September 2000

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BH&G TV

Come enjoy some of the season's greatest hits on Better Homes and Gardens Television with our entertaining hosts Heidi and Michael Spound. Meet friendly experts who will share their distinctive home ideas and delectable recipes. Then join Chris Dawson in the BH&G Test Garden for a chance to develop that green thumb you've always wanted.

Between friends

It's surprising (and more than a bit sad) how lit tle time we Better Homes and Gardens magazine editors and designers are able to spend talking to each other. We devote countless hours to discussing story angles, photo plans, copy, and layouts. But we don't have the luxury of talking about what's really important in our lives.

Pump Up Wimpy Moldings

Muscle up your home's 98-pound-weakling walls and windows by exercising common design principles. Using buff surface treatments, such as stock moldings and stencils, adds power and girth to underdeveloped areas, bringing a new boldness to the room.

Molding Makeovers and More

To easily recreate the look of the "Color in the Lines" design shown on page 26 of this month's "Style in the Making" feature, you'll want this set of three stencils (right). The crown molding, wallpaper border, and baseboard topper stencils are exactly what we used to create the story.

Nightstands

Bedside tables have a big job to do and, typically, a small space to do it in. With knowledge of styles, materials, and important features, you'll pick the right candidate.

Classic Vases

Today's brightest bouquets look as if they were casually plopped into a vase, not arranged. The key is finding the right container for the flower. Here's the inside line on classic vase shapes.

Herb Centerpiece

Intelligent Kitchen Tour at the Mall

Neat Nooks

Can't find the car keys or the phone bill? Junk drawer so full it will barely open? Get organized with these handy built-ins.

Cook Centers

Whipping up your family's favorite dish may call for special ingredients or techniques-- plus a work center that gets it all together.

Light Dressings

You've gussied up the table, the family, and maybe even the dog for a festive occasion. Now look upward, and spiff up your chandelier in quick and easy style.

Garden Getaway Deck

Bringing Water to the Table

Whether still or rippling, water has a calming effect after a hectic day. If you aren't blessed with a view of a lake or stream, create the same feeling indoors with a tabletop garden tray or a fountain made with terra-cotta pots and stones.

Beat the Birthday Bash Dash

It wouldn't be a birthday party without a few surprises. Like the piñata that won't break (or that breaks on the first whack); the guests who don't show (or show with siblings in tow); toddlers who love Barney-- then shriek with terror when the $150-per-hour purple dinosaur waddles in the door.

Making Mnemories

As a kid, Bryan Burchers had a hard time remembering the definition of the word "aloof." His dad, Sam, asked him for a word that rhymed. Once he thought of "roof," they came up with a mental picture to give the word a hook: The Burchers' cat, Snowball, was so aloof that she hid on the roof. This silly image helped Bryan remember the word

Built-In Recycling

More and more household waste is recycled each year, thanks to city ordinances and personal consciences. But the handier the job, the more likely it will get done. It makes sense, then, to bring recycling into the room that regularly produces the most recyclables-- the kitchen.

More Than Just Playthings

Everyone wants a safe car. Finding one seems to get easier when you start playing in the $30,000-and-up price range. Latest evidence: All five 2000 model luxury sedans tested recently by the insurance industry performed well in offset crash tests. The BMW 328i handled the collision well enough to earn the "best pick" label from testers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (For details on the BMW, see our August issue.) The Volvo S80 and Cadillac Catera both won "good" ratings. Saab 9-5 and Audi A6 were rated acceptable.

Click and drive

With Web-based car-buying services becoming popular, the Internet is finally living up to its earlier "information superhighway" hype. Ready to find the right car at the right price? Here are three Internet auto services that can help you purchase your next new or used car.

Resources for Our Readers

Read our story on pages 140 to 148, then learn more from Step-by-Step Trees and Shrubs. This 132-page softcover book includes information on choosing trees and shrubs for adding beauty, privacy, shade, shelter, and value to your property. The price is $17.95, which includes shipping, handling, and sales tax.

Heirloom Stitchery

Personality Bookends

When your favorite book collection is strictly personal, treat it to more than a basic bookend. Here are some ideas for slipping just the right bookends onto bookshelves to keep treasured tomes in place.

Chip off the old walk

An In-the-Know Flowering Show

READER SHOPPING

Layer upon layer of fall color

Valerie Easton's garden mantra goes something like this: Layers. Summer blooms. Layers. Fall color. Layers ... (Repeat as necessary.)

On the rocks

Think of stone as one more way to achieve varied texture in your garden. Different kinds of stone, different looks and feels. Stone can be rough cut, smooth cut, or uncut-- chunky, blocky, rectangular, or irregular. And when you place rocks in your garden-- whether for walls, pavers, or just eye candy-- remember to leave a little room in between to tuck in tiny and not-so-tiny plants, preferably flowering ones.

Lavender and blue, dilly dilly

SHELTER UNDER THE TREES

TREES ARE THE VENERABLE PATRIARCHS OF OUR LANDSCAPES, OFTEN OUTLIVING THOSE WHO PLANT THEM. SO CHOOSE WELL, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE TREE'S MATURE SIZE, ITS SUITABILITY FOR YOUR CLIMATE, AND ITS BEAUTY.

Points of Interest

A garden reveals its personality through simple details: a tranquil splash of water, a whimsical sculpture, or a jazzy color scheme. Embellishments like these impart character to David Yakish's Sacramento, California, yard, expressing his love of the outdoors. The result? A lively garden with a surprise at every turn. Take a look.

Farm fresh

Linda and Kenna Stotts found an antidote to big-city life-- a 1939 farmhouse in Virginia's scenic "little Switzerland." It's designed for fun, family, and friends. So swing on in and relax awhile.

Remarkable renovation

Hunting for antiques at an estate sale on Mercer Island, Washington, Peggy Watkins discovered that the item she wanted most wasn't something she could take home. It was the 1917-built cottage where the sale was being held. Twelve years later, when the house was put on the market, Peggy and her husband, Jim Fernandez, decided to buy it. They carefully planned a renovation that turned the one-bedroom cottage into a modern 2,700-square-foot home while maintaining the structure's cozy charm.

Eating Like an Olympian

You don't need to mimic the diet of the first Olympians, who believed strength and speed came from eating raw meat. But what you eat and drink before, during, and after a workout has a big impact on how you perform and feel the rest of the day.

Teach Your Children Healthy

One out of every five kids is obese in this country, and the number of overweight children has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Doctors are beginning to notice a disturbingly high incidence of obese children with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol-- ailments that once mostly affected adults. We talked with doctors and nutrionists to find out how to help children slim down and get a healthier start in life.

Sleepless in America

A lack of sleep can make you careless. Now research shows that it also can make you sick and even accelerate aging.

A Cool Zoo for School

Halloween Ideas

Your home will be the envy of the neighborhood when All Hallows' Eve rolls around with these original ideas for crafts, yard ornaments, decorating, games, and recipes. Whether you choose the toothy sampler (below), the spook-tacular yard ornaments (right and above right), or one of the other 101 ideas from our latest Better Homes and Gardens book, you're sure to love the results.

The family next door