It’s time to get serious about relaxing. If you really want to go on a big vacation with the whole family, then it’s time that you all start saving money with our 4 wonderful tips.

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Few things in life give you the satisfaction that creating something from scratch does. There are many DIY house decoration projects out there, but when it comes to lamps or lightning, people feel intimidated by the idea. You should not! Working with wires or anything electrical does require you to be extra careful, but it’s also very safe when you know what precautions to take.

There are a few guides that will tell you how to make a lamp out of anything safely, and once you have that part down, you will not want to stop. Here are a few lamps and lightning easy craft ideas for the home so that you let your creativity run wild. 

Find a suitable base

You can make a lamp out of almost anything! Almost being the operating word here, as there are a few requirements that an object needs to meet before qualifying as your next lamp. First of all, it has to be sturdy enough to stand on its own with the shade on top. Then, it has to be balanced so you don’t go knocking it around too easily, meaning top-heavy items are discouraged. It’s important to stabilize your base by filling it with sand, marbles, or even by affixing rubber stops to the bottom. Do this until there is zero wobble from it.

Get your materials ready

A lamp kit can be bought at most hardware stores and includes pretty much everything you need to make a lamp except the base. While you can buy them separately, getting them from a kit will make sure that they fit better together. In case you don’t want to (or can’t find) these things together, here’s what you will need: Detachable harp, #18 size cord, push-through socket with its shell, a finial, nuts, bolts, and washers. 

Set up the main body

You’re going to have to prepare the base for your wires to run through them. First, drill a hole wide enough for the cord to fit in and thread your cable all the way through and secure it on both sides. Next, secure the harp onto the base, running the cord through the small hall at the bottom. Now you have to screw the socket cap (where the lightbulb is going to be screwed on) onto the harp. 

Strip and tie your wires

Your cord is made up of two insulated wires stuck together. Pull apart the two cables about 4 inches down from the top part, then remove 1 inch of insulating plastic from each separate wire using wire strippers (a knife is not recommended unless you’re very skilled using it). The next step is tying the wires so that they do not fall through the hole and into the base of the lamp. Use any know that you consider good enough, provided that it’s tight and wide enough so as not to slip through the hole. 

Wrapping the wires

First, find the hot wire and the neutral wire. Your cord has a couple of ways of telling you which is which; the neutral wire is usually ribbed or white, and the hot wire is smooth or black. If you have doubts, refer to your lamp kit’s instructions. Take the previously stripped wires and wrap them clockwise around the bulb socket: The neutral wire goes on the silver/white screw, while the hot wire goes on the gold/black/dark screw. Again, check the manual if you’re unsure. You can tighten the screws with a screwdriver once they’re wrapped.

Finishing touches

It’s all smooth sailing from here. After you wrap the wires around the screws, put the socket shell over the bulb socket and tuck the cords so they’re not sticking out and let the shell fall smoothly into place. Attach the top of the harp to the bottom part and squeeze the sides a little while you slide them into place. Place your shade on top and secure it with a lock nut. Now, all you have to do is screw a lightbulb into place and you have yourself a new lamp!
As you can see, there are many easy craft ideas for homes, but almost none are easier than making a lamp of your own. From the classy to the outright nerdy, we hope that this guide helps you expand your skills and have lots of fun while doing so. And if you don’t think there’s not enough time with all your other chores, we can help you with those!

Are you tired of doing a million little things to save money every month to no avail? Our 5 tips on saving money with the big picture stuff will help your finances get back on their feet.

Even if you buy a couple of so-called indoor plants for beginners, you might find yourself with a dead plant in its pot a couple of weeks later, again! What are you doing wrong? Well, it could be a plethora of things. Each type of plant has a specific set of conditions that need to be met for them to thrive, even if they are “for beginners,” but they also share some fundamental needs that anyone can master.

We made this list of basic plant-care tips so you can learn how not to kill your houseplants anymore. It’s all about putting in some time, patience, and the right amount of everything. Good luck!

1. Watering and pots are the first steps

There are two skills that anyone who wishes to keep plants in their house should master: Watering correctly and using the right pots. Many experts agree that over and underwatering are the number one reason why houseplants die before their time, and pots play a big role in that as well. The trick is to stick your finger in the soil; if it’s dry, time for water, but if it’s damp, let it be. Once a week should be enough, but remember to only water near the root of the plant, as watering the leaves directly can cause them to stain or rot.

Moving onto pots, have you ever worn too-small shoes for your feet? It’s the same for plants! Pots are not “one size fits all”, and many types of plant will need to be re-potted as time goes on and their roots get bigger. Not doing so can cause your plant to become rootbound, which can also kill your plants.

2. Give your plant an occasional makeover

Just like people need haircuts and a shave once in a while, so do plants require you to give them a little makeover. If you see any brown leaf or withered flower, chop them off and let them rest on the soil so your plant can use them as nourishment. If you see any dusty leaves, clean them off using water and a soft rag that doesn’t leave residue behind. You might have heard about applying mayo to the leaves so that the shine beautifully, but that is safe only for naturally waxy leaves since mayo contains vinegar and can change the pH of your plant.

3. Location is key

The size of your plant should dictate its place inside your house. Bigger plants like a palm tree will need plenty of room to grow both upwards and sideways and a much larger pot than squatter plants. Other, less sizable plants might not look like they need lots of space, but while they can thrive in smaller pots, overcrowding them can lead to shorter lifespans, among other problems. 

Also, remember that even if you have an indoor plant, some of them require more light than others. Check if your plant does better in bright light o low-light conditions and choose a spot in your house where you think it will do better.

4. Water each plant correctly

You can absolutely compost indoors! If you live in an apartment or don’t have a big enough yard, you can follow these tips by Sustainable America to start composting indoors in a clean an efficient manner. And yes, it is entirely odor-free if you do it right, so don’t worry about funky smells lingering around when you bring people over. This will make your plants extra-healthy and won’t cost you a thing if you do it with your regular scraps.

5. Get the right soil for them

While most houseplants will do just fine with simple soil mix, some will need a specific variety to grow properly, like succulents and cacti. Its mostly boils down to how acidic the soil is, so the best thing to do is to consult with an expert (the people who sold you the plant should know) or read about it on an online database. As time goes on, you can try different soil mixes to get better results, but there really is no need unless you want to grow an award-winning orchid, for example.
The beautiful thing about keeping indoor plants is that they bring so much into the house while asking for so little. We are sure that these tips will help you keep your plants alive and well for far longer than usual, and you’ll become a master horticulturist in no time. And if you made a little bit of a mess during that las re-potting operation, why not let the professionals handle the cleaning so you can just relax?