Halogen bulbs seemed great at first, didn't they? In addition to being affordable, they also lasted forever -- a big plus in the days before compact fluorescents (CFLs). There's just one (big) problem: halogen bulbs give off lots of heat. So much heat, in fact, they can present a very serious fire hazard.

If you have halogen light fixtures or lamps in your home, be aware of their fire-starting potential -- and keep your home and family safe with the following tips.

1. Opt for CFLs. Consider replacing all your halogen light sources with compact fluorescent versions. CFLs – which are simply mini versions of the larger fluorescent bulbs we grew up with – use a whopping 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs.

I realize it is only July, but it is never too early to think about Christmas, or at least to get a head start on your decorating this year. If you are into recycling items some people would rather just throw away, then release the artist in you, and paint yourself some one-of-a-kind ornaments.

Since you probably throw away your old burned out light bulbs, I invite you to recycle them into handpainted Christmas ornaments, courtesy of Kraftykristen over on Craftster. Kristen cleans the bulbs with rubbing alcohol, uses acrylic paint to make a snowman, gingerbread man, or a Santa onto the bulb, and finishes up with an acrylic sealer.

Saving energy is important to the environment. Even the government is starting to get on board, recently passing a bill that will phase out incandescent light bulbs by the year 2014. And the buzz is that your energy bills will drop by approximately 70 percent from simply switching light bulb types.

Gives a whole new meaning to "changing a light bulb," doesn't it?

It seems to me that if I can save that much on my energy bill, then perhaps I should be looking for another type of bulb before the year 2014 comes around.

OK, as we all know the economy is in a downward spiral. The housing market is so far down the drain you can't even get at it with a plunger. The dollar has fallen farther and faster than Elliot Spitzer's trousers at a gentleman's club.

The only thing rising is gas prices. (Think mushroom cloud here) As a result we are all scrambling to find new and exciting ways to pinch pennies hard enough to make Abe Lincoln cry.

I used to do a lot of work on my previous car myself to save some money back in the day. When my wife and I purchased our '05 Touareg from VW I decided that with the new car, vast jumps forward in technology, and our economic stability, I would let the dealership deal with all the issues that arose. As economic fortunes have turned I have decided to start doing some easier things myself. Ooops...

We have all seen LEDs become more and more prevalent in our daily lives. They are as common as traffic signals in major cities (after the whole energy rate fiasco a few years ago) and power indicators on most items. They are also as frivolous as LED hats to support your favorite team.

Manufacturers and retailers are starting to see the future in LED items as well, as they realize that a lot of people are looking to save energy. People want to support being "greener," sure, but they also want to keep a few more dollars and cents in their bank accounts.

Here are a few items I have come across that demonstrate how LED products will continue to make inroads in new categories of retail.

When it comes to protecting our families from poisonous plants, we go about things wrong, all wrong. Backwards, in fact.

Yes, you are probably already aware that a great many common garden and container plants are poisonous to humans and/or family pets. But if I asked you to identify the ones posing the greatest risk to you and your family, chances are you'd be stumped, or perhaps hard pressed to name more than one or two.

Why? Because we learn about poisonous plants from our teachers at school, from books, and from television. We see pages and pages of photographs of toxic leaves and berries. We scan ultra-long lists of poisonous plant names. The nerdier among us (Ooh! Me! Me!) have tried and failed to memorize some of this mass of information.

Silly thing is, your own yard is the best starting point for learning. Once you feel confident in your own landscape, it will be much easier to branch out and learn about less well-known species, which I'll discuss after the jump. And check out my gallery below if you'd like to see some of the common poisonous plants growing in my yard.

I think it's safe to assume that you all know how to change a light bulb. What you may not know is how to change a broken light bulb. Broken bulbs that are still in the socket can be hard to change and very dangerous. A potato can be your saving tool.

What you'll need

1. 1 raw potato
2. 1 knife
3. 1 replacement light bulb
4. 1 bag for trash/glass shards
5. Gloves
6. Protective eye wear
7. Vacuum

The instructions on how to change a broken light bulb with a potato are simple, but you should pay particular attention to the safety tips. Next time you break a bulb in the socket don't mess around trying to pick through glass, just grab a potato and remove the bulb with ease.

Vote for your favorite DIY lighting project or just take inspiration from them and make your own. We've brought you the silverwear chandelier, and the wine glass chandelier, and we're back with more. These inventive lighting projects use everything from latex gloves to measuring tape to the infamous Slinky.

My vote goes to the globe lamp (pictured here). I think this would look great in a home office. Picture this one over a child's desk. I'd like to try it out with an antiqued globe for a bit of a different effect. The current leader is the latex glove lamp. It looks great too. You'll have some trouble keeping them inflated, but if you have an event in mind they would make great decorations.

There are 19 projects in total, go vote for the one that you like best.

This has to be one of the neater restaurateur-based projects I've seen in a while. For the food service owner who wants a little bit of whimsical originality on the inside of their establishment where customers dine, how about a chandelier made of spoons and forks?

Heck, this project could pass for the dining rooms of some homes, unless the homeowner would want to explain to dinner guests why utensils are hanging from the ceiling like bats in a cave. Still, to those restaurant owners or snack bar entrepreneurs who want to create a neat buzz with customers, this is a project that looks cool and easy, all things considered.

The picture to the right comes from British based lighting designer Ali Siahvoshi, but there would be many ways to make you own utensil chandelier. A possible list:

• A round ring of some sort, preferably with many holes outlining the circumference
• Many older (or newer, heh) spoons, forks and knives
• A compact fluorescent light bulb and some wire

You get the picture. Making it all look charming would be the overall mission.


[via Digg]

So you just replaced all your old, inefficient incandescent lights with nifty compact fluorescent bulbs. Good for you! But now what are you going to do with all those old bulbs? Here's an idea: hollow those suckers out and reuse them for all kinds of things. A hollowed-out bulb could be used as a makeshift beaker, fish aquarium, planter, hanging flower vase, or even, dare I say it ... a Sea-Monkey condominium! Before you can make any of these cool items, however, you'll need to learn how to safely hollow out a light bulb.

Before we begin, I should warn you that since we're dealing with glass, you should be extremely careful. Glass is sharp, even when it's a teeny, tiny little piece, so keep track of where the broken pieces fall, and do your best to clean them up. Please don't eat it.