with a new coat of paint to freshen up a room. If you own your home or have permission from your landlord, painting is an inexpensive way to brighten everything up and make it look newer. Take everything out of the room that you can and cover the floor with a drop cloth. Then, cover the wall in 1-2 coats of primer, let those dry, and go back over the walls with your chosen paint color.  Light colors will make a room look larger, so avoid very dark colors in a small room. Cool colors like blue and green are relaxing, so they’re a great choice for bedrooms. Warm colors are very inviting, so they’re great for living areas and kitchens.  You can even get creative by painting one wall a different color or by adding stripes, chevrons, or chalkboard paint to your walls. If you love the look of wallpaper but don’t have room in your budget, use a stencil to paint a pattern on your walls instead! If you have dark trim or wooden doors, you can paint those too for a fresh, updated look. Dated or ugly light fixtures can bring down the look of a room, even if you don’t consciously pay attention to them. If you can find a good deal on a new light fixture, changing it yourself is usually pretty easy. Just turn off the power to the room at your circuit breaker, remove the old light fixture, and rewire the new one. Take care to match up the negative and positive wires, then attach the new fixture to the ceiling with the provided brackets and screws.  Don’t feel that you necessarily have to buy new light fixtures. Sometimes, all it takes it a good cleaning or a coat of spray paint to bring new life to the light fixtures you already have. Adding a new shade or cover is inexpensive and can quickly update the look of older fixtures. If you don’t feel comfortable working with wiring yourself, it might be worth it to save up and have an electrician do the job. Bookcases provide a lot of practical storage, so even if you’re not in love with yours, it might be best to keep it. Luckily, you can give it new life by covering the back walls with colorful contact paper, wallpaper scraps, or even fabric. This will brighten up the bookcase and will provide a nice contrast to show off whatever you’re displaying on the shelves. You can also paint your bookcase, if you’d like. Paint it a different color from the walls to make it stand out, or paint it the same color if you want it to look like it’s a part of the wall. to your walls. Architectural trim, also called molding or decorative trim, can make a room look expensive, but it doesn’t necessarily cost a lot. Try installing it around your ceiling or floors, on your cabinets, or around your windows to create an upscale look on a budget.  You can even find stick-on molding, making this project easy and cheap! To mimic the look of moldings, add trim 6 inches above your floor trim and paint the gap to match the trim. This will give you the look of architectural trim for less than half of the usual price. Carpeting and rugs create a cozy, warm feeling, but replacing your carpet can be very expensive. Instead, look for sales on area rugs that match your theme or color palette for each room. If buying a new rug is too expensive, visit a flooring store and ask if they have vinyl remnants. These are pieces of vinyl left over from previous projects that are too small to re-use, but are often large enough to use as an area rug. To personalize the look even more, paint a design on the remnant with acrylic paints and seal with concrete sealer. Look for large mirrors at secondhand shops and home improvement stores, then install them wherever you need more space. Mirrors help create an optical illusion that a space is larger than it really is, so wall mirrors are a great touch in smaller rooms or narrow hallways. In addition, the mirrors will reflect any light that’s in the room, making it look brighter.  If you like the shape of a mirror but not the frame, try painting it! If you have an unframed mirror in your bathroom and can’t afford a new one, you can frame your mirror in by attaching moldings around all four sides.
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One-sentence summary -- Paint the walls Change the light fixtures in a room for a quick upgrade. Cover the back of a bookcase with contact paper to give it a new look. Add architectural trim Add rugs to bring warmth to a room. Hang mirrors to make a room feel larger.

Article: The worst mistake you can make is to walk into a comedy set completely cold. This sets you up for nervously laughing at your own jokes! Even the best comedians need to spend some time preparing what they are going to say.   Create a set list for yourself. Make a list of each joke you will tell. Think about transitions. How does one joke flow into the next? Is there some kind of logical progression? Keep in mind what kind of people you expect to see in the audience. Certain demographics will be more or less likely to enjoy certain types of jokes. An open mic at a church, for example, may not be the best place to try out very dirty material. Whether you’re the type of comic who follows a script or one who tends to free-style, rehearsal will always make your set better. Plus, it is the most effective way to stop yourself from laughing at your own jokes. Set aside time to run through your entire set 2-3 times before you take the stage.  The more times you rehearse your jokes, the more normalized they become, and the less likely you are to laugh. Be sure to time yourself. This way you’ll ensure that you have the right amount of material, and you can move through your set without concerning yourself with time. before taking the stage. Taking the stage cold sets you up for nervous laughter. Before you take the stage, find a way to warm yourself up, and release any “silly energy.”   Put on your favorite song and dance around making funny noises and goofy faces in the mirror. Laugh at yourself. Move your body, use your voice, and wiggle the muscles in your face. All of these actions dispel nervous energy and prepare you to tell jokes on stage effectively, without bursting into laughter. If you do a good job of making the people around you laugh, you won’t need to laugh to fill the silence. Prevent yourself from laughing at your own jokes by making other people laugh.  Use vocal variation. Don’t fall into a monotone delivery. Signal the punchline. Pause for a moment to let the audience know it’s coming. Use a call-back. Reference something funny you said near the beginning of your set near the end. Audiences love this. If you really want to strengthen your comedy and prevent yourself from laughing at your own jokes, the only true remedy is spending as much time as you can telling jokes on stage. You can’t perform once a month (or less) and expect to improve at your craft. Try to make it out 1-3 times per week.  Begin by seeking out comedy open mics. You can find these advertised at coffee shops or bars, or in a local entertainment paper. Open mics are where you can practice, connect with other comics, and gain exposure. If you do well at open mics, you will be invited to perform at more regular gigs.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Be prepared. Rehearse jokes. Warm up Sharpen your comedy skills. Perform regularly.