By ROSEMARY SADEZ FRIEDMANN, Scripps Howard News Service

We have some great holidays coming up soon! Are you ready? Is your house ready, for that matter? Let's check out some decorating ideas.

Staging is the buzzword these days! When selling a home, it is suggested the home be staged for a better or quicker sale. The idea behind staging is to make the home look uncluttered and as professionally decorated as possible so it appears fresh and inviting to potential buyers. If the home is vacant, a professional stager will put furniture and accessories in to make the home more inviting.

It's time to talk about a good night's sleep. With all the stress we are subject to, a peaceful, relaxing sleep is health-restoring and rejuvenating. There are some innovative mattresses available to help achieve blissful sleep. Let's explore.

So, how does a professional designer design a room? They all have their own ways, but the basics are generally the same. I'm going to let you in on some professional methods.

It's never too late to get a dorm room organized and decorated! I know of many students who are still trying to get their pad in order, so let's start with the basics.

Raise your hand if you work from home. Aha! I knew it. There are many of you. Let me see -- one, two, three, 25 million, give or take. In order to be successful, you should have a well-organized, well-designed home office. So let's get started.

Remember the old movies where the actress or actor would slip behind a decorative folding screen to discreetly change clothes while still conversing with a guest in the room? Those quaint folding screens, also called privacy screens, are still in vogue today. They have many uses, and they're not necessarily related to apparel change.

A little idea can spark a big project, so here are some helpful household ideas to get you on your way.

Let's talk storage. And let's think outside the box -- literally. Perhaps we can get a little creative; after all, that's what this column is usually about, right?

Want a new sofa but can't afford one? How about a temporary fix that doesn't cost much? There is a new eco-friendly upholstery-fabric spray paint available that claims to "up-cycle" your sofa, chairs, pillows, lampshades and just about anything fabric you might have.