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Living Room Basics There are a few important things to remember when arranging living room furniture: Establish the focal point of the room and arrange furniture around it. In some rooms, the focal point will be an existing feature such as a fireplace or window, and in some, it will be something you bring in to the room such as a television. Use the furniture to create conversation areas. People should be able to comfortably talk to each other without straining their necks or shouting....

“How can one little human need so much stuff,” you wonder as you navigate your way through a maze of designer cribs—some of which cost more than your first car. “Where am I going to put it all?” Take a deep breath, friend. Whether you’re a devoted minimalist or just a parent with a limited amount of money and space, a minimalist baby nursery is totally within your reach. Not sure where to start?...

Owners can troubleshoot common refrigerator problems by using simple tools like a manual screwdriver and a cordless drill, and with parts that are easy and inexpensive to obtain. Clean or Replace Refrigerator Door Gaskets The soft rubber-like door gaskets may leak water at the bottom if they do not properly seal. First, clean the seal and the section of the refrigerator that the seal touches with warm, soapy water. If that does not work, replace the door gaskets entirely....

Large Pots, Vases, and Urns Check the booths selling garden furniture and decor at flea markets and antique malls for huge terracotta pots or concrete urns intended for outdoor use. For something less neutral, shop the import booths at flea markets (especially those selling Asian imports) for oversized porcelain pots and vases with bright colors and bold patterns. Whichever you choose, top it with round glass that’s sized for an end table or small dining table....

Nearly all 120-volt space heaters generate up to 1,500 watts at their highest setting, ideal for heating rooms between 150 and 300 square feet. What do you do if you have a huge open-concept space or spacious primary bedroom? I thought I’d need multiple space heaters or a professional-grade heater. That was until I discovered the Dr. Infrared Original Heater—a compact unit that claims it can heat rooms to 1,000 square feet in size....

The main joy of a Rieger begonia is its lovely flowers, so look for new plants with lots of unopened, tight, and healthy buds. Never let your Rieger begonia sit in water or spray the leaves directly with water. Both of these can encourage diseases that will kill the plant. Light Reiger begonias need bright, indirect light year-round. They are photoperiod bloomers, meaning the bloom is stimulated by the number of hours of light they receive....

The plant forms a large mound with grass spreading up to two feet wide from the center. It likes to grow alongside marshes, swamps, springs, wet ditches or ravines, and wetlands. It also does well in woodlands that have moist soil and at least partial sunlight exposure. Fox sedge tends to spread rapidly, so in the right growing conditions, it can be invasive. Fox sedge, like other sedges that grow near pasture land, may be useful as an additional food source for grazing animals in addition to their usual pasture feeding, but in general, deer don’t care to eat it....

Set the Scene One of the best ways to help younger children maintain their early childhood belief in the Easter Bunny is to engage them in the story of the rabbit. As with Santa Claus at Christmas, you can read an Easter book or watch an Easter movie. Ask your kids to leave a carrot and some water for the bunny the night before the holiday. Leave Clues After you’ve explained who the Easter Bunny is, here are a few activities you can do with your children or on your own to further the illusion:...

One of the more popular apple tree varieties, the gravenstein has been cultivated since the 17th century. It originated in Denmark in the early 1600s (it was proclaimed the “national apple”) and brought to the United States with German settlers in the 1820’s. Orchards were first established at Fort Ross in California. Today its apples are known for their versatility and depth of flavor. The trees are primarily grown commercially in regions such as Sonoma, California, but they are easy enough for anyone to grow on their property, provided you can offer them ample sunlight and plenty of water....

Peppers in the Capsicum annuum species can be either hot or what we call ‘sweet’. To be considered a sweet pepper, the variety needs to score near zero on the Scoville scale. All peppers are short-lived tropical perennials that prefer moderately warm days and nights and do not really start producing until 2 months into the growing season. Pepper plants all look pretty much alike, some taller and bushier than others....

Common Names for Lonicera Caerulea In addition to sweetberry honeysuckle, you may see this designated as honeyberry, blue-berried honeysuckle, edible honeysuckle, fly honeysuckle, blue honeysuckle, edible blue honeysuckle or bearberry honeysuckle. Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones This species can be grown in zones 2 to 7 depending on which cultivar you plant, making this an excellent choice for a fruit shrub in areas with lower temperatures. If you live in the colder zones, make sure that you choose a cultivar that is specifically noted to grow in those zones....

This is normally not a problem, since the cabinets come in an impressive range of stock sizes, and because a variety of fillers and accessories can be used to fill nearly every space. Standardized cabinet sizes are anything but limiting. Instead standard cabinet heights, depths, and especially widths make kitchen design far easier because the spacing is predictable. Base cabinets, wall cabinets, and tall specialty cabinets all have their own range of standard sizes....

With two large dogs and a cat in our home, trying to combat the messes our pets leave on the carpet often feels like an exercise in futility. We’ve tried other carpet cleaners, but they can be heavy and bulky, and not many of them can stand up to pet hair that’s trapped in carpet fibers. Enter Hoover’s PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner, a lightweight machine designed to remove the mess our furry friends leave behind....

Cost projections vary by room size, cabinets, flooring, countertop and counter, and any extras like a laundry room sink. Estimates assume that you already own the washer and dryer; that connections are already in the laundry area; and that walls will be painted. The cost of a laundry room will also vary based on the room’s placement in your home. For example, adding a laundry room upstairs may cost more than adding one in your garage or basement depending on the finishes you need to make it work with the rest of your space....

What Is a Succulent? Succulents are plants that store water in their leaves and/or stems in order to survive in arid climates or dry soil. Succulents can be found all over the world—from tropical rainforests, to scorching deserts and snowy mountains. Common types of succulents include cacti, echeveria, aloe, haworthia, hoya, sempervivum, sedum, zz plants, snake plants, jade plants, and more. Succulent Light Requirements The amount of light that succulents need ranges drastically depending on species....