Posts

Planning Comes First The most vital aspect when you grow your own wedding flowers is planning. You must start the process early—one to three years, depending on the type of flowers you want, prior to the actual event. This much time is necessary for flowering shrubs, such as hydrangeas and roses, or perennials, such as daisy or purple coneflower, to mature and have enough blooms to fuel fresh bouquets. Annual flowers: Zinnias, sunflowers, snapdragons, and others can be coaxed into full-flowered glory in the course of one growing season....

Find more country living room ideas.

Then: Rainbow Snowball Cake Starting off with the snowball cake, Alexis scoops strawberry, lime and orange sherbet onto a baking sheet. “I love ice cream cakes, but there is always an element of stress,” she says, referring to the meltiness. After putting the sheet in the freezer, she moves on to the whipped cream—also the base of the cake. Made of softened vanilla ice cream, Alexis adds a quart into a stand mixer and whips until smooth....

For over fifty years, Pride Month has taken on immense meaning around the world. Which events are celebrated, when they’re celebrated, the language used to describe them, and just about every aspect is ever-evolving. To understand how we got to the modern parade of rainbow floats, we have to go back to the beginning. Read on to learn more about the beginnings of Pride in the United States including why it’s observed in June, how the pandemic has impacted the celebration, and how you can support it this year....

For those with the means to purchase food, a trip to the neighborhood grocery could bring some modicum of happiness. Upon returning home, a small piece of milky green kitchenware might be buried in a bag of flour or tucked inside a box of fruit. Depending on the product it came with, this hidden treasure could be a single measuring cup, a citrus reamer, or perhaps a saltshaker. Each was made of opaque glass in a fluorescent color that ranged from pale celadon to almost emerald....

You can easily find photos of the giant red ornaments around the building’s exterior, lit-up trees brightening the street outside, and the glowing tree at the marquee, but there’s a lot more that goes into Christmas at Radio City. Read on to find out how the Radio City Music Hall gets decked out, with insider details from a Rockette. The annual tradition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular started in 1933 and has been one of New York’s favorite holiday activities since its opening....

Choose bricks that will survive well in continually wet conditions. Common brick may not be strong enough. Be prepared to give your material supplier the length and height of the wall you plan to build. If the bricks have holes in them, purchase special cap bricks for the top course. Arrange to have the bricks resting on a strong pallet near the job site. Make a story pole—a length of 1x2 with evenly spaced lines marking the height of each course of bricks....

Broken bricks lend themselves to free-form mosaic designs rather than the tidy herringbone, basketweave, and running-bond patterns you might see in a formal garden. Fitting the bricks together is a little like working a puzzle: You let the bricks help define the design, which can be as random or fanciful as you like. No two projects look the same. Follow these step-by-step instructions to create your own brick brick patio design....

Whether you harvest them straight from a tree, stock up on a bushel at the farmers market, or fill your cart with a few at the grocery store, your next steps will be washing the fruit, employing one of these methods for how to cut a peach, and then you’re good to go. (By the way, these techniques for how to cut a peach also work for similar stone fruits, like nectarines and plums....

The procedures illustrated below assume that your project requires forms and the working room to install them. That’s why the batter board mason’s lines are set a foot beyond the actual perimeter of the project. If your structure doesn’t need forms, you won’t need the trench. Be sure to excavate your site to a depth that will accommodate all of the materials needed — for example, 4 to 6 inches of gravel, 2 inches of sand, and 3 to 4 inches of concrete (or whatever the thickness of the finished surface will be)....

To successfully incorporate fertilizer around existing perennials, do the following: Check your timing. The best time to apply fertilizer to most plants is early to mid spring, after the plants have grown a few inches above the soil, but before they have so many leaves that it’s difficult to work the soil around them. You can fertilize later in the season, but in the north, most perennials should not receive granular chemical fertilizer after about August 1, or 6-8 weeks before frost....

Make a Super Storage-Savvy Island What You Need Two identical dressers Tape measure Trim to fill gap between dressers Sandpaper Primer Paint (we used Cushing Green by Benjamin Moore) Paintbrushes Hardware (we used knobs in Stainless Steel from Essential’z by Amerock) Screwdriver Wood glue Clamps Shims, optional Putty Putty knife Concrete countertop Construction adhesive Step 1: Assemble Shape Push dressers together back to back. Measure and cut a side trim piece to fill the gap between dressers—this will give the island a bit more counter space....

Here’s how to do this simple project and care for it, so it lasts all season (and even longer). What You Need Pumpkin (a pumpkin that’s flatter on top works best)Spray adhesiveSphagnum mossClear gel crafts glue or hot-glue gun and glue sticksVariety of small succulents, especially orange, yellow, or red types How to Do It Step 1: Coat with Adhesive Start by applying a spray adhesive ($13, The Home Depot) to the top of your pumpkin....

Check out our full collection of free garden plans. See our favorite vegetable garden plans. This is especially important when you are establishing a new garden in an area that was once blanketed by grass. Lawn grasses are tenacious perennials that spring back to life from mere segments of roots. Rent a sod cutter at your local home-improvement store for an afternoon and skim the sod away with minimal effort. You can accomplish the same work with a sharp spade....

“When it comes to getting the best price for your home, the power of landscaping to increase your home’s value can’t be overlooked,” says Beatrice de Jong, broker and consumer trends expert for Opendoor. “First impressions are everything, and curb appeal is what potential buyers notice first…It will signal to buyers that they can expect the same from the interior and bones of the house.” Additionally, data repeatedly shows that curb appeal, in the form of attractive landscaping, goes a long way....

“Color is never viewed in a vacuum,” she says. “So if you want a lavender room to be less feminine, add elements that are less girly, such as black-and-white photography, industrial pieces, and streamlined furniture.” Paint colors pictured: Spangle SW-6834, Sherwin Williams Sweet Surrender C4-1, Ace Hardware (discontinued) Purple Davenport 1003-3A, Valspar Mouthwatering 40B6, True Value Paint (discontinued) Storybook Charm BHG204, Walmart (discontinued) Paint colors pictured: Forget-Me-Not SW-6824, Sherwin Williams Powdery Mist 650C-2, Behr Sugarplum 1394, Benjamin Moore Purple Phantom 1001-3B, Valspar Standing Ovation 38B7, True Value Paint (discontinued)...