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1. Start with a Small Space If you’re a beginner gardener, start small. It’s better to be thrilled by what you produce in a small garden than be frustrated by the time commitment a big one requires. It’s also best to learn a few gardening basics before investing tons of time and money in this new hobby. You’ll get a feeling for how much time gardening takes. You’ll find out if you like spending time outside planting, watering, and weeding....

Interior stylist Lindsay Emmenecker recommends saving on accessories as well. She likes used books as decorative space fillers: “Turn your books backward to add a nice neutral texture that won’t compete with the valued pieces you want front and center.”

Milk Jug Watering Can Need to water a large potted plant, but don’t have a watering can? Simply make one yourself by drilling holes in the top front of a plastic milk jug, opposite the handle. Fill the jug with water and use on plants as needed. Wine Bottle Irrigator Don’t let your houseplants die because you forgot to water them. Our favorite self-watering hack is making an irrigator from an empty wine bottle—it’s super simple to do....

Although often used in rural settings, picket fences can be a useful, beautiful part of several garden types and settings, offering a range of practical uses and accents. Here are a few creative ideas to consider for picket fences. Place the picket fence farther inside property line. Many picket fences are sited right at the edge of a yard, in the slim space between the sidewalk and the property’s edge....

Japanese design, grounded in simplicity and a connection to nature, features clean lines, rough-hewn textures, a neutral palette, and minimal styling. For Keiji Ashizawa, architect and product designer of Keiji Ashizawa Design in Tokyo, the word that comes to mind is harmony. “We are trying to harmonize, always. We harmonize the color palette and the materials,” Ashizawa says, citing the importance of complementary shades and textures. Simplicity is also key, says Masa Kaneko of Crafits Design Studio and Ippin Project in Brooklyn, NY....

1. Make Milkweed Your Focus What flowers do monarch butterflies like best? The answer is easy: milkweed. Planting this hardy perennial is the best thing the average gardener can do to help monarchs. It is the most essential component of a healthy monarch habitat—the butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed, and it’s the only thing monarch caterpillars eat. Look for plants in the Asclepias family (such as Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias speciosa, Asclepias incarnata, or Asclepias curassavica, depending on the region where you live)....

We turned to Timisha Porcher, the DIY expert behind Toolbox Divas, to learn some of the most common woodworking mistakes as well as her tricks for success. “Yes, woodworking can be dangerous, but when it’s done properly and safely, it’s very empowering,” she says. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned DIYer, follow Porcher’s tips to avoid these woodworking mistakes. 1. Not Being Mentally Prepared You shouldn’t work with power tools if you can’t fully concentrate on the task at hand, Porcher says....

1. Have Fun with Fruit A fruit bowl is a kitchen island staple, but why not try something unexpected? Here, a vintage scale serves as a repurposed fruit bowl for a creative yet functional piece of kitchen island decor. Flea market accessories add charm and warmth to a modern kitchen. Less is more, so keep decorative objects to a minimum to avoid an overcluttered worktop. That way your innovative fruit display doesn’t compete for attention (or counter space)....

Best Foods for Gut Health If you’re regularly reaching for antacids to combat upset stomach, bloating or gas, take a step back to look at what you eat and try adding these good foods for gut health to your meal plan. 1. Yogurt (and Other Fermented Foods) In the past few years, you probably started hearing more about probiotics (live microorganisms) and the benefits of its “good bacteria.” The truth is, those probiotics are beneficial to gut health in addition to helping boost your immune system....

Buy It: 9x13-Inch Cake Pan ($5, Target) Buy It: Pyrex Baking Dish ($17, Walmart) Buy It: KitchenAid Pastry Blender ($14, Target)

Handle with Care To maximize the life of your carved pumpkins, try your best to keep your hands off them. The only time you should touch your fruit is when you pick it, when you unload it from your car, and when you clean it. After you pick the best pumpkin in the patch, pick the pumpkin up around the fruit instead of gripping the stem—a broken stem means a shorter pumpkin life....

Not only is an unorganized fridge unpleasant to look at, but it can also hurt your wallet if you let food expire simply because you never saw it on the shelf. These under-$30 organizers separate refrigerated items into bins that are easy to see into as well as to grab and clean. From stackable produce bins to lazy Susans, and freezer racks, these affordable storage solutions instantly organize your fridge and make it simple to keep tidy, too....

And after adjusting some Christmas traditions over the past few years, we’ve found that the pandemic didn’t just change the way we celebrate the holidays, it also changed the way we decorate for them. Many people are skipping the traditional red and green decor for playful, nontraditional accents. Others are embracing the nostalgia of the season, decorating with vintage Christmas decorations and retro-inspired accents. With so many possibilities, we’re more excited than ever to bust out the ornaments and start wrapping gifts....

Test Kitchen Tip: Get a headstart on this stuffed crescent roll recipe by purchasing prepared hard-cooked eggs. (Or if time allows, choose your favorite from our top four ways to hard-boil eggs at home.)

How to Grow Ferns in Your Garden Plant ferns in part to full shade and rich, well-drained soil. In all climates, they need protection from afternoon sun to prevent drying and leaf scorch. Ferns can reach 12 inches to 6 feet tall, depending on the type and growing conditions. Most prefer rich, humus-filled soil, so make sure to mix compost into planting holes and cover them annually with 2 inches of organic mulch....

If mom would rather stay in, plan an at-home spa day for the two of you, or snuggle up for a movie marathon on the couch. If you can’t celebrate in person, plan a virtual cooking date, or host a virtual game night for you, your mom, and a handful of other mom-daughter friends. No matter what you do, you’ll appreciate the extra time spent together—and it may even inspire an annual tradition....

A full-service (on-location) designer visits your space, takes measurement, and asks about your lifestyle and decorating style. With online design services, you do most of the legwork and send your information, photos, and likes and dislikes to the designer via email. You’ll receive a design plan in return. While each service delivers the information in different ways, online design services offer you all the information you need to execute the project on your own timeline....

That was in 1930 — and it was no false claim. Cooks all over America really took to the book, boosting it onto the best-seller list in just three months. What made this unassuming book such a runaway hit in those meager times? For one thing, cooks loved the revolutionary ring binding, allowing the book to open flat on the countertop. No cookbook had ever offered this feature before. Cooks also appreciated the blank pages at the back, inviting them to add their own favorite recipes to the book....

On the home’s exterior, gray-blue siding reflects the lake’s color, natural stone, and cedar beams to knit the cottage to its surroundings. The architect’s plans angled the house away from the bustle of boaters in the nearby village and fully toward Lake George, with its view of sunsets and Thursday fireworks. The New York getaway is also designed for entertaining; the house sleeps 13, using every nook and cranny and a sleeping-porch daybed and trundle....