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This raised-bed urban garden design idea is packed with fun features. The urban garden shown here offers two deep planter boxes that are large enough to grow tomatoes, peppers, or potatoes—or even larger crops such as blueberries. A decorative arbor visually connects the two beds and gives vines, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, or squash, a place to climb. One way to manage water runoff in an urban garden is with a rain garden....

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. “Decorating a home is hard!” says Stephanie Purzycki, CEO and cofounder of The Finish. “And if you don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to it, or you get stuck with your decision-making, you’ll end up with a space that looks unfinished.” Purzycki, whose Connecticut-based firm helps clients—by the hour—to complete small design projects, says that unfinished homes take many shapes. “There are the obvious things, like bare walls, floors, and windows, but an unfinished space can also be a room you don’t love, whether it’s not your style, or it’s too many styles, or the furniture isn’t quite right....

“Grass-free lawns are an emerging trend in the U.S., having started in the western states and moving toward the East Coast. We’re seeing more homeowners choosing to reduce the size of their lawn and plant edible landscapes, pollinator gardens, rainwater gardens, and native prairies/wildflowers, as opposed to grass. This dramatically reduces water usage and allows you to use fewer chemicals and resources—goodbye, lawnmower,” says Joe Raboine, Director of Residential Hardscapes at Belgard....

1. Move Candy Out of Reach Chocolate is an obvious no-no for pets, but xylitol, a sweetener often found in gum and sugar-free candies, can cause severe liver damage to both dogs and cats if ingested. Even if you’ve gobbled up every last bit of your tasty treats, empty candy wrappers can also pose a choking hazard. To protect your pets during trick-or-treat season, store Halloween candy in a spot your pets can’t reach and make sure kids are aware that they shouldn’t share candy with their furry family members....

Whether you choose to apply a new coat of paint to cabinets, invest in new hardware, or add a colorful tile backsplash, here are five kitchen finishes that can add value to your home without a significant investment. In many cases, these kitchen upgrades cost anywhere from just a few hundred dollars to less than $5,000. 1. Upgrade Cabinet Hardware Think of cabinet hardware as the jewelry of the kitchen, says Shannon Kadwell, certified master kitchen and bath designer for the architecture, construction, and interior design firm Anthony Wilder....

Drop the Pretenses The main misconception people have about plant-based BBQ recipes is that they’re only for summer side dishes. But no, “vegans do not only grill limp zucchini slices,” says Jörg Mayer, co-founder of Eat this! vegan food blog and co-author of the cookbook VBQ—The Ultimate Vegan BBQ Cookbook. Grilled vegetables can serve as hearty main dishes, too, when prepared the right way. Choose Your Non-Meat Protein Meat substitutes are incredibly versatile and have come a long way in the taste department over the last few years....

Keeping pet hair from overtaking the couch can seem like an insurmountable task, and indeed, it does require regular work. Fortunately, there are plenty of inexpensive tools and clever techniques to help keep Fluffy’s fluff at bay, with no plastic coverings required! Understanding Your Sofa Type Couch manufacturers developed a cleaning code or legend that’s important to seek out before you clean your couch in any way. The code, which appears on the care tag that is sewn onto an inconspicuous area of the sofa (usually the underside of the seat) will appear as one of four letter symbols....

Native populations have declined by between 22 and 72% over the last decade, according to the IUCN, mainly because of habitat destruction and the impacts of climate change. Now, the species known for flying nearly 3,000 miles during its annual migration across North America is on the edge of extinction. While the news that the migratory monarch butterfly is officially endangered is a jarring one, it has served to raise awareness of the plight of these gorgeous butterflies, says Mary Phillips, the head of Garden for Wildlife from the National Wildlife Federation....

Editor’s Tip: Keep the ladder, corn stalks, and pumpkins but replace letters and mice with pretty fall decor so this setting can greet guests when Thanksgiving rolls around. Editor’s Tip: Make the stacked candy corn displays! Simply remove the stems from three faux pumpkins, then drill holes in the bottom and top of two and the bottom of the third. Paint then slide onto a dowel set in floral foam....

Of course, nothing banishes the blues like a slice of chocolate cake. Ina, known to most as the Barefoot Contessa, has included a cocoa-rich, birthday-worthy confection in every one of her dozen books, including her latest, Modern Comfort Food, which is a deep dive into the idea of cooking and eating as solace and joy. Cozy cuisine is not exactly new territory for the contessa. “I think comfort food is whatever you had as a kid, and that sort of cooking is what I’ve been doing all these years anyway,” Ina says....

If you’re wondering where to begin when it comes to picking paint colors, start by taking a look around your home, says Sue Kim, color marketing director at Valspar. “Some of your favorite home decor pieces have color palettes already built in to help inspire color throughout your home,” she says. “Pick a favorite accessory piece in your home to work the color palette around, whether it be a painting, patterned accent pillow, or vase....

No matter how big or small her Hanukkah celebration, Kertzner’s crispy latkes will be on the menu. Notice I specifically say “crispy” latkes. As I learned while talking with Kertzner, latkes aren’t always crispy. In fact, her grandma (Kertzner calls her “Bubbe,” the Yiddish word for grandmother) makes hers fluffy. “I follow every recipe from my Bubbe exactly, except for latkes,” Kertzner says. “Hers are fluffy and soft because she uses baking powder....

We’ve put together our best eco-friendly entertaining ideas to help you plan your next backyard bash. With easy swaps, like compostable utensils and repurposed party decor, you can plan a fun and sustainable celebration. 1. Send Digital Invites Consider sending digital invites for at-home events, like backyard rehearsal dinners or baby showers, that typically require a paper invitation. You can still create pretty correspondence (sites like Canva help you design a digital invitation for free) to text or email to your guests....

Mistake #1: Not Checking That Your Instant Pot Is Sealed If you’ve ever walked away after setting the cook time only to come back and find that your perfectly seasoned chicken breasts didn’t actually cook, there are a couple things to check. The first is the pressure release valve on top, which needs to be in sealing position for pressure to build. The second is the sealing ring on the inside of the lid, which can crack or expand over time, or might not be fitted to your lid properly if you’ve recently removed it for cleaning....

It turns out, craft kits aren’t just for kids! We’ve rounded up our favorite online craft kits you can have delivered directly to your doorstep to keep you busy while you’re at home. Order a beginner-level kit to learn how to crochet or knit, or opt for an intermediate project to master a skill you already know. These projects can also help you try something you’ve never done before, like making string art or embroidering....

Of course, you can enjoy these easy-to-grow yet fascinating oddities from the plant world any time of year in your home (a few can even be grown outdoors, depending on where you live). Still, their otherworldly appearances seem especially fitting around Halloween. The blooms are sure to contribute a macabre accent to your Halloween decor. Place your batflower in bright but indirect light in a space with moderate humidity (it will appreciate a daily misting) and keep the soil evenly moist....

If you’ve never celebrated the holiday before (or if you’re in search of new ways to celebrate that don’t involve leaving the house), we’ve put together a list of ways you can commemorate International Women’s Day at home. Read up on feminist icons, support a female-owned business, or text a girlfriend to let her know how much you appreciate her. Learn About the History of the Holiday If you’ve never celebrated International Women’s Day before, take a few minutes to learn about the history of the holiday before diving into the festivities....

1. Utilize Several Spaces A mudroom doesn’t have to be a single room; it can be a cluster of hardworking spaces. An adjacent pantry, laundry room, or closet for brooms, mops, vacuums, and cleaning supplies can all create a center for household management. Consider dividing a larger space into zones to keep the flow of traffic clear coming in and out of the door. 2. Take Inventory of Mudroom Items List the things your family takes in and out of the house every day (such as keys, wallets, and bags), then outfit your entry space accordingly....