There’s nothing harder than making a house a home. Seriously — how do you even do it? Where do you even get started? Sure, you can paint your walls and add carpets and accent with personal touches, but nothing makes a house feel more like a home than by keeping it cozy.

What’s not a to love when you walk through the front doors and just feel like you never left? Really, there’s no feeling in the world like it. And with baby on the way (or baby making his way through the house!), you’re constantly trying to make that “cozy” feeling come to life.

The trick isn’t in fancy wall decor. It isn’t in high-rise ceilings or toys scattered all over. The trick, friends, is in these five serenity-inspiring secrets. Your home will never feel warmer, never feel cozier — I swear! Bring the bliss back into your home!

Head on over to TheNest.com and check out the five tips you need to achieve your cozy decor dreams!

How do you keep your home feeling cozy and cool?

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Give Your Home a Luxury Makeover for Less Than $50!

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Picture this: you’re standing in the cleaning aisle of your local grocery store, eying down all 886 cleaning products that line the shelves and asking yourself What the heck did I need again? And then you’re also thinking, Isn’t there anything I can use at home to clean up with spending all this cash? We know, we’ve been there, too — and yes, there is! To solve your cleaning woes — we tracked down 9 products that women swear by — and never clean without! Added bonus? They’re all found in your home!

We’ve got the every day household items (bet you didn’t know vinegar could do this!), the specialty cleaners (they don’t call it a magic eraser for nothing!), and then there’s the products that you didn’t even know could be used for cleaning — but work wonders (swear!). Yup, we’ve got ‘em all right here!

Ready to take a look? Head on over to TheNest.com to snag the best nine home products you never knew you couldn’t live without!

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There’s no simple way to get organized when you’re staring down a room filled with clutter. Between prepping for baby, being pregnant and welcoming baby — you’ve got no shortage of extra supplies (or boxes!). The problem in front of you? Where to start.

Since you’re about to tackle the task of the century, we figured these helpful, early and simple secrets would help steer you in the right direction. (And let’s not lie — I totally need these hints!)

If you’re not sure what you’ll need, how to shop for storage, or which room to clean first, fret no more! We caught up with 20 experts who were eager to share their sure-fire remedies for your house. Seriously, these tips are so good we’re actually excited to sort through our stuff!

So, ready to learn? Our sisters at TheNest.com are ready help you become one of the most organized people you know! Hooray! Head on over to TheNest.com to read up on all you can before setting off to organize your space!

Happy organizing, Bumpies! You can do it!

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I’ll be the first one to say it: There’s a lot of clutter hanging out in my drawers. From stray pens and Post-it’s to tape and paper clips, it’s a mess in there. Every so often I think of a system to keep me organized, but I always revert back to my old (bad) habits.

Suffer from the same organization-o-phobia? Then you’ve come to the right place. It’s high time we gave our spare drawer space a vintage makeover on a penny price-tag!

The lovely ladies from TheNest.com tracked down a simple way to arrange and organize your junk drawers to keep looking chic and clutter-free — and as an added (free) bonus, you’ll actually STAY organized. (I know, let there be light!, right?)

The quick fix? Old cigar boxes that double as storage space. You can pick up these old containers at flea markets, antique stories, or even rummaging through your own basement for goodies. But, there’s more than that.

Ready to see just how easy staying organized can be? Head on over to TheNest.com to check out their 100 Days of Organization to pick up all the quick tips you need to get your space looking (and staying!) tidy.

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Stuff We Love: Design Tricks on a Budget

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Maybe you’re nesting, maybe you’re getting your home ready for baby, or maybe you’re already enjoying life at home with your little one. Whatever your reason, we know that spending all that extra time inside has got you thinking one thing: Decor!

Instead of harping on all of the things you can’t change about your home (either you don’t have the time, the money, or the stomach to handle all that renovation!), or daydreaming about the DIY projects you’ve been endlessly pinning on Pinterest, focus on the simple tips you can use to punch up the personality in your pad. A few easy tricks will give your space all the feelings of a full-on makeover minus the hefty bill. (We can see you waving your hands in delight!)

So, how can you give your home a revamp that won’t suck up all your time or all your spare change? Our girls at The Nest have 10 ways you can give your sacred space some TLC for UNDER $50. (Yup, we said under. This is real.)

Dying to see how to do it? Head on over to The Nest to check out these 10 accents you can add to any room of your home.

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Moms (and mamas-to-be!) we know that cleaning isn’t exactly high on your priority list these days, what with a baby (or baby-on-board) to take care of, your partner to spend time with, a job to be on time for, pets and family members to look after and the rest of life’s crazy needs to be on top of. That’s why our incredible friends at The Nest have made the fake guide to cleaning your home possible! It takes just about 30 minutes, requires minimal heavy lifting (carrying around a baby is heavy enough!) and it’s something you can do while baby naps, before baby wakes, or after baby settles in for the night. Tag-team the cleaning routine with your partner and you’ll only spend 15 minutes sweeping your surroundings. (This is real. I repeat: This is real.)

Now, a warning: Because this is the “fake guide” to cleaning (and cleaning fast!), we skipped over the deep cleaning, scrubbing of the floors, bleaching of the bathrooms and scrubbing of the toilets. Instead, we’re giving you all the must-do’s to make your abode look clean and tidy!

So where should you start? Well, The Nest suggests…

Start with Decluttering (which takes roughly 4 minutes)

Pass through key rooms, picking up the following:
– Catalogs, bills, and newspapers
– Pets’ toys
– Handbags and shoes
– Sports equipment
– Stray DVDs

What comes next? Head on over to The Nest to find out how you can fake a clean home in 30 minutes! (It’s true, we swear!)

Plus, more from The Bump:

Are Cleaning Products Harmful to Baby?

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After having a baby, lots of moms become extra mindful of chemicals in many cleaning products. Luckily, it’s easy (and inexpensive!) to keep baby’s clothes, toys and your home germ-free by making your own cleaning products.

These eco-friendly ideas are from the moms on The Eco-Friendly Family message board. The best part? You probably have most of these ingredients lying around in your kitchen!

For laundry

“For laundry, (I have a top loader,) I start to fill the tub with water and add vinegar, probably about a cup. Then I add about half a cup of baking soda. My clothing always comes out looking and smelling clean. And I promise the vinegar doesn’t make my clothing smell!” –JustSomeChick

“Instead of traditional fabric softeners, use ½ cup of white vinegar in softener dispenser per large load of laundry.” –kms34

For an all-purpose cleaner 

“Take orange peels or rinds and put them in a quart glass. Fill remaining space with vinegar. Let sit for around ten days, and then strain the liquid out into a spray bottle. This makes a GREAT all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar is a natural astringent and the orange makes it smell really nice.” –dmfan897

For DIY hand-sanitizer

“Mix 1 cup plain (natural) Aloe Vera gel, 1-4 teaspoons of witch hazel, 10-12 drops essential oils (you can use lavender, tea tree or lemon).” –kms34

To make your home smell good, naturally

“I just put orange slices and a cinnamon stick in the kettle, fill it with water, let it simmer, and add water as needed.  It makes the entire house smell great, adds a little humidity, and if it’s not eco-friendly then I don’t know what is.” -MrsLacy

“Leaving a small bowl out with vinegar in it can help to neutralize kitchen odors.” –JoeysLady

“Put essential oils in cheap vodka and use that for a fabric or air spray.” –ArmyQM

“I make my own carpet sprinkles using baking soda and a few drops of essential oils.  Sprinkle the carpet and vacuum it up. I’ve been liking orange and bergamot lately.” –AlabamaMamma224

For an eco-friendly bathroom cleaner

Try this recipe from user kms34. You’ll need:

1 2/3 cups baking soda
½ cup liquid soap
½ cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 clean 16-ounce squirt bottle with closing cap

1.  Mix baking soda and liquid soap in a bowl.  Dilute with water and add the vinegar.  Stir the mixture with a fork until any lumps have been dissolved.  Pour the liquid into the bottle.  Shake well before using.

2.  Squirt on area to be cleaned.  Scrub with a nylon-backed sponge.  Rinse off with water.  Keep cap on between uses.

Do you use eco-friendly cleaning products? Did any of these ideas work for you?