September 1995

Between friends

STYLE IN THE MAKING

Discover decorating drama with this inside story on wallpaper borders. To pique your room's interest, move borders in from the room's perimeters and team them with ready-made wood moldings. These ideas will add depth, dimension, and distinction to your schemes.

Choosing Child Care

DON'T SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRE CARE, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE.

Lamp Dress-Up

Lightbulbs That Think

Gourd baskets

Dried gourds with laced-up tops make sturdy, shapely, and decorative containers. Turn the page to make these beauties your own.

Spook-tacular Pumpkins

Storybook Playhouse

Craftsman style on deck

Eavesdropping on a wren's refrain and watching a game of squirrel tag in the treetops are daily delights at this rustic Craftsman-style house in suburban Minneapolis. One of the features that weds this house so nicely to its site can play matchmaker for your house, too: a rambling, multipurpose porch/deck. Out front, it's a covered entry porch that welcomes visitors and shelters the front door. In back, it bows out grandly as a spacious outdoor room, with nature's own green canopy for a roof. A balconylike veranda links the two areas, providing extra spots for nature lovers to gaze into the woods or for guests to congregate.

An autumn cutting garden

Planting for fall color

Floating flowers

Benches for fall

TEST GARDEN TIP

Pathway to paradise

Think spring

Cinderella story

It would've been easy to drive past this ragtag cottage, its true character disguised by a rumpled cloak of overgrown foliage and peeling paint. But the James family-- Tricia, Brad, and son Michael-- saw a spark there. So even without the hope of a fairy godmother's help, they took a chance on the waiflike place and, with lots of cleanup and clever design ideas, made it a perfect fit for their casual lifestyle.

Crowd Pleasers

Crafts to make and share for good causes: that's what this joining of hands, hearts, and ideas is all about. To help you organize a selection for a favorite charity-- or even for gifts to give to your friends and family-- we've gathered the kinds of crafts easily made in multiples. Just pull together old sweaters, scrap yarns, garden bounty, and hands-on talent.

Perk Up Your Pots

A southern romance

Some homes impress us with dramatic architecture. Others dazzle us with snazzy features or comfort us with practical design and familiar styling. This new home seduces us with its emotional appeal. The moment you swing open the gate on the white picket fence, you'll enter an idyllic world-- from the lush landscaping, antebellum facade, and double-decker porches to the soft, sunny interiors. You, too, can give a new home romantic flair. Here's how.

Nutrition information

Puppies, Kittens, and Aluminum Cans

SHOPPING LIST

RECYCLING MADE EASY

BH&G kids

Here comes the bus. And they're off-- for another year of growing. This section will help you prepare for the year ahead and celebrate the joy of learning, from preschool to college and beyond. Have a good year!

Midsize sedans Favorite family cars

More than one of four new cars sold today is a midsize sedan. Long valued for safety and convenience, today's four-door midsizers are increasingly fun to drive, and they make nifty design statements, too.

The man next door

Aunt Opal just returned from a vacation to complain that despite the high seasonal rate her resort charged, it still had the nerve to refer to her as "a guest."