October 2001

From the editor

Frightful Fun

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Do-Ahead Desserts

For Our Members

Showcases

Inventive materials and hands-on creativity turn affordable bookcases into focal-point furniture. These pieces are as functional as they are fun.

Decorating Dos and Don'ts

Sometimes, less is less. Some dinky decorative elements throw rooms out of proportion, leaving gaps as awkward as a missing front tooth. Follow these lessons to create spaces that are as welcoming as a winning smile.

Dining Around the House

When dining for two or just a few, look beyond the dining room or kitchen to more intimate settings that await in unexpected places.

Halloween Dress-Ups

A house haunted with dark-and-gloomy Halloween trimmings can be a decorating nightmare. This year, exorcise the ghouls from your scary scheme and replace them with upbeat arrangements in cheerful oranges and yellows. These easy projects and simple displays-- mixing everyday containers with seasonal materials-- will leave you spellbound.

Ways with white

At Home with The Computer

Active families mean active kitchens. What better place to serve up a home's computer? But before you swap the food processor for a data-processing unit, figure out how you use your kitchen-- and where the kids spill grape juice, splatter pancake batter, and (maybe) even do some occasional homework. Then, pick a strategic spot for your computer station.

Now That The Kids Are Gone

Laundry Lessons

If the clothes care center at your house gets only passing grades, here's a tutorial that can help put it at the head of the class.

Clutter-Buster Closets

However your closets are performing now, chances are they can work even harder if you help them along with some space-saving tricks and extra planning. Here are a few storage-savvy strategies to get you started.

Go Green

Thinking "green" isn't about color trends or leafy vegetables. Green here refers to the environmental philosophy that influenced the remodeling of this California kitchen. Homeowner Patty Duncan wanted more than just a larger kitchen/dining area for entertaining. As an avid supporter of environmental issues, she envisioned a space filled with eco-friendly finishes and energy-saving features.

Exterior Products

Caring for wood

You likely have plenty of hardwood in your home, whether on furniture or floors. To keep the wood looking its best, you need to know how to handle stains and scratches in the finish. Some of these quick fixes might surprise you.

Bulb Bouquets

Hang this charming pair of Bulb Bouquet Prints in a spot where the power of their repetitive design will have the most impact. Remember to hang them at eye level depending on the setting-- lower if most often viewed from a seated position, such as in a dining room; or higher if usually viewed from a standing position, such as in a hallway.

Best-selling minivan flubs a crash test

The Dodge Grand Caravan needed three crash tests to get an "acceptable" rating from a safety test lab.

Instill Study Skills

Kids need to set aside an amount of time, and a place, and accomplish a daily study goal.

More than Just a Tantrum

Counseling and parent training programs can improve oppositional behavior

Paint-Free Fence

If, like Tom Sawyer, you have better things to do on a sunny weekend than paint a fence, you've come to the right century. Today's vinyl fencing is looking better than ever in paint-free finishes that match just about any architectural style and meet any need.

Making the Patio Private

Landscape designer Arianne Newton was getting a little bored with her backyard, so she took a brief break from clients' projects and spent time creating an outdoor Eden for her own family.

Never Say Die

The compleat showman

Friends = free labor (and fun)

TO ORDER IRIS

Buried Treasures

Bulbs are so naturally dramatic that wherever you plant them a spotlight shines. Give the show even more oomph by grouping each kind in generous numbers and choosing your spots with an eye on design. Here are five proven schemes. Plant now, applaud later. continued on page 140

Both sides now

A couple of ardent gardeners have created a gorgeous landscape in their backyard, but it is the front yard that feels quiet and secluded. Yes, you read that right: When the two of them want to escape, they sit out front.

CUT to FIT

Like a waistline, a lifestyle can expand and contract over time. With the last of four kids almost out the door, Patty and Steve Pratt realized they no longer needed an extra-large home. So with a nip here and a tuck there, they fit themselves into a small beach house custom-tailored to suit their current needs.

Kitchens Plus +

Kitchens are for cooking-- and entertaining, relaxing after work, and helping the kids with those slimy science projects. Considering all the activities a kitchen hosts, it should feature the extras that make it as comfortable and family-friendly as the rest of your house.

MINI PIE SET

PIE BAKER'S ESSENTIALS

ALL-PURPOSE SKILLET

"NUTS TO YOU" TART PAN SET

HELP FOR PASTRY

Foreign Flavors

Ethnic dining in America dates back to the original colonists, who ate tropical fruits from the Caribbean and used spices from the Far East. Today, diners wanting international flair can head to these All-American cities, which offer diverse cuisine in a walkable area.

Attack of the freaky fridge people

Sample our banquet of costume ideas. Slip on a Banana Split, serve yourself up as Broccoli-Gone-Bad, or become a take-off on Takeout. Chill out as a refrigerated leftover or snack. These dress-ups attack the funny bone.

The Shopper's Mart

The family next door