Tausi Insider

Photo : Antonio Guillem ( Shutterstock ) Keep your phone out of your bedroom: That’s standard advice for good sleep hygiene , and I’ve never been able to do it. For one thing, it seems silly to go buy a standalone alarm clock when I’ve got a perfectly good one on my phone—and it’s more customiz able, anyway. For another, where the heck else am I going to put it? 02:15 How to Steam an Egg Wednesday 11:19AM 02:50 Chopping Basics Wednesday 11:09AM Yes, I know. There are smart, sleep-conscious individuals out there who create a little charging station in their living room. Alarm clocks are cheap; you can get one for literally two dollars at IKEA. And you’re probably fooling yourself if you think that scrolling your phone all evening is “helping you wind down,” or that scrolling all morning is “helping you wake up.” I know all this. But I still can’t be bothered to plug it in anywhere else. Fortunately, there is a solution, and it’s so simple I am embarrassed for all the sleep hack g...

Photo : Rawpixel.com ( Shutterstock ) Getting everyone together for holiday parties is a comforting practice as the weather gets chilly: Sharing meals and company can be the best part of the holiday rush, but finding a place for everyone to sit can be a challenge. Whether you’re fitting people around a table, or adding seats for evening cocktails, there are some simple solutions . 02:15 How to Steam an Egg Wednesday 11:19AM Before you run out to buy anything new, take a look around at what you already have. You might have an office chair you hardly ever use or a pair of stools pulled up to the counter that can be repurposed. You can use chair covers to dress up existing seats without adding too much clutter. If you get really creative, you can even use outdoor seating a cover . A picnic bench with a stretchy cover will add extra seating and no one will be the wiser. Add some stylish collapsible seating One staple for quick extra seating is the folding chair. These can be st...

Screenshot : New Africa ( Shutterstock ) Getting the tree just right for Christmas can be a satisfying project. Using a tree skirt will help to hide the tree stand and give your tree a finished look. A skirt can also help cut down on some of the cleanup if you have a natural tree by catching some of the needles. But f inding a tree skirt that fits your particular style at a good price can be tricky. L uckily there are some good ways to make and customize your tree skirt without doing any sewing. The tablecloth method The simplest of the no sew methods is to find a round tablecloth that you like and make a few modifications. Any round tablecloth that is a good size for the base of your tree will work . To make a tablecloth into a tree skirt, cut a slit to the center so that it can wrap around the base of your tree. To make your cut, fold your cloth in half once and then again so it’s a quarter of its original size and in a pie slice shape. U se fabric scissors to cut along one f...

Photo : Ambartsumian Valery ( Shutterstock ) At the end of a year that saw inflation reach a 41-year high , there may not be much (or anything) left in your annual budget to spend on holiday gifts for friends and family. If that’s the case, and you haven’t already done so, now would be a good time to talk to loved ones you usually exchange gifts with, and come to some sort of agreement about limitations—at least for this year. Whether that looks like a Secret Santa or white elephant arrangement, or a price limit on gifts, it’s entirely possible to give someone a personalized, thoughtful present for under $5, using a cheap picture frame and some creativity. Here’s what to know. What to put in the frame This gift involves framing a photo, print, image, or other piece of artwork or ephemera specifically tailored to that person that you know (or at least suspect) they’ll appreciate. There are so many options, you may not know where to start. Here are some suggestions: Something you al...

Photo : gpointstudio ( Shutterstock ) If you’ve ever been furniture shopping, you might know that you can take samples of upholstery fabric you’re considering home with you before you make a final decision on whether to buy. Much like you would with paint samples from a hardware store, these swatches can better help you envision how your new chair or couch might look in your space. B ut they have another use, too: They can help you tackle future stains. Here’s why you should stock up on samples before you buy that new couch. You can test stain-removal capabilities Photo : TausiInsider Next time you’re shopping for a new couch—especially one that is marketed as being “stain-resistant”—request some fabric samples from the retailer, take them home, and stain them on purpose to see which ones would be easiest to clean. Soil them on purpose with chocolate, fruit juice, dirt, or red wine. Next, try to get those stains out. ( Here’s a guide for removing chocolate , here’s a tip...

Photo : Lindsey Ellefson/TausiInsider I’m here today to make the case for a unique space-saving technique I have employed in my apartment for two years: Mount your TV to the ceiling. Do it. You don’t need a bulky entertainment center taking up valuable wall space; y our TV can simply float above your head, and look cool doing it. (But don’t tell Reddit, which will lambast you for placing your set above eye level . Live for yourself, not for the approval of mean people online.) What you need to mount your TV from the ceiling To get that “doctor’s office waiting room” look at home, you will need: A ceiling mount ( here’s the one I have , which cost about $28) An under-shelf wire basket like this one A drill Four to six hefty toggle bolts About 10 hole straps A bunch of s crews (I’m very technical) The key to success Follow the mounting instructions that come with your mount, and make sure you secure it well into a joist. I hired a pro for this step because I wasn’t sure of my a...

Photo : ASTA Concept ( Shutterstock ) While the idea of “passive income” sounds great, the term is usually misleading, as establishing passive income streams often requires a lot of work. While most passive income schemes involve starting a business or sinking some capital into investments, there are also ways to leverage your creative and artistic impulses: If you’re passionate about music, photography , or shooting videos, for example, you can turn those passions into income— even if you’re not necessarily a professional— by selling your work to stock media sites. Stock sites have vast collections of media that people pay to license for use in their podcasts, videos, websites, book covers, video games—basically any product that uses music , sound effects, images, or video very likely uses some volume of stock media (see the photo above as an example). And every time a photo or piece of music is licensed from a stock site, there’s a creator somewhere getting paid—and that ...

Photo : joserpizarro ( Shutterstock ) If you have a sweater you love but no longer wear , there’s another way you can give it a new life: Better still, you can give an old piece of furniture new life, as well. Adding some texture or color to a tired piece of furniture with this unique DIY is both simple and thrifty. You can create a truly one- of- a- kind piece with just a few tools by following these steps. To start o re-covering a chair seat, stool, or cushion, you’ll need a sweater you wouldn’t mind cutting up, some fabric scissors , a flathead screwdriver , a pair of pliers , a staple gun , and some upholstery lining ( if the previous lining is damaged or if there isn’t any) . How to remove old furniture upholstery lining Begin by turning your furniture piece upside down so you can see all the lining and staples or upholstery tacks. You will usually see some black or gray lining that keeps everything on the underside of the seat looking neat. Carefully remove the s...