Problem: Article: Making sure there are good seals on the doors and windows leads to huge savings in energy costs. Insulation keeps your home from leaking cool air-conditioned air during the summer and warm heated air during the winter. Have a contractor inspect your home's insulation to determine whether it's efficient enough. Consider the attic, crawlspaces, basement, walls and ceiling. You may want to look into fitting your home with new insulation. Weather-strip your home by using caulk and weather strip in your doorways, windows and around window air conditioners. You can also purchase plastic sheeting to put over the windows during the winter. Heating water takes a lot of energy. It's not necessary to take cold showers, but being mindful of how much hot water you use, and how the water is being heated, can save a lot of electricity and money. Make sure your water heater is insulated so that it isn't losing too much heat. Consider getting a water heater that doesn't run on a continuously lit pilot light. Take showers instead of baths. Baths use a lot more water than showers. Take shorter showers. Spending 20 minutes in the shower uses up a lot of electricity. Sometimes it's unavoidable to use the air conditioner, but there's no reason to have it on from the beginning of spring to the end of the summer without ever turning it off. Find other ways to cool yourself down when possible. You save a lot of energy and money by keeping your home a few degrees lower than normal during the winter. If you get cold, put on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat.
Summary: Insulate your home. Use less hot water. Use the air conditioner less frequently. Keep your home at a low temperature during the winter.

Problem: Article: You can find these wreaths in the floral department of a craft store. The size of the wreath does not matter, but a larger wreath will be more visible once you hang it up. It will also allow you to use more items. Grapevine wreaths are different from evergreen wreaths in that they are made from wooden vines that are twisted together. Most people use wreaths for specific holidays or seasons, so start with that. Once you have your holiday or season chosen, pick out colors that go well with it. Here are some ideas to get your started: Spring: white and pastel colors. Summer: bright, tropical colors. Fall: red, orange, yellow, gold/copper, or brown. Winter: white, silver, gold, red, or green. Visit your local craft store and browse the floral department and seasonal picks aisle. Pick up items that match the theme and color scheme you have chosen, and ensure that they are proportionate to your wreath. Artificial flowers make great choices, but you can use other plastic or wood accents too. Here are some ideas for you: Spring: tulips, daffodils, Easter eggs, or bunnies. Summer: orchids, hibiscus, sunflowers, and other summer flowers. Fall: maple leaves, acorns, pumpkins, or spiders. Winter: pine cones, gingham, holly, or snowflakes. Grapevine wreaths have a natural brown color, making them perfect for fall and rustic themes. If you have a different theme in mind, however, you might want to spray paint the wreath a different color. Follow the instructions on the can to apply the paint, then let it dry completely. White is perfect for Easter, Valentine's Day, and spring themes. Silver and gold are great for Christmas and winter themes. Black is great for Halloween themes. You can find these lights in the fairy garden section of a craft store, although some hardware and garden supply stores may also carry them. They are battery-operated lights, made up of copper or silver wire and tiny LED bulbs. These lights are not the same as battery-operated Christmas lights. The bulbs are much smaller, typically the size of a pinhead. Secure the battery pack to the back of the wreath with wire or hot glue. Make sure that you can access the switch and batteries easily. , if desired. Cut a long piece of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6cm) wide wired ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around an undecorated part of the wreath, then tie it into a bow. Alternatively, you can tie the bow first, then tie it to the wreath with floral wire. The bow doesn't have to be on top or bottom of your wreath. It can be off to the side. Do not pull the fake flowers off of their stems, or you won't be able to secure them to the wreath. Instead, measure down 1 inch (2.5cm) from the base of the bud, and cut the stem with wire cutters. If you bought miniature flowers, such as forget-me-nots, baby breath, or chamomile/daisies, simply cut the branches off the main stem. Start with the largest flowers, then fill the gaps in with the medium and small ones. You don't have to cover the entire wreath. For example, you could cover just the bottom-right corner. Arrange the flowers in groups of three for better composition and balance. If you are only covering a small part of the wreath, place the larger flowers in the center, and the smaller ones towards the edges. In most cases, you should be able to just stick the stems through the vines that make up the wreath. If any flowers feel loose, use a small amount of hot glue to hold them in place. If you don't plan on reusing the wreath base, use as much hot glue as you want. If you wish to reuse the wreath base for other seasons, use the hot glue sparingly. This will make it easier to remove the flowers and insert new ones. You don't have to add these either, but they can take your wreath to the next level. Choose some floral accents in colors that match the rest of the wreath. Great options include berries and pine cones; a fall-themed wreath could benefit from pine cones and miniature pumpkins. Hot glue the items to the wreath as desired. If you are using berries, cut them from the stems first. They are typically sold alongside the other artificial flowers in a craft store.
Summary: Get or make a grapevine wreath in your desired size. Choose a theme and color scheme for your wreath. Purchase items that match your theme and color scheme. Spray paint the wreath if you wish the change the color. Wrap miniature fairy lights around the wreath, if desired. Create a bow for the wreath Cut the flowers down to 1 inch (2.5cm), if you are using them. Arrange the flowers on the wreath. Secure the flowers to the wreath. Finish off with accents and greenery, if desired.

Problem: Article: Use an orbital sander or standard sandpaper to sand down the area. Sand until the filler is evened out and it is level with the surrounding wood. Wipe it down to remove dust before painting or staining. Run your hand over the repaired area to see if it's smooth. Also, make sure you have filled in the hole and that it's level with the wood. Even if you filled in the hole completely, it may have settled out and left a depression or hole. If you haven't completely filled in the hole, repeat the process by adding more wood filler. Most wood fillers can be painted, but fillers may affect how the paint looks. If you use primer first, it can help even out the look of the area. This process works particularly well if you're painting a whole piece of furniture that you've repaired holes on. Once you've got the repaired area perfectly level with the rest of the wood, you can apply paint or stain to match the rest of the wood. If you're not sure of the paint or stain, you may want to test it first in an inconspicuous area to make sure it matches. You can also test stain on a piece of scrap wood.
Summary:
Sand down the area until it is smooth and even with the wood. Check that the hole is filled in. Apply primer if you're painting the area. Paint or stain the area.