Month: May 2020

Every summer, it seems like no matter how hard you try, your yard (or worse, house) becomes infested with pesky flies. These winged creatures are called pests for a reason: they feast on leftovers, crawl on outdoor furniture, and buzz all. day. long. While repelling flies is the recommended first course of action, sometimes it’s too little, too late. When all else fails, attract and kill them with a fly trap. While there are store-bought options that’ll get the job done, sometimes it’s easiest to take the more natural approach by making a homemade fly trap with common household items.

As soon as you see or better yet, hear, them, DIY a few of these fly traps and distribute them throughout your house and yard. That way, you’ll up your chances of getting rid of as many flies as possible.

Luring flies to a trap is the hardest part. Luckily, they’re attracted to anything sweet — simple syrup, honey, and fruit — so you shouldn’t have to look too far to find something sugar-y enough to entice them. The Country Chic Cottage uses honey as bait in their fly trap pictured above, but old

With a basic understanding of flower types and planting techniques, you can have a lively garden that will be the envy of your neighbors all summer long. From marigolds to sunflowers, here are the best—and easiest—summer flowers to grow. You don’t need a green thumb with any of these popular summer garden picks.

With a literal pandemic happening, I’ve been constantly lighting candles to feel more relaxed—and occasionally unwinding with a cocktail at night. Sue me! But if you’ve been in the same boat these past couple of months, then you’ll appreciate Paddywax’s “La Playa” collection because it combines candles and alcohol (well, kind of). There are five different scents to choose from, each in their own gorgeous hand-blown vessel that turns into a margarita glass after the candle is finished. It’s sheer GENIUS. (Although you’ll have to make the drink yourself, of course.)

Each candle is $27, but you’re also getting a chic cup out of it, so it’s kind of a deal, tbh. They also have different colors around the rim that are indicative of the scents (e.g., the green has notes of gardenia, pear, and apple blossom), but they also come in handy for keeping track of everyone’s drink if you’re using them for a summer get together—while following the proper safety protocols, please! And because the candles are handmade, they all have unique shapes and bubbles.

Paddywax is known for its other dual-purpose candles too. The “Form” and “Parks” collections can be reused as planters for succulents and