Add a little ambiance to your home with these 13 upgrades
When you look around your home, does it make you feel relaxed? Comfortable? Maybe you’ve finally reached a point where you’re living in the lap of luxury.
No? Well, saddle up because all it takes is a new set of curtains here and an area rug there to make your home look radiant.
If you’re ready to add a little ambiance to your home, we’re prepared to help with these 15 small upgrades designed to make a big impact.
1. Functional and attractive
Honeywell Ceiling Fan via Amazon.com
Ceiling fans can make all the difference in a room, so when you’re ready to replace your outdated fans, or when you’re ready to install the first ceiling fan in your home, choose this Honeywell LED one. It’s available in bronze, brushed nickel or white, has a quiet reversible motor with three speeds and dual-finish reversible blades. Set an up or downdraft for optimal airflow and enjoy the visual appeal of this simple furnishing. The best part? You can control the settings with a remote, so you don’t even have to stand up to make adjustments.
Promising review: “We love the look of this fan, and it works pretty well in our home office. It was fairly easy to install … We are going to purchase a second set for our kids’ room.”
2. Create a relaxing ambiance
Creative Scents Dublin Home Decor Tray and Orbs via Amazon.com
This subtle addition to your living room, kitchen, or bedroom can generate a unique feel. The tray has protectors at the bottom to save your surfaces from scratches, and the heavy resin adds extra durability. These decorations will not rust, do not need to be shined clean and come in a gift box, so it feels like you’re receiving a present. The tray does have indentations for the orbs, so there is no risk of them sliding off and onto your glass table or feet.
Promising review: “These decorative orbs make a beautiful centerpiece. They look very classy and seem to be great quality. I added some glass stones to the tray to make sure the balls don’t roll off and break ( I have young children so nothing is safe). The centerpiece is exactly what I was looking for, and it matches perfectly with my table. They would make a very nice gift too! I would recommend this product.”
3. Add a little something
Nourison Aloha Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug via Amazon.com
Whether you’re generating a fun feel on your patio or want to spruce up a section of your home, area rugs are the way to go. This Nourison area rug is available in various colors, so you can either add a little color or stick with a classic blend of black, white and gray. These rugs are perfect for heavily trafficked areas and can be spot-cleaned. The pile height is .25″ and features low shedding.
Promising review: “This rug is awesome! It looks great, has been through the weather ringer from summer till December and still looks fantastic in color. Worth every penny!”
Online quiz HQ Trivia is back to give out money, take your mind off COVID-19
Updated 03/30/2020 – If you’re looking for fun ways to pass time during this coronavirus pandemic, there’s good news. The once-popular HQ Trivia app that closed shop in February is back online with new investors. Its most recent host, Matt Richards, announced the trivia app is back this weekend on Twitter and said if you’ve been waiting to cash out, you’ll be able to this week.
Some Amazon drivers say they can’t even hum along to their favorite tunes. And NFL fans, want to watch every game this season? Be ready to cough up $2,500! Plus, cellphone bans in classrooms and an illegal Navy Wi-Fi dish on a warship!
MILF (Man, I Love Football!) alert: The NFL is rolling out facial authentication at stadiums starting with Thursday’s season openers. The new system will verify the identity of thousands of staff, players and media. No scanning for fans (yet). Get your ticket scanned as usual on game day.
For a souped-up Land Rover Defender … that’ll probably break down. Fans of the Defender are modifying iconic older models notorious for mechanical issues. One guy dropped six figures (paywall link) to trick out his 1986 Defender. Meanwhile, his gas gauge still doesn’t work. 🤦
CES 2020 hits and misses from massive TVs to toilet paper-fetching robots
With CES 2020 finally rolling into Las Vegas this month, tech journalists and fans are going crazy over the plethora of new announcements and reveals. With all the new tech coming out, there’s bound to be something for everyone at the world’s biggest electronics trade show.
Flies are so annoying. You need these on hand at all times:
This telescopic flyswatter with a stainless-steel handle lets you find your nemesis without getting out the step stool. Get two for $6.99.
A six-pack of flyswatters (15% off, $10.16) means you can keep one in every room. They also come with adhesive hooks for hanging.
Keep flies out of your food with the holographic blades on these battery-operated fly fans. A four-pack is 36% off ($28.99). Putting this on my outdoor table, like, now.
For the outdoors, pick up this $10.49 Terro fly magnet that attracts, traps and kills a variety of flies, including house flies, barn flies and bottle flies.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
🏅 Putting the “pics” in Olympics: Olympians are turning to OnlyFans to make money while in Paris. Briton Jack Laugher says he only makes $36,000 a year as one of the top three divers in the world. Now, he charges $10 a month for fans to chat with him, ask questions and, of course, see some very spicy Speedo pics.
🍗 This week in deadly social media trends: “Mukbangs,” aka when an influencer livestreams themselves eating an obscene amount of food. A 24-year-old woman just died in front of her fans after eating 22 pounds of food in a 10-hour binge. The autopsy found a deformed stomach full of undigested food. Awful.
🌟 Celeb appreciation: Morgan Freeman thanked fans on X for exposing a TikTokker using AI to mimic his voice. The woman pretending to be his “nepo niece” (a relative who benefits from someone’s fame) used fake Morgan to narrate her day-in-the-life video. The clip pulled in hundreds of thousands of likes. Crazy.
SwiftTok: Here’s something you can talk to your kids about that will give you instant cred. TikTok now has custom features just for Taylor Swift fans. “Swifties” can earn rewards like a limited-edition profile frame by completing Swift-themed app challenges over several weeks. I named my Roomba “Taylor Swiffer.”
The age of Kabosu, the “doge” that inspired a cryptocurrency. The beloved Shiba Inu pup passed away in May 2024, leaving millions of internet fans to mourn her — and, at its peak, a $90 billion dogecoin empire as her legacy. In the aftermath of FTX, the price of dogecoin has fallen nearly 400%, but Kabosu lives on in the big Coinbase in the sky.
YouTube fans conspiracy flames as Notre Dame blaze livestreams
Open/download audioOne of the world’s most magnificent edifices, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, came close to being destroyed by a massive fire. That was news enough. But YouTube fumbled again. I’ll tell you all about it.
