Wake Up Call
When kids hear "go to your room!" they usually go kicking and screaming. But if upstairs was more fun than downstairs, we'd have to invent a new punishment. Children's' rooms can be creative spaces for kids to enjoy while they learn and grow, and ca...

Flea Market Etiquette
It may seem like a glorified rummage sale, but a flea market has its own class of conduct. Here's how to deal with the dealers, blend with the buyers and walk away with your prize, and your politeness, in tact. Artful negotiation Keep your conver...

Deep Impact
Updating your bathroom may sound like an expensive, time-consuming idea, but it doesn't have to be. a daunting task. Redecoration doesn't require big bucks, especially if you only find a few things wrong with what you have now. Little tweaks here a...

Big Shoes to Fill
If a potted plant is growing over the TV and the armchairs are so close that one is an ottoman, it might be time to rethink the room. "People are stressed and the last thing they need is to come home and feel that their home is crazy," says ASID des...

This Little Light of Mine
A light bulb with a life of 8,000 hours? Yeah, right! Well, actually, such an idea has just entered the marketplace with the launch of GE's newly remodeled bulbs, the covered Energy Smart Compact Fluorescent Lights. Over the past few years, those en...

Dirt Cheap, Fine Dining
Growing herbs is a great way to enhance your cooking while you trim your food budget. "For the price of a tiny packet of [fresh cut] herbs in the grocery store, you can buy a small plant," says master gardener Joe Lamp'l. However, with so many he...