About House & Home: How to Save All Kinds of Things

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor With tax season looming, Christmas spending still showing up on our credit cards and the lure of tropical vacations that will put a big dent in our budget, we all need to do a little more saving... but not just money, all kinds of things from food to old furniture that's ready for the trash. All About Preserving Food I opened the freezer the other day to find at least 5 pounds of frozen strawberries that a friend had given me last summer. Now, freezing the berries was a quick way to preserve them from the summer heat, but the thought of making strawberry jam in the middle of February is much more appealing. Save Someone From the Cold It's inspiring to know that everyone, no matter what you're good at doing, can help out someone who isn't so fortunate. Check out these amazing (and inspiring) quilts that will not only add warmth to a person's life, but beauty, too. Save Old Furniture from the Trash I've always been a dumpster diver. Even now that I'm older and can afford to buy new, I still like the challenge of taking a piece of furniture that someone else thought belonged in the trash and turning it into something that I truly love. How Do I Save a Shrunken Wool Sweater? I recently shrank my husband's favorite wool sweater. I was secretly glad since I was a little tired of seeing him wear it so often. But then I came across this great article and I'm afraid that now my husband is back wearing that ugly green sweater that makes him look like a six-foot leprechaun. House & Home Ads Small Garden Garden Yard Garden Lights Solar Garden Patio Garden Featured Articles Make the Color Brown Work in Your Home Westminster Dog Show 2010 Teach Kids to Do Laundry How to Buy & Care for Wood Furniture Wonders of Ancient Egypt Find a Roommate... Fast!   More from About.com Managing Dog Behavior Problems Understanding common dog behavior problems like barking, biting, and chewing is key to handling them appropriately. More > Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: What is Ecotourism?

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor Visiting the Amazon had always been a dream of mine. But how do you travel to such a place without harming the local environment? It's called ecotourism and you don't need to worry about roughing it. In fact, many organizations offer some pretty posh places, although you'll still have to contend with the bugs, poisonous spiders and killer snakes. What is Ecotourism? When most people think of ecotourism, they imagine backpacking through rugged terrain, sleeping in canvas tents and cooking dehydrated meals over a fire. But according to About's Guide to Green Living, 'the days of sharing a dirt floor with backpacking hippies are over (unless, of course, you happen to be a backpacking hippie).' How to Organize a Travel Journal So, when you're on an ecotour or even if you're spending a holiday at home, visiting the local sites, keeping a journal is the best way to capture all those little moments that often make the trip memorable. Visit a Local Home and Garden Show If you can't escape winter, at least you can dream about its end. The best way to do that is to spend a day wandering through a home and garden show. There's nothing like the smell of spring, the hope that saturates every colorful display, just knowing that soon - very soon - the winter wonderland will be transformed into a green paradise. Easy Kitchen Paint Color Designs Turn the winter blues into greens, golds and brilliant auburn. All it takes is a little paint, some creativity and help from About's Guide to Home Renovation. You'll be dreaming of far away tropical places without having to wait in line at airport security. House & Home Ads E Magazine Niche Magazine Cycle World Magazine City Gardening Online Magazine PDF Featured Articles Use the Internet to Control the Thermostat Videos to Learn How to Sew How to Adopt an Exotic Pet What is Computer Vision Syndrome? Trash to Treasure Makeovers Find More Storage Space - For Free   More from About.com Managing Dog Behavior Problems Understanding common dog behavior problems like barking, biting, and chewing is key to handling them appropriately. More > Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: How to Win a Gold Medal

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, Your About House & Home Editor. Even though we live in Vancouver, I didn't think the Olympics would impact my life much. But there's something about the Games that infects its host city residents with a good dose of inspiration. Wouldn't it be great, I thought, if this kind of excitement could extend beyond the two weeks and to every part of our lives? I know I'd be more likely to pick-up the floor mop if I could be a contender for the gold in housekeeping. Gold Medal Garage Conversion Our neighbors took their uninsulated garage and turned it into a one-room guest house that is now hosting their in-laws. Dave deserves a gold medal for converting a space that once stored all the junk that couldn't fit into their house into a cozy home away from home. Just don't ask him what he did with all that stuff. 9 Tips For Speed Cleaning I'll admit it. I hate housecleaning. There are always better things I could be doing with my time, like mowing the lawn with a pair of children's scissors. But if I can cut my total cleaning time in half, then not only will I be happier, but cleaner, too. Organize Your Closet Quickly Closet organizing should definitely be a gold medal event. After all, just to finish is an accomplishment. At least around here. Usually, I get part way through and get so overwhelmed I need to lie down. But these quick tip methods may just be the thing I need to cross that finish line - finally. Marketing Your Home for a Faster Sale Friends of ours decided at the last minute to sell their condo in Whistler thinking they could fetch a good price for people wanting a front-row seat to the Games. But Judy left the marketing to Pete, which consisted of their 10-year old son standing on the balcony with a placard that couldn't be read from the road. Needless-to-say, Pete could've used some marketing advice. House & Home Ads Irish Magazine Music E Magazine Niche Magazine Cycle World Magazine Digital Magazines Featured Articles Toxic Foods for Birds Will Old Seeds Grow? Woodturning 101 Install New Windshield Wipers Birthday Party Planning Guide 5 Tools To Help You Move   More from About.com Managing Dog Behavior Problems Understanding common dog behavior problems like barking, biting, and chewing is key to handling them appropriately. More > Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: Love is in the Air

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, Your About House & Home Editor. I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. It's because of the competitive factor: when I was in grade school, my friends and I would count the number of valentines we each received and I usually came up short. But when I think about it - I mean, really think about it - it's pretty hard not to love the day. After all, it's a great excuse to eat chocolate, have candlelit dinners and remember everyone you love. Can You Attract Love? My friend Sasha just recently swore off love. She claims that while she's attracted to love, it isn't at all attracted to her. But I wonder if, with the right tips, maybe love is just around the corner. Gifts and Tips for Valentine's Day It's always hard to find the right gift for that special person on your list especially if this is your first Valentine's Day together. Then again, even if it's your 18th, it's still hard to figure out if your spouse prefers the practical (like his very own beer fridge) or the romantic (like his very own beer fridge). Grow Your Own Aphrodisiacs Listen up, men! The smell of almonds stir up a woman's passion. Who knew? So put away that spicy cologne and read up on how to attract the opposite sex. Feline-Human Bonds The thing is, most of us think that Valentine's Day is just a day for "lovers", but love comes in so many packages that it's impossible to confine it to just one person. For me, our four cats give us more love than we could ever return even if their lack of opposable thumbs means they can't sign a Valentine's Day card. House & Home Ads House Home Magazine Home Decor Ideas House Listings House Decorating Interior Decorating Featured Articles Top 10 Home Theater Gifts For Lovers Find the Right Apartment Without the Stress Pet Scrapbook Pages 10 Ways to Buy Organics for Less Winter Container Gardening Top Choices in Closet Organizers   More from About.com Managing Dog Behavior Problems Understanding common dog behavior problems like barking, biting, and chewing is key to handling them appropriately. More > Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement