Nearly everyone I talk to these days is on a budget. Often a strict, no extras-allowed budget. But what do you do to keep your house looking great or to fix the mistakes left by the previous owner? What you can't fix right away can be artfully decorated over. So if you can't get the floors d...

Here are some tips so that your wall art will look stunning: 1) Fit your space. Don't overcrowd your wall area, but don't put too small art either. Think of the wall as the frame around your ... frames. Fit it appropriately. 2) Multiples are good. Unless you have one large piece or a small p...

If you have high ceilings, you typically will have an open space above your cabinets. But what do you do with this dusty, hard to clean, but empty, boring space? Check out Christy's Thrifty Decorating for her ideas on exactly what to do to change this space from boring to interesting.  See...

Ever wonder what it takes to get a IT system up and running as a nonprofit under 25 people? In these difficult economic times, it’s really important to get your act together regarding your nonprofit’s finances. When I started out in the tech industry in the 1990s, IT departments were sti...

Here are some tips for easy fix-its around the house. In some cases, you may not have even known these fixes were available, but they are simple ways to bring new life to a room or solve a problem without spending a fortune. 1) If one glass shade breaks in a ceiling fan light or in a bathroom light,...

Although Apple has not yet updated the iTunes Store front page to link directly to the desktop version of the iPhone AppStore, it can still be accessed with a little trickery. To access the desktop AppStore, follow these steps: Download and install iTunes 7.7, if you haven’t already Click on t...

Ever since  Kyoko kindly taught me how to use rivets I have been hooked on them. When you and your sewing machine are already on crappy terms because your bag has a ba-jillion layers (and that's before you've even attached the handles) don't empty your purse into the swear jar; rivet your hand...

Have you ever Googled yourself? No no, we mean the search engine– have you ever typed your own name into Google to see the results? Chances are you certainly have, just as most web savvy people have at some point in the recent past. What many readers may not know is that there are ways of mani...

I saw this idea while waiting for my son at the orthodontist's office. It showed how to take rag or cotton rugs (inexpensively available at Target, Walmart, etc.) and stitch them together to create a great runner for a porch. Of course the same principle would apply for a kitchen, family room or...

A market collapse, a cash crunch, and an IPO. I experienced it all in 2001. Now that another (even broader) recession is upon us, I offer my hard-earned lessons for “weathering through” uncertain economic times. (I write often about such topics my blog,Market Mine.) Back in 2000 I was ru...