College 101: The Best Football Stadiums, Easy Dorm Meals and More

Discover the expert in you.

By Rachel HornAug 21, 2012

The line of fans seemed to extend for miles, wrapping along the perimeter of the stadium. Students covered in cardinal and gold face paint yelled and cheered, reciting odes to their beloved team. Young children in pint-sized jerseys galloped ahead of their grandparents, an older generation of fans sporting team caps worn down by years of loyalty. I stepped past security and through the threshold of the stadium, entering a completely foreign and exciting world. It was the start of freshman year and my first college football game ever. Little did I know that after just one afternoon in the Coliseum, I would join the ranks of those diehard fans for a lifetime.

What’s your favorite college football stadium? Let us know in the comments below!

College-Bound? Get More Pointers:
A Guide to College Admission
Football Tailgating, First and 10
Easy-to-Make Dorm Meals

Read Previous: *NEW* Spark Board Pages Help YOU Shine

Read Next: 22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

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*NEW* Spark Board Pages Help YOU Shine

Discover the expert in you.

By Garineh MagarianAug 17, 2012

Notice anything different about your Spark boards recently? Well if you haven’t seen it yet, we suggest you hop on over to your Spark profile and check out your fabulous redesigned Spark boards. We know you will be pleasantly surprised to find some exciting new enhancements.

The redesigned Spark boards not only help you keep track of your projects as they come to life, but it also gives you the opportunity to brag a little (or a lot) to all your buddies!

What’s New?

You’ll now find that each of your board pages are arranged in a way that highlights all your hard work.  We’ve placed your idea images from the “Dream it” stage into a playful slideshow. By clicking on the arrows, you can see a steady flow of inspirational images that lead you to start and accomplish your project.

Next, we’ve blown up the images in the “Do It” stage to really emphasize the steps you took to complete your project.  Your images are more prominent on the page and will show your projects progress step by step.

Want to show off what you have accomplished (of course you do!)? Don’t worry—we’ll help you get the recognition you deserve. You can now pick a specific image that best represents your board for the cover photo. The image you select will also be the display image for any social network on which you choose to share your board. Now you can show off show off your hard work to all your friends (woo hoo!).

Don’t get too settled as the eHow team is constantly working hard to add awesome new features just for you!

Happy Sparking!

Read Previous: 20 Ways to Extend the Summer Fun

Read Next: College 101: The Best Football Stadiums, Easy Dorm Meals and More

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Spooktacular Spark Contest!

Discover the expert in you.

By Garineh MagarianSep 13, 2012

Goblins and Witches and Zombies, oh my! Halloween is around the corner, and it’s never too early to get crazy with crafts. This holiday inspires an array of spooky, comical, and even hair-raising ideas for decorating and baking, and everything in between. Who can wait to haunt their house or transform their kid into a bloodsucking vampire or pretty little princess?

For all you DIYers, eHow is thrilled to announce our first EVER Spooktacular Spark Contest!

Starting September 24, 2012, upload your Halloween ideas and projects to eHow Spark and enter for your chance to win.

How to enter:

Create your Halloween project on eHow Spark and title it “Spooktacular Spark Contest: (name of project).” It can be a craft, costume, treat, or decoration. The only limitation is your imagination.Tag your Spark board with “Halloween.”Upload photos of your Halloween project to show your progress and final product. We recommend using at least three images in the “Do it” stage and at least one photo for the “Done” phase.Send a link to your completed project to spark@eHow.com no later than November, 1, 2012, 11:59 p.m.

We will select a First, Second, and Third Place winner from the completed boards, submitted by the deadline. Entries will be evaluated on theme, creativity, and original content. All Spark board clips must be original images.

In addition to the pride that comes with completing the coolest Halloween project ever, each winner will receive an American Express gift card to put toward supplies for their next project. Winners will also be featured on the eHow blog, newsletter, and social networks.

Prizes:
First Place: $200.00 American Express Gift Card
Second Place: $100.00 American Express Gift Card
Third Place: $75.00 American Express Gift Card

Here’s the Spark board I made for my Halloween project: Spooktacular Spark Contest: Old Sign.

What project are you excited about for Halloween? Whether you aim to have the spookiest house on the block or make the coolest costume, share your ideas and get the eHow community talking!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States 18 years or older. Dates: September 24, 2012 through November 1, 2012. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds of winning, and prize descriptions visit http://www.ehow.com/blog/official-rules-spooktacular-spark-contest/.Void where prohibited.

Read Previous: Official Rules: Spooktacular Spark Contest

Read Next: Fall Fashion Focus: Runway Beauty, Men’s Boots and More

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35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

Discover the expert in you.

eHoweHow Now Blog35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

By Rachel HornSep 12, 2012

September is Healthy Aging Month, a time to think about ways we can implement positive changes to impact the future. It sounds intimidating, but it’s not about making giant lifestyle adjustments. Simple substitutions and additions to your normal routine could end up making a big difference! I just started walking to work (like really, just started—as in yesterday); it’s a built-in time for exercise that will save me money on gas and will leave me feeling a bit more sane (goodbye, Los Angeles traffic!). From cooking with fresher ingredients to trying out a new sport to wearing sunscreen every day, there are tons of ways to help the future you!

How are you celebrating Healthy Aging Month? Tell us in the comments below!

More Tips to Age Gracefully:
Beyond Your Face: Skin Care 101
Quinoa, The Grain You Should Be Eating
Saving Face: Skin Care Tips for Men

Spark Spotlight:
What’s for dinner? Easy, healthy broiled salmon!

Photo credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Read Previous: Time-Saving Tips to Kick Off Fall

Read Next: Official Rules: Spooktacular Spark Contest

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22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

Discover the expert in you.

By Diana CharkalisAug 29, 2012

When our family entertains, chaos ensues. That’s because our house has an open floor plan with little separation between kid space and grown-up areas. Video games with sound effects galore and impromptu wrestling matches compete with discussions about PTA politics or whether “50 Shades of Gray” is really worth reading. So this year we will celebrate Labor Day by actually working. It’s time to convert our spare bedroom into a playroom so that the boys can go wild with “Where’s My Water?” behind closed doors. And then maybe, just maybe, the parents will get a chance to discuss all that really important stuff in peace.

What’s been your most challenging household space problem and how did you solve it? Share it with us on Facebook!

More Suggestions for Your Home Improvement Project:
Conquer the Color Fan
10 Ways to Reinvent Your Space
Fall Landscape and Yard Care

Read Previous: College 101: The Best Football Stadiums, Easy Dorm Meals and More

Read Next: Time-Saving Tips to Kick Off Fall

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Templates: Beyond Carving Pumpkins

Discover the expert in you.

By Garineh MagarianOct 11, 2012

It’s hard to deny the magic of Halloween, when homes and people are transformed by spooky decorations,  glowing pumpkins and creative costumes. If you’ve always wondered how to create your own magical décor, you’ve come to the right place. eHow has all the necessary tools to start your projects right.

This season, we’ve added new designs to our collection of Halloween templates, including a wildly fashionable mustache, a happy hoot owl, and an eerie haunted house. Whether you’re a beginner crafter or an old hand, you’re sure to find a template that sparks your imagination.

During Halloween season, the most popular use of these templates is for carving pumpkins. However, you can use them for a wide variety of projects. Decorate a placemat or create a duct tape trick-or-treat bag or craft a throw pillow for the season!

Dave Johnson, eHow Tech Editorial Director, shows us how to take any stencil you like and change its size to fit any project. If you want to use a small stencil multiple times,  take a look at how Dave did that here. If you want to enlarge the stencil for a bigger project, you don’t need to head to the copy shop. Dave shows you how to use your home printer.

Here are even more ways to use stencils for your Halloween projects! Which one is your favorite?

These templates could be the perfect start to a project for our Spooktacular Spark Contest. Enter your Halloween Spark Boards for a chance to win a gift card of up to $200 toward your next project! Get all the contest details.

Read Previous: Are You Fall-ing For It?

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Official Rules: Spooktacular Spark Contest

Participation in the EHOW.COM “SPOOKTACULAR SPARK” CONTEST (the “Contest”) constitutes your agreement to be bound by these Official Rules (“Official Rules”).

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN THE CONTEST. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF WINNING.

ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Sponsor: Demand Media, Inc., the owner and operator of the EHOW.COM web site, is the sponsor of the Contest (the “Sponsor”).  The Sponsor’s address is 1333 2nd Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, California 90401.

Eligibility: To participate in the Contest you must be a legal resident of the United States or the District of Columbia and eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers and directors of the Sponsor, and its immediate family members and affiliates are not eligible to participate in the Contest.

Contest Period: The Contest begins at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 24, 2012, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on November 1, 2012 (the “Contest Period”).

Entry: To enter the Contest, visit http://www.ehow.com/blog/spooktacular-spark-contest/ during the Contest Period, (i) follow the instructions to create an online eHow “Spark” board titled, “Spooktacular Spark Contest: [add a name for your project here]”, (ii) tag your Spark board with the word, “Halloween”, (iii) upload your images onto your Spark board to show your progress and final product (you must upload at least three (3) photos in the “Do It” stage and at least one (1) photo for the “Done” phase), and (iv) send us a link to your completed project by emailing us at spark@eHow.com. All Spark board clips must be original images and all entries must be received by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on November 1, 2012. During the Contest Period, you may enter as many times as you like.

Prizes; Disclaimer of Warranties; Release from Liability: One (1) Contest First Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $200 American Express gift card. One (1) Contest Second Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $100 American Express gift card. One (1) Contest Third Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $75 American Express gift card.

No substitution or cash equivalent of a prize is permitted except that if the prize is not reasonably available, the Sponsor may substitute the prize with one of equal or greater value. All prizes awarded are subject to the restrictions and limitations noted in these Official Rules, on the prizes and/or included with the prizes and the winner must abide by all such limitations and restrictions. Winners agree to accept their prize “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.  The Sponsor has the right to resolve any concerns, questions, or complaints related to the prizes in its sole discretion. Each winner is solely responsible for any and all federal, state and/or local taxes, fees, and any other costs in connection with receipt of the prize.  IN NO EVENT WILL SPONSOR BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY WARRANTY, COSTS, DAMAGE, INJURY, OR ANY OTHER CLAIMS INCURRED AS A RESULT OF USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZE ONCE POSSESSION HAS BEEN TAKEN OF THE PRIZE BY THE WINNER.

Selection of Winners; Odds of Winning: After conclusion of the Contest Period, the eHow Spark team will in its sole discretion determine the First Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize winner from all eligible and qualified entries received in accordance with these Official Rules based on the following criteria:

(i) theme;
(ii) creativity; and
(iii) original content.

Winning entries will be determined based on a combination of the three factors listed above.  By participating in the Contest, you agree that the decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received. All decisions of Sponsor are final in all matters, including determination of the Contest winners, interpretation of these Official Rules, and awarding of prizes. PLEASE NOTE THAT EVEN IF YOUR ENTRY QUALIFIES YOU AS A POTENTIAL WINNER AT THE CLOSE OF THE CONTEST, YOU HAVE NOT YET WON A PRIZE. POTENTIAL WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR, AND MUST MEET ALL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS BEFORE AN ENTRANT WILL BE CONFIRMED AS A WINNER AND A PRIZE WILL BE AWARDED.

Notification: The potential winners will be notified by e-mail on or about November 9, 2012. If, despite the Sponsor’s reasonable efforts, any potential winner does not respond by return email within five (5) calendar days of the first notification attempt, or if a notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to any potential winner, such potential winner will forfeit his or her eligibility for the prize and an alternate potential winner may be selected. By entering and/or accepting a prize, you agree to be bound by these rules and to release Sponsors from any and all liability arising out of your participation in this Contest with respect to the awarding, receipt, use and/or misuse of any prize. If within five (5) days of notification a potential winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules or declines a prize for any reason prior to award, such potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner may be selected.  The Sponsor may select an alternate potential winner in its sole discretion from all eligible and qualified entries received in accordance with these Official Rules.

Distribution: Each prize will be delivered to the winner at his or her address in one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia. All risk of loss passes to the winner at the point of shipment.

Required Paperwork: Participation in the Contest constitutes permission for the Sponsor to use the winner’s name, likeness, city, state of residence, personal information and text, photographs, graphics or other works of authorship submitted in their Contest entry to appear on the eHow.com website, the eHow.com Facebook Fan Page and elsewhere in all media for advertising, marketing and promotional purposes without compensation, unless otherwise prohibited by law. Each potential prize winner may be required to provide  supporting documents (such as a copy of the winner’s driver’s license or passport) in form and substance satisfactory to Sponsor in furtherance of the representations, warranties and covenants set forth in these Official Rules.

Your Representations to the Sponsor: You represent and warrant that: (a) the information and documents (including all text, photographs, graphics and other works) you have submitted or will submit to the Sponsor in connection with the Contest are true, correct, and complete in all material respects and not misleading; and (b) you have never been arrested, indicted, convicted or pled no contest to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. You represent and warrant that any text, photograph, graphics, images, likenesses, personal information and other works of authorship that you submit in your Contest entry or entries shall comply with the eHow.com Terms of Use which can be found online at: http://www.ehow.com/terms-of-use.html.

Indemnification:  You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor and its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, successors and assigns, from and against any and all claims, demands, expenses, losses or liabilities including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s fees and punitive damages that may be asserted against or incurred by them at any time in connection with your participation in the Contest or any material or information submitted by you in connection with the Contest, or any use thereof, including, without limitation, those arising from any breach, or alleged breach, of the warranties, representations and promises provided by you in these Official Rules; or your or any third party’s acceptable, possession, use or misuses of any prize you win.  You have no obligation to indemnify the indemnified persons listed above if the loss or liability resulted from the negligence or misconduct of such person.

Technology Terms And Conditions: The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any damage to a Contest entrant’s computer or telephone system that is directly or indirectly caused by accessing the EHOW.COM web site or otherwise participating in the Contest, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, dropped or delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, misdirected, late, lost, damaged, or stolen entries; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet Service Providers, web sites or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, or difficulties, printing errors, clerical, typographical or other error in the offering or announcement of any prize or in any prize notification documents, or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information.

No Agency: Neither these Official Rules or the awarding of a prize creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, employee-employer or franchisor-franchisee relationship between EHOW.COM and you.

General Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Sponsor is not responsible for and is not liable for: (i) misdirected or delayed mail or e-mail; (ii) telephone, telecommunications, hardware or third party software malfunctions, failures, or difficulties of any kind; (iii) any condition caused by events beyond the Sponsor’s control that may cause the Contest to be disrupted, corrupted or terminated; (iv) any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of participating in the Contest or use of the prize; or (iv) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest. The Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify, in its sole discretion, any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the systems required to conduct the Contest or operate the Sponsor’s web sites, or who is otherwise in violation of these Official Rules. All issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the Contest entrants, shall be determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. All decisions of the Sponsor are final. By participating in the Contest, you also agree to be bound by the EHOW.COM Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. To the extent of any inconsistency between the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, on the one hand, and these Official Rules, on the other hand, these Official Rules control.

Any and all disputes will be resolved in the appropriate courts in the State of California, exclusively, and subject to the laws of the State of California. Should there be a conflict between the laws of the State of California and any other laws, the conflict will be resolved in favor of the laws of the State of California.

Winners List: To obtain a written identification of the winners, please send your request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to: EHOW.COM “SPOOKTACULAR SPARK” CONTEST, Demand Media, Inc., 1333 2nd Street, Santa Monica, California 90401.  Requests must be received by December 31, 2012.

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Time-Saving Tips to Kick Off Fall

Discover the expert in you.

By Rachel HornSep 04, 2012

Let’s face it—life can be hectic and unpredictable, and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. This past April was one of those times. It was the month of final exams, job interviews, graduation…and oh yeah, my birthday. Can you blame my poor roommate for putting off finding a present? Realizing she’d never make it to the mall in time, she logged online and headed for a popular deals site. Within minutes she found the perfect gift for me: a blanket she customized with a photo of my dog. I was ecstatic to receive it, she saved tons of valuable time by using the web, and my dog felt very smug about her larger-than-life portrait flung over the sofa. Approval all around!

What’s your favorite time-saving tech gadget or destination? Let us know in the comments below!

More Helpful Solutions to Simplify Your Life:
Short on Exercise Time? Why Walking is Enough
30 Minutes or Less: 15 Stress-Free Meals
Nannies vs. Sitters: The Scoop on Child Care

Photo credit: Svetlana Braun/iStockphoto

Read Previous: 22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

Read Next: 35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

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