Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 412

QVC Fashion Week Giveaway

Tomorrow is the official start of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 Collections! And to kickoff all the stylish fun I have a fabulous giveaway for our readers...

QVC is graciously giving one lucky reader $500 worth of Fashion Week goodies, which includes a Rowenta Mercedes Benz-Fashion Week iron and clothes from Bradley Bayou, Macr Bouwer, MOD by Janie Braynt (the costume designer for Mad Men...my fav!) and Isaac Mizrahi.

Leave a comment below describing your favorite outfit and I will...

Genius! The Stowaway Bathtub

I'm a sucker for good hidden storage ideas. I like everything in my home to have a place and be put away. (Not that that normally happens, but I'm very happy when it does.) So when I was catching up on my blog reading over the long weekend, a post on Apartment Therapy Chicago made me stop and take a second look.

 

Check out this bathtub with built-in storage:

 

 

I don't think it would be great for storing your day to day goods if you have a shower. You wouldn't want to drip lots of water under...

What My Dog Taught Me This Summer

The weather in Eastern Long Island was as gorgeous this summer as it was dreadful last year.  Walking or running with the dog on the beach, I felt far away from the siren-filled, humidity-ridden, horn-honking city.  I had a chance to relax and reflect.  But enough about me.

If my dog could talk, here's what I imagine he would have told me about his splendid summer.

1. I'm Easy to Please. As long as the windows are open and the wind is blowing, you can take me anywhere in the car, even to a shop...

Financial Questions Answered with Farnoosh Torabi

During the month of September, our Real Simple Family financial expert, Farnoosh Torabi will be answering a few of your family financial questions. If you have questions for Farnoosh, share them in the comments of this post: Your Money Problems, Solved with Farnoosh Torabi. And you can read more of Farnoosh's advice for Real Simple readers in the article from our 2010 issue of Real Simple Family: What Does It Cost to Raise Your Family?

 

Here are the first two questions and Farnoosh's...

Laura Evans Photography

Laura Evans is an American photographer and military wife living in Germany where her husband is currently stationed. She has a degree in photography and teaching experience as a photography technician assisting children. For the past five years, she has been freelancing and with her recent move to Germany, has been busy setting up her own business. She sells her whimsical fine art photography in her etsy store, which is how I found her, and I think her prints are very nice and that you'll...

Fabulous Fall Coats (Modeled By RS Staffers)!

Fall is creeping up on us...sooooo, in the October issue of Real Simple (page 230) we have rounded up the most fabulous Autumn/Winter coats!

To give you a better idea of what these stunning coats look like--myself and a few staffers hit the hot streets (yes, it was 90 degrees out when we took these...but just pretend it's a cool Autumn day) of New York City to show you just how awesome looking these coats are beyond the pages of the magazine.

Which one is your favorite?

Elinor Smith (Assistant ...

Easy Costume Makeup

Every Halloween, I struggle with costume ideas. Should I be a cat for the fifth year in the row (which involves throwing on an old dress and some Dollar Store tiger ears), or should I branch out and try something new? Usually, the cat wins out. 

But, this year, I'm putting my fist down. It will be different; I will be different. I have committed to a change...even if that change is minor. How might I be going about that? Good question. The tricks and tips below make getting a spiffy, festive l...

Make Sure No One is Stealing Your Wifi

 

In the October issue, our Solutions editors answered a reader question about how to ward off a Wifi thief. But you might not even know that you're facing one. So we enlisted the help of Best Buy Geek Squad Agent Ish Matos to show you step-by-step how to secure your wireless network, and how to make sure only your devices are connected to the network.

 

Here's his advice. First up, how to configure (aka name and set a password) your wireless network:

 

 

Second, how to check which devices ...

Why It's Time to Think About the Holidays

I'm one of those people who hates to walk into a store in September and see holiday decorations and wrapping paper. So why would I suggest someone think about holiday planning now, when many of us have just finished shopping for school supplies? It's a simple matter of the early bird saving a whole lot of money...and avoiding a credit card hangover in the New Year.

Here are seven tips to save money and reduce holiday stress:

1) Plan ahead, and be specific: When it comes to managing your money –...

Choosing Wallpaper

I'm moving in less than a month and I'm already planning things like what to paint, where to wallpaper and display and storage ideas...in my head, on paper, in notebooks, in Photoshop... I'm OCD like that (OCD = Outta Control Decorator). Thing is, there is SO MUCH out there to pick from these days and with so much on the market available that looks great, how do you decide? Well here are 5 ways to help you choose wallpaper, the current big decision that I'm trying to make. Maybe my tips will ...