January 1978

Disposable hand warmers

Self-stick message board

Medicine-taking aids

Baby food system

Heat-circulating prefab fireplace

SPECIAL EFFECTS WITH PAINT

The beauty of paint lies in its versatility and adaptability. If you want to brighten a room or add some color, a simple paint job can do the trick. Or if you choose to be a bit more daring, there are all kinds of paint projects (and easy-to-use paint products) to try.

ADD A LAUNDRY TUB THE EASY WAY

Would a laundry tub in the basement-- either in the laundry room or nearby-- simplify your life? You can install one yourself in an hour. The time-saver: one of the new water supply systems that uses plastic fittings and flexible polybutylene tubing.

How to order material from the magazine

8 Budget tips for 1978

No doubt your New Year's resolves include a vow to put the family's finances in shape. But how can you get a sensible budget going right now-- especially with holiday bills coming due?

BUILD YOUR OWN WORKSHOP/HOBBY CENTER

In spite of the tricks our camera played on us, this 12-foot-wide workshop is only 16 feet long, so it should fit into most basements. And it may be just what you need if your family often has several activities going at the same time. Two or three projects can hide in the mini work centers at right, another job in the paint nook at the rear, while yet another activity or two are going on in the main area and on the L-shaped workbench.

Paintbrush DECORATING

Are you aware of the exciting possibilities that paint offers for furniture, floors, walls, and just-for fun effects? If not, take a look at the great ideal we've gathered here. And after you've looked, pick your project and grab your paint can. With it-- and brush-- you can change any room from pallid to ... in next to no time.

Perk up a room with a "PUT-ON"

Give your furniture PAINTED PIZZAZZ

WINTER CARNIVALS: How to have a hot time in cold weather

Bundle up and enjoy winter! That's what people in shivery climes learned to do long ago. Indeed, the hardy natives honored the season with a celebration-- winter carnival.

WHY BUY AN ANNUITY?

The purpose of an annuity is to provide you with a guaranteed income, generally on a monthly basis, for as long as you live. You can buy an annuity plan that covers just your life span, or one that also covers the life of any survivor you designate. Insurance companies are the major suppliers.

Crayon batik for beginners

Is your family itching to try something new and crafty this year? We have enough here to keep you busy long into spring. The key ingredient is participation-- so gather the clan and start crafting!

LIVELY PUPPETS FOR LITTLE ONES

What kid can resist a huggable bunny with floppy ears and a plump powder-puff tail? Our plush mamma bunny and her baby (inset photo) are an engaging pair you can stitch up in a twinkling for that bunny-lovin' child at your house. Make them as puppets or stitch and stuff them as toys.

SILK-SCREENING YOUNG DESIGNS

A kid's nonstop imagination can inspire dozens of delightful silk-screening projects to personalize your whole house.

KIDS' ART IN NEEDLEPOINT

Instead of tucking away your kids' crayon doodlings, splash their unique designs across a needlepoint canvas for the whole family to enjoy. By enlarging the art, you can create one-of-a-kind stitcheries like the pillows and rug here.

AQUACULTURE

Feel like escaping from a humdrum winter but can't afford a trip to the Bahamas? The answer is simple-- create an underwater paradise in your own living room with aquatic plants.

Miniature Houseplants

DIFFERENT DIETS FOR BIRDS

This year, why not become the director of a colorful and entertaining show in your own backyard? Simply place a few bird feeders around the yard and watch the action.

ROCK GARDENING

Whether you live in a high-rise apartment or a suburban split-level, you can have an exotic landscape the year round with a homemade rock garden.

Learn-to-do-something-new vacations: Part 4

If you enjoy traveling and if you like to cook, this vacation-time recipe should suit your taste: Combine your next vacation with an adventure at a cooking school. You'll have a super time and take home some brand-new skills, too.

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

The Man Next Door

Fred Tompkins says he has loved this countryside so much over the years that, despite its occasionally ornery weather, he's glad his great-grandparents ran out of money before they got any farther west.