I am constantly trying to take better photos and the key seems to be lighting.
These are taken in my living room at 10am with natural lighting. Since I am not a professional, here are a couple links here, here and my favorite photography site here, for some good tips. It's fun to experiment, go try it out!
These are edited with a PS action called Velvet Cream from The Coffee Shop Blog.
After running her action, you can adjust it further to suit your liking.