Holiday Window Decoration Ideas

When it comes time to decorate for the holidays, be it Halloween, Christmas, or anything else your family may celebrate, there’s a lot that has to go into it around the house - but have you considered your windows? Whether you have new vinyl windows or the windows that came with your home, there’s plenty of ways to make your windows just as festive as the rest of your home.

Stickers and Clings You probably haven’t thought about these since you were a little kid, but there’s still plenty of options out there for easy, removable window clings to help get you in the holiday spirit! Holiday- or party-themed retailers will offer a wide variety of vinyl static-based window clings that will hold tight to your windows through the whole season without any mess or cleanup!

Window Paint Or if you prefer something a little more personalized, there’s plenty of options to paint directly on the window! Tempera paint provides a safe and easy to clean option for painting directly on the window pane, allowing you to paint pumpkins, turkeys, Santa Claus, or anything else you want directly on the window for a more personalized look - and you can wash them right off when you’re done! This might be a fun project for the kids to get in on to help them feel like they’ve had a hand in the decorations!

Repurpose Other Decorations or Items Why stop at just using items intended for windows? Depending on the shape and layout of your windows and the rooms they hang in, you can take other decorations and re-use them on your windows instead. String garland and Christmas tree ornaments along the tops of your window panes, or re-use holiday-themed table settings to create impromptu window treatments. Don’t just stop here - there’s plenty of decorations that you can use to make your windows just as festive and decorated as the rest of your home during the holiday seasons!

Tips for Stretching Your Thanksgiving Budget

There are a lot of things to look forward to as the holiday season approaches each year. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather with the people you love and count your blessings. However, you are likely working hard to count your dollars, too, and stick to your Thanksgiving budget. Stretch your hard-earned cash as far as possible this Thanksgiving by keeping these tips in mind.

Determine Your Priorities You don't have to miss out on your favorite things about Thanksgiving just because your budget is a little tight this year. Instead, focus on the things that matter the most to you.

Before you can decide how to budget your dollars, you have to determine your priorities. If eating dessert is the highlight of your Thanksgiving meal, you don't want to skimp on the pies. However, you might be able to save a few dollars by making rolls at home instead of buying them this year. If shopping with your relatives on Black Friday has become a loved tradition, consider preparing a simpler meal this year and tacking on the extra funds onto your shopping budget.

Use Your Energy Wisely When you're doing a lot of cooking and entertaining, you'll be using a lot more energy in your home. Fortunately, you can make small changes that will make a big difference in your energy bills.

First, be sure that everyone in your family understands the importance of not wasting energy. Train your kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room, unplug devices that aren't in use overnight, or try turning your thermostat down a couple of degrees while you sleep.

In most households, heating is one of the biggest expenses during the winter months. If your house isn't energy-efficient, consider making some investments that will reduce your bills while improving the value of your home. This can be as simple as adding new weather stripping around your windows or as involved as purchasing energy-efficient vinyl replacement windows.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help Thanksgiving naturally draws people together, so it's the perfect time to ask for help. When you're inviting people to Thanksgiving dinner, politely ask them to bring along a pie, salad or beverages. When everyone chips in, the financial burden won't be too heavy on any participants.

If you're having overnight guests during the holiday season, don't fall into the trap of thinking that costly entertainment is necessary. Gather around a fire while you play board games, enjoy a local high school football game, or simply enjoy telling stories and spending time together.

Preparing Your Vehicle for Cold Weather

As soon as the cold weather arrives, people start talking about the best way to prepare their homes for winter. You have to have your heating system inspected, and you have to weatherproof your windows. However, the one thing that is often ignored is the vehicle. Before winter arrives, think about what you should do to prepare your vehicle for the cold weather. The fact is that if you don’t prepare your car for winter, you may just find yourself without wheels when you need them the most.

Battery

Without a good battery, you are out of luck. Before cold weather arrives, have your battery checked to make sure it will survive the cold. If it is not holding a charge, it will not get your through the winter. The battery connections should also be checked for corrosion and cleaned if necessary.

Antifreeze

If you do not have the right amount of antifreeze in your radiator, your car is going to freeze up. If you have not had your radiator flushed and new antifreeze put in over the last two years, now is the time.

Oil

While you should always follow the recommendations for oil changes on your vehicle, it is important to make sure your engine is ready to go during the winter. In fact, you may wish to consider having it changed right before winter and use a winter ready oil if you live in a colder climate.

Tires

The tires on your vehicle are important, but even more so in the winter. If your treads are worn, they are not going to be able to get a grip in the snow and you will be sliding all over the place. Depending on the amount of snow expected, you may want to consider special snow tires to get you through the winter.

Heater

If your heater is not working properly, defrosting windows in cold weather is going to be difficult. Your heater is also important to keep you and your passengers warm.

Windshield Wipers

Your windshield wipers will help to keep the windshield clear of ice and snow. If they are not working properly, it will put you at risk of an accident as you will not be able to see properly in bad weather. Consider replacing them just before winter arrives. If keeping your family safe and warm is your goal this winter, do not forget your vehicle. The above tips will keep your car ready to go whenever you need to go out in the cold.

What You Can Learn From the Professionals About Decorating

While everyone wishes they could afford to hire a professional decorator to decorate their homes, for most people, it is just not possible. Instead of looking like it should be in a magazine, the home becomes an array of mismatched items. However, just because you cannot afford the services of a decorator doesn’t mean your home cannot look like it was decorated by a professional. You can learn a lot from a professional about decorating by simply paying attention. The first thing a professional decorator will do is a walk-through of your home. On this walk-through, they are looking for a couple of things. The first is your preference in color. Walk through your home and see what colors that you have leaned toward. You may say that you prefer more earthy tones, but if you see brightly colored pillows and paintings on the wall, you may actually prefer the bold and beautiful.

A professional is also going to look at the things you have in your home. You need to do this with a critical eye as well. What is it that you have in your home that you really like? Is it the antique clock on the wall? The display of family pictures? You must then ask yourself the opposite. What do you have in your home that you do not like? Your first step is to remove the items that you really do not like and utilize the items you do like in your décor.

If you are unsure of what you like or don’t like in your home or you are starting with a clean slate, start looking through magazines and save the pictures of the rooms you like. This is going to give you a better idea of where you should start in decorating your own home. Many professional decorators keep a folder of unique decorating designs that they can show their clients so they can incorporate them into different looks.

You may still wish that you could hire a professional decorator for your home, but the one thing you can be certain of is that you can learn a lot from the professional by reading their blogs and magazines. The real key to your success in decorating your own home is to be true to yourself on what you like and what you don’t like. Too many times, people just decorate their homes based on what others like and they never actually put a part of themselves into it at all.

Tips for Stress-Free Holidays

As the holidays approach, the one thing you can be certain of is the fact that your life is about to become more stressful. Your home may suddenly be filled with people, and you find yourself without any time to get your long list of things-to-do completed. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to relieve yourself of some of the holiday stresses. The following are some tips to help you create stress-free holidays for your family members:

Don’t Expect Perfection Everyone bases their own holiday memories on those seen on television. Your holidays are not going to be perfect and this is what makes them so great. Know that you and your family will have a great time, even if the turkey was overcooked or you forgot to buy someone a special gift. Life will go on even if you didn’t do the perfect table display.

Prepare for Anything It is common for things to go wrong, even if you have done everything perfectly. You can prepare for anything; you just have to have a Plan B. For example, if you worry about people showing up unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, plan ahead by having a few extra gifts on-hand that you can give out. Having them wrapped and ready will mean you only have to write a name on the tag.

Get Others Involved Most of the holiday stress is because a lot of people hate to ask for help. If you are expecting twenty extra people for your holiday dinner, make it a potluck dinner. Ask others to bring their own special dish. Not only will it make you less stressed, but it will make them feel important. In fact, most people prefer to bring something when visiting so you will be doing them a favor.

Take a Break You also need to set aside some time to just take a break from it all. During the winter, your body is lacking the sun. Plan a special hike with your family to get some sun and to fight off seasonal affective disorder, which is common in the winter. Taking a break will put everything back into perspective for you.

You may have thought that you are prepared for the cold weather and the approaching holidays, but if you are feeling the stress, take charge and use the above tips to get rid of your stress. The holidays are all about family and fun so don’t let the small things ruin it for you.