Recycle Maps, Book Jackets, Magazine Covers for Wall Art

Holiday decorating is the perfect time to start thinking redecorate or remodel. While you're about the task of moving furniture and cleaning, make your work multitask. Plan your post holiday decor. Here are green, recycled options for wall art: maps, book jackets and magazines.

I am a map-ophile. I should have been a cartographer, surveyor or navigator in another life. I could stare at maps all day and now I can when I rehang maps as wall art or wall covering. Save old maps and pull out maps from National Geographic, Conde Nast, Smithsonian and other travel/culture magazines. I was given several years worth of National Geographic. Besides making fabulous lesson plan material for homeschool and my classroom, I collected about two dozen maps. Hang maps from different regions and time periods. Maps are large enough to use for entire wall coverings. Paper the den, office or bathroom with maps for a bold, literate decor. Green Spring Cleaning and Decor Tips: Recycle Maps, Book Jackets, Magazine Covers for Wall Covering 

Tightwad Mama's Common Sense Christmas Shopping

I have a long shopping list of people to buy for at Christmas. I buy several church giving tree gifts. I'm also a tightwad mama. Here are penny pincher shopping tips to save money, keep costs low and buy meaningful gifts for everyone. Lesson number one if you decorate for Christmas or any holiday, keep it simple. Make your own decorations. Use recycled materials. Print decorations from the internet. Make them with kids and old folks. Everyone wins. Read on Tightwad Mama's Common Sense Christmas Shopping Tips

Printable Halloween Party Decorations, Banners, Streamers, Table Decor

Hosting a kids' Halloween party? Looking for ways to decorate the house
for trick-or-treat? Want to decorate your classroom for Halloween? Here are free printable Halloween decorations. We got your witch, pumpkin, ghost, black cats, monsters, bats and more.   Free Printable Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Party Decorations, Banners and Streamer

Electric Paint Sprayer for Masonry Bricks

My husband is a jack-of-all-trades and master of some. His handyman prowess has saved us tens of thousands in repairs and professional services. So whatever new tool he needs or wants, he gets. He's very frugal--too much so, worrying about buying himself what he needs. I remind him that we're saving like 80 percent having him do it and he shouldn't cut himself short on supplies. His current big project is painting the house. We had the top half (wood) sided in aluminum but were advised to paint the bottom half which is masonry. If you're planning to paint any brick work, here's a tip: buy an electric paint sprayer. Why? Several reasons. Painting Brick, Masonry--Use an Electric Paint Sprayer

Appliance Cleanups to Lower Energy Use, Save Money

Home maintenance isn't just about decorating. You've gotta take care of that pretty house once you've done the work to make it nice. And appliance maintenance is an important part. Malfunctioning appliances can damage homes, cost you money, even endanger the family. We recently discovered a little disconnect that caused big problems with our air conditioner. Maintenance was nothing more than cleaning something overlooked. It costs energy and money when simple steps are skipped. Here are commonly-overlooked cleanups to improve appliance performance and save cash!  Appliance Cleanups to Lower Energy Use, Save Money

Prepping Walls For Painting

 In 2000, my husband and I bought a 100+ year-old home. In its long, colorful history, interior walls sported a plethora of coverings--paint, spackle, and wallpaper. Remodeling, we found four themes, the earliest dating back to the Twenties! We have become adept at removing wallpaper and treating walls. Here are tricks to remove wallpaper and treat walls, from 13 years of DIY home fix-ups. How to Remove Wallpaper: Easy, Cheap, Green 

Graduation Party Tips: Easy, Cheap Open House

For many of us, May and June will be taken up with graduation open houses. If you have a graduating child, here are tips for planning a cheap, easy open house buffet. This food planning guide is easy, inexpensive and will satisfy all your guests from toddlers to great-grandparents. If you are a Type A OCD ADD DIY parent like me, you manage the whole show and sometimes don't have time to relax and visit. Here are planning, purchasing, preparation, serving and clean-up tips for a perfect open house. I guarantee that you will be able to sit down and enjoy the open house and visit, knowing that everyone has what they need.   Graduation Party Food Tips: Plan a Festive Graduation Party Buffet Without Going Broke or Crazy!