Do your flowerbeds and pots look like weed beds? Does the paint on your house look faded? Are your shrubs hiding your front door? If so, it may be time to boost your home’s curb appeal. Try these ten tips to help you improve your home.

1. General yard maintenance is the number one and least expensive way to improve your curb appeal. During the peak season, mow and edge about once every week or two. Add a new layer of mulch over your flowerbeds to help keep the weeds away.

2. Add a fresh coat of paint to your home. You can either tackle this job yourself by purchasing a paint sprayer or hire a professional to do the job for you.

Interior decorating just got a whole lot easier!

Drag and drop any image directly onto any surface in your plan including: art prints, posters, floors, sofas, chairs and other furniture. You get unsurpassed home decorating control of every surface in your interior design projects.

Makeover any room:

You become the Interior Designer as your experiment with any look you create. Whether it's a living room, family room, patio or home office, you control the type of flooring, wall paint, furniture, pillows, artwork, plants, windows, doors, and almost anything else you imagine. See how lights and shadows affect furniture and window placements.

Before talking to any contractors the first thing to do is create a budget for the project. Without a budget you will be flying blind and may end up over spending. Having a tight budget will also help you make decisions about what kind of fixtures, and materials to purchase. Most products have a wide price range and having a budget will help keep you in line when making buying decisions.

After you have your budget dialed in get three written estimates from three different contractors. Be sure the estimate is complete; getting a “written” estimate on the back of a business card is not a sign of a good contractor. Getting three estimates will enable you to compare prices from different contractors.

We have selected our favorite home decorating products for January. Be sure to browse this page for great ideas!

We have added a new resource to our directory - Real Estate. In this category you can find resources to help you purchase a home, sell a home, finance a home, and more.

We also have helpful real estate articles to help you learn about real estate buying and selling. Be sure to click on the link below to browse these great resources!

The Home Decor Exchange now has slideshows for all of our home and garden decorating pictures. Please click on the link below to view all picture categories.

We have added new products in our Garden Decor Marketplace. Be sure to browse our pretty and fun products today!

As a "Thank You" for being a HDE Connection reader, we would like to offer you four free eBooks. Simply click on the link below to download your free eBooks. You will need Adobe Acrobat to download eBooks.

We came across this beautiful faux painting technique and thought many of you might like to try it! Click on the link below for complete instructions.