Monthly Archives: April 2013

Outdoor patios tend to be neglected during the winter - after all, who would want to spend any time there in the cold and snow? Once spring arrives, however, you may find yourself having to do some work on your outdoor living space, and bringing the patio back to life is a great chance to make improvements.

Clean house
The first thing you'll likely have to do is clean up any branches, leaves and other items that may have accumulated on your porch or patio during the winter. Don't neglect the house itself, as winter tends to be harsh on siding and trim. If you have vinyl siding, lucky you - a light scrub with a soft sponge, warm water and a little mild detergent will remove any dirt. Be careful with wood siding, however, as some cleaning agents can hurt the finish or the wood itself. Consider renting a power washer or hiring a professional if your clapboard or shingles could use some sprucing up.

In with the new
If not properly stored,

With working from home becoming so common lately, many homeowners are creating home offices. Even if you don't work when at home, an office is a great place to organize bills, file taxes, write emails or just relax and read a book.

Small spaces
If you don't have an entire room to dedicate to a home office, you can still carve out a work-friendly nook in your home. HGTV notes that just about�any corner of your house can become a home office with the right accessories. Consider finding a seldom-used corner where you can install a few simple items, including a small writing surface and some minimal shelving. Since many work stations don't need much more than space for a laptop and a coffee these days, a little creative furniture arranging will help almost anyone carve out a spot. You may want to stay on the lighter side of furniture and accessories, as this will help you

If you're tired of your kitchen feeling cramped or uninviting but don't want to remodel the entire thing, there's good news for you - it can be done. With a little fresh paint and a few new accessories, you can have the kitchen you've always wanted without having to go through the costly renovation process of installing new countertops and cabinets.

Country kitchen
If you live outside the city or just want to make your kitchen feel more homey, try adding some fun, folksy decorations, notes Midwest Living magazine. Oversized, decorative serving trays, milk pails and stools all look great in wood and can easily be painted to match the decor you're going for. In addition to the customizable potential of this project, you can find these materials in retail stores as well as thrift shops, yard sales and flea markets if you want to save some money and make your

Spring is here at long last, which means it's time to bring the season into your home. With the burst of life, light and wonderful aromas that springtime brings, it might feel like it's hard to know�just where to start, so here are a few tips.

Flowers
Nothing says it's the beginning of a new season like some fragrant, fresh and colorful flowers. There are several ways to work flowers and floral patterns into your home. For starters, you can bring some flowers inside by either picking them, buying them or growing them yourself. While frequently going to a florist for healthy, vibrant flowers�may seem expensive, The Huffington Post recommends buying�less expensive bouquets from supermarkets and rearranging them yourself. If flowers aren't suitable for your home due to lighting, pets or allergies, you may want to consider using a sturdier, non-flowering plant�like a cacti or

Every fashion week, a few colors crop up among all the big name designer collections. This spring, that elite group of hues included nectarine, poppy red and bright yellow. You'll see these colors all over clothing stores, but you can also apply the fresh pigment to your home. Here are some ways of incorporating the fiery colors in your interior design.

Nectarine
What rhymes with orange? Luckily, decorating with the color is easier than rhyming with it. Citrus may clash with a lot of other hues, but, paired with the right accents, it can invigorate a room. Better Homes and Gardens recently�put together a collection of the best looking rooms that feature orange. In the spread, a lively take on the classic dining room pairs�chairs with bright nectarine cushions in�natural materials, white walls and yellow flowers in shades of varying oranges. The lesson here is to let the color stand on its own and keep the other fixtures in the room quiet. White walls keep the

There are tons of cute, kitschy products for your dorm room, designed specifically for college students. The selection is in high demand, so some are overpriced, but others are inexpensive - mostly because they're made of cheap materials and feature overused color schemes. These are furnishings that rarely make it out of the dorm and into your first apartment, either because they fall apart or look childish by graduation. You don't want to break the bank, but you want a stylish dorm. Save money by buying discount window treatments and scouring flea markets for mature looking decor. Here are some more ways to achieve a stylish dorm.�

Get "adult" furnishings
Rather than opting for the brightly colored polka-dotted curtains, buy well-priced window treatments�to maximize both privacy and the mature look you desire. A good set of

You love your pets and your home, but sometimes the two don't mix. Home decor is often based on a delicate balance of colors and placements and pets, who are often colorblind, generally won't appreciate this but here are a few good tips to  keep both in good shape.

Pet den
Oftentimes the best solution when a pet is damaging your home goods is to keep the two separated. This can be achieved by getting your pet to spend its time somewhere else, and one way to do that is to fill that designated area with things your pet loves. While cats may be a little harder to coerce, dogs generally like smaller, enclosed spaces where they can nap in peace, according to Better Homes and Gardens. To make a good space for your dog, try finding a large, empty cupboard or closet space you don't need and put a dog-sized floor pillow inside. You can even convince your dog to

Save the date! Thursday night at 9 pm EST, our DIY experts will be hosting a Payless Decor Twitter party. Southern Hospitality,View Along the Way and SAS Interiors will be talking about eco-friendly ways to make your home beautiful. They will be giving away FOUR Payless Decor gift cards! Jump in at 9 pm with the hashtag #PaylessSpring for some fun conversation!

Tasteful antique furnishings are coming back in a big way. Whether it's European-style�woodwork for furniture or detailed mirror frames that remind us of the days when practically every item in the home was like a work of art in itself. Here are a few items that you'll want to to have in your home this year.

Wood
Although it faced a decline in popularity in recent years, this old standard for�furniture and accessories is coming back. Items ranging anywhere from chairs and tables to cutting boards and wood blinds will be a strong presence in home decor this year, notes Homes.com. Even items that mimic the grained and weathered appearance of genuine wood are becoming more popular, so consider faux wood

Repainting a room is an easy way to completely overhaul the way the space feels, but choosing the right color can be intimidating. The color your choose will likely be there for a long time, so use these tips to gain a new source of inspiration.

Choosing the color
This is the big decision�for painting any room. Before making your choice, it's always a good idea to head down to the local hardware store and get a wide variety of paint swatches to get an idea of what�a room will look like. Remember, dark paints can make a room feel smaller while lighter ones may not leave much of an impression or make the room feel too big. Test the paint you want to use before doing the entire room - this could save you a lot of time in the future.

Each tone�comes with its own feel and mood. Generally speaking, yellow and blue�please just about everybody. The human eye is best able to