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The warmth and rustic charm of Tuscany is a perfect decorating idea for a casual yet elegant home. Tuscan style is anchored by natural surfaces, which is a perfect fit for relaxed living A Tuscan-style kitchen is welcoming and invites friends to gather there, and is the perfect place to add the colors of Tuscany in your home. Though the natural surfaces and architectural details are key to a creating a Tuscan-style room, it’s the colors of Tuscany that translate this style best....

In search of the perfect new addition to our game night, we put The Voting Game to the test. With seven friends, we evaluated the game’s entertainment value, design, and replayability factor to see if it could earn a spot in our regular rotation. Read on to see if we gave it a Yea or Nay. Design: Clever writing, clunky execution The Voting Game is suitable for those ages 17 and up, and is designed to be played with five to ten people....

Here are some of the worst paint colors, along with the best tips and tricks to help you choose the right look for your small room. White paint in a small room can actually make it look boxy and bland. Though white is supposed to make your room look light and bright, it can actually do the opposite when it shows every shadow or dark corner. White can still be a stunning choice a small space, but it works best as an accent or trim color....

In This Episode Angela has a really unique collection ranging from a Cinnamon Cactus which she considers the trickiest in her indoor jungle to her Agave Americana, which was the first kind of plant she ever had (this one isn’t the exact one—the original died so she replaced it). She first started collecting plants in her early 20s when a friend of hers suggested that she find something to take care of, and plants seemed like the best thing....

An intermittent pilot system uses an electronically controlled high-voltage electric spark to ignite a pilot light—and subsequently the main burners—when the thermostat calls for heat. A hot surface ignition system uses an electronically controlled resistance heating element, not unlike a light bulb filament, to ignite the gas burner. Understanding some of the basic components of a modern furnace will help you identify the type of furnace you have and narrow down the list of potential problems....

Protecting Wires From Damage For that reason, and where wiring needs to be protected from damage, there is another option. That option is single strands of electrical wire that can be pulled in metal conduit. These single strands can be added within the conduit so many wires are pulled from one electrical box to the next. Conduits come in styles from fairly strong construction to extremely rigid conduit that you could drive over without damaging it....

We’ve curated a fall checklist, so you know exactly where to start and what tasks to tackle in the most efficient way. See the list of areas and items in your home you should clean, repair, or inspect (or all three!) during fall below, and read on for expert tips for tackling each item on your fall cleaning checklist. If you do not have space to move furniture into a storage area, protect it with custom covers or weatherproof tarps secured with bungee cords....

Pros If you love traditional fireplaces, an ethanol fireplace will give you the real flame ambiance you crave without the smoke, soot or odor associated with wood burning. They are also cleaner and much simpler to operate; just fill the burner with liquid fuel then light. Here are more win-wins:​ Since they do not require a vent, they do not need to be installed into your home’s structure.They are portable so they can be placed anywhere in your home....

Autumn is an ideal time to take advantage of the cooler weather. Depending on where you live, some root vegetables and salad greens grow just as well in the fall as they do in the spring. Growing an autumn garden allows you to keep fresh produce on the table without having to tend to a garden in the hot summer sun. At the very least, lettuce, spinach, and other greens with a short maturity time can be planted later in the season....

Pros Vinyl Siding Does Not Need Painting Nearly every siding material other than vinyl is coated with a color layer. Vinyl siding and shutters are unique in that its color is baked-in. Vinyl siding’s color is 100 percent homogeneous: the color on top runs all the way through. This means that the color cannot be mechanically abraded, scratched off, or stripped. If you abhor the idea of exterior house painting, this is vinyl siding’s strongest point....

What Is Cleaning Vinegar? The only difference between cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar is the level of acidity. They are both made through a process where alcohols are distilled from grain and allowed to ferment as microorganisms process the alcohol into acetic acid and water or vinegar. The distilled white vinegar you see in the condiment aisle contains around five percent acetic acid and 95 percent water. Cleaning vinegar contains around six percent acetic acid....

In terms of how they come about in the first place, cultivars can begin as: The term, “cultivar” is commonly used in discussing plant taxonomy. When the full scientific name for a particular plant cultivar is given, the part of the name that indicates the cultivar itself follows the genus name and the species name. Furthermore, its first letter is capitalized, and the name is often set off by single quotation marks....

Acacia wood is considered special because of its strong, sturdy, and effortlessly stunning appearance. It’s remained a top choice for furniture and is a great choice if you’re looking for good quality hardwood pieces that will last for generations. Here’s what to know about acacia wood furniture, from what sets it apart to what’s made it a mainstay of interior design for so many years. About the Acacia Tree The acacia tree, also known as the mimosa, wattle, or thorntree, has more than 1,350 different varieties around the world....

Types of Owls There are roughly 225 species of owls in the world, depending on how various geographic populations and subspecies are classified. These birds come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, but they are all related and belong to one of two scientific bird family classifications. The Strigidae owls are the typical owls or true owls, and this family includes the majority of owl species. They are heavily camouflaged birds and have large heads and round or oval facial disks....

What Does Drought Tolerant Mean? What does drought tolerant mean in relation to landscaping and the environment? Let’s break it down. That understood we know that, through lack of rainfall and supplemental water, drought causes plants, crops, and wildlife to become parched and eventually die. The Native Plant Connection Most drought-tolerant plants are usually the plants that are native to a particular region. Native plants are the plants, shrubs, and trees that graced the country long before settlers from other lands showed up with their plants and a garden hose....

Is It Possible to Kill Weeds Permanently? “Permanently” is a grandiose word. If there’s one thing gardening teaches us, it’s humility. Technically, we can answer the question, yes, but we must follow it up with two further questions: What do you mean by “kill weeds,” and what price are you willing to pay? You can kill individual weeds permanently, but not weeds as a class. No plot of open, fertile earth is likely ever to be exempt from having new weeds emerge in it without your continually practicing weed prevention....

To simplify, a baluster is a single leg, spindle, or post. A set of balusters is several posts. And a balustrade is all of those posts joined together as a unit with a railing. It can be used indoors or outdoors, for staircases, porches, terraces, balconies, and decorative structures. Balusters and balustrades first appeared between the 13th and 7th centuries BC and can be found in ancient bas-reliefs or sculptural murals depicting Assyrian palaces....

Keep Length Top of Mind Keep in mind that 12 feet is the equivalent of 144 inches, and you do not want your sectional to overwhelm your living space. Thus, designer Anna Franklin suggests sticking to a sofa that’s under 80 inches in length. “It’s an easy way to create a cozy seating area without overwhelming the space,” she says. And if such a piece doesn’t seem large enough for your entertaining needs, note that there are plenty of ways to get creative in your space....

Is This Bird a Baby? If you find a young bird alone on the ground or otherwise away from its nest, you must first determine if it is, in fact, a baby in need of assistance. Many songbird fledglings leave the nest 2-5 days before they can fly, and the parent birds are still caring for them, feeding them, and watching for their safety. A fledgling will have almost fully formed feathers, though the wings and tail may be short, and it will be able to fly or flutter short distances....

With some creativity and the right tools, texturing is an easy DIY project to accomplish. Combine it with bold color for a truly stand-out look, or keep your walls neutral and let the texture speak for itself. Whichever way you decide to go, here are six of the coolest wall texture types, plus some tips on how and where you might want to use them. 1. Orange Peel This wall texture type gets its name from its final appearance, which resembles—you guessed it—the dimpled texture of an orange peel....