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Home Decorating
Last-minute fabulous: quick tips for summer celebrations
The weather's warming up, and people everywhere are gearing up for the summer season. For many, with it comes the opportunity to enjoy outdoor parties and share great meals with friends and family. Preparing your home for summer entertaining doesn't need to be a lot of work; in fact, with a few quick tips, it can be down...
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Home organization for the busy household
Between work, school, children's activities, family obligations and travel plans, today's busy families are left with little time to keep their homes tidy and well-organized. With summer fast approaching, it is important for on-the-go families to realize that home organization does not have to be difficult or time consum...
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Think of lighting as art for your home
Lighting is possibly the most powerful tool you have when it comes to interior design. It does not make sense to invest in beautiful furniture, rugs, paintings and accessories if they are in the dark. The perfect light fixture not only illuminates a space - it is also a beautiful, decorative design element.
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Escape from reality by creating at-home retreats
Life is hectic. And although technology has made our lives easier to multitask and stay connected, it also means that no matter where you go, it's hard to fully escape. While traveling to a remote island to get away for peace and relaxation would be a wonderful retreat, you can easily avoid the hustle and bustle of your ...
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Decorative painting: How to transform a room with a few simple strokes
Paint can do more than change the color of a room - it can add texture, pattern and visual interest. Today's decorative painting techniques are simple and sophisticated alternatives to wallpaper, and a far cry from the dated sponge painting from years past. Whether you're a painting pro or a DIY beginner, here's how you ...
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Summer entertaining: Spend less time preparing, more time enjoying
There's no question why summer is the best-loved season of the year: it's all about fun, relaxation and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. So, it follows that homeowners don't want to waste a minute of those glorious months of sunshine. When planning traditional summer get-togethers, save time by taking steps to ensure tha...
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Sign of the design times for kitchens
The number of kitchen styles and design options for homeowners to consider during the building and remodeling process is enough to make a person go crazy. Avoid feeling overwhelmed by simplifying your options.
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'Techorating' trend harmoniously marries technology and interior design
Some interior design trends are hard to understand. That jagged piece of cement that is supposedly a chair or headache-inducing paint color may look great in the glossy pages of a design magazine, but would average people really want it in their own living room? Fortunately, one growing trend trend in interior design is ...
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Home decor evolution: Trends anyone can try for an instant update
Gone are the days when a stylish home and a busy family have to be mutually exclusive. Home decorating is hotter than ever and everyone is getting in on the trend. With an ever-increasing focus on DIY design projects, resources such as shelter magazines, design blogs, TV shows and online home decor retailers are making h...
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Small space solutions for the kitchen
Crowded cabinets, cluttered counters and nonexistent prep space. Sound familiar? For many homeowners, small kitchen spaces make everyday use and entertaining a source of frustration. While a small kitchen can pose many challenges, it doesn't have to stop you from enjoying the space. From a full scale home renovation to s...
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Five smart steps to maximize bathroom space
Five smart steps to maximize bathroom space
(ARA) - As today's housing market has homeowners fighting the itch to move, many turn to renovation projects to improve their existing spaces. Look at a homeowner's wish list, and the bathroom often tops the list. With its frequent use and endless potential, easy changes offer...
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Living large in smaller spaces: The shrinking, changing American home
Living large in smaller spaces: The shrinking, changing American home
(ARA) - The American home may be shrinking, but not the Great American Dream. Americans are still living large, just doing so in smaller spaces.
To some trend-watchers, the downscaling of the American home comes as good news. Architects, designers ...
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(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers. "Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military are a profound betrayal - a profound betrayal - of sacred oaths and sacred trusts," Hagel said. "This scourge must be stamped out." His comments came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to graduates at the U.S. ...
By Jeffrey B. Roth PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Fifty years after the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest of the U.S. Civil War, a survivor of that fight marched 200 miles from Pittsburgh to the site of the battle for a reunion attended by both Union and Confederate veterans. On Sunday, another veteran, Jim Smith, 70, of Hempfield, Pennsylvania, will start out on the same trek as part of the observation of Memorial Day, when Americans honor their war dead. ...
By Tim Bross ST. LOUIS, Missouri (Reuters) - Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in rural southeastern Missouri on Saturday, triggering the collapse of a highway overpass when at least a dozen rail cars derailed and struck a support pillar, authorities said. None of the seven people hurt in the fiery crash - two train workers and five people who had been in the two cars on the overpass - suffered life-threatening injuries, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said in a statement. ...