April 1963

THE BEST STORAGE IDEAS WE'VE SEEN

If your home has the storage blues, you'll find these ideas the best tonic you could ask for. They'll work storage magic from your basement to your bedroom. Some are brand new, others are time-tested ideas we've shown you before. But each is tops!

Is it your right to question property taxes?

How can you reduce high "fixed costs" in a family budget?

Big budget expenses High property taxes Installment-plan stocks Hospitalization insurance Hospital charges

Do they sell stocks on the installment plan?

What does hospitalization insurance pay for?

How much do hospitals charge?

THIS IS COLOR!

Our favorite color is a rich shade of bold. It's the bold that comes in cans, in fabrics, in a purchase of seeds, in better-than-ever materials for your home. Every picture on these next pages shows big use of color-- and, most important, shows how to use your favorite shade with complete confidence. Now color yourself bold!

STEP BY STEP FROM A FABRIC TO A PERFECT COLOR SCHEME

Color has gone warm this year! It's clear and sunny-- with a few flashes of lightning-bright accents. New color schemes show sun-drenched golds, reds, browns, and greens. Many of the warm colors are jewel-tones so dazzling that they create a stained glass look. Combined with these glowing tones is a new family of midnight hues: the almost blacks, including the greenish-brown blacks and the blue-blacks. They make subtle colors look bright and bright colors absolutely radiant. We found these warm, brilliant colors and their dark accents in the new, exciting printed fabrics, then from these fabrics, we built entire color schemes.

COLOR MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!

"I never realized what adding color to a room could do to improve its livability. Now my family actually finds excuses to spend time in our dining room."

SO MANY FRESH WAYS TO GO WITH KITCHEN COLOR

Spring brings fresh, new colors to brighten your kitchen and laundry. They're as clear and sharp as white clouds in an April sky.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN OLD HOUSE?

This is the inspiring answer-- six distinctive homes within a few blocks of each other in Birmingham, Michigan. Their story is a living lesson in initiative and community pride.

AN EXCEPTIONAL FLOOR PLAN IN 400 SQUARE FEET!

HE LIKES TO COOK

This month's guest author-chef tells how to flip the All-American breakfast pancake-- and how to bake a pancake you don't flip. Also how to pamper French dessert pancakes into delectable Crêpes Suzette.

WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?

When a psychiatrist or other psychotherapist has trouble getting response from a patient, he sometimes asks, "Well, where does it hurt?" He knows there is probably no physical pain, but the use of familiar medical terms makes the problem seem less mysterious and often starts the patient talking freely. And the analogy is sound.

DETERGENT DILEMMA

Are you in a quandary about all those long rows of detergents on supermarket shelves? Just why so many? The answer is that science has come up with a way to tailor cleaners to meet many different needs. There are detergents for use in hard water, others for cold water, some for dishwashing, and those particularly suited to tumbleaction washers.

IT'S NEWS TO ME!

Color make-up available for shoes and accessories, is as easy to apply and remove as nail polish. A black shoe can be converted to a light pastel shade-- even white-- and vice versa. Or multicolor designs, stripes, polka dots, initials can be used.

STYLISH STORAGE!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING TABLES AND CHESTS

Drawer construction. Most good manufacturers have tags explaining the features of a piece of furniture such as "dustproof panels" and "center drawer guides." If you understand some of the basics of construction, you're ready to compare the plus features.

HOW TO LIGHT YOUR WAY TO BETTER DECORATING

Light is decorating's extra dimension. Good light and shadow help to dramatize the best features of your decorating scheme. Islands of light attract the eye and direct you to the centers of interest.

THE GREAT SOUTHWEST

In our first travel article for 1963, Better Homes & Gardens Family Features Editor Neil Kuehnl takes you from Denver to Los Angeles and return-- a trip that covers some of the most magnificent scenery in America. These routes (both southern and northern) were chosen so you can see the most in the least possible time. Join us for the entire trip if you can-- or include sections of it in a transcontinental drive.

GIVE YOUR TREES A GOOD START

You'll want to protect your investment when you plant a new tree.

HANDYBOY HOW-TO

It's fun to know how to fix things ... just like Dad. But before you're a handyman, able to put up shelves and build cabinets, you have to be a handyboy. Here's how you start.

HANDYMAN HOW-TO

This month, it's really Handyman How-not-to-- how not to smash your thumb or bang your knuckles or saw your fingers, plus many more tips to help keep you from having workshop accidents.

20 NEW BOOKS YOU WON'T PUT DOWN

It's strange how the hardest part of reading, once you're an adult, is laying your hands on the right book. That's why we offer you this list of outstanding nonfiction published since 1960 --to give you a running head start!

LOOK AND COOK

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOMES AND PROJECTS

TERRIFIC GARDEN IDEAS!

CUT THE TIME THE LAUNDRY TAKES

SHOPPING BY MAIL

SHOPPING BY MAIL with Better Homes & Gardens

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Christine gets just what she deserves for spending so much time fussing with the garden and working on the lawn-- beautiful flowers, green grass, healthy exercise, and a lot of fun.