Let astrology take all the guesswork out of shopping for a birthday present!

Got a Leo or a Virgo to shop for? Start here.

According to an astrologer!

We’re almost halfway through this yearlong series (ICYMI: We’ve been asking astrologers to help us put together the ultimate shopping guides based on people’s zodiac signs) and a trip around the sun, and I’m starting to wonder how we ever shopped for birthday gifts before consulting the stars? This month, Theresa Reed, aka The Tarot Lady and author of the forthcoming book, Astrology for Real Life — A No B.S.

Upper cabinets are starting to disappear from kitchens, and I’m not sure how to feel about it. It all started with the open-shelving phenomenon, and now, in some cases, it has morphed into this total lack of anything structural above the countertops. On the one hand, it is visually beautiful. You can really go to town with tile — think an uninterrupted, ceiling-high wall of subways or a bold geometric backsplash.

Happy birthday to all those April babies!

Got a loved one who was born in March? Instead of wandering around Target aimlessly (dangerous!) or spending hours on the internet searching for the right gift (impossible!), let the cosmos be your guide. Karen Christino, author of Your Wedding Astrologer: How to Plan the Perfect Wedding Based on Your Zodiac Sign, came to the rescue yet again with some great gift recommendations based on the stars. Here’s what made her list for all those Pisces and Aries out there.

Fact: I don’t just write here. I’m also a reader of Kitchn and Apartment Therapy, and my go-to is the house tour section. There’s always something new to see, and you can really start to spot trends emerging from the sheer volume of homes showcased there. One thing that I noticed in a recent Atlanta house straight-up put a smile on my face: a bright-orange kitchen sink, beautifully situated in a corner of the counter. And it just screamed personality.

Stumped on what to buy your loved ones with February birthdays? After all, your best friend probably just finished exchanging all of her holiday gifts for things she actually wants. What else could she need this time of year? We turned to astrologer Karen Christino, author of Your Wedding Astrologer: How to Plan the Perfect Wedding Based on Your Zodiac Sign, and asked her to bring her cosmic wisdom to the table and provide some spot-on sign recommendations for Aquarius and Pisces.

Scent can be polarizing. I find you’re either all about it — and want different candles, diffusers, plug-ins, and room sprays throughout your space — or it’s not for you at all, and everything from your laundry detergent to your dish soap is unscented. I definitely fall in the former group. I live for a good scented candle in my living room, bedroom, bathroom, and even kitchen. I’m someone who burns candles year-round — not just on the holidays.

We can’t all have new custom cabinetry or high-end appliances equipped with smart technology. But one design-forward thing pretty much anyone can do in their kitchen is add a runner to the mix. In fact, that, plus swapping in patterned tea towels, and adding a bold Le Creuset Dutch oven to the stovetop are the three things pretty much every stylist does when propping a homeowner’s kitchen to shoot it. So you know this is going to make your space look more polished.

Capricorns are super Type A. And Aquarius folks tend to march to the beat of their own drums. So it’s a challenge to find something that January babies will like and/or feel is cool and unique enough. That’s where this guide comes in. Get ready for the top 10 gifts to buy the Capricorns and Aquarians in your life, as advised by the stars. And because we know you’re reading too, Cap and Aquarius, feel free to share this link with anyone who might be stumped on what to get you.

Take a look to see what won for Jersey, California, Texas, etc! We shopped every single state to find the best gifts.

Some furnishings really earn their keep in your home — multitaskers like poufs, side tables, and storage ottomans come to mind. They’re a surface for drinks, a spot to stash stuff, a makeshift seat when you’re throwing a party or having friends over. And then there are those style chameleons that can hold their own and adapt to any setting or space, and for that, they are invaluable. IKEA’s picture rails definitely fall into that latter category.

I consider myself something of a candle connoisseur. I’ve smelled a ton over the years and lit plenty, from Diptyque to Yankee and everything in between. Tapers, votives, you name it — there’s some kind of candle in practically every room of my home. But I’ve never given much thought to my burning technique, that is, until a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Turns out the country music capital also knows a thing or two about getting (candles) lit.

Having clutter-free countertops is one of the easiest ways to fake a clean kitchen. I’m not advocating for never rolling up your sleeves and scrubbing down your cookspace. I’m merely suggesting a shortcut for keeping it together in between cleans. The trick is finding the right gadgets that store your stuff neatly — without taking up tons of real estate.

I’ve got tons of hair ties floating around — my go-tos are Goody Ouchless without the metal band. They come in packages of 37 and upwards, but they still seem to always disappear. If you have long hair, I know you hear me on this. So I’m constantly buying new packages and picking up plain single ties at the gym. I tend to keep one on my wrist at all times. One night, when I couldn’t seem to find a proper chip clip for a bag of almonds, I used my spare.

#Ihavethisthingwithtiles, and it’s sort of unfortunate because I’ve never actually picked any of my own. I fell in love with subway tiles nearly a decade ago, and I was crushing hard on those matte patterned cement tiles that popped up a couple years ago. I’m even into faux “wood” larger scale ceramic tiles and teeny tiny, mesh-backed penny tiles. And I’m not mad at a fish scale or arabesque shape either.

I hate doing dishes. I also don’t have a dishwasher, which is a good thing because I hate doing dishes so much, I’d probably just throw everything in there and hope for the best. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not super willing to stand at the sink and scrub a pan — especially after a tough day! All that’s to say that I’m always looking for ways to cut my dishwashing time.

Yeah, I know. You want those pretty Diptyque and Le Labo vessels in your shelfies. But if you light candles a lot or want to put a bunch throughout your home, you probably have no business spending $60+ on every one that you buy. Maybe splurge on a designer candle for your coffee table (or your bathroom area), and everywhere else, stick to sub-$10 ones. “Candles are the perfect accent to instantly change the mood of any room,” says designer Lauren Martin.

What are the two ugliest things in any kitchen? Think really hard. The answer (at least in my book)? Light switches and outlets. Maybe renovators spend some time thinking about where they should go, but aside from that, they’re usually such an afterthought! And I’m guessing many of us just inherited them with our home when we bought it or signed the lease. When I walk into a kitchen, I don’t necessarily want to see electric outlets or switch plates.

Ten of our favorite free Halloween pumpkin stencils that are both impressive and easy.

We’ve already gone on the record in favor of fire pits, and we’ll say it again: They’re the ultimate way to entertain in the summer (and even into the fall!). You can buy a ready-made freestanding fire pit, or dig a hole and stack a bunch of pavers yourself. Or you can try one of these super-easy DIY projects.

We all already know what a lazy Susan can do for a pantry or a fridge. And we know that a special built-in lazy Susan can keep a corner cabinet from being totally wasted space. But we’ve been wondering what other uses a lazy Susan can have. Turns out, there are a few clever bloggers putting their own spin on the organizing tool. Check them out and give one of these ideas a whirl. First on deck: This preppy striped serving situation from Ashley of Sugar & Cloth.

Well, it’s not peony season at Trader Joe’s just yet. And ranunculus and anemone aren’t particularly cheap or plentiful either, so what’s a girl supposed to do for a dinner party centerpiece? You could go the route of supermarket carnations or roses, but if you’re looking to try something a little different and springy, why not give plants a go? Greenery is the Pantone Color of the Year, after all. Follow these bloggers’ leads for your next gathering.

As an Irish girl, it pains me to say this, but St. Patrick’s Day decorations can get cheesy pretty fast. I guess it has something to do with leprechauns and people’s penchant for dying things green that shouldn’t be. Still, there are some creative folks out there doing St. Patrick’s Day parties right. And the best example just might be this chic dinner party thrown by our friend Natasha Lawler.

Maybe we’ve been watching too many red-carpet specials (to be fair, it is awards show season), but we can’t get enough sparkly, shiny gold stuff. Gold salad servers? Sure! A gold crock to hold those salad servers? Duh! Gold lettuce? Why isn’t there gold lettuce? Gold is always fun — and it’s especially fun for birthday festivities. You could show a little restraint with a touch of gold here and touch of gold there. Or you could add all the gold.

When homeowners Judy and Don sat down with their architect, Gary Tran of Tran Architecture, to redesign their Houston abode, they made one huge (and surprising) decision: to flip the layout. They put the kitchen and living room on the second floor and all the bedrooms on the first floor. This way, the public spaces would have a view over the treetops. They also kept the bedrooms on the smaller side to force the family to hang out together in the common rooms. (Sneaky!

There’s something magical about watching a movie under the stars. But when it’s cold or snowy, the great outdoors just won’t cut it. You could wait for warmer weather and clearer skies — or you can bring the party inside. I know what you’re probably thinking: Isn’t an indoor backyard movie night just a regular movie night? It doesn’t have to be.

Depending on where you live, you might be knee-deep in snow, or maybe you’re still hoping for the first flakes of the season. Regardless of how many snow angels you’ve made this year, you probably had some experience making paper snow flakes as a kid, right? You know what we speak of: The art class project that required you to fold pieces of paper and use scissors to cut out (semi) intricate designs.