Whether you cut flowers from your own garden or pick up a bouquet at the local grocery store, flowers always look great inside the home. It’s a shame when our arrangements start to wilt and look withered after only a couple of days. Here are some tips for making those beautiful arrangements keep their beauty a bit longer.

<strong>1. Add a little soda.</strong> This may sound crazy but the sugar in sodas (clear ones work best) will help your flowers live longer. Next time you have a glass give the last sip to your flower arrangement!

<strong>2. Aspirin.</strong> A common and well-trusted method of keeping roses and other cut flowers fresh longer is aspirin! Crush up a tablet and dissolve it in the water before adding your flowers.

<strong>3. Boiling water.</strong> This trick doesn’t work for all cut flowers but hydrangeas for example are known to wilt quickly. If yours are looking sad, remove them from the vase, put them in some boiling water for 30 seconds. Replace them back into the vase and within a few hours you’ll see them come back to their original beauty.

<strong>4. Flower food.</strong> This one seems obvious but it certainly works! Typically flower bouquets will come with a packet of flower food but if not you can purchase some at your local flower shop to have on hand.

<strong>5. Just add ice.</strong> If your flowers are starting to droop, try cleaning the water and adding an ice cube. The chill will perk your arrangement back up in no time.

Watch the video below to learn a quick and easy DIY project that will add a crafty touch to your home…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6MYtr_tIxg?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Tomorrow is the fifth of May which means it’s time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
Go ahead and invite your friends over to enjoy the holiday together. We’ve come up with some great tips for hosting the perfect Cinco de Mayo party right in your home.

1. Nothing says Cinco de Mayo like a delicious margarita. Fill up some pitchers in your refrigerator with margaritas so you don’t have to stop and make each drink individually as guests arrive.

2. There’s no need to sit down and have a formal dinner. Instead, cook up some simple Mexican appetizers for your guests like quesadillas, taquitos and chips and salsa (don’t forget the guacamole!)

3. In order to feel like you’re in Mexico you need to dress the part! Head to your local party store and pick up some sombreros for your guests.

4. Create a great playlist of music to play as you mingle. Just hookup your iphone to some speakers and enjoy! Don’t forget the Gypsy Kings or Santana when you’re downloading your new tunes.

5. Create some entertainment for your guests. What’s more fun than a traditional pinata? Set it up outside and let your friends take a whack at it for the chance to win some candy or prizes.

With warm weather finally upon us there’s nothing we love more than to spend our time outside! If you have an outdoor space to use for entertaining friends or just relaxing after a long day at work, here are some great ways to get it ready for the season.

1. Pull out those outdoor cushions from their winter hiding place and give them a quick rinse with the hose. Let them dry in the sun and tie them back on their outdoor chairs and couches.

2. Have an outdoor umbrella? Make sure it still functions properly if it wasn’t stored indoors. The winter we had certainly was damaging! Give the umbrella a quick rinse and set it up now.

3. Bring the broom outside and give your patio or balcony a good sweep. Hose it down and scrub away any stains that winter left behind.

4. Dig out your planter boxes and pots and plan out where they will go and what floral arrangements you’ll be planting this year.

5. Like to eat outside? Pick up some plastic dinnerware at the store you can use safely outside! Already have some? Unpack them and start cleaning them up so they’re ready for the first night you want to dine al fresco.

Watch the video below to learn an easy DIY for Easter that the kids will love!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu5_gytnJDM?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Besides drinking green drinks and eating corn beef and cabbage what do you really know about St. Patrick’s Day? Here are five fun facts you can share around the dinner table tonight!

1. The word “shamrock” comes from the Irish word “seamróg,” meaning “little clover.” It is the symbol of Ireland

2. We all get decked out in green on St. Patrick’s Day, but the holiday was originally associated with the color blue. It’s thought that everything shifted to green because of Ireland’s nickname “The Emerald Isle,” the green in the Irish flag and the shamrock, or clover.

3. The world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in the Irish village of Dripsey. It lasts only 100 yards, which is the exact distance between the village’s two pubs.

4. St. Patrick was a Christian missionary, bishop and a patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Britain. When he was only sixteen, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity, working as a shepherd.

5. The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest parade in the world. It was first held in 1762 by a group of homesick Irish expats and soldiers who served with the British army.

It may not be here yet but spring is finally coming and we’re all ready for warmer temperatures! If you want to get a head start on the season here are some things you can do now to prepare.

1. Clean out your closets. If you are someone who stores your spring/summer wardrobe somewhere else during the colder months, start washing and organizing them now! Make room for them by cleaning out your bedroom closets.

2. Locate your screens. If you remove your window/door screens and replace them with glass in the winter, now is the time to locate them! You’ll want them installed the first warm day so you can welcome a spring breeze into your home.

3. Jump-start spring cleaning. Get ready for the season by doing your spring cleaning now! Throw out anything that was damaged during winter and get organizing. That way when warmer temperatures hit you can spend your time outside!

4. Find outdoor essentials. If you like sitting outside in the evenings start shopping for a new patio set! Already have one? Find and wash the chair cushions now.

Clutter doesn’t just build up in our homes and offices – it can collect in our cars too! Whether you’re swimming in piles of receipts or your toting water bottles and clothing everywhere you go, our cars can sometimes look like we live in them. Here are some tips to keep your auto looking and smelling brand new!

1. Make a rule not to eat in your car. If you’re someone who likes fast food or eating your breakfast on the way to work, start quitting this habit now! If you eat in your car you’re more likely to accumulate trash (think napkins, cups, straws).

2. Keep plastic bags in the console for trash. If you find yourself always piling receipts in your door or putting empty coffee cups in all of the cup holders, this tip is for you! Pull out a plastic bag and throw any trash you’ve accumulated into it each time you’ve finished your day. Bring the bag of trash into the house with you to get rid of instead of letting it pile up in the car.

3. Wash and vacuum on a regular basis. We tend to only want to wash our cars when the weather is nice, but it’s very important to keep them clean all year round. Salt can damage the outside of our cars and tracking snow and dirt in on our shoes will make the floors a mess. Treat your car to a bath at least once a month.

4. Stock up on air fresheners. Keep them in the glove box and replace them each time they get old. If your car smells nice you might be inspired to keep the rest of it clean too!

5. Don’t neglect the trunk. Sometimes our cars look clean, but that’s only because our trunks are full of all of our clutter. Don’t let the trash and junk pile up in a place you can’t see it. Instead, keep things you keep in your trunk (i.e. flashlights, cables, sports equipment) organized by putting them in plastic bins or boxes for storage.

Does your stemware look dingy? Do you want to clean it properly but you’re unsure how? Keep reading to learn how to clean those fancy wine glasses without getting spots or residue!

1. Crystal stemware should always be hand-washed. Glass stemware can be washed in the dishwasher on a gentle cycle.

2. Never let red wine sit in glasses over night. Pour out the contents and fill the glass with hot water if you’re not ready to wash yet to avoid red wine stains.

3. Always hold the stemware by the base when hand-washing.

4. Use a gentle sponge and mild soap or detergent. You don’t want to use anything too abrasive that could scratch.

5. Use a lint-free towel to dry the stemware off. If you let them air dry you will risk getting spots. Make sure to dry both the inside and outside of the glass and handle with care to avoid fingerprints!

Cleaning is a daunting task that seems to take up a lot of our time. We spend hours of our day scrubbing baseboards and washing floors and putting away clutter. If you want to save yourself some time use these five tips next time you roll up your sleeves for a day of cleaning house.

1. Use dryer sheets to clean baseboards. This goes for chair rail too! If you have a lot of dust and debris that’s piled up on the trim in your home, don’t bother scrubbing it down with soap and water then drying it. Instead, use a clean dryer sheet to quickly wipe up the dirt. The particles stick to the sheet and you’ll be moving on to your next task in no time. The clean smell they leave is just an added bonus.

2. Use a lemon to make your stainless sink shine. It takes a lot of time to scrub down a kitchen sink and usually we end up with streaks that make it look dirtier than when we started. We have to scrub to make the steel shine and use harsh chemicals. Instead, rub a lemon on the inside of your sink. It will clean away the gunk, make your sink shine and smell fresh.

3. Make a clutter basket. When you’re cleaning the house sometimes it seems like you’re spending the entire day putting things back into their place. Instead of picking up clutter multiple times a day, throw it all in your “clutter basket” as it piles up. At the end of the day make one trip putting away all of the items you’ve collected.

4. Clean your couch with a brush. Most vacuum cleaners come with a handy attachment that looks like a brush. Instead of constantly vacuuming your couch and pillows, remove the brush attachment and scrape for pet hair and lint. The brush will pick up everything including the unwanted stuff you don’t even see in a short amount of time.

5. Designate a day for bigger tasks. Some cleaning tasks need more attention, for example, the bathroom. Instead of doing a mediocre job of cleaning your bathroom each day, designate a day to do it. Once a week you should scrub your sink, tub and toilet really well and wash the floors and linens. Then you won’t need to spend so much time throughout the rest of the week.