You’ve likely seen stylish terrariums filling the pages of all of your favorite interior design catalogs, but did you know that these unique gardens are also very easy to make at home? Here are just a few simple ways to create your own terrarium and add a bit of greenery to your rental at Marquis at Barton Trails!

1. Whether you choose a small, round terrarium that you can hang from the ceiling or a larger, tank-style option for very large creations, you’ll want to choose something in a durable class that will enable you to see the plants through the sides.
2. Add a layer of small stones or pebbles to the bottom of the terrarium for proper water drainage. This should measure about one-inch thick.
3. Add another one-inch layer of activated charcoal on top of that for a finer drainage system.
4. Top it off with a 1.5-inch layer of sphagnum moss to hold the soil in place and prevent it from sliding into the pebbles.
5. Take a soil designed especially for terrariums and pre-moisten it using a spray bottle of water. Add a thick layer of three to four inches on top of everything.
6. Remove pot-bound roots from your plants and add them to the soil. You may need to divide the plant into sections if it’s too big to fit the scale of the terrarium.
7. Decorate with rocks and other accessories.

Terrariums: A Guide to Plants and Care [Better Homes & Gardens]
How To Make Terrariums [About Home]
Make Your Own Terrarium [HGTV]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Christopher.Michel

Laundry day is likely your least favorite day of the week, but it doesn’t have to be quite so difficult. By attacking your piles of laundry with a bit of pre-planning, you can make laundry day much more manageable. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Separate lights and darks ahead of time. To avoid the tedious task of separating lights from darks, separate them as soon as you toss your dirty clothes in the hamper. Invest in a double-sided hamper that does the separating for you.
2. Invest in good detergent. Using the wrong detergent (or a cheap brand) can make your clothes come out dull and dingy. Instead, choose one detergent designed for washing dark clothes in cold water, one for keeping colors bright, and a separate stain treatment to put on spots.
3. Treat stains as soon as they happen. The most important thing you can do to remove a stain is catch it as soon as it happens. You can even rub in a stain treatment and toss your clothes in the laundry, leaving the stain to deal with on laundry day.
4. Turn clothes inside out. Avoid fading and shrinking by turning your clothes inside out before washing them.
5. Fold right away. To eliminate the need for ironing, prevent wrinkles by folding your clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer.

Laundry 911: Color care basics [She Knows]
How to Care for Your Clothes [How Stuff Works]
Laundry Basics – Sorting it Out [For Better Living]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr Technofreak

Austin is known for its numerous food trucks that make it easy to eat well on the go, but Boteco is one of the most popular in the area. This Brazilian eatery operates out of a bright yellow truck in the Seventh Street food truck park, and it even has covered wooden picnic tables that are perfect for grabbing a quick lunch outside in the sunshine.

On the menu, you'll find Brazilian sirloin steak with rice, beans, and yucca fries served out of convenient (and portable) aluminum foil takeout containers, as well as queso empanadas and cheese croquettes that are great to share with your friends. On Sundays, Boteco also offers an expansive brunch menu with offerings like picanha, fiejoada, and coxinha topped with a fried egg. Wash it all down with fresh juice or coconut water and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Brazil without leaving Austin!

Boteco
1403 E. Seventh Street
Austin, TX 78702
www.botecoatx.com

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr followtheseinstructions