How do you turn a house into a home? Tell us for a chance to win a $500 Visa gift card!

I think part of the reason I'm a fan of fall/early winter is because I can have the fireplace going and we fill the house with throws and pillows. I just like it to feel cozy.

IT WOULDNT BE A HOME WITHOUT MY FAMILY AND MY PETS I DONT SEE MATERIAL THINGS BEING WHAT MAKES UP MY HOME. I COULD LIVE WITHOUT THOSE THINGS BUT NOT MY FAMILY AND PETS!

I really like to focus on making fresh homemade food, particularly baking.

I really like to focus on making fresh homemade food, particularly baking.

We've always made it a point to hang things on the wall as soon as we move into a new place. Looking around and seeing photos of people I love always makes me feel like- "yes, this is my home."

Dawana
www.abittersweetexistence.com

always make any house seem like home.

I like to put pictures of our family, candles and crafts my children did to make my house a home.

I make my house a home by making sure that it doesn't look bare - we always have photos up of the people we love!

pictures and art prints that mean a lot to us.

You add all the personal items that have meaning.

A stocked fridge makes my house a home!

I make my house a home by surrounding myself with friends and family that I love. No matter where we are, as long as we are together we are home.

Thanks for the great giveaway :)

mrsjohnson1982 at yahoo dot com

Mimi@BoomerGrandparents.com

So easy....you turn a house into a home by moving your family into it.

I keep pictures of my family around the house and I try to make the house feel comfortable and cozy.

Bring a family into a house and it becomes a home!

In our house, we have things décorated in a contemporary way where it is inviting to guests and comfortable for the family. THe kids can play and romp and the pets run free.

Homemade cookies~I love to share :-)

I think pets really make a house a home. My husband and I have 4 dogs and 10 cats and are all cozy and snug. I can't imagine coming home to a house without pets.

with comfortable furniture and nice decorations

Turning a house into a home is easy with a lot of personal touches. Pictures, mementos, blankets, etc.. Fill the house with things you love, that inspire you.

I make my house a home by getting my kids comfortable bedding that they feel good in...we love down comforters and silky sheets...

I make my house a home by having lots of pictures all around the house.

madamerkf at aol dot com

Spending personal time with family and friends, sharing fun times and laughter...that makes a home. Thanks!

Everyone has always told me they feel like they're home when they come to visit and I don't think it's as much about what I put into my home or how I decorate it as much as it is how I welcome them into our home. My home isn't a showplace with perfectly put together decor and matching everything. it's more of a warm collection of the old and loves with the new and on sale. No one has to take their shoes off at the door (the dogs don't wipe their paws!) and I always welcome my family and friends to grab a drink or snack whenever they want! After all, it's all about relationships, love and friendship...all tucked under a roof.....that's a home to me.

by playing games with my family and cooking healthy meals from scratch.

You turn a house in to a home by putting up your pictures and making it your own by a nice cozy bed with your nice pillows and blanket.Make a home with your favorite things like my books and movies I love them. You can't forget that pet of yours they make your home I know my cats do :)
tishajean@charter.net

I remember buying my first home, and realizing that until I filled it with things I loved, it was just a place to sleep. After a week of unpacking STUFF, I went out to a local pet store and bought a kitten. From the moment she came home and jumped in hubby's lap, It changed everything. The rooms around us were suddenly a HOME full of love and movement. I now fill my home with children (including two stepchildren I'm adopting) and thrive on the chaos and chatter. :)

Thanks for such a great giveaway!
Tanya
spiderdevo8 AT hotmail DOT com

To me a house is a home when it is filled with family and friends and lots of good home cooking. I've got some bread baking right now.

Put up a lot of photos of family and friends and hang drawings that the kids made.

I make my home a place where my kids and their friends are always welcome. They feel at ease and can come anytime. I watch my grandkids and love when they come, too.
I freely give of foods I buy for them and little treats that let them know they are specila. We share alot-love and things that will bring a smile to their faces.

You fill it with love and children :)

the smell of home cooking is what turns a house into a home

first, we eat meals together...sometimes bake cookies and watch movies together. we go on day trips together...any more time together in a close knit setting like that and we'd kill each other. we center our lives on prayer and GOD and have faith that each day is a new day to start fresh. love tries to flow smoothly among us and we try to not let anger and resentment feed us.

of the people in it not the material things you put into it. As long as I am here with my family, I am home.

I look at it this way, a fridge full of pictures and art from my kids, the walls lined with game schedules and practices that I need to get them to, and maintaining the kool-aid house so that my kids and their friends are always close!

I think adding personal items like photos and momentos goes a long way towards making your house homey.

My husband would say all you need is a babe like the one pictured in the Coffee Mate ad next to you in bed ! LOL :) Hope I win....

What makes our house really seem like home is the smell of fresh baked bread. We don't buy much bread to eat. Instead I use our breadmaker about every other day. And the smell it creates in our home has made several visitors drool:) I love the welcoming scent it creates!

it just needs love, laughing together, some snuggles, and the aroma of good food and drink doesn't hurt either

What makes a house a home are the little pieces of you that you put in it. When you paint your bedroom but you don't know how to paint so paint is in placces where it shouldn't be...when you go to an antique show and buy something that reminds you of your grandma then you come home and find that special place for it...it's not the structure of a house, it's the memories of the home!

grace45241@yahoo.com

You turn a house into a home with a family and love. garrettsambo@aol.com

I love putting a pot of water with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves on the stove. I put the temp on low, and it keeps a great smell all through the house.

a home is a comfortable place to be, safe, secure. where being together and doing things together is more important than if the beds got made of if there is a dirty dish in the sink
singermagic1(at)yahoo(dot)com

I like to have things around the house that make me happy and that I like and ike to look at

Decorating it with my own personal style and putting up pictures of my family is how I make it a home.

I'm very into crafts, so I make my house (very small apartment, actually) a home by hanging completed cross-stitch projects or using throws, pot holders, or other things that I have knitted or crocheted.

Welcoming scents of favorite foods, baking bread and lemon cleaners bring back fond memories. Those same scents remind my family of our own good times. Friends who know they are always welcome to drop by to spend time or share a meal make family good times even better.

I make my house a home by NOT being an excellent housekeeper. Our house is definitely a home and not just a showcase!

I love to display lots of family photos. I think they really help to make a house feel like a home.

I make it look inviting. You don't want to walk into a house that looks untouchable. You want to have comfortable furniture for visitors to sit and relax in. I think a room should show that people live there and use that room. I make my house a home by making it inviting to the guest.