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A Mom Who Became a Minimalist Christine Platt is a literacy advocate, author of The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less, and a mom of one. When she left her job as a lawyer to pursue writing full-time in 2015, she started working from home. “For the first time, I was there not to just eat and sleep,” she says. Being at home prompted an awakening: “I always knew I had too much stuff, but I had everything relatively organized,” she says....

Even if your brush resembles roadkill, it’s understandable why you may not want to ditch it. While hair ties are more limited in lifespan, your hairbrush is likely the sturdiest hair tool you own. That black Conair you’ve been using for years could be intact and functioning equally well as the day you bought it. Not to mention, a good-quality boar bristle brush is pricey to replace. Keep in mind that your hairbrush is the one hair tool you probably use daily....

How to BBQ a Whole Chicken on a Charcoal Grill To cook a whole chicken on the grill, you’ll want to butterfly it first so more of the meat is in contact with grill grates. This allows the chicken to cook more quickly and will also help prevent the chicken from overcooking. Cut along each side of the backbone and remove it, and turn the chicken breast-side up. Open the two sides of the chicken, similar to a book, and lay it flat....

This wooden shelving unit is easy to build without any specialty tools or jigs. Plus it utilizes inexpensive, simple-to-find materials that will save you money and time. Get started on your DIY garage shelves today to maximize your space. How to Choose a Size for Garage Shelves The dimensions of this shelf are designed to yield the biggest shelf while wasting as little wood as possible. However, the depth, width, and height are fully customizable....

How to Water Orchids The most common cause of death for orchids (and most houseplants) is usually overwatering. Instead of watering your plants on a strict schedule (every other day, or once a week, for example), pay attention to your orchid’s needs and how much water it uses. This can vary based on the humidity, light, air movement, and potting mix its roots are growing in. The easy answer for when to water most orchids (including Phalaenopsis and Cattleya) is just before they go dry....

“Apply multiple colors and sit with them for a few days,” recommends Erika Woelfel, Behr color expert. “Test them in multiple different parts of your room with different lighting to help you to better visualize what the color will look like in your space at any time of day.” Nicole Gibbons, the founder and CEO of Clare, shares similar advice: “Make sure you love your color both under daylight and in the evening when the sun is down and the artificial lights are on in your home,” she says....

Banquettes are appealing in homes for the same reasons some people prefer booths in restaurants. They provide more privacy and intimacy than stand-alone tables and chairs. Besides the standard restaurant booth setup, banquette design options include U shapes, L shapes, semicircles, and hybrids that combine bench seats and chairs. Although box seats work especially well in recessed areas, you can build a banquette flush against a wall. Check out our planning tips for designing an attractive, functional banquette....

Most varieties of tomatoes can be frozen. However, plum (roma) tomatoes contain the most pulp and will produce the best results. If you don’t plan to freeze your tomatoes immediately, store them at room temperature. Avoid storing fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator, which can make them lose flavor and become mealy. Test Kitchen Tip: Plan on 1 quart of frozen tomatoes per 2½ to 3½ pounds of fresh tomatoes....

A common tip is to look for salad bags that are deflated. The theory goes that bagged lettuce and salad greens are initially sold with the air sucked out of them, and that as they decompose, the greens emit gas (true, they do emit carbon dioxide), puffing up the bag. While this might have been true once, modern salad bags are breathable thanks to modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), so that method won’t work to spot older bagged greens....

Why do some call this a jelly roll and others call it a cake roll? Originally, most probably called this cake type a jelly roll because it bakes in a “jelly roll pan.” Never heard of a jelly roll pan? That’s because we think of them now as 15x10x1-inch baking sheets or a baking sheet with sides. As the term jelly roll pan lessens in popularity, so too does the name jelly roll cake....

Next, take one cord from a group and one cord from a neighboring group and tie a double knot 3 inches from the knot previously tied. Repeat 3 more times, continuing to take cords from neighboring sections and double-knotting together until you’ve created a macrame plant hanger. Related Video

No matter what type of coleslaw your family fancies, one thing is for sure—nothing beats a fresh, homemade batch. Though convenient to grab a container at the supermarket, trust us: The store-bought stuff isn’t nearly as delicious. Use our tips from professional chefs to craft your own flavorful coleslaw at home. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is! How to Make It Follow this recipe for a classic, creamy coleslaw comes out perfect every time....

To buy: Double Hang for O-Box 1 Drawer, $110, wayfair.com. To buy: 24-pocket shoe organizer, $15, bedbathandbeyond.com. To buy: Real Simple 6-shelf hanging sweater organizer, $20, bedbathandbeyond.com. To buy: Small mid-heeled shoe boxes, $8 each, containerstore.com. To buy: Stick It! silicone monthly planner, $13, shop.threebythree.com. Related Video

Wine-Red Paint Colors Dark red wine colors make large rooms seem cozy and can also be dramatic in small spaces such as powder rooms. Rich ruby, burgundy, and garnet make a space feel sumptuous. The rich, full-bodied hues are often used in formal settings and paired with dark neutrals but can be teamed with bright colors to loosen it up. Perfectly Pink-Red Paint Colors Pucker-up pinks look fresh and sophisticated with spring greens and white—even navy!...

Where to Plant Goji Berry Goji berries are at home in a berry patch or orchard. Plant alongside raspberries, blueberries, and other small fruit crops. Goji berries also can work in a mixed shrub border. Give them plenty of space to expand and leave ample open ground for moving around the plant during harvest. Goji berry fruit quality is best during hot, dry growing conditions. Cool and humid environments produce limited crops of goji berries....

1. Mind the Gap A top contributor to squeaky AC sounds is gaps at the sides of a window unit. “Almost every manufacturer will provide a slider to fill the gap, which doesn’t always do its job. Foam insulation on the sides is much better at silencing noise and helps keep cool air inside,” says Mark Snell, owner and founder of Polestar Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning in Kansas. Rattling and clicking can also come from the vibration of a window unit against the window frame....

Tips for Saving Perennial Seeds You can plant most perennial seeds in the garden starting in fall. Start them in a protected spot in loose, well-drained soil. Water them well after planting, and give them a light covering of mulch. They’ll wait out the winter and sprout in spring. Or, you can store the seeds and start them indoors in late winter or very early spring. Don’t expect them to bloom their first year because the plants will use all their energy to grow roots and leaves; most will bloom the second year....

Pillows also allow for a sense of expression that’s both functional and oftentimes at a lower price point than something like custom drapery panels, says Kathleen Varner, a Birmingham, Alabama-based stylist. “I love what I’m seeing lately with all the custom pillows designers are putting together,” she says. “Putting a lot of thought into mixing patterns, textures, and really thinking through the trim can truly create mini pieces of art....

You want to serve up sauces with the correct viscosity to cling to the intended food, not run everywhere. Here are some tips on how to thicken sauce with cornstarch and flour—items likely already in your pantry so that you don’t have to run to the store. How to Thicken Sauce with Flour To use flour as a thickening agent: How to Thicken Sauce with Cornstarch Thickening a sauce with cornstarch is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Test Kitchen Tip: Be careful not to overcook cornstarch-thickened sauces....