Here are nine tips to keep a warm bedroom without raising the heat. Check for Drafts If your bedroom windows (and doors leading to the outside if you have them) have any gaps or cracks, the warm inside air is likely leaking to the outside. This will leave you chilly and cause you to overspend on utilities to maintain your desired indoor air temperature. So each season, check all windows and doors that open to the outside....

Start with a small living room or bedroom. Until you have the hang of installation technique, you won’t want to be fussing with seams or weird angles. Decide How and How Much First, ensure that you have properly measured and calculated for carpeting, based on the width of the carpet you have selected (usually either 12 or 15 feet). Next, determine the type of installation. Most residential applications consist of a carpet stretched over an underpad and secured around the perimeter of the room with tackless (nail strips)....

Alphabet Ball Alphabet ball is a game that grows with your child. After a one-time setup with a ball and alphabet stickers, this game will be ready to go anytime. This activity is also educational, but the kids will never know because they’ll be having so much fun playing. Bubble Party Throw a bubble party in your backyard. Make your own bubbles recipes and head outdoors with bubble wands made out of straws, cups, fly swatters, or try a more elaborate project that will give you huge bubbles....

It’s All About the Light Lighting is the trickiest thing when it comes to growing African violets. They need bright light to bloom but do not tolerate hot, direct sun. How can you tell if your plants are getting enough or too much sunlight? If you notice the leaves are very dark green, and the stems are leggy, it’s not getting enough light. If the leaves are light or have beached/white spots, it’s getting too much....

Believe it or not, whether you inherited them from a family member or received them as wedding gifts long ago, those intricately decorated silver pieces were meant to be used. With regular and proper care, most silver pieces will stay beautiful for years and years, so you can enjoy them for holiday gatherings, bridal showers, and other occasions where you want to dress up the table for your guests....

Attics are a prime opportunity for expansion. The space is already enclosed. No foundations have to be poured. Electricity is nearby and can be tapped into. Unlike basement additions, floor moisture is not a problem. In short, attics may be the place to go when you want more space. Attic Remodels: The Lowdown Oddly shaped and positioned, attics are unique spaces that warrant extra care when it comes to remodeling....

Fast Facts Other Names: Seal, Sealant, Sealer, Floor Sealant, Floor Sealer, Floor Finish, Finish Initial Use Sealer: This refers to a chemical sealant that is applied to a floor immediately after it is installed. This is usually done for very porous materials that are susceptible to deep set-in stains, such as cork, brick, sandstone, and other types of natural stone materials. Regular Use Sealers: Some materials will be fine with just an initial coat of sealant....

First of all, don’t attempt DIY bathtub refinishing if you want a first-rate finish. You need to hire a local company with the skills and, most importantly, the right tools for the task. DIY refinishing is good in a pinch, but it has a shorter lifespan than if done by professionals. Quality Quality varies from company to company, and in an informal poll of some homeowners who have had tubs refinished, quality seems to hinge on one thing: preparation....

Wait, What’s Rattan? If you’re not really a designer or trend-follower, then listen up: rattan is a natural material that people have been raving about because of its durability, texture, lighter weight, as well as its and complex yet beautiful weaving process. Similar in concept to threaded bamboo, rattan is interwoven to create a thicker vine-like structure. It can be used for furniture, baskets, wall hangings, storage bins, and the list goes on....

When choosing bathroom flooring, consider how it will perform under stress. And the stress event in this case involves water, lots of it. Water is so prevalent in bathrooms that it is an expectation, not an anomaly. Water is everywhere: on the walls, ceiling, and the floor. Moisture will quickly ruin the wrong flooring. To make matters even more difficult, you eventually have to pull those other factors into the dialogue....

The Binomial System Linnaeus’ binomial system uses one Latin name to indicate the genus, and another to indicate the specific epithet. Together, the genus and epithet comprise the “species.” By definition, “binomial” means “characterized by having two names,” from the prefix “bi-” (indicating “two”) and the Latin word for “name,” nomen. For example, botanical nomenclature classifies Oriental bittersweet as Celastrus orbiculatus. The first part of the name, Celastrus, is the genus, the second, orbiculatus, the specific epithet....

The calypso orchid is a petite and rather delicate plant. It generally blooms in the late spring most commonly with a small pinkish-purple flower, though the blooms also come in varying shades of pink, purple, red, and white. The flower includes a somewhat spoon-shaped labellum, or larger central petal at its base, which is typically marked in a contrasting color such as yellow. The orchid usually only produces one flower at a time, but rarely a plant can produce two flowers simultaneously....

The Cariloha Resort Bamboo Bed Sheets are supposedly the softest sheets out there, and they’re also known for being cooler than Egyptian cotton sheets. That sounds great, but when a sheet set is on the pricey side, it’s hard to make the investment without being able to see it and feel it in person first. So, we got ourselves a king set of these resort-quality sheets to see if they live up to the hype....

This highly-sought after flower was first introduced commercially in 1885, in a seed catalog. However, most varieties produce sterile seeds, so these cosmos are propagated via tuberous roots, similar to the roots of dahlias. Native to Mexico and rumored to be extinct in the wild for decades, chocolate cosmos was found in old oak and pine forests in the early 21st century. In recent years, several new cultivars have been introduced....

How to Grow Cilantro Indoors Sunlight Cilantro likes bright indirect light but dislikes intense, direct sunlight. The best option for container gardens is morning sun in an east-facing window or a very bright sill that doesn’t get too much direct sun. Temperature and Humidity Cilantro bolts easily, especially in warm weather. Once cilantro bolts, the flavor changes, often becoming bitter. With potted plants, you can extend the harvest season by keeping the plants around 70 degrees and bringing them indoors to an air-conditioned environment when outdoor temperatures get warm....

What Is Cost vs. Value? Cost vs. value is a general concept that seeks to strike the right balance between the cost of an action or item and its overall benefit. For example, if an item costs a certain amount yet has little overall value, that cost is not justified. For home improvements, some projects may cost a great deal and might even appear to be of high value. Yet when all factors are considered, these projects are actually of low value....

Best Options for Countertop Covers Countertop covers are always temporary to one degree or another; none are permanent solutions. The most temporary countertop covers are spray paint and PVC countertop films. At some point, these covers will scratch, gouge, or otherwise fail. Other covers are longer-lasting temporary solutions: ceramic tile, laminate, or wood overlays. Always, though, the end game of countertop covers is to extend the countertop until you have the budget or desire to replace the counter with a new countertop....

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the air in your house is about five times more polluted than the air outside. Cooking, cleaning products, scented candles, and even your pets can contribute to dirty air that you really don’t want to breathe in. That’s where air purifiers come in. The best air purifiers filter out all kinds of pollution, from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that come from your dryer sheets to the dander and allergens that spread all over the place every time your dog scratches its ears....

Fast Facts Scientific Name: Trachyphonus vaillantiiCommon Name: Crested Barbet, Levaillant’s Barbet, Fruit Salad BirdLifespan: 8-10 yearsSize: 9-10 inchesWeight: 2.4-2.5 ouncesWingspan: 13-15 inchesConservation Status: Least concern Crested Barbet Identification The bold, contrasting colors of this bird are great clues to its identity, but birders will want to study the crested barbet more closely to feel confident about each bird they see. The large, stout bill is pale greenish-yellow with a gray-black tip....