When choosing a floor lamp, you should consider factors like the size of your space, your current decor, and how bright you want it to be. The Brightech Carter Floor Lamp almost seems too good to be true. Most floor lamps retail for hundreds of dollars, but this modern product costs less than $100. To see if this affordable floor lamp is truly a hidden home decor gem, we tested it out over the course of several weeks and evaluated its setup, design, and brightness....

Buddhist imagery can be used in the feng shui of your home as a spiritual reminder. The Buddha represents the potential for true happiness and goodness that is inherent within each human and every sentient being. If you want to take it a step further, select a deity to display in your home holding a particular mudra to enhance your spiritual aspiration. When it comes to feng shui, Buddhist imagery is not at all a requirement....

demaerre / Getty Images You could forget the box and opt for a dome home, like Solaleya’s Domespace model shown here. “Our designs are guided by nature’s spontaneous proportions (the Golden Number: 1.618) to enhance structural strength and promote a sense of well being,” claims the Solaleya website. “Think of a soap bubble,” explains Timberline Manufacturing Inc., another maker of geodesic dome kits. “A sphere represents the smallest amount of material surface area needed to enclose a given volume of space…The lower the total outside surface area (walls and ceilings) the greater the efficiency in energy use for heating and cooling....

The pretty and fragrant calamint flowers grow in small clusters and come in a range of colors, including white, purple, pink, and red. Known for being attractive to pollinators, calamint is well-suited to cottage and herb gardens, as well as perennial borders. Additionally, calamint’s tolerance of drought and poor soil means the plant is a popular addition in xeriscape landscapes. Calamint seed should be started indoors (or in a greenhouse) in early spring, and moved outdoors as seedlings in about mid-summer, once the plants have had time to develop a strong root system....

Most Refrigerator Doors Are Reversible In appliance displays, standard refrigerators are usually displayed as right-handed mounts. This is almost certainly because most people are right-handed, making it natural to reach for the door with the right hand, but of course, not all people are right-handed and not all kitchens are configured for a right-handed refrigerator.​ Unless the refrigerator has a built-in water or ice dispenser in it or a through-the-door unit, the door is probably reversible....

When planting Chinese juniper, make sure you pick a location that will fit the mature size of the plant, as this will minimize the pruning you’ll have to do down the line. Also, ensure that the location has excellent drainage and gets ample sunlight. If you’ve purchased a container plant, dig a hole roughly as deep as its root ball and twice as wide. Place the plant in the hole at the same level it was growing in the container, and firmly pack soil around it....

What Is Joint Compound or Mud? Joint compound, commonly called mud, is the wet material that is used for drywall installation to adhere paper joint tape, fill joints, and to top paper and mesh joint tapes, as well as for plastic and metal corner beads. It can also be used to repair holes and cracks in drywall and plaster. Types of Joint Compound All-Purpose Compound: Best All-Around Drywall Mud Professional drywall installers sometimes use different types of muds for different stages of the process....

When you are starting out, one of the most important choices is the type of beehive you’ll use. There are several types in use today and any one you choose will involve an investment of money as well as an investment in learning the techniques for that particular method of beekeeping. Most beginning beekeepers will opt between a Langstroth-style hive and a top-bar hive, but an increasingly popular form is the Warré hive, a modified, vertical version of the top-bar design....

A duvet’s cover can be the cherry on top of a beautifully comfortable bed, while poor cover design can also make it an annoying wrestling partner every night. The Coyuchi Organic Percale Duvet Cover brings high quality pure organic cotton to the bedroom. The best duvet covers stay securely fastened to the duvet, enhance comfort, and have the durability to withstand regular washing. I wanted to see if Coyuchi’s performance could equal the high price....

One of the most important things to do on Mother’s Day is treat your mom with the kindness and courtesy she deserves. Here are several things to do for Mother’s Day to help you make this one the best she’s ever had. Give a Bouquet Bringing a lush Mother’s Day bouquet beautifully arranged in a vase adds to the sweetness of the day. Add to Her Garden Give her a new flower, plant, or tree to add to her garden....

The Environmental Protection Agency says that the air inside your house might be five times more polluted than the air outside. Pollen, cooking fumes, fumes from cleaning products, pet dander, and mold spores can accumulate in your home over the course of day-to-day living. There are plenty of air filters, fans, and humidifiers on the market that claim to take care of all of these things, but the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool combines all those devices into one of the smartest and practical purchases....

But there are some devices that require no traditional junction box, for the simple reason that they have their own integrated boxes or enclosures for making the wire connections. Generally, these are devices that are mounted securely to a surface, allowing them to serve the same basic function as a junction box. What Junction Boxes Do A junction box performs several essential functions: Encloses the wiring connections and protects them from physical damageProvides a means for mounting the electrical device and securing the electrical cable(s) serving the devicePrevents accidental contact with live wires and terminalsProtects against fires by containing live wires that may come loose from the device...

Offer a Mix of Beverages By no means do you need to serve the entire contents of your liquor cabinet to your guests. Choose a signature cocktail to make—maybe a gin and tonic, a seasonal vodka drink, or even a fancy martini—and then offer wine or something bubbly (Prosecco is generally a crowd pleaser!), too. Some of your guests may show up with bottles of wine as a thank you gift, but it’s completely acceptable if you wish to save the beverage that they bring for another occasion....

Keep in mind, money is a symbol for abundance. When working with this feng shui bagua area, you may need to unpack and examine poverty mentality and other ways you identify with lack in order to open a pathway to receive prosperity. To find the wealth area of your home, stand at the main entrance looking in, and imagine a three-by-three grid laid over the space. The far left corner is the wealth area....

Since my daughter was a toddler, we’ve been hooked on watching hummingbirds. We used to see them now and again in our yard, but it always felt like a special occasion—until we installed the First Nature Hummingbird Feeder and put it to the test. Keep reading to find out if the super-simple (and super-affordable!) bird feeder was able to attract the lovely winged creatures. Design: Smart simplicity The design of the First Nature Hummingbird Feeder is simple, but it gets the job done....

How Holes Get Damaged Birdhouse holes can gradually be damaged just from simple use. As adult birds move in and out of the entrance dozens of times a day, they grip the edge with their sharp talons and rub against it with their bodies and feathers. Fledglings may also damage the hole by pecking at it as they wait for their next meal or explore whatever they can reach. Predators such as raccoons, rats, squirrels, or mice will also claw or chew on the hole to attempt to reach the eggs or chicks for an easy meal....

Flybar has been supplying kids with pogo sticks since 1918, when they were known simply as the Original Pogo Stick Company. More than 100 years later, the company is still taking kids to great heights with updates to their beloved toy. The brand’s foam jumper is specially designed to help little kids get their bounce on, outdoors and indoors—without damaging floors. But did it hold up to a 4-year-old and 7-year-old’s rough and tumble play?...

A person has spent 50 years on this earth and when they reach that birthday milestone there is cause for a celebration. Some cultures believe that reaching age 50 is an age that deserves special, respectful attention. In the Netherlands, a woman reaching 50 celebrates her “Sarah birthday” and a man is celebrating the “Abraham birthday,” both terms derive from the biblical couple. So if you’re looking for fun ideas for a 50th birthday, give some thought to any or all of the following ideas to show just how wonderful this milestone really is....