tossing out those household items that seemingly have no use anymore, give them new life by repurposing them into something useful. This not only helps you to save a bit of cash, it also helps to reduce your waste production and show a little love to our environment. Here are a few fun DIYs for making over unwanted household items!

  1. Turn empty condiment bottles into squeeze bottles for dispensing pancake batter. Just make sure you thoroughly clean them out first—no one wants to eat ketchup-flavored pancakes!
  2. Turn an ornate vintage picture frame into a vanity tray. Simply add a pretty fabric instead of a photo, lie it flat, and fill it with perfume bottles, makeup, and more.
  3. Clean the fine “hairs” out of corn on the cob by using a dry toothbrush that you don’t use anymore.
  4. Hang an old rake upside down and use it as a rustic necklace holder.
  5. Portion toddler snacks perfectly by filling the cubes in an ice cube tray. They are the perfect size for berries, pretzels, cheese cubes, and chocolate candies.
  6. Purchase a vintage window shutter from a garage sale or thrift store and use it to display important memos, mail, and photographs. Simply clip wooden clothespins along the slats and even add S-shaped hooks for keys.

50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things [RealSimple]
6 New Uses for Old Things [Country Living]
25 New Ways to Use Your Old Stuff [HGTV]

Dependable Virtual Destinations for Apartment Decor and Accessories

It’s no secret that shopping online often yields affordable results, and the same goes if you’re looking for home décor items and accessories for your apartment. Any renter on a budget will love to browse those finishing touches that really make a house a home, and these are some of the best places to find them.

Urban Outfitters
While you may already shop at the trendy clothing retailer for all of your favorite T-shirts, Urban Outfitters also offers a great selection of stylish home goods. From eclectic art prints to colorful duvet covers and even mid-century modern inspired furnishings, you’ll find a number of great items on the convenient website.

Wayfair
If your home décor style is classic with a touch of modern, Wayfair is just the place to shop online. Here you’ll find chevron print area rugs, gold metallic picture frames, and antique-inspired clocks to hang on the wall.

CB2
For those who prefer sleek, minimal décor and bold pops of color, CB2 is a great option. Discover things like low-profile sofas, interesting throw pillows, and industrial bar stools, or browse the limited edition art selection to find affordable pieces from some of the biggest up-and-coming artists in the art world today.

Something’s Afoot: Clever Shoe Organization Ideas

It’s not uncommon to have shoes strewn about your entire apartment, from the doorway where you first slip them off to the bedroom where you try on dozens of pairs before deciding on one. With these smart tips, however, you can finally create a system for organizing all of those sneakers, heels, sandals and slides — and they’re a whole lot more interesting than your traditional shoe rack.

  1. Add shelves. If you’re particularly proud of your shoe collection, show them off by displaying your most beautiful pairs on shelves stacked from floor to ceiling. You can even use a bookcase if you have one.
  2. Use photo ledges. For high heels, purchase photo ledges from your local craft shop or home decor store and dangle pairs of shoes from them by the heels.
  3. Keep them in their boxes. If you want to keep your shoes protected while in storage, save their boxes (or purchase new shoe storage boxes). Attach a photo of the pair inside to the exterior of the box to make finding a specific pair a breeze.
  4. Use antique items. If your home decor style is a bit more rustic, use an antique ladder or an old apple crate as shoe storage in any room.
  5. Utilize under-bed space. For out-of-season pairs, store them in flat plastic storage bins under the bed.

10 Clever and Easy Ways to Organize Your Shoes [DIY & Crafts]
13 Creative Ways To Organize Your Shoes, Inspired By Pinterest [Who What Wear]
25 Creative Shoe Storage Ideas [Guiding Home]

Simple Tips and Tricks for a Clean and Organized Kitchen

For most people, the kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in the home, as you use it as both a gathering space and a place to create healthy meals throughout the day. While your kitchen withstands quite a bit of activity, these simple tips will show you how to keep it organized without much extra effort.

  1. Add wall-hanging storage systems. Hanging shelves and rods with hooks on the walls creates extra storage while freeing up precious floor and counter space.
  2. Add hooks under shelves. If you run out of room on shelves and in drawers, add hooks under the cabinets to hold things like mugs and utensils.
  3. Purchase wire refrigerator shelves. You can even get the inside of your fridge organized by adding store-bought shelves that simply sit right on top of the current shelves.
  4. Create dividers. To organize pans and cutting boards that frequently fall over, add vertical tension rods between shelves in your cabinets.
  5. Organize the spice cabinet. Corral spices by placing them into glass jars of equal height, then labeling them with what’s inside. You can even add a lazy Susan for easy access to each jar.

5 Essential (and Renter-Friendly) Storage Products for Small Kitchens [The Kitchn]
8 Smart Organizing Tips for the Kitchen [Tidy Mom]
26 Kitchen Organizing Tips from Real Cooks – Twitter Style [Simple Bites]

Organize Jewelry and Accessories With These Smart and Easy DIYs

If it seems almost impossible to keep your necklaces, rings, and other accessories neat and organized, read on! These smart tips will show you new, smart ways to keep your jewelry and accessories tidy and tangle-free. Best of all, you can make them yourself — inexpensively!

Antique Saucer Jewelry Storage [Buzzfeed]
Store your everyday jewelry right out in the open by using a few china tea saucers. You can usually find them at your local thrift store, and they make a good place to corral loose rings, bracelets, and earrings.

Hanging Thread Organizer [onegoodthingbyjillee.com]
Make a quick visit to your local craft store and purchase a wooden thread organizer. This handy storage solution is meant to hold spools of thread, but its numerous wooden pegs are also perfect for hanging necklaces and bracelets on the back of a door, on the wall, or inside of a cabinet.

Corkboard Jewelry Holder [beehiveandbirdsnest.com]
Many people have an unused corkboard tucked away in a closet, and if you don’t, you can easily pick one up for cheap at an office supply store. Place attractive push-pins all over the corkboard and arrange them in a way that best suits your jewelry collection.

How to Decorate Your Rental Home With Mirrors

Mirrors work wonders in a rental space. They create a space to check your appearance before your dash out the door in the morning, they add light and size to any sized space, and they even act as a decor element. Here are just a few great places to add mirrors in your rental.

  • Above the nightstand. Add matching mirrors above your nightstands to create the illusion of extra depth in the bedroom.
  • Behind the dresser. If your dresser doesn’t come with an attached mirror, create a sort of vanity space of your own by hanging a decorative mirror behind it.
  • In a stairwell. If you have a set of stairs in your apartment, create a gallery wall of mismatched mirrors up the length of the staircase.
  • Across from a window. Maximize the light in a room by placing a large mirror directly across from a window.
  • On the kitchen cabinets. Cut mirror panes to fit right within the borders of your kitchen cabinets, then attach them with removable adhesive.
  • In a closet. Hang a full-length mirror on the back of a regular closet door to make it feel like a luxurious dressing room.

Adorn Home With Beautiful Mirrors [Decozilla]
How to Decorate With Mirrors [Real Simple]
10 Unique Ways to Decorate with Mirrors [House Beautiful]

How to Give Your Bathroom a Spa Makeover

You might think that it’s impossible to replicate the relaxing oasis of a spa bathroom in your home, but with a few simple tips from pros, you’ll be on your way to a day of pampering in no time. Here are just a few ways to transform your bathroom into a relaxing retreat.

  1. Invest in candles. There are few better (or easier) ways to create a spa feeling than by adding mood-enhancing candles. Place them on the back of the toilet, on the sink, or even on the edges of the tub.
  2. Switch out the lighting. Try a bulb with lower wattage to create a peaceful, relaxing ambiance in your bathroom.
  3. Add some spa essentials. Fill an attractive basket with fancy lotions, soaps, and bath salts and place it within arm’s length of your bathtub.
  4. Purchase spa-quality towels. Make the upgrade to plush, luxurious towels. Choose towels in soft, muted colors or even stark white to impart that spa-like look. Instead of folding your towels, roll them into cylinders and store them in a basket by the foot of your shower.
  5. Keep the counters clean. Clutter works against the minimalist look that you’re going for, so store your essential products in a cabinet or corral them with a stylish tray.

Budget Makeover: At-Home Spa [the nest]
Give Your Bathroom a Makeover [She Knows]
What Decorating Ideas Make a Bathroom Feel Like a Retreat? [Modern Mom]

How to Add Texture to Your Decor

Even if you have all of the essential furniture, a room can still feel "off" without the warm, cozy textures that really make a house a home. Here are a few smart tips for adding designer-inspired textures to any space!

  1. Toss in some throw pillows. If your sofa (or your bed) is looking a bit bare, dress it up using a mishmash of throw pillows in varying textures. Luxurious silks, faux furs, and simple cottons are all great options, and don’t be afraid to combine colors and patterns, as well.
  2. Add a blanket. One way to make your room look magazine-worthy is by draping a blanket across a bare surface. Think the arm of a chair, the back of the sofa or the foot of your bed.
  3. Add woodgrain to the walls. Even if you live in a rental, you can add the rustic look of woodgrain to any room in your home by creating a large-scale art piece made of recycled wood.
  4. DIY a tile backsplash. If your lease permits it, adding a tile backsplash is a great way to add texture in the kitchen. There are a number of temporary options that can even be removed when you move out.
  5. Hang curtains. Any interior designer will tell you that no room is complete without some type of window treatment. Make a room feel cozier with elegant curtains hung a bit higher than the window frames.

Make an Impact with Texture [Better Homes and Gardens]
Ten Ways to Add Texture to a Room [Apartment Therapy]
Home Décor: 10 Tips to Add Texture [Right @ Home]

These Two Wedding Registry Sites Can Help You Take the Plunge

When it comes time to register for gifts for your wedding, it can be difficult to choose the right places to meet your style and your needs. It’s best to keep in mind that you want high quality items that will last a good while, but at prices that your guests can afford. Here are two great wedding registry websites that will make your decision a bit easier.

Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn’s wedding registry is separated into neatly organized sections that help you to create your registry from start to finish. It features a simple registrant information page that allows you to create your couple profile, and it even enables you to decide where you’d like each gift shipped and your preferences on receiving gift cards from guests. Once you fill out your registry, Pottery Barn also makes it easy for friends and family to find your profile and navigate the gifts that you’ve selected.

Williams-Sonoma
The popular kitchenware store offers an impressive wedding registry site that’s packed full of cooking and entertaining items to help you create the kitchen of your dreams. Easily create and manage your registry with just a few fill-in-the-blank questions, then select the items that you love from Williams-Sonoma’s expansive inventory.

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