Online Features
Kitchen, Bed & Bath
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Five fast home decor updates with fantastic results
(BPT) - With the fast-paced lives people can lead today, often we strive for instant gratification to fit into our busy schedules. So when it comes to home improvement projects, wouldn’t you love an instant update for boring home decor? Fortunately, there are numerous fast fixes that can produce fantastic results. Try t...
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Use a fresh start to get organized with these tips
(BPT) - Whether you’re celebrating a new job, new house or new member of your family, fresh starts and major life events herald a time to rejoice. While you’re feeling good about a positive change in your life, it’s also a great time to get organized so you can focus on what’s to come instead of worrying about where to ...
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A guest-friendly home is easier than you think
(BPT) - One of the many exciting and sometimes stressful parts of the holiday season is entertaining at home with friends and family. To prepare for their arrival you may be tempted to just clean the kitchen counters, toss a few extra towels in the guest bathroom and ignore the rest of the house. Instead, your visitors ...
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Go with the flow to add flexibility to your home
(BPT) - Talk to any contemporary architect, remodeler, interior designer or homeowner, and you’ll find one of the hot topics these days is “flow.” Gone are the days of floor plans burdened by closed-off, claustrophobic rooms, each designed around specific functions.  “Today’s new homes and home remodeling projects em...
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Four fast fixes for a fabulous shower
For many people, the shower is an escape from reality ... perhaps the only "me time" in an otherwise hectic day. But if your current shower isn't living up to your relaxing expectations, it may be time for a facelift. Don't think you have the time or money? Don't throw in the towel just yet - an improved shower is withi...
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Four steps to a more beautiful bathroom
The bathroom is one of the most frequented areas in your home, making your choice of bathroom decor pretty important. Don't forget about this key area when considering your next home improvement project. With a few tips, you can take your bathroom from so-so to spectacular in no time at all.
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Bathroom design: It's all in the details
It's most likely one of the top reasons you've been putting off that bathroom makeover or remodel - you're not sure where to begin. What should the decor be like? Do you want a pedestal sink or a furniture-style vanity? Will you incorporate any water-saving faucets or fixtures? And, with all the decisions to make, will i...
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Eight ways to improve your home's energy efficiency through lighting
It's easy to instantly trim your energy consumption and boost the eco-friendliness of your home. The key to easy energy savings is lighting. Though for many homeowners and renters, knowing how and what to do to improve their home's lighting energy efficiency can be confusing.
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Color tips from the pros: How to bring bold hues into the kitchen and bath
Why is it that some people can do daring things with color in their living rooms or bedrooms, but stick with the strongholds of beige and white in their kitchens and baths? As bright hues are surfacing in kitchen and bath design trends, existing oft-neutral palettes make it easy to introduce bold splashes.
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Continuous hot water report [Infographic]
When Americans wake up in the morning, they want one thing: a good hot shower. A recent study commissioned by Noritz America, a tankless water heater manufacturer, showed that while shower styles varied, the demand for continuous hot water and strong water pressure is nearly universal. But so is the need to cut utility costs and save energy. Consumers can cut operating costs up to 40 percent and help ensure that every shower is a hot one by shifting from conventional tank-type water heater...
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Quick-change kitchen decor ideas make redoing a room easy
Falling out of love is a painful experience - especially when the love affair that's ending is between you and the pricey, permanent design changes you made as part of a kitchen renovation. While it's always easy to repaint if you don't like a wall color, more significant renovations - like cabinets and countertops, floo...
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Upgrading your kitchen from 'blah' to 'bling' for less
To design a kitchen that meets the multiple needs of today's modern family, including standing up to its daily wear and tear without breaking the bank, homeowners can transform their kitchens with a few tips and tricks from interior design experts and companies that have created more durable and affordable yet equally be...
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national news

A tornado touches down southwest of Wichita, Kan. near the town of Viola on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The tornado was part of a line of storms that past through the central plains on Sunday. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Travis Heying)By Chris Francescani (Reuters) - A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. By 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, more than two dozen tornadoes had been spotted in parts of Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local news reports. ...


Mon May 20 09:10:23 UTC 2013

Jodi Arias cries as she listens to Steven Alexander, brother of murder victim Travis Alexander, makes his victim impact statement to the jury in PhoenixPHOENIX (Reuters) - Jodi Arias, facing the possible death penalty for the murder of an ex-boyfriend in Arizona, was due back in court on Monday for the final phase of a four-month-long trial. Arias, 32, was found guilty of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed multiple times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. The same jury that convicted Arias of murder, found last week she had acted with extreme cruelty and ruled her eligible for the death penalty. ...


Mon May 20 08:41:03 UTC 2013

A farm sits in the distance near a corn field in RedkeyBy Tom Polansek and Mark Weinraub SHERIDAN, Illinois (Reuters) - With the U.S. spring planting season off to a historically slow start, an increasing number of farmers are counting on powerful tools to catch up: Monster machines that sow 36 rows of corn at once and feature high-tech innovations like computer-guided directional equipment. The technological wizardry from companies like Deere & Co and AGCO Corp is pitted in a frantic race against time, with farmers scrambling to get seeds in the ground because a slow start depresses yields and reduces the size of their harvest. ...


Mon May 20 06:04:59 UTC 2013
Less than a week after a string of tornadoes killed six people in north Texas, a massive storm system that tore through the center of the country on Sunday spawned at least a dozen tornadoes, killed at least one person, injured a dozen others and caused extensive damage from Georgia to Minnesota. A tornado at [...]
Mon May 20 08:28:31 UTC 2013