Care Even though the official definition of khaki refers to a color, many trousers are called khakis. Most are made of 100 percent cotton and are machine washable for easy care. However, many of today’s khakis also contain some synthetic fibers such as polyester to reduce wrinkling and the need for ironing or spandex to give the fabric more stretch. Khaki-colored fabrics are found in coats, shirts, and household items such as tablecloths and drapes....

Focus on your intention, couple it with these organizing tips, and the holidays will always be a time of joy. Foundational Tips for Seamless Organization Declutter Every Year Holiday decorations accumulate quickly and this first step is vital to storing your decor. As you are putting away your decorations, consciously decide if you need each thing. Does it still fit your style? Is anything broken? Do you have too much of something?...

Here are several locations where your home’s water supply can be shut off, and how to choose the right one. Turning the Water off at the Fixture or Appliance If a faucet is dripping or a toilet is running—or if a leak develops in a refrigerator ice maker, dishwasher, washing machine, or any appliance supplied by water—your first and best choice is to shut off the water right at that fixture or appliance....

Tampers are ideal for leveling dirt and mulch after planting shrubs and small trees, leveling and packing paver base before installing a paver walkway or patio, or even smoothing out gravel after heavy rainfall. With a few helpful tips, you can efficiently and effectively use this tool on your next outdoor project. Tamper vs. Digging Bar Though both tools are often referred to as tampers, there are big differences between tampers and digging bars....

There are many reasons that a feng shui practitioner might recommend hanging a feng shui crystal ball in your home. The best place to hang one in your home will depend on your unique floor plan and situation. That said, here are a few general recommendations for working with feng shui crystal balls. Activate a Bagua Area The feng shui bagua is one of the tools that practitioners use to evaluate and adjust a space when working with clients....

Earthy greens blend well with natural woodsy settings and are often used on bungalows and rustic shingle-style houses. Dark forest or pine green is a traditional color for shutters and trim on many colonial and Victorian-era houses. For a modern or art deco house, bright lime green can add pizazz. Add a touch of blue, and the color will turn a vivid turquoise. Choosing exterior paint colors is difficult, but the process can be fun when considering the global choices of green....

Whether you buy mass-manufactured wool socks or are lucky enough to get a pair of hand-knitted wool socks, the key to caring for them is understanding which type of wool yarn is used. This will determine whether the socks can be machine washed and dried or need to be hand washed. Superwash Wool vs. Virgin Wool Wool yarns come from the fleece of sheep; cashmere and mohair are derived from goats....

How to Wash Down-Filled Items It may be those horror stories about wet down that are keeping you from washing your own down items. But, they can be safely washed as long as you also dry them properly. For pillows and comforters, washing is important to curb allergic reactions. What seems to be a feather allergy could actually be a reaction to dust mites that have permeated the down. Washing will remove the mites and make the items usable for years to come....

In addition, ordinary windows can be made more resistant to shattering by adding a surface membrane that covers the window glass. This improves the shatter-resistant quality of the window, though not to the same degree found in genuine hurricane-resistant windows. Genuine hurricane-resistant windows are expensive, but they can be in good investment in regions prone to very strong winds. Description Like any standard window, frame construction on a hurricane-resistant, stormproof window can use aluminum or steel, vinyl, or wood....

1. Let Appliances and Cleaning Products Do the Hard Work Nearly every home has appliances that can do a great deal of the cleaning for us. When you start in on a session of doing chores (or even a binge-watching evening), load the dishwasher and start a load of laundry so that the appliances are working while you do something else. Pro tip: the dishwasher and washing machine can be used to clean much more than dishes and dirty clothes!...

These cute succulents are a hybrid of Sedum pachyphyllum and Sedum stahlii and are characterized by small chubby leaves that turn bright red/bronze in hot, sunny conditions. They can be grown successfully indoors as a houseplant or outdoors in the warmer climates: USDA Zones 9 through 11. In colder climates, jelly bean succulents can be container-grown outdoors in summer and overwintered indoors. As with most succulents, jelly bean succulents are low-maintenance and do not require much attention in order to thrive....

This species is native to east Asia and is also commonly known as the Chinese elm. It is often confused with the Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), but they are entirely different species and the Siberian elm is an inferior and invasive tree. While the lacebark elm has attractive fall color, its spring and summer color is not overly impressive, and its blooms are not stellar. What sets this tree apart, and where it gets its common name from, is the interesting exfoliating light and grey bark patterns it produces....

In This Episode We’re headed to Philadelphia this week to check out Linnea Bast’s amazing design studio. Once you see it, you’ll be immediately drawn in by the dark wood details and lush green plants everywhere. It’s simply gorgeous. Linnea, who’s name was even inspired by plants (it came from a book called Linnea in Monet’s Garden, which derives from Carl Linneas, who founded the way we name plants today), has a lot of them—over 140....