An upholstered headboard can create a big impact in your bedroom space – but it doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, making your own upholstered headboard on a small budget is an affordable way to anchor the room with unique colors, textures and patterns. Paired with other room décor touches, the headboard can be as much an accessory as a statement.

Headboards you buy at stores can cost as much as several thousand dollars, or more, but you can make them for a lot cheaper by hand. Now that I’m working on my second upholstered headboard, I’ve been doing some research on more current design trends that I plan to incorporate into my latest project. Here are some tips on what to consider as you plan your own upholstered headboard:

●      Sizing the fabric. The size will determine how much fabric you need and this is where most of the …

This post on the Mint.com Android application is part of a series of reviews on money management and home-related mobile tools. Today’s post comes to us from Jesse Michelsen, the founder of PFFirewall.com.

The personal finance management platform Mint.com has moved into the mobile platform space with apps for both the iPhone and, more recently, Android. As an Android user, I was eager to see how it stacked up to the Mint.com full platform  - and I wasn’t disappointed. The Android app has bundled almost everything that its full platform can do. The ambitious app has a tendency to slow down under the weight of all that processed information. However, that’s a small price to pay for the options available to those of us who are passionate about keeping close tabs on our personal finances.

Pros – Mint brings fully functional Personal Finance management to Android

Aside from being able to do almost anything …

As someone who once shared 350 square feet with another person, I’m particularly interested in finding ways to live harmoniously and stylishly in a small space. During the time spent living in tight quarters, I learned to be more efficient with using nooks and crannies for storage space, and became more vigilant about keeping everything organized and letting go of things I no longer need.

Turns out that I’m not alone in learning to think big with small spaces. The word on the street is that American homes are getting smaller. The average home now measures in nearly 100 square feet smaller than at its peak in 2007, and there’s reason to think it will continue to shrink. Another new trend swinging much farther to the “small” side is the tiny house movement, which has a slew of websites devoted to the art of living in tiny homes, some as …