What Is Lamé? Lamé is a type of fabric woven or knit with thin metallic yarns and is produced in many designs, depending on the composition of the other threads in the fabric. Vintage lamé was gold or silver in color, but today you can find a range of colors from emerald to fuchsia to turquoise available. Lamé fabrics can be found on handbags, accessories, home decor, and even furniture upholstery....

Yet the battery in your smoke detector is the vital link between this ordinary yet sophisticated electronic item and the safety of you and your family. Without that battery, the smoke detector is useless. In fact, even a weak battery in a smoke detector may compromise the operation of the detector. Even electric smoke detectors that are wired into a home’s electrical system are equipped with a battery backup: This means that, even if power is lost, your family and home are still protected....

Actually, it is. Just ask the army of marketing execs who have poured millions into the research. Psychological studies, first conducted by advertising firms in the 90s, suggest that colors can influence mood and behavior, stimulate the brain and body, and even affect your little one’s health. Marketing experts have been using these findings to their advantage for decades. The decor at your gym, your day spa, and even your favorite burger joint have been specially designed to affect everything from your attitude to your appetite....

Stains from food and drink, pet hair, and dirt from kid’s feet are just a few solid reasons to clean your couch’s upholstery. Check the manufacturer’s label for proper care and cleaning, and follow the tips and methods below to have the upholstery on your couch looking good again. Know the Code Before You Clean Beginning in 1969, furniture manufacturers began adding a tag to help you determine the best and safest way to clean upholstery....

Shower curtains are exposed to bath soaps, body soil, and lots of moisture and humidity that encourage the growth of mildew. Learning how to wash a fabric, plastic, or vinyl shower curtain properly will extend the life of the product and keep your bathroom environment healthier. What You’ll Need Supplies Heavy-duty detergentDistilled white vinegarOxygen-based bleach (optional)Chlorine bleach (optional) Tools WasherDryer Instructions for Fabric Shower Curtains Repairs If a fabric shower curtain is ripped, it can be repaired by hand- or machine-stitching with a matching thread....

Unfortunately, accessories and small decor can also break a space. Decorative items are the most inexpensive way to freshen or add a new look to a room, but if a decorator is not careful, these items can quickly overtake the home. These simple tips for choosing, combining, and decorating with accessories can help you pull together your room like a pro and avoid the common mistakes many home dwellers make with their decor....

1. Set the Mood Instead of asking yourself what you want your space to look like, ask yourself how you want it to feel, and let that guide you toward colors, textures, furniture choices, and décor. A light and airy zen oasis might suggest minimal furniture and natural materials. An energizing, casual family space may include bold colors and patterns. Focusing on mood rather than a particular style or trend will help you to create an eclectic space that works for you....

Here are several effective and natural ways to get rid of house flies outside and inside your home. What Causes Flies? Why do you have so many flies in your house all of a sudden? Flies are creatures of opportunity with a great sense of smell. A warm place with rotting, decomposing food, ripe fruits (fruit flies), pet feces, or used diapers are the literal breeding grounds for flies. To get rid of flies in your home fast, find the fly nest in your house and eliminate the source attracting the flies....

Like poison ivy, poison oak vines (or shrubs, in some cases) are indigenous to North America. The former is more widespread but does not appear as often on the West Coast. Meanwhile, Pacific poison oak grows primarily on the West Coast, while Atlantic poison oak grows primarily in the southeast. Manual Removal Manual methods may be practiced at any time of the year, except during the winter in cold climates when the ground is frozen, while methods involving herbicides are best employed during the height of the growing season....

The ‘Miss Kim’ cultivar is considered a dwarf plant when compared to other lilacs, but compact would be a better description. ‘Miss Kim’ is a full-sized shrub that is more dense and less leggy than common lilacs. A newly planted ‘Miss Kim’ will also start to produce blooms sooner than a common lilac will. This lilac is usually planted as a potted nursery specimen in spring or fall. ‘Miss Kim’ is a fairly slow-growing shrub that will take three years or more to achieve a mature height of six to eight feet tall....

Like nearly all shrubs, azaleas are best planted in the spring, but fall is also an acceptable time—and it can be the most economical time, as garden centers are sometimes closing out stock at this time of year. ‘Stewartstonian’ is a slow-growing shrub that can take a few years to achieve mature size, but once established it can last for 40 years or more. Light Plant this azalea in a part-shade location in the southern part of its range....

The tiny leaves of an Arizona cypress tree look like scales and come in different shades of green in different varieties including gray-green and blue-green. The Arizona cypress is monoecious and both the male and female flowers are little, yellowish-green, and found at the tips of the branches. The tree is usually delivered as a young specimen that’s between 6 inches and 1 foot tall, which can then be transplanted to an outdoor site....