Katie Marks

Katie Marks

Katie Marks is a California-based author who loves finding cool life hacks, sharing them with friends, and diving headlong into craft projects. If there is a garden somewhere, you can probably find her outside playing in it. She also enjoys cooking, reading, and being a full-time nerd. Don’t be fooled by her profile picture: She is a person, not a vegetable, who has written an incredible amount of insightful articles for Networx.com.

Among her written works, Katie has written about Earthships, which are highly sustainable buildings created entirely from recycled and natural materials, typically integrated together in a seamless whole (see her article “Extreme Earthships in Extreme Places” for more details: https://www.networx.com/article/extreme-earthships-in-extreme-places). She has also written about dressing up a home with wainscoting, in which she recommends adventuring into using unusual materials such lincrusta, hemp, sewn paper, fiber, and mosaics, if you are wanting to achieve a more unique look than that of wood paneling.
(https://www.networx.com/article/dress-up-with-wainscoting).

For those wanting recommendations for the best paint colors for the exterior of their home, I’d suggest checking out Katie’s article entitled “Go Bold With Exterior Color” (https://www.networx.com/article/go-bold-with-exterior-color), where she provides images and slideshows of homes that take advantage of the more saturated parts of the color wheel. This article provides exciting ideas for color schemes for those who have too big of a personality to settle for painting the exterior of their home in a dull grey or beige hue.


Katie also gives simple day-to-day tips for activities such as storing food properly (https://www.networx.com/article/store-food-right) and starting gardens (https://www.networx.com/article/gardeners-start-your-seedlings), where you can really see her passion for gardening shine through her writing.

See more of Katie’s articles below for more life hacks, home improvement tips and gardening how-tos!

Photo: John Tann/Flickr

10 Uses for Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 21, 2014

Tea tree oil is one of Australia's most amazing exports (after Hugh Jackman, of course). This aromatic oil doesn't just smell great: it also naturally kills a number of microorganisms...

Photo: Sylvar/Flickr

Growing a Bee-Friendly Garden

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 21, 2014

Getting ready to pick up plants from the nursery this spring? Worried about bee deaths? You'd better think twice about the source of your plants, because you could unwittingly be hurting...

Photo: Fazimoto/Flickr

Green Cleaning in the Kitchen

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 20, 2014

Even if you're a dedicated housekeeper, the kitchen is one of those rooms that tends to attract messes. You can blame it on the kids, the dog, or the chef, but however you slice it,...

Pumpkin seedlings thrive under grow lights. Photo: Amy Gaertner/Flickr

Grow Lights: Great for Growing Indoors!

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 20, 2014

You might have heard people talking about grow lights lately -- including us, with our recent grow light bookshelf tutorial -- but do you know what they are? How do they work? Do you...

Photo: Martin Varsavsky/Flickr

All About...Textile Recycling!

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 19, 2014

Many households are pushing closer and closer to a zero waste goal, with the city of San Francisco actually setting a city-wide model for residents. If you can find ways to compost,...

Photo: Rita and Cane/Hometalk

DIY Recycled Door Coffee Table

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 18, 2014

I'm almost certain you can teach an old door new tricks, and Hometalk users have pretty well proved it with their wide assortment of reclaimed door projects large and small. One of...

Photo: Dave Nakayama/Flickr

Grow Your Own Mediterranean Diet!

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 18, 2014

Interested in adopting the Mediterranean Diet? Fresh whole foods can make you feel more energized, and they're a great way to fuel your body for whatever exercise you fancy, whether...

These radon pipes provide a safe ventilation route for the gas. Photo: Chris Peters/Flickr

Are You Up On Your Radon Safety?

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 17, 2014

Radon is a common threat to home safety that many people are not aware of, even though Radon Safety Month just passed. We might have dropped the ball in January (sorry about that),...

Photo: Oobleck! by Nathan and Jenny/Flickr

10 New Uses for Cornstarch

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 14, 2014

Cornstarch. It comes in a classic yellow box or container, you might use it to make pudding, it's great for making oobleck ... but did you know that cornstarch also has some handy,...

A home office comes to life with stencils. Photo: Cutting Edge Stencils/Hometalk

Upgrade Your Home, Thrifty Style

Posted by Katie Marks | Feb 12, 2014

Have you been dreaming of concrete-finish counters, a sleek panel wall, or some other luxury finish for your home, but goggling at the actual price tag? It can be frustrating to add...