January 1996

Between friends

'96 trends interior design building food

As Better Homes and Gardens editors, we make it our business to be where the action is-- to be where trends are made. In this special New Year's section, we present you with the best and the brightest of what's on the horizon of American style.

Get Involved

Walk the halls of Hans Christian Andersen Elementary School during the day and you're just as likely to see parents as teachers. Parents help in the classrooms, mentor children one-on-one, and head up after-school activities. Some even volunteer to help other parents figure out how they can volunteer.

Our environment

LIGHTEN UP THIS WINTER

New Child-Safety Lids Are Here

A Bladder Problem You Can't Ignore

CLEARING THE AIR FOR KIDS

Our picks 1996

As gardening catalogs fill the mailbox and winter gives way in your imagination to a glorious spring, it's time to choose the plants you'll add to the garden this year. From proven performers to promising newcomers, from ground covers to trees and annuals to perennials, here are our picks for 1996-- garden-worthy beauties both new and old to brighten every corner of your yard.

A little romance

Designer Cathlene "C.J." VanDaff didn't let a rental contract or a tight budget stop her from developing a warmer, more personal decorating relationship with her rooms. As with any good relationship, though, the first thing she did was seek out the right partner: an apartment in a stately Greek revival house instead of a cookie-cutter complex. Then, she put sizzle in the home's white walls and beige carpet with character-rich furnishings and creativity.

The late minute holiday

Ideas in a twinkling. It wouldn't be so bad if Santa were the only one coming to town. But a sleighful of family and friends and a host of neighbors are on the way, too? Even though time is short, you can still make the season bright with very little skill and our easy tricks. Dress your dining chairs for the occasion. Simply drape two to three yards of wispy tulle (found in bridal departments of fabric stores) over the back of a chair. Then cinch the dressing at the "waist" with a sheer organdy bow or your favorite ribbon.

SPECIAL COOKIE MERCHANDISE OFFER

Gardening Products

Better Homes and Gardens magazine has arranged with nurseries across the country to offer our readers several of the plant varieties from the Our Picks feature on pages 67 to 74.

Tear and wear

The Shopper's Mart

The man next door

Liz Randall says her Girl Scouts troop doesn't spend nearly as much time around a campfire as it does huddled around the microwave.