About House & Home: Get Ready for Summer (Free) Vacation

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor A free vacation? Really? I know. Hard to believe. Those two words don't often go together, but this week, start packing your bags because summer vacation is just around the corner... and it's free. 7 Ways to Get a Free Vacation My favorite on this list has to be the "couch-surf" plan, after all, most couches are free during the hours of midnight and six a.m. If you end up at my place, you'll just have to share it with four cats who think that a human asleep under the covers looks a lot like a giant mouse. Get Ready for Summer Road Trips Okay, so maybe the free vacation isn't for you, but you still want to get away for a bit. That's where the road trip is the best possible solution. After all, a car can serve as your restaurant (make sure you dispose of those takeout containers) and your hotel. Just remember to go through this checklist of summer maintenance tips before you head out on the road. Turn Your Backyard into a Personal Theatre I miss drive-ins. There are a few still kicking around, but they're usually filled with noisy teenagers and the french fries just aren't what I remember them to be. So when I heard about turning the backyard into my own private movie theater, I was hooked! Not only can I control who is admitted, but the french fries that my neighbor Dave makes take me back 20 years. Tips for Traveling with Pets My sister and her husband are in the midst of planning a move to Mexico. While they're excited about the road trip down, their two dogs and one cranky cat are not. But there are ways of preparing your pets for a vacation on the road to ensure the journey is a little more enjoyable for both the critters and you. House & Home Ads Home Rentals Vacation Home Vacation Apartments Houses Rental Beachfront Rentals Featured Articles How to Improve Your Soil Gifts to Sew for Mother's Day Bathroom Paint Colors Best Feng Shui for Your Garden What's the World's Tallest Building? How to Make Soap   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. 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 Celebrate Earth Day

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor Earth Day celebrates it's 40th anniversary tomorrow. It's a great excuse to spend the day with your kids at the local aquarium or to start that organic vegetable garden or you could throw a party while at the same time reducing your household waste. After all, if each of us takes even one small step towards living green we can - together - make a true and defining difference. Celebrate Earth Day with Kids Nothing goes together better than kids and nature. So Earth Day is the perfect time to celebrate the wonder of childhood and the beauty of Mother Nature with earth-friendly games and green crafts. Grow an Organic Garden Earth Day is also the perfect time to start that organic garden you've been thinking about growing all winter. Give back to our planet by growing your own food and at the same time providing much-needed nectar for local bees. Now that's a green-step in the right direction! Reduce Your Household Trash We all know that reducing the amount of garbage we produce is good for the earth, but reducing household trash takes some ingenuity, planning and help from the experts. Plan an Earth Day Party Earth Day isn't just about thinking green, it's about celebrating our terrestrial home. So why not host a party in its honor? Invite the neighbors, your family and friends and join the billion or more people from around the world who'll be paying tribute to all things green. House & Home Ads Fashion Magazine Gardening Magazines House and Garden Earth Day Clipart Home Decor Magazine Featured Articles Free Butterfly Patterns for Scrapbooking What to Do When Your Car Overheats Time Management FAQ How to Plant Roses Ergonomic Gardening How to Furnish Outdoor Rooms for Outdoor Living   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. 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: Revamp Your Outdoor Space on a Budget

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor With the longer days and the warmer evenings, I'm ready to get outside. However, while I might be ready my patio isn't. It still bares the signs of having come through a hard winter. Just like me, it needs a good makeover, but without breaking our springtime budget. 10 Tips for Finding Inexpensive Patio Furniture There's nothing like new patio furniture to turn a tired deck into a great outdoor space. But new furniture can cost more than sending your first child to college. At least that's what I thought until I came across this informative article on how to find patio furniture that won't break the bank. 5 Tips for Landscaping on a Budget Free fertilizer, cheap plants and easy to design stone walkways. Need I say more? Make Fabulous Container Gardens on a Budget Last spring I spent a fortune on our patio containers. This year, I'm following the sage advice of About's Guide to Container Gardening and turning some of our unused household items into unique patio pieces. Free Woodworking Projects for Your Patio, Deck or Backyard If you're a regular reader you'll know that I'm not good with tools. But following these free woodworking tutorials, I've been able to make my own planters without involving our local hospital's emergency room. House & Home Ads Outdoor Lighting Magazines Waterproof Outdoor Outdoor Playground Outdoor Dining Featured Articles Clean and Seal Your Deck Clicker Train Your Cat Spring Soap Projects How to Buy an Affordable Home Remove Springtime Stains How to Plant Shrubs   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. 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: Garage Sale Savvy

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor I'm a huge fan of garage sales, both as a seller and a buyer. As a buyer it's the challenge of the hunt, searching for that unique piece that you'll never find on the store shelves. As a seller, the attraction is in trying to get rid of that item that's been taking up precious space in the basement, leftover from the days when you thought that a neon pink lamp shade would look so cool in your dorm room. Guerrilla Garage Sale Shopping I like this idea that 'scoring at a garage sale is like a mission'. And like a mission, you need to have a strategy to spot the deal, make the deal and then seal the deal. Go forth and conquer with these guerrilla garage sale shopping tips. How to Organize a Garage Sale Selling the stuff that you no longer want or need is a skill onto itself. It takes time to prepare, market and sell your wares. So, if you're tired of all that stuff that's taken over your spare room, find out how to successfully sell it to someone else. Garage Sale Shopping for Antiques If you're like me and you enjoy the hunt, then this is the article you need for inspiration, information and illumination on how to find a valuable antique among all the yard sale treasures. How to Design a New Garage Okay, so you want to host a garage sale but don't have a garage? Build one. Even though it's not really the key ingredient in a successful garage sale, adding a garage to your existing home does add value that extends beyond the need to get rid of clutter. House & Home Ads Gardening Magazines Fashion Magazine House and Garden Homes Magazines Magazine Japanese Featured Articles Spring Garden Maintenance Your Knitting Tool Bag What to Do If Your Pet Gets Skunked Install a Wireless Switch How to Harden Off Plants The Costs of Renting an Apartment   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. 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