Extend your gardening season by adding one of these 10 cool-season annual flowering plants to your garden. USDA Zones: 2 to 11Color Varieties: Blue, purple, pink, and whiteSun Exposure: Partial to full sunSoil Needs: Well-draining, alkaline soil USDA Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Bright yellow to deep orange, creams, and pinksSun Exposure: Full sun to partial shadeSoil Needs: Average, well-drained soil rich in organic material USDA Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Pink, white, coral, orange, red, and plumSun Exposure: Partial to full sunSoil Needs: Fertile, well-drained soil...

Her designs were light and airy, filled with French furniture, chintz, and animal prints. De Wolfe designed French villas and Hollywood mansions and wrote columns for home decorators. “I believe in plenty of optimism and white paint,” she said in her bestselling 1913 book The House In Good Taste (ghostwritten by a journalist turned decorator named Ruby Ross Wood). “But I think we can carry the white paint idea too far: I have grown a little tired of over-careful decorations, of plain white walls and white woodwork, of carefully matched furniture and over-cautious color-schemes....

The wallpaper features illustrations of retro-inspired pinup girls doing housework. On the ceiling is a fashionable, midcentury-inspired light fixture. Black granite countertops provide plenty of space to fold clothing. White Shaker cabinetry add gobs of storage space. Of course, the most efficient laundry rooms have a utility sink. Here it is a ceramic overmount with two chrome faucets. Note all the smart ideas that make the most of the narrow room....

Here are 10 tips to keep pests out of the house. Minimize Plants and Mulch Trim back any tree branches or shrubbery that touch your home. This helps to eliminate “bridges” that pests can use to easily reach your house and find their way in. Likewise, mulch in garden beds can provide ideal shelter for pests. So instead of using mulch in areas that touch your foundation, place less pest-attractive ground cover, such as rocks....

Here are 11 home office organization ideas to take your workspace from chaotic to clutter-free. The beauty of a cubby system is that it’s naturally neat, symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned. Slide decorative storage baskets into cubbies to hide items small or items that would otherwise look disheveled.

Most plants described as shade lovers actually are suitable for “part shade” locations. They will tolerate shade for most of the daylight hours, but they need some amount of sunlight each day in order to thrive. “Part shade” is defined by horticulturists as a location that offers 2 to 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. Plants rated for “dense shade” or “deep shade” are the only ones recognized to thrive with the complete absence of sunlight....

If you’re used to an environment where piles of clutter are everywhere, changing that pattern can seem impossible. But once you’ve gotten used to living clutter-free, the little choices you make to stay that way don’t feel like chores; they simply become a part of daily life. Here are ideas to get you started on the road to a clutter-free home as well as ways to maintain a clutter-free home over the long-term....

We all like to be safe, too, and to keep our house, our family, our pets, and our guests safe—even if those guests are only staying long enough to pick up some candy or sing a carol. That means that we want the lights, power cords, controls, and everything else associated with our outdoor lighting to be done with safety in mind. One thing that isn’t true about lighting and electrical connections in general but that many people believe is that a temporary setup can be done without much regard for whether it’s really safe, or “up to code,” or not....

Why Birds Migrate Differently While there are still many aspects of migration that are not fully understood, ornithologists agree that birds migrate to enhance their odds of survival. That may mean finding the best resources for successful breeding, taking advantage of different food sources, or moving to more suitable and safer habitats at different times of the year. Just as birds have different reasons for migrating, they also have different ways they accomplish these epic journeys....

Because orange is the most visible color in the spectrum, you don’t need to use a lot to make an impact—a little can go a long way. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways to introduce orange into your bathroom and create a sunny, warm space you look forward to spending time in. Photography: Stacy Goldberg Orange is a daring color to be sure, but it can also be a wonderful canvas for playing with even more daring shapes and textures throughout the room....

That being said, unless you plan on buying all your decor from a dollar store (no judgment here, there’s a time and a place for that too!) it can add up and get expensive quickly. If you’re looking for some stylish yet affordable Thanksgiving decor, look no further. Here are 15 affordable decor pieces for Thanksgiving that won’t break the bank.

Here are 15 DIY compost bins you can create at home. Under $5 Worm Bin from Attainable Sustainable Trash Can Compost Bin from The Spruce Pallet Compost Bin from Mike’s Backyard Nursery Wooden Compost Bin from Practically Functional Tote Compost Bin from Just Call Me Homegirl DIY Compost Tumbler from Kinda Crunchy Kate

When it comes to twin nurseries, less is definitely more. Having twins should mean double the fun, not double the stuff. While it’s hard to get around having two cribs, you’ll be surprised how much your little duo can share. That said, with space at a premium, keeping your design fairly simple and clean-cut is a must. Focus on function. With two babies to look after, it’s extra important to be able to lay your hands on what you need, when you need it....

Here are 16 self-care items to help you start your New Year off right.

The first step to testing the waters is to keep some of your accents light and airy. In this look from Studio McGee, gorgeous midnight blue walls are kept from overpowering the room when paired with white carpet and a white coffee table. Adding a rich velvet couch completes the look, and makes us yearn to cozy up with a book and a hot cup of tea. 

Who’s the Leprechaun? Looking for some leprechaun games? “Who’s the Leprechaun?” is a fun choice. To play, choose one child to be “it” and send her out of the room. The rest of the kids choose one of them to be the leprechaun. Play some Celtic tunes and have the kids start dancing. The leprechaun chooses an Irish dance move and all the other players have to follow along and do the same move....

Simply choose your favorite brand and scent or bring home the complimentary bars from hotels. Here are our 18 best reasons to keep a bar of soap handy. Fix Sticky Drawers and Sliding Doors When drawers or sliding doors won’t open smoothly, rub the bar of soap on the edges of the drawers or in the door tracks to make everything glide easily. Freshen Dresser Drawers, Closets, Suitcases, and Cars Before you use soap bars, get double duty by storing scented soap bars in dresser drawers, closets, suitcases, and car interiors to add freshness....

“Floor-to-ceiling shelving units are the perfect solution for small areas and will provide you with more storage space,” says ​​Anton Skarlatov, founder of Fantastic Handyman. “Such a cabinet or a bookshelf can bring a lot of harmony and comfort to a room. Moreover, the benefit of additional storage space will help you a lot with the clutter.” Whenever you decide that you would like to build such a shelving structure in your home, you need to think of all the purposes you need it to have and where you will place it....